Dayton reference 2in Dome Midrange

[angsuman]

Hello everyone, I am thinking of doing a 3 way project a few months down the road. I want to try out a dome midrange because of its better dispersion.

I'm curious how the new Dayton reference dome midrange
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=285-020

Performs. Is there anything wrong with this driver or if anyone has experience with this driver?

Also, could someone give advantages/disadvantages of using dome midranges compared to cone midranges.

[ShinOBIWAN]

Very few if any folks on here will have experience with that driver.

Its only just been released and Parts Express doesn't have any stock yet. Think of the listing as a taster

So your guess is as good as anyones at the moment I supect.

[angsuman]

lol oops didn't see the not in stock yet. Price seems pretty darn good if it remains there.

Anyways what about dome midranges in general, Pros Cons etc.

[ShinOBIWAN]

Please, please don't get me started on dome midranges or maybe just one in particular.

I think its best for everyone that I pretend I never saw this thread, lest I go into ATC rep mode

[angsuman]

Was there a previously heated debate on dome midranges that i am not aware of.

[Cloth Ears]

from Lynn Olsen's "Looking over my shoulder" (1994)
Soft Dome Midranges
These things are dogs! I've listened to the AR-3, AR LST, ADS systems, Audax 2", and the Dynaudio D-52 soft dome midranges, and they barked, they snarled, they chewed the rug, and made a mess on any loudspeaker they approached! They measure flat, all right, but they sound opaque, fatiguing, strongly colored, and 2-dimensional.

The first problem is that soft-dome midranges have a limited bandwidth resulting from restricted linear excursion (1-2 mm typical) and do not gracefully tolerate even a 500 Hz crossover, operating best over a limited 800 Hz to 3200 Hz range.

A second problem is that they are quite prone to side-to-side rocking modes, since there is no spider combined with the surround to force the movement into a linear back-and-forth motion.

A third problem is that the doped silk dome is just, well, too soft for the job it has to do in the power band of the midrange.

The newer class of cone-domes, such as the 5" Scan-Speak 13M/8636 and 13M/8640, and the 5" Dynaudio 15W-75, are another story. These 3 drivers are actually constructed as high-precision cone drivers, not midrange domes. The only thing they have in common with the soft domes is a large dustcap, which does act as a dome at high frequencies.

This class of driver has much more excursion, much lower distortion, and much wider frequency response than the older soft-dome midranges. The cone-dome drivers are capable of realistic and transparent sound. They are described in more detail in the other sections, since they use Kevlar, paper, and polypropylene respectively.

Another "special case" is the professional-grade ATC 3" dome with an integral short horn. This driver uses a dual spider to eliminate the rocking problem that plagues most soft-domes, reducing the IM distortion very significantly. Ron Nelson (of Nelson-Reed) recommended this driver as one of the very best midranges around, and I take his recommendation seriously. This is a very expensive driver (around US$300/each) and needs to be hand-selected so the resonant frequencies of the left and right channels match.

Strengths are: None. Metal-dome midranges have some potential, but they require sharp crossovers on both ends with an additional sharp notch filter at high frequencies to remove the first (and worst) HF breakup mode. Note: This does not apply to the ATC driver or the cone-domes.

Weaknesses are: High distortion, fatiguing sound, high crossover frequency, limited bandwidth, limited power-handling, and misleading frequency response measurements. It takes a detailed swept IM distortion measurement and laser holography to get the goods on these drivers. Note: This does not apply to the ATC driver or the cone-domes.

Best Examples are: ATC 3" professional-series - a totally different animal than the usual soft-domes. About 4 times as expensive, though. The Dynaudio D-54 in a Edgarhorn is reputed by the "Sound Practices" group to be the finest midrange in the world ... yours truly has a pair on order, so I'll let you know.

[ShinOBIWAN]

Originally posted by Cloth Ears
Best Examples are: ATC 3" professional-series - a totally different animal than the usual soft-domes. About 4 times as expensive, though.

Hey I didn't bring it up

[ShinOBIWAN]

Originally posted by angsuman
Was there a previously heated debate on dome midranges that i am not aware of.

Not all, its just that I tend to mention a particular dome midrange far too often on here.

[pinkmouse]

Best I say nothing at this point.

[dwk123]

I'm actually very intrigued by this driver as well. It'll be interesting to see whether the key points make it different from other dome mids:
- metal dome
- 2" vs 3 or 4"

My idea is to put these guys in a Geddes OS Waveguide. Should be able to cover maybe ~500-5k+. Augment with a good 15 on the bottom, and fill in the treble and it chould be a very interesting and relatively inexpensive system. Making the 2" throat waveguide would be a challenge, though.

Oh, well, put it on the list of projects I probably won't get to.....