Hello,
I've recently made a 2'x2'x2' sealed cube and thrown my first pro woofer into it, a nice big 15" Behringer Eurolive 15W300A8, 300Watt @ 8Ohms. I must say that I'm amazed at how nice everything sounds giving this single woofer, with no other speakers hooked up, only half of its wattage. I've never had such full and defined mids before, not to mention this single woofer at HALF of its rated wattage is louder than most of my other speakers combined!
However I do need to get a proper tweeter box to handle the highs for this woofer. I want something that will be a good match for how loud this woofer is, as well as being cheap. I was thinking horn tweeters, but I don't know if it's worth it to spend the extra money on actual compression drivers instead of piezeo drivers.
I want to keep this little tweeter endeavor under $40, preferably under $20 if possible (not counting the wood for the box).
Any help is appreciated, thanks!
I've recently made a 2'x2'x2' sealed cube and thrown my first pro woofer into it, a nice big 15" Behringer Eurolive 15W300A8, 300Watt @ 8Ohms. I must say that I'm amazed at how nice everything sounds giving this single woofer, with no other speakers hooked up, only half of its wattage. I've never had such full and defined mids before, not to mention this single woofer at HALF of its rated wattage is louder than most of my other speakers combined!
However I do need to get a proper tweeter box to handle the highs for this woofer. I want something that will be a good match for how loud this woofer is, as well as being cheap. I was thinking horn tweeters, but I don't know if it's worth it to spend the extra money on actual compression drivers instead of piezeo drivers.
I want to keep this little tweeter endeavor under $40, preferably under $20 if possible (not counting the wood for the box).
Any help is appreciated, thanks!
This MCM horn is big and cheap. MCM Audio Select 1.75'' Compression Horn Tweeter - 7.28'' x 14.37'' Horn 300W RMS | 53-1250 (531250) | MCM Audio Select I have a pair but have not put the hurt to them yet, someone on a forum measured their frequency response a while back and it was not too bad. $15 each!
Yes it's worth the extra money, 1 on 1 there is no comparison between a piezo and dynamic compression driver especially one with a non metalic diaphram, much cleaner and more detailed mids.
This looks interesting, not a bad price at all, however I see some not so good reviews on that site about that horn.
Okay then I guess I'll go with compression drivers considering it seems to be the general consensus online.
Did you expect good reviews on a $15 anything?
Cover it in some endangered species fur, ask $1200 for it and instantly all audiophools will start raving about it
Actual sound is irrelevant.
Actually yes, there some good cheap products. Look at all of the cheap full range speakers that parts express sells, most of them are pretty good and are loved by many here on diyAudio.
Hah, yes I agree, it's a shame how some people fall for buying some stuff.
Here is the thread on the cheap MCM
MCM 53-1255 & MCM 53-1250 Cheap Horns
The plastic horn is brittle, mine had a small chip on the corner when shipped but it was not a problem for my application. I am sure MCM would have replaced it if I asked.
MCM 53-1255 & MCM 53-1250 Cheap Horns
The plastic horn is brittle, mine had a small chip on the corner when shipped but it was not a problem for my application. I am sure MCM would have replaced it if I asked.
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$20 JBL/Selenium
Selenium ST200 Super Tweeter | 264-348
Very nice. Pretty loud though. (100db+ from 2k up)
Selenium ST200 Super Tweeter | 264-348
Very nice. Pretty loud though. (100db+ from 2k up)
So lets say I were to buy this. How many would I need, just one?
And what sort of box would I put it in (i'd like to to be separate from the woofer box, and possibly have 2 individual ones for stereo).
I want to use a 2'x2'x2' cube with a 15" woofer for lows and mids. I need something for the highs. I want it to be a separate enclosure, perhaps 2 separate enclosures so I can have stereo sound.
They'd be used for very loud listening in a pretty small room. I just want something nice and crazy to go with my crazy woofer.
That's not gonna work very well(sound very good) unless you have 2 complete speaker systems(2 woofers and 2 tweeters) or if you make the 15 a dedicated sub from 100hz down and cross over to a pair of "fullrange" speakers that cover everything else. A super tweeter is not what is used with a PA woofer in a fullrange system either, you want a more capable driver that can be crossed over at no more than 1.5k to 2khz ideally..
Why can't I have the sub do from 2KHz down, and then have some tweeter do the rest, or possibly two tweeters do the rest?
I'm pretty confused by most of what you said, anything after "A super tweeter" and I'm lost. I don't know what a super tweeter is, what you mean by fullrange system (I know what fullrange means but not in PA context), and which driver you were talking about.
EDIT: Also I'm not sure what your standards for "good sound" are, but with JUST this 15" woofer at half its rated wattage, running full range, I was more than happy with how it sounded, the highs lacked quite a bit but it still sounded amazing.
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OK lets clarify a few things, that 15" driver you have is not a "sub" by any standard.. home audio or PA. We know this by the very fact it plays up into the kilohertz range, if it was a subwoofer it simply would not do this. The high frequency driver(tweeter) you need to pair with this needs to be capable of covering from about 2khz up, a super tweeter is not really capable of going that low they usually are limited to frequencies above 5-8khz or just the very top of the spectrum where the instruments like cymbals reside, if you try to make it play lower it will distort very easily.
