Has anyone tried SEAS U16RCY?

Choosing the drivers for the next project is the most intriguing part of the diy procedure.
This time I am looking for something small and I want to try a seas driver since my previous attempts were with sb acoustics and I would like to try something else.
I've seen two nice projects from well respected designers in the diy community, the one is the seas curv by troels Gravesen and the other is the prestigious monitor from gornir from audio excite. Both are promising but I am not sure about the seas u16rcy. I've seen some measurements at audio excite and the u16rcy distortion is much worse than the sb15/sb17.
Should I stick with the sb acoustics or give it a shot with the u16rcy?
Has anyone worked or listened to u16rcy?
 
I had the same thought as you Vasilis!

i bought a sb15nbac to replace my rs225, which i find quite good but wanted to shrink down size and have better «detail». I finally got to buy them (i asked your opinion in another thread, maybe you remember...) , but i have mixed feeling about them....they have there qualities (very detail sound), but i wanted maybe a little bit deeper bass.

So the seas u18rnx got to my attention....the bigger brother

Micheal Chua from ampslab tried quite a few bass units, though not the most expensives, and thinks it is the «best» (the one he likes most i suppose) midwoofer he ever had.

I read though that they have a distortion problem at around 700 HZ.....not not sure how it affects reproduction....

also, a nice recording:

Speaker DIY ,Homemade Speaker , SEAS The IDUNN Project Pt.2 - YouTube


In any case, for a 8 inch, i think rs225 is a VERY good bang for buck...i use it in rs225+10f project by xrk971, and as such they don't have many flaws i can pick up. I have put them against my «reference» hd650 cans on a very good system, the speaker signature and detail and expericence is surprisingly similar to the cans. The hd650 are smoother overall, less harsh and have better top end detail, which is to be expected, but overall they are quite close.


Anyway.....all this to say that u18rnx in that video reminds me (for what its worth) of the hd650 and rs225 bass....quite realistic and fast.

So.... if the seas 6.5 inch sounds the same as the 5.5 inch, i would rather have the 6.5 to have more of that good bass with added Xmax
 
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Great!
Yes of course I remember talking about the ceramic sb acoustics! I love the ceramics to be honest, but as I probably told you then, I have very limited experience with drivers and speaker building. So time to try something else than sb.

I will go for the 5.5 inch u16, because I want something small.
Seas curv from troels Gravesen is only 8.5 litre and this is great for me.
My question to you is how the u18 compares to the sb15nbac at the midrange. I know the measurements favor the sb, but how they compare to your tastes and personal experience at actual listening sessions.
 
Sorry for confusion...i don't have the u18rnx...not yet anyway 🙂

as for volume, i think prestigious 2 is a 14 liter design....and micheal chua's u18rnx design is 18 liters, if i'm not mistaking...

in any case, i can't argue with cabinet size...it is a personnal choice at the end...

But if someone tells me «top quality bass»...i'd rather have more of it, personally, that's all....

For midrange..tough to say what is better without audition...

edit: sorry yes TROEL'S design is 8.5 liters indeed....in cramped space, it is more convenient to have a smaller cabinet.
 
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another thread with «comparisons» i found.... 6-7 inch but probably u16 is similar to u18.

Best 6-7" mid/woofer driver


i'm also curious about the new SS 18w/8542-10....but it is pricier than seas Curv line...


anyway...don,t want to hijack, since you are looking for 5 inch or so woofer 🙂

EDIT: In any case, Curv line it seems well regarded by those who tried it, but it doesn't seems really popular...it,s difficult to find impressions/test....not sure why.
 
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How about the Scanspeak 5 inch discovery line...? Troels thinks highly of them.

now open kit: Ellam-Discovery-15

Also, i am listening as of now to SS 10F as fullrange in closed box, and it sounds quite good as is. Midrange is among best i've heard...maybe in a transmission line bass would be close to a 5 inch woofer for small spaces.
 
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What I found out is that the U16RCY does not have a copper ring for reducing the distortion. Both the u18 and u22 have.
If you take a look at the distortion measurements at audio excite u16rcy has a lot more distortion than the SB drivers probably due to the absence of this copper ring.