A friend got ahold of two NIB Goldwood 18 inch Woofers, model GW-18120. These seem to be PA or sound reinforcement woofers.
We wonder if they would be suitable for home hi-fi woofer (not subwoofer) use. It seems no reason why not. Plenty of older hi-fi speakers seem to have similar frequency ranges and sound pretty good. I'm not saying a smaller speaker like an 8, 6x9, or 10" shouldn't be considered in addition to this one for low midrange/high bass, though along with an 18" woofer size, the additional large-ish speaker deviates from the usual designs of the more vintage products. Then again, maybe they would be good mainly for an electric bass or organ amp or in a theater speaker cabinet. I really don't know. Trying to find a use for them.
some data:
We wonder if they would be suitable for home hi-fi woofer (not subwoofer) use. It seems no reason why not. Plenty of older hi-fi speakers seem to have similar frequency ranges and sound pretty good. I'm not saying a smaller speaker like an 8, 6x9, or 10" shouldn't be considered in addition to this one for low midrange/high bass, though along with an 18" woofer size, the additional large-ish speaker deviates from the usual designs of the more vintage products. Then again, maybe they would be good mainly for an electric bass or organ amp or in a theater speaker cabinet. I really don't know. Trying to find a use for them.
some data:
| Size Inches | 18 |
| Name | Goldwood GW-18120 |
| Mfg | Goldwood |
| Part Number | GW-18120 |
| Impedance | 8 |
| Power W | 600 |
| Db SPL 1W/1M | 95.5 |
| Xmax mm | 5.4 |
| Fs Hz | 38 |
| Vas (L) | 217.19 |
| Vas in cu ft | 7.67 |
| Qts | 0.57 |
| Source | Parts Express |
| Parts Express Number | 290-398 (no longer avail) |
| Last Ver Date | 6/6/2013 |
| Description 1 | Pro Audio |
| 2012 price | $182.84 (1-3) |
Very similar T/S to the old 18” “Source” Pyle drivers (from the late 70’s). I had a pair in large “low tuned” boxes as 3 ways back then. They don’t go down spectacularly low, but played loud and low enough. Way better dynamics than cute little 6.5’s. The surviving one ended up in a tube bass guitar rig in a sealed 4.5 CF box.
If you can filter the response maybe with smartfone eq if it has to be cheap you can put it in a small reflex tuned box
See:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...how-off-my-new-18in-build.365764/post-6767025
See:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...how-off-my-new-18in-build.365764/post-6767025
Don't sweat the excursion if you‘re building an old-school “hi-fi” out of them. Its not a subwoofer - and it’s still more SPL capability than a cute little 6.5 or a classic 12. How much power are you going to be hitting them with - maybe 200 watts per channel? Tuned low (relatively speaking) you’ll end up hitting X-max above tuning around 100 watts, maybe 150. So what? My 10” Scan-speaks run out of gas somewhere around there, but the reality is I blow ribbon tweeters before I bottom woofers.
Now the “usual” use case is with 2X RMS power as a PA. With a 1200 watt amplifier you’ll rip the suspension right out of them unless it’s tuned up around 80 Hz. Which is why they’re not much use in today’s pro audio world. Any home audio use is going to fly in the face of today’s trends too. Room-dominating cabinets that only get to the 40’s, but will play satisfyingly LOUD, even with a 50 WPC 8-ohm-only-so-you-can’t-add-more-speakers receiver. Or heaven forbid - old Phase Linear or tube amp.
Now the “usual” use case is with 2X RMS power as a PA. With a 1200 watt amplifier you’ll rip the suspension right out of them unless it’s tuned up around 80 Hz. Which is why they’re not much use in today’s pro audio world. Any home audio use is going to fly in the face of today’s trends too. Room-dominating cabinets that only get to the 40’s, but will play satisfyingly LOUD, even with a 50 WPC 8-ohm-only-so-you-can’t-add-more-speakers receiver. Or heaven forbid - old Phase Linear or tube amp.
Thanks yall for your great replies and knowledge. I won't be the one using them but there'll be a good home for them -make the most of them with a reasonable amp regardless of trends.
@wg_ski: It's a very interesting thing to say "old Phase Linear or tube amp".
Even though those are very different amps, they are also very much alike.
Many will disagree but few will understand.
@wg_ski: It's a very interesting thing to say "old Phase Linear or tube amp".
Even though those are very different amps, they are also very much alike.
Many will disagree but few will understand.
They need a sealed box of at least 4 cu. ft., maybe aperiodically vented or open baffle. The question is whether they will sound OK with only a large horn tweeter. Probably not for hi-fi. You can cut corners with PA, but for indoors, they need a midrange and tweeter. It’s a fun Klipsch-clone project.