A crossover is a filter network that is placed between the amplifier and speakers to limit the audio spectrum each driver sees, this is necessary to protect the drivers and to ensure they play together as smoothly as possible. You will need a crossover to add a tweeter of any type to your system, and at the very least this will consist of a capacitor and a resistor in series with the tweeter to filter out low frequencies and reduce the overall tweeter output level to match the woofer.
For PA applications the spectrum can be broken down like this.
Sub: 30hz to100hz
Bass: 100hz to 250hz
Mids: 250hz to 5khz
Highs: 5khz to 20khz.
You will notice that these divisions do not correspond with the crossover frequency suggested for your speaker system, this is because you are only going to have a 2-way speaker system so compromises have to be made to make the best of it. That's what we're really talking about here the best compromise for your setup, there are lots of different drivers you could use I'm just trying to suggest something that I know will work better. Here a driver/horn combo that should do what you want without breaking the bank.
Pyle PDS182 1.5" Titanium Horn Driver 8 Ohm | 292-2618
Goldwood GT-400PB 1" Horn 1-3/8"-18 TPI | 270-095
I realize its a woofer, not a subwoofer, when typing fast I mess things up. As far as crossovers go I want to use an active croosover on the line level and do either bi or tri amp setup.
I'd seriously consider a super tweeter with a nice 8 or 10in woofer to handle mids and highs, so long as I can find a good deal on a woofer and tweeter, enclosures are not a problem.
The links you've provided aren't too expensive but I could probably get a supertweeter and woofer for the same price to do the same thing (I like buying used things on eBay) don't you think?
If you are making a "stereo" system then you need two of everything. The exception is to have one sub since your ears can not detect where things come from below real low freqs.
You can do a system however you want and how you find pleasing but what you will eventually find is: to use your 15 as a "sub" and cross it over below say 80 - 100+ hz. add two low/mids that are 8s to 12s, add tweets. these will need crossovers so they only get midrange sounds to the mids and high sounds to the tweeters. DIY audio is fun and does take some learning but the better you get at it the more you will like it.
I am working on some steps for you and speaker suggestions to get you up and running. What amps/ receivers are you using besides the one mentioned?
You can do a system however you want and how you find pleasing but what you will eventually find is: to use your 15 as a "sub" and cross it over below say 80 - 100+ hz. add two low/mids that are 8s to 12s, add tweets. these will need crossovers so they only get midrange sounds to the mids and high sounds to the tweeters. DIY audio is fun and does take some learning but the better you get at it the more you will like it.
I am working on some steps for you and speaker suggestions to get you up and running. What amps/ receivers are you using besides the one mentioned?
So lets say I were to do this:
single 15" running 0-2KHZ on a pro amp (to be obtained and repaired soon)
2x enclosures, each with a supertweeter doing 5KHZ-20KHZ and a 8" or 10" woofer doing 2KHZ-5KHZ. With both of those on a drivers in a single enclosure on a 150WPC RMS very nice home audio amp, or possibly with just those 8" or 10" woofers on a 150WPC RMS very nice home audio amp, and just the supertweeters on a 60WPC RMS Home Audio Reciever.
Wouldn't that be good (given that I find 8" or 10" woofers with the correct frequency response)?
single 15" running 0-2KHZ on a pro amp (to be obtained and repaired soon)
2x enclosures, each with a supertweeter doing 5KHZ-20KHZ and a 8" or 10" woofer doing 2KHZ-5KHZ. With both of those on a drivers in a single enclosure on a 150WPC RMS very nice home audio amp, or possibly with just those 8" or 10" woofers on a 150WPC RMS very nice home audio amp, and just the supertweeters on a 60WPC RMS Home Audio Reciever.
Wouldn't that be good (given that I find 8" or 10" woofers with the correct frequency response)?
Your system just needs a couple of things to be pleasing and I understand you dont want to spend a lot at this time.
This is an example of the big picture. It is intended to show how seperation of frequencies and speakers can play different rolls for a large sound. As you add and develope I hope this helps answer questions.
http://cdn.avsforum.com/4/4b/4b71c328_THTRvisio.jpeg
This is an example of the big picture. It is intended to show how seperation of frequencies and speakers can play different rolls for a large sound. As you add and develope I hope this helps answer questions.
http://cdn.avsforum.com/4/4b/4b71c328_THTRvisio.jpeg
Running the 15" up to 2kHz, and then having two boxes go from there would sound very weird. The guys above were pointing you toward a 2.1 system - two nearly-full-range boxes (bass-limited), and then use your 15" for a subwoofer to cover the low frequencies. Sounds like you rather like the 15" driver, and want to keep things simple, soooo....
I'd not bother with going stereo - save your money, stay mono, get a decent-ish compression driver on one of those QSC waveguides from Parts Express.
Cross over at 2.5kHz, 2nd order (though higher order would be better here), and add a touch of eq to taste.
Its simple, easy, and loud.
You'd be able to fix most issues (BSC, stuff like that) with eq. Both drivers would be reaching out slightly to meet the other, so the midrange might be a tad rough, but hey, people use worse set-ups than that every day with no complaints.
Chris
I'd not bother with going stereo - save your money, stay mono, get a decent-ish compression driver on one of those QSC waveguides from Parts Express.
Cross over at 2.5kHz, 2nd order (though higher order would be better here), and add a touch of eq to taste.
Its simple, easy, and loud.
You'd be able to fix most issues (BSC, stuff like that) with eq. Both drivers would be reaching out slightly to meet the other, so the midrange might be a tad rough, but hey, people use worse set-ups than that every day with no complaints.
Chris
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