I thought I could say a few words regarding my initial impressions/experience with my new subs.
I bought these for my OB design, to replace the FaitalPro 15FH510. The Faitals were good drivers overall, yet having Fs at 35Hz they really needed some help to cover the frequency down to solid 30 Hz. So I needed 10'' sealed subs to be happy with the sound of my OB.
The goal was to get rid of the sealed subs. I started to look for 18'' drivers, with a decent Fs and a solid construction. After all I decided to go for well-regarded and expensive BMS 18N862 and I almost bought them... Then searching for them I accidently found the Biancos... They were suspiciously cheap (you could have 4 Biancos for the price of 1 BMS) but... They are manufactured by the pro division of SB Acoustics and I always regarded them as a reliable company. Next, they had everything I needed: low Fs, cast aluminium chassis, copper as winding material, decent Xmax of 11mm... relatively low power handling (450 AEs) didn't bother me as they were intended for home use.
So I decided to give them a chance and regret later...
Let's start with the looks: they are good looking, and I mean both sides which can be important for OB. The front side of the cone is uneven under the coating which is looking good, real-like, not a cheap plastic glossy.
Overall construction from the first looking/touching seems very solid, nothing alarming there.
Now the sound. First of all I don't listen very loud, max 90db at the listening spot, I think 100dB if you add peaks.They play in 50cm wide U-frame Open Baffle. The front pannel is 36mm plywood, the U-frame is 20cm deep. Their duty is to play up to 100Hz where they give over to Faitals 12PR300. They are driven actively (minidsp) with, obviously, a lot of eq. I wondered how hard I could push them only to find that... yes, you could be brutal and the Biancos didn't mind. Of course, every driver can be damaged if you try really hard... just saying that I had them pushed 24db at 25Hz and they didn't show any weird behaviour like suspicious noises, vibration, etc.
The sound is pretty much like I wanted to have. Substantially deeper then the previous 15'' Faitals so I got rid of the sealed subs.
And hey... they are still fresh, so after they break-in I'll be back to give you more info.
I bought these for my OB design, to replace the FaitalPro 15FH510. The Faitals were good drivers overall, yet having Fs at 35Hz they really needed some help to cover the frequency down to solid 30 Hz. So I needed 10'' sealed subs to be happy with the sound of my OB.
The goal was to get rid of the sealed subs. I started to look for 18'' drivers, with a decent Fs and a solid construction. After all I decided to go for well-regarded and expensive BMS 18N862 and I almost bought them... Then searching for them I accidently found the Biancos... They were suspiciously cheap (you could have 4 Biancos for the price of 1 BMS) but... They are manufactured by the pro division of SB Acoustics and I always regarded them as a reliable company. Next, they had everything I needed: low Fs, cast aluminium chassis, copper as winding material, decent Xmax of 11mm... relatively low power handling (450 AEs) didn't bother me as they were intended for home use.
So I decided to give them a chance and regret later...
Let's start with the looks: they are good looking, and I mean both sides which can be important for OB. The front side of the cone is uneven under the coating which is looking good, real-like, not a cheap plastic glossy.
Overall construction from the first looking/touching seems very solid, nothing alarming there.
Now the sound. First of all I don't listen very loud, max 90db at the listening spot, I think 100dB if you add peaks.They play in 50cm wide U-frame Open Baffle. The front pannel is 36mm plywood, the U-frame is 20cm deep. Their duty is to play up to 100Hz where they give over to Faitals 12PR300. They are driven actively (minidsp) with, obviously, a lot of eq. I wondered how hard I could push them only to find that... yes, you could be brutal and the Biancos didn't mind. Of course, every driver can be damaged if you try really hard... just saying that I had them pushed 24db at 25Hz and they didn't show any weird behaviour like suspicious noises, vibration, etc.
The sound is pretty much like I wanted to have. Substantially deeper then the previous 15'' Faitals so I got rid of the sealed subs.
And hey... they are still fresh, so after they break-in I'll be back to give you more info.
Attachments
I'd mentioned that driver here for that application:
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/349712-advice-baffle-2.html#post6092644
Nice to see someone using (and enjoying) it!
It's also nice to see that TLHP is selling them for a very reasonable price.
Last edited:
The compression drivers are Faital HF10AK behind LTH102. They replaced B&C DE250 and I prefer the current configuration. It's very smooth and the Faitals can play down to 1000Hz.
For now the whole setup is active with the minidsp 4x10, but it's a temporary solution. I am waiting for the xkitz active modules:
Linkwitz-Riley 3-Way Active Crossover, Fully Balanced [XOVER-3B] – Xkitz Electronics
It's 3way, but I am going to use them only for the CD and the midrange, cutting the latter at 90Hz. Bass remains digital active with the minidsp 2x4.
Why to replace the minidsp 4x10? In my opinion it is not the cleanest sulution for hi-eff cd and mid speakers and I could hear it. The bass is ok.
