~800 was the spec'd Xo for an Altec 811 horn, ~500 for the 511. I always thought the handling of all the program material from these frequencies on up was what made them sound special, albeit the other "horn characteristics" presenting themselves. In the context of betterment, I always thought if you can get that Xo frequency without the other stuff attendant to, then you get the "magic" but with a better overall sound. Unsure why a number like "800" would translate to "why bother"?
because all the available 3" wideband are low efficiency.
the very definition of a wideband is its ability to play the entire signal from bass to treble. while this is hopeful at best, should we really call a 3" driver that cannot tolerate a xo under 800hz, a wideband?
Hmmmm..... I see what you are getting at. And yes, I have often wished that there wasn't the chase for the bass in these drivers. A chase that means efficiency is low in order to get some LF. Why not a 3" that works well from 300-16000 Hz? Without the need to produce 100 Hz, it could be a more sensitive driver, right?
But I tend to use small fullrange drivers that are nearer 90dB/2.83V, so things are no quite so bad. One can certainly wish for more, but that's what's on the market. And whatever they are doing, it sounds more natural to me than most tweeters. Which makes me wonder more and more if it's not the top end of tweeters that bothers me, but their lower range.
But I tend to use small fullrange drivers that are nearer 90dB/2.83V, so things are no quite so bad. One can certainly wish for more, but that's what's on the market. And whatever they are doing, it sounds more natural to me than most tweeters. Which makes me wonder more and more if it's not the top end of tweeters that bothers me, but their lower range.
Exa
Exactly! A more manageable take on big format compression drivers and horns....mini Altecs!
When I got back into speaker building after a long hiatus, I wanted a pair of medium large speakers for work. I was working night shift all alone in a big space and could listen all night to whatever I wanted. 🙂
A soon to be friend designed a 2- way sealed box for my workshop with a cheap 12” woofer and the not cheap ScanSpeak 3806 mid tweet.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c.../scanspeak-classic-d3806/8200-00-1.5-tweeter/
The idea being that the 3806/8200 is an excellent tonal match for 10-12” woofers. And it certainly worked. I was super happy with the results and the day crew fell in love with the speakers, too. They sounded so right. Now the top end of the 3806 is certainly nothing to write home about, but it didn’t matter. The overall tonality was superb.
This makes me suspect even more that it’s the bottom end of typical tweeters that bothers me, not the top end.
A soon to be friend designed a 2- way sealed box for my workshop with a cheap 12” woofer and the not cheap ScanSpeak 3806 mid tweet.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c.../scanspeak-classic-d3806/8200-00-1.5-tweeter/
The idea being that the 3806/8200 is an excellent tonal match for 10-12” woofers. And it certainly worked. I was super happy with the results and the day crew fell in love with the speakers, too. They sounded so right. Now the top end of the 3806 is certainly nothing to write home about, but it didn’t matter. The overall tonality was superb.
This makes me suspect even more that it’s the bottom end of typical tweeters that bothers me, not the top end.
I am chasing after similar. Pretty enthused after finding the Markaudio CHP-90. Hoping to get a pair sometime soon to play with.
it is on MA's website. Not sure which countries but some folks are able to get them. Waiting on Madisound to order some. https://www.markaudio.com/online_shop/ch/chp-90/
Planning to get a pair then figure out if I want to match them to MA Alpair 12pw or Satori MW19P-8.
Planning to get a pair then figure out if I want to match them to MA Alpair 12pw or Satori MW19P-8.
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Very insensitive, but an Fs similar to A5/CHN50.
Stefan got a box, Scott is playing with them.
dave
Stefan got a box, Scott is playing with them.
dave
Pulled the trigger on this literally-just-listed pair. MA official 3.5L BR slot, so I can play with TLonken as usual.
Not every woofer reproduces the voice range well. It's more of a midbass than a subwoofer.
Splitting the frequency range into 40-800 Hz and 800-16kHz is a reasonably balanced 2 way. A reasonable approach with a modest budget. There are options involving waveguides, domes, compression drivers,... that can raise the technical performance in the upper frequency range but a 3" cone driver with appropriate sensitivity and power handling is among the simpler cheaper options.
The proposed listening test is to use the same bottom woofer cabinet of a conventional 3 way and compare different tops using midrange+tweeter configurations and wideband ones. The bottom will use woofers rather than midwoofers and won't be optimum for use in a 2 way. The crossover will be active DSP and should hopefully introduce no limitations. The listening test only makes much sense if for reasons of subjective "coherence" (or however it is expressed subjectively) that it is essential for the main wideband driver to cover the full midrange and beyond with optional support for helper drivers at the frequency extremes. A number here that are enthusiastic about 3" wideband drivers seem OK with placing a crossover in the midrange which contradicts this.
Given the nature of audiophile subjectivism perhaps it unwise to expect to be able to put together a representative listening test that would be widely accepted.