Hey guys,
I was quite curious on this topic for some time now, where people often suggest not going over a particular woofer size for low frequency reproduction - such as never going over a 15" woofer because anything larger will tend to flex in a poor manner, causing distortions and such (Which seems a little strange considering that there a quite a few different studio monitor companies who use 18" woofers in their largest main monitors)
As such, as my title states, what are your guys' thoughts on the ideal large woofer size?
I was quite curious on this topic for some time now, where people often suggest not going over a particular woofer size for low frequency reproduction - such as never going over a 15" woofer because anything larger will tend to flex in a poor manner, causing distortions and such (Which seems a little strange considering that there a quite a few different studio monitor companies who use 18" woofers in their largest main monitors)
As such, as my title states, what are your guys' thoughts on the ideal large woofer size?
The ideal woofer size is the one that works best to meet the parameters considered most important for the application, so could range from a few inches to 30 or more.
Cost vs. benefits tend to favor 12" to 18" frame size for most low frequency applications in the 20-100 Hz range.
Ya there's not really a largest size, just anything above 18 is usually pretty rare to find because few applications need or can fit a woofer that big. Was this just a random question or were you looking for something? For serious subbass I would look at what Mach 5 subwoofers have to offer. They have a 21 incher that looks pretty badass but when you look at the price for the same price a few 15s or a couple 18s will give you just as much in every aspect and probably take up less space too.
+1 to that sreten
I've become a big fan of multiple smaller "mid / woofers" -generally no larger than 7-8" in "FAST" / multiways, and even as "subs" in my own modest HT rig.
But for those who simply refuse to compromise on dimensions, something like these would be fun to play with
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/images/products/secondary/fw800hs-1.png
I've become a big fan of multiple smaller "mid / woofers" -generally no larger than 7-8" in "FAST" / multiways, and even as "subs" in my own modest HT rig.
But for those who simply refuse to compromise on dimensions, something like these would be fun to play with
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/images/products/secondary/fw800hs-1.png
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
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I'd argue that 18" is the biggest practical size- beyond that, just use more drivers, as the demands of the suspension, frame, and cone rigidity become nearly insurmountable. I think even 18" is a stretch most of the time, with 12" and 15" in multiples allowing more flexible and optimized engineering decisions.
To answer the question of what my goal is, is that I wish to reach those last few, difficult hz - My logic for larger woofers was simply that they could potentially move more air, more efficiently than compared to a small(er) woofer, but along those lines I had heard a rule of thumb that 15" is about the largest should reasonably use.
Hence, my asking of this question (or essentially, "Bigger is better" but to what point?)
(Also, I've seen that behemoth 30" woofer before - heck, I even asked a question about it once. But I digress, I wonder if anyone around here has actually used one of them)
Hence, my asking of this question (or essentially, "Bigger is better" but to what point?)
(Also, I've seen that behemoth 30" woofer before - heck, I even asked a question about it once. But I digress, I wonder if anyone around here has actually used one of them)
Depends on what you are doing,
If home theater is your thing and you want 15Hz performance, then you have to move a LOT of air. A 21" cone has twice the surface area of two 15's but it is huge. Still, they can move the air as Danley Sound Labs uses two of them in their tapped horn for theaters etc. As far as the loose, floppy or whatever--that is not a factor unless the cone is not made stiff enough to deal with the pressure. That can happen with any speaker not built correctly.
I use two 15's in the PPSL enclosure like djk uses--my absolute limit on height of the box was 20" since line arrays are placed on top and I didn't want the stack to exceed 7'10" in height.
If you are paranoid about cone flex--get 18 or 21 inch subwoofers designed for horn loaded enclosures. They can handle the massive pressure of a horn without cone failure, they won't have any issues in a traditional sealed or ported box.
If you want a cone that won't flex even if you sit inside the thing--the Powerforce M-Force 40" subwoofer cone is 4mm thick of poly. It is rated to go down to 15Hz so a few of those should give you the cure for any of your bass desires.
If home theater is your thing and you want 15Hz performance, then you have to move a LOT of air. A 21" cone has twice the surface area of two 15's but it is huge. Still, they can move the air as Danley Sound Labs uses two of them in their tapped horn for theaters etc. As far as the loose, floppy or whatever--that is not a factor unless the cone is not made stiff enough to deal with the pressure. That can happen with any speaker not built correctly.
I use two 15's in the PPSL enclosure like djk uses--my absolute limit on height of the box was 20" since line arrays are placed on top and I didn't want the stack to exceed 7'10" in height.
If you are paranoid about cone flex--get 18 or 21 inch subwoofers designed for horn loaded enclosures. They can handle the massive pressure of a horn without cone failure, they won't have any issues in a traditional sealed or ported box.
If you want a cone that won't flex even if you sit inside the thing--the Powerforce M-Force 40" subwoofer cone is 4mm thick of poly. It is rated to go down to 15Hz so a few of those should give you the cure for any of your bass desires.
my vote goes towards multible 15", like dayton titanic. get a good bunch of them,
and go for a single bass array.
someone of the german neighbor-forum has build something similar, i think this user is active here too. (foLLgoTT).
SBA with 18 peerless 12" in CB. 130db from 30hz up, and like 115db at 16hz. the whole array goes down to 4hz linear.
and go for a single bass array.
someone of the german neighbor-forum has build something similar, i think this user is active here too. (foLLgoTT).
SBA with 18 peerless 12" in CB. 130db from 30hz up, and like 115db at 16hz. the whole array goes down to 4hz linear.
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