The other thing is that I intend to seal the midrange U-frame - just to attach a piece of mdf behind. The room is very strange acoustically. As you can see on the first photo it's only partially open behind the speakers and open baffle mids are quite messy, I would say. It's better playing from the sealed box.
The good thing is that my girlfriend loves the speakers. She likes how they look and they fit better than the LXmini I had before them. So the WAF is not always on the small size
Alternative Midrange loadings:
You could try the baffle approach here: (..this would net you better uniform dispersion pattern matching near your crossover with a pattern similar to post #7.)
Adventures in cardioid
OR
You could try just an aperiodic design. (..basically just a thin perforated plate to the rear with some lossy material behind it in-cabinet.)
You could try the baffle approach here: (..this would net you better uniform dispersion pattern matching near your crossover with a pattern similar to post #7.)
Adventures in cardioid
OR
You could try just an aperiodic design. (..basically just a thin perforated plate to the rear with some lossy material behind it in-cabinet.)
Last edited:
Scott,
Thanks for the ideas, actually I am thinking to go cardioid with my next design, something like the gradient helsinki (lower midrange/upper bass only for my purpose).
Gradient Helsinki 1.5
For the present I was thinking about something like these guys:
Dutch & Dutch - 8c. Completely accurate music reproduction
Aperiodic seems fine as well, gonna give it some thought, thanks.
pelanj,
Speakers & Audio Parts, EU Webshop
I see I was lucky as I paid 123 euro per piece only. Now it's not that good
Thanks for the ideas, actually I am thinking to go cardioid with my next design, something like the gradient helsinki (lower midrange/upper bass only for my purpose).
Gradient Helsinki 1.5
For the present I was thinking about something like these guys:
Dutch & Dutch - 8c. Completely accurate music reproduction
Aperiodic seems fine as well, gonna give it some thought, thanks.
pelanj,
Speakers & Audio Parts, EU Webshop
I see I was lucky as I paid 123 euro per piece only. Now it's not that good
I dont know this shop but 15inch seems available??SB Audience|Speakerbuddies Lautsprecherbauteile
-getting an even off-axis response (cardiod) is all down to how deep the reflective back of the "enclosure"/muffler is and how large the baffle is. Basically the "muffler" enclosure can't have more than a few inches/cm's in depth (likely similar to the depth of the driver's magnet) and the baffle can't be to wide. Best if (like the Gradient's) there is no real baffle at all, and MBK's posts show this.
(IF you want the baffle/aesthetic) -you could actually cut-in around the muffler for the baffle as sort of a faux baffle to maintain the leakage:
[(0)]
[] Baffle edges
() Baffle cut-out (around muffler front with driver) - basically a hole in the baffle a few inches/cm's wider than the front of the mufflers.
0 Muffler front with driver
-using a rear mount/bracket to get the muffler fixed onto the baffle.
Last edited:
Speaker Peerless FSL-1830R03-08, 8 ohm, 18.11 inch
another interesting 18" is this light 88€ peerless. i think this is very price worth driver. their stock seems to be 8pc
Scott,
For the next design I intend to use those organic, 100% renewable wedding rings for giants I produced lately. They fit my 15'' faitals perfectly. I'll make some round back plates of the same size and attach the rings using some bolts just long enough to house the drivers. But that will be in the future, now is the time to enjoy the current speakers...
The idea for the future is:
Tractrix horn coupled with 1,4'' CD to cover 500Hz - as high as possible;
Cardioid low mids/upper bass down to 60 Hz (if possible) - 15'' woofer
Lower bass - I am thinking of Dayton UM 18-22, naked, down-firing just few inches above the ground.
I will start new thread when I am ready...
For the next design I intend to use those organic, 100% renewable wedding rings for giants I produced lately. They fit my 15'' faitals perfectly. I'll make some round back plates of the same size and attach the rings using some bolts just long enough to house the drivers. But that will be in the future, now is the time to enjoy the current speakers...
The idea for the future is:
Tractrix horn coupled with 1,4'' CD to cover 500Hz - as high as possible;
Cardioid low mids/upper bass down to 60 Hz (if possible) - 15'' woofer
Lower bass - I am thinking of Dayton UM 18-22, naked, down-firing just few inches above the ground.
I will start new thread when I am ready...
Attachments
Voice Coil article about 15" and 12" versions
SB Audience Introduces Bianco 12 and 15-inch Woofers Optimized for Open Baffle Designs | audioXpress
SB Audience Introduces Bianco 12 and 15-inch Woofers Optimized for Open Baffle Designs | audioXpress
Very cool series of drivers as it seems.
The 12" is cheaper than the Peerless 830669.
And yeah, I like the design of your speaker too.
It must be huge in person but the dimensions of each compartment work well together.
How did you mount these? There seems to be a gap in between.
The 12" is cheaper than the Peerless 830669.
And yeah, I like the design of your speaker too.
It must be huge in person but the dimensions of each compartment work well together.
How did you mount these? There seems to be a gap in between.
Last edited: