Zaph SR71 as a live ukulele amp?

santiu · 3rd December 2008, 01:19 AM

Hey all! Not sure if this is the right forum and this is sort of a weird question, but i'll give it a shot anyways. So i play ukulele, and i'm looking to build an amp for an acoustic-electric I have. I figured, a hi-fi speaker would fit the bill since most nice acoustic amps seem to be just nice channel strips mated to a nice PA type speaker. Especially since the uke doesn't get too low, I figured a nice 2-way speaker would work well.

So, that being said. How do you guys think the SR71 would fair? I'm wondering just how loud one of these can get (powered by a 120W amp). It wouldn't need to get super loud since in very loud situations the ukulele would just go into a real PA. I'm just looking to get the same sort of output as say another 100W acoustic amp (like a Fishman Loudbox 100). But i'm wondering if this speaker could handle running at high volume most of the time without the speaker breaking up.

thoughts? Suggestions? Rotten Tomatoes? I'm i crazy?

benchtester · 3rd December 2008, 07:16 AM

I am not familiar with the sound of live ukuleles. But I would expect the Scanspeak drivers reproduce the sound of string instruments better. I built a two way like the ZD5, but you would want a bit more sensitivity. Zaph's ZRT project has a 2-way sealed version that would be better for you. While the drivers are more expensive, you would only need one of each.

pelanj · 3rd December 2008, 08:07 AM

Hello, for an ukulele (and most of stringed musical instruments for that matter) I would prefer to use a full range PA speaker, say 10" in a combo shaped open backed box.

sreten · 3rd December 2008, 04:15 PM

Hi,

The Fishman Loudbox 100 states 100W and 114dB at 1m.

Basically this implies 94dB/W for the drivers, the SR71 is
nowhere near this value and will relatively eat power.

http://www.pispeakers.com/catalog/default.php/cPath/3

The 8" P one or 10" P two should do the job, both 95dB/W.

/sreten.

lousymusician · 4th December 2008, 02:20 AM

The Hawthorne Audio Silver Iris might work nicely. It's a 15" woofer with a coaxial horn tweeter. 95 dB or so efficient, rated for 150 W. I believe that they have been used for acoustic guitar amplification, so a uke should be no problem.

The Hawthornes are meant for open baffle applications, so the cabinet can be quite small and easy to transport. I built some minimalist baffles for my pair, and gave them to my son for his dorm room:

They could easily be mounted to tripod stands for PA duty.

Bill

3rd December 2008, 01:19 AM	#1
santiu diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Los Angeles	Zaph SR71 as a live ukulele amp? Hey all! Not sure if this is the right forum and this is sort of a weird question, but i'll give it a shot anyways. So i play ukulele, and i'm looking to build an amp for an acoustic-electric I have. I figured, a hi-fi speaker would fit the bill since most nice acoustic amps seem to be just nice channel strips mated to a nice PA type speaker. Especially since the uke doesn't get too low, I figured a nice 2-way speaker would work well. So, that being said. How do you guys think the SR71 would fair? I'm wondering just how loud one of these can get (powered by a 120W amp). It wouldn't need to get super loud since in very loud situations the ukulele would just go into a real PA. I'm just looking to get the same sort of output as say another 100W acoustic amp (like a Fishman Loudbox 100). But i'm wondering if this speaker could handle running at high volume most of the time without the speaker breaking up. thoughts? Suggestions? Rotten Tomatoes? I'm i crazy?

4th December 2008, 02:20 AM	#5
lousymusician diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NorCal	The Hawthorne Audio Silver Iris might work nicely. It's a 15" woofer with a coaxial horn tweeter. 95 dB or so efficient, rated for 150 W. I believe that they have been used for acoustic guitar amplification, so a uke should be no problem. The Hawthornes are meant for open baffle applications, so the cabinet can be quite small and easy to transport. I built some minimalist baffles for my pair, and gave them to my son for his dorm room: They could easily be mounted to tripod stands for PA duty. Bill __________________ The difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is.

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3rd December 2008, 07:16 AM	#2
benchtester diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Oakland, Calif.	I am not familiar with the sound of live ukuleles. But I would expect the Scanspeak drivers reproduce the sound of string instruments better. I built a two way like the ZD5, but you would want a bit more sensitivity. Zaph's ZRT project has a 2-way sealed version that would be better for you. While the drivers are more expensive, you would only need one of each.

3rd December 2008, 08:07 AM	#3
pelanj diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2008	Hello, for an ukulele (and most of stringed musical instruments for that matter) I would prefer to use a full range PA speaker, say 10" in a combo shaped open backed box.

3rd December 2008, 04:15 PM	#4
sreten diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton UK	Hi, The Fishman Loudbox 100 states 100W and 114dB at 1m. Basically this implies 94dB/W for the drivers, the SR71 is nowhere near this value and will relatively eat power. http://www.pispeakers.com/catalog/default.php/cPath/3 The 8" P one or 10" P two should do the job, both 95dB/W. /sreten.