I need to build a pair of audiophile quality PA speakers and i was wondering if anyone here has had any experiance with building any.
I have not heard many PA cabs that sound good. most tend to be harsh or honky sounding on the top end with odd midrange qualities and bass that sounds like a wet cardboard box so i am looking to build my own.
These are for a pop/rock band so they need to play pretty loudly. they will be used with a pair of subs that have JBL 18's in them so they really only need to go down cleanly to 40-60Hz or so. Most PA subs dont go below 40 anyway. and 60 is a little high but right around there.
I figure maybe a 3 way system might be best. my thinking is that to get down to 40/50hz i most likley will need to use a 15" but a 15 crossing over to a horn while commonly done, i dont think is the best way to go. seems to be that a small horn will only be able to go down to 800hz if your lucky, more likley 1200hz or higher. and a 15 trying to go up that high has a number of problems.
There are a number of 6" to 10" PA type midrange drivers on the market today with high power handling so maybe something like a 15 with a 6-10" mid and a horn on top.
To keep the weight down, i will most likley split the mid/hi section into its own cab and the 15 in its own box with some sort of interlocking system to keep things in line.
These will be used in a small club of maybe 150 seating capacity. but may also be used as drum monitors.
There seems to be many speakers like this on the market. a 15" a cone mid in some small horn and a horn tweeter. but none sound very good and if they do, they are unaffordable.
a clean Mid high is more important then the low end so that i think will be my main focus.
Lets start with a clean midrange driver and tweeter that doesnt make cymbals sound like frying bacon.
Ideas? suggestions???
Zc
I have not heard many PA cabs that sound good. most tend to be harsh or honky sounding on the top end with odd midrange qualities and bass that sounds like a wet cardboard box so i am looking to build my own.
These are for a pop/rock band so they need to play pretty loudly. they will be used with a pair of subs that have JBL 18's in them so they really only need to go down cleanly to 40-60Hz or so. Most PA subs dont go below 40 anyway. and 60 is a little high but right around there.
I figure maybe a 3 way system might be best. my thinking is that to get down to 40/50hz i most likley will need to use a 15" but a 15 crossing over to a horn while commonly done, i dont think is the best way to go. seems to be that a small horn will only be able to go down to 800hz if your lucky, more likley 1200hz or higher. and a 15 trying to go up that high has a number of problems.
There are a number of 6" to 10" PA type midrange drivers on the market today with high power handling so maybe something like a 15 with a 6-10" mid and a horn on top.
To keep the weight down, i will most likley split the mid/hi section into its own cab and the 15 in its own box with some sort of interlocking system to keep things in line.
These will be used in a small club of maybe 150 seating capacity. but may also be used as drum monitors.
There seems to be many speakers like this on the market. a 15" a cone mid in some small horn and a horn tweeter. but none sound very good and if they do, they are unaffordable.
a clean Mid high is more important then the low end so that i think will be my main focus.
Lets start with a clean midrange driver and tweeter that doesnt make cymbals sound like frying bacon.
Ideas? suggestions???
Zc
Hi ZC,
I know next to nothing about pro/PA speakers, but if you haven't seen it I can point you to a design that may at least get you going in the right direction:
http://www.partsexpress.com/projectshowcase/blue/list.html
It is a 3-way, with huge woofers and decent sensitivity. The designer says the sound is fairly high end for PA, and offers a second, smaller box volume suggestion for higher power handling capabilities.
Unfortunately both the woofer and midrange are no longer available, but near identical alternatives are available from Eminence. Your budget will determine if this is a viable option.
Hope this helps.
I know next to nothing about pro/PA speakers, but if you haven't seen it I can point you to a design that may at least get you going in the right direction:
http://www.partsexpress.com/projectshowcase/blue/list.html
It is a 3-way, with huge woofers and decent sensitivity. The designer says the sound is fairly high end for PA, and offers a second, smaller box volume suggestion for higher power handling capabilities.
Unfortunately both the woofer and midrange are no longer available, but near identical alternatives are available from Eminence. Your budget will determine if this is a viable option.
Hope this helps.
http://pispeakers.com/
I bring these up from time to time when people are looking for this kind of thing.
Another thing to look into is the "unity horn". These are said to have exceptional clarity, efficiency, and overall high SPL capability.
I agree that the Blue Wonders look like a good solution on a budget. There are Dayton pro drivers and Eminence drivers that are really close to the original design; it would take a little adaptation in the crossover, but it should be doable.
Also, I've often thought of using the Beta 12CX as a monitor. The 10" version would have cleaner midrange, but wouldn't have the same SPL capability.
I bring these up from time to time when people are looking for this kind of thing.
Another thing to look into is the "unity horn". These are said to have exceptional clarity, efficiency, and overall high SPL capability.
I agree that the Blue Wonders look like a good solution on a budget. There are Dayton pro drivers and Eminence drivers that are really close to the original design; it would take a little adaptation in the crossover, but it should be doable.
Also, I've often thought of using the Beta 12CX as a monitor. The 10" version would have cleaner midrange, but wouldn't have the same SPL capability.
joe carrow said:
I will look into the Unity horn....
I have thought about using a coax for floor monitors where i dont need the extreme low end. but finding a tweeter driver that works well and isnt harsh or sizzly sounding is the key.
Budget, well as cheap as possible of course hahaha. But seriously. as long as it is within reason. i mean i cant spend $500 on a pair of tweeters or something else out of the norm for each part. But i figure the cost will end up being around $1500 a pair by the time i get done.
Just going by the parts express catalog. woofers look like they will end up being less then $150 each so that is $300, mids less then $100 each bringing the total to $500 and tweeters about the same $100 each or less for a total of $700 plus crossover parts and wood.
So $1500 or less should be within reason.
I like the community M4 mid driver a lot. but the cost is high and being a 4" compression driver, the horn is usually huge. I saw an article about greg Almonds studio where they took the M4, removed the phase plug and mounted it without a horn and got it to work well if memory serves me well. I think it was pegasis studios or speakers or something.
I might be able to get a set of used M4's if we can find a way to use them. But i am thinking of a cone mid might be a better way to go?
Zc
Go to:
www.speakerplans.com
There are several very good PA speaker designs listed, and they have a great support forum.
Larry
www.speakerplans.com
There are several very good PA speaker designs listed, and they have a great support forum.
Larry
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