Array of 12 tweeters in 3x4 configuration for Cinema?

[Kindhornman]

I beg to differ from JMFahey on mounting a dome tweeter to a waveguide. It can be done and is often with dome tweeters and short waveguides. You can mount them behind a 1" entrance horn and achieve gain, but you will need to do some serious eq to flatten the response. No you will never have the type of output as a compression driver but you will see definite gain from this approach. Look at any major dome tweeter manufacturer and you will see dome tweeters on short waveguides. Try it you may be satisfied with the result as long as you understand that it is not going to give 106 db of output.

[rhythmsandy]

Originally Posted by JMFahey

No, but you can use them as mids.

no no in the sense I was asking that can I use mid drivers in the array config?

[JMFahey]

is often with dome tweeters and short waveguides.

Well, yes, it can be done if you are happy with a very modest improvement.
I have used (and repaired) such tweeters, the "short horn" is there, with no compression or phasing plug in front of the diaphragm, so it can enhance coupling only at the lower end of the tweeter response.
I *guess* (may be wrong) that they are a designer's trick to extend tweeter response downwards, a little (say 1/2 or 1/3 octave), by a couple dB.
Not bad if you can get it for "free" and it simplifies choosing the other drivers in the box.

[rhythmsandy]

its just for the quality so I believe we can use both tweeters and mids in array configuration for cinema application..

[JMFahey]

Well, you can always go for a full line array, why not?
It will certainly help tame poor room acoustics.

[rhythmsandy]

so you are recommending a line array or a point array ( square array ) so that I see line array has more comb effect but when drivers are placed in terms of filling a circle or like in 3 x 4 config like discussed before acts more like a point source from large distance rather than one big line creating comb problems.. dont you think so...

[JMFahey]

Don't know where you will be using this.
If in an actual Cinema, try to get as much directivity s possible within reason, because acoustics there suck; now if you call "Cinema" some living room "Home Theater", it's not that critical at all.

[rhythmsandy]

I would be using it in big cinema theater

[JMFahey]

OK, answer it yourself: is it a wide short room or a long narrow one?
If short and wide, having wide dispersion, for example mounting speakers in an arc is good, will reach more people with good sound.
If long and narrow, such as traditional 30's to 50's built cinemas (their golden age), you'll need as much focusing as possible to reach people in the back seats with intelligible sound.
In that case, take a long hard look at what kind of speaker systems were used there.
*Electronics* have changed a lot, but *Acoustics* are the same.
And in that case, modern low efficiency and poor directivity cone drivers are *not* the answer.