So, where can one buy loudspeaker drivers these days?

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head_unit

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Joined 2004
#1
I haven't had to buy drivers in a long time. I see a bunch of stuff at Parts Express, and I see Madisound is still around. Speaker City seems out of business and Zalytron shows almost nothing.

I'm looking for a 12" woofer which will bass-ically 😉 run open baffle in a wall with an understairs closet behind. Ideally the woofer would have a top end die-off to cross over to a horn.* No sweet spot listening, more like whole-house sound, an EQ may well gently massage the sound. Not wanting to spend hundreds but the cheapies at Parts Express don't look too damped.

A grille to cover all this is also needed, perforated metal pre-made, I'm not making wooden frames for grill cloth.

*No I haven't decided which. I really want to use the Dayton 10" waveguide just cuz it's so cheap and cool but don't know what driver or tweeter I would mount to that.
 
#2
Historically I've used inexpensive ~40 - 12+ kHz wide range drivers spec'd for '50s, etc., pegboard backed consoles and been awhile since I checked, but still available for commercial ceiling or similar PA apps. Use to get them from Radio Shack [NLA] and MCM [Newark].

GM
 
#3
Solen Electronique Inc. | World leading producer of high-end crossover components
AUDIO-HI.FI, Loudspeaker shop
Creative Sound Solutions | High End Speakers and Speaker Kits
Meniscus Audio

I am sure you could find more on google, but this was my hitlist in addition to what you found.

These are popular.
NRX – Sbacoustics
I've heard the sb12" in a 70 liter and it was like a comfy bass blanket that wrapped around me.

I got my tweeter from audio-hi.fi and they were super fast to ship an in-stock item. I think some stuff there might be slower.

Good luck!
 
#4
head_unit said:
Ideally the woofer would have a top end die-off to cross over to a horn [...] EQ may well gently massage the sound.
Click to expand...

So basically, you need something with a well behaved top end - soft rolloff, no big spikes. You can't fix big spikes with EQ.

The LF rolloff doesn't matter, since you can tweak that with EQ.

head_unit said:
Not wanting to spend hundreds but the cheapies at Parts Express don't look too damped.
Click to expand...

I read that as meaning the same thing: no big spikes.

That, plus the requirement to fill a whole house with one 12" driver, makes me think that what you want is a well behaved, reasonably priced pro woofer. Look specifically for midbass drivers. Guitar speakers and dedicated bass woofers have nastier top ends.

This Beyma woofer may be good for your application, and $170 isn't too bad:

Beyma SM-212 Speakers - Beyma SM212 12 inch mid-bass speaker - Beyma SM-212 700 watt 12" speaker for all mid-bass and bass applications. Beyma SM-212 and other Beyma 12" speakers here.

Alternatively, you may have seen this Faital driver on Parts Express:

FaitalPRO 12PR300 12" Neodymium Professional Woofer 8 Ohm

...and it is $70 cheaper here, which might make it more tempting:

Faital Pro 12PR300 12" Woofer Speaker Clearance

...and the HF rolloff looks pretty smooth. I have a pair of related drivers (12FH520) and I think they are rather good, and decent value.

head_unit said:
No I haven't decided which. I really want to use the Dayton 10" waveguide just cuz it's so cheap and cool but don't know what driver or tweeter I would mount to that.
Click to expand...

If you are looking at Parts Express, I'd suggest go for something like this one instead:

Eminence H290B 1" Bi-Radial Horn 90x40 2/3-Bolt

because:

1) The drivers for bolt-on horns seem to be better, and there are more of them.

2) I think a horn with a wider coverage pattern would be better for a whole-house mono setup.

3) it is only a few $ more
 
#9
"Actually I meant that the cheapest Parts Express woofers have high Q even in free air."

I see. Yeah, that's generally what you get with cheap drivers - a smaller cheaper magnet normally = higher Qts.

I initially thought you meant damping as a property of the cone.

e.g. I've owned "super" Wharfedales with trerrible response due to this:

"The straight-sided cone [...] breaks up like crazy and rings like a bell"

"By the way, so does all magnesium drivers"

Wharfedale Super 8

I think that good cone damping / avoiding bad cone break up is important to satisfy your requirement: "Ideally the woofer would have a top end die-off to cross over to a horn"

If you compare (say) the Beyma SM-212 (or the 15" that evanc suggested) to the Visaton W300, it appears that the Beyma has a better behaved cone - you see a smooth rolloff, whereas the Visaton has an ~8dB spike.

The Beyma also has a lower Qts, which would seem to satisfy your other requirement.

The Beyma will cost about twice as much.

In my opinion, avoiding that 8dB spike is why the Beyma (or any similar driver) would be worth paying extra. Being smooth in the 2kHz region makes the crossover to the horn much nicer and easier. I don't think the difference in Qts will be as audible - particularly after applying the gentle EQ you mentioned.
 
#11
head_unit said:
I haven't had to buy drivers in a long time. I see a bunch of stuff at Parts Express, and I see Madisound is still around. Speaker City seems out of business and Zalytron shows almost nothing.
Click to expand...

Pro Audio Speakers and HF Drivers - good to deal with. Lavoce 6.5 inch at $14 a piece on a clearout 🙂.
JamminJersery.com - used speakers. Closed store but still exists online with a lot of older stock.
audioclassics.com - has a raw drivers section with limited selection.
Meniscus Audio - a lot of kits as well as drivers.
 
#12
 
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