Since Audax drivers seem to be back again Ive been looking to replace my 'old' AP130ZO, with the HM130Z0/Z10 that I wanted but couldnt afford at the time they were originally sold here in the UK.
The intended use is for a small 2 way monitor, tweeter undecided as yet. Now BOTH of these drivers are a little restricted at the low end due to low Qts, but im interested in anyones experience with these drivers. They are more different to the AP's than I had first thought, in fact the AP130ZO I have now produces quite alot of bass F3~55Hz, either of the drivers i mention above would be alot leaner.
The attraction to these drivers is their extended response and very controlled HF rolloff, and the aim is to mate them with a tweeter as low as possible and as low order filter as I can realistically get away with. The extremely low MMs is also very attractive to me.
So, has anyone had these drivers? any opinions? or any alternative drivers out there worth considering with similar attributes? (low mms, 88-90dB, very smooth extended HF rolloff) Or should i just stick to the AP130ZO i have now?
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
The intended use is for a small 2 way monitor, tweeter undecided as yet. Now BOTH of these drivers are a little restricted at the low end due to low Qts, but im interested in anyones experience with these drivers. They are more different to the AP's than I had first thought, in fact the AP130ZO I have now produces quite alot of bass F3~55Hz, either of the drivers i mention above would be alot leaner.
The attraction to these drivers is their extended response and very controlled HF rolloff, and the aim is to mate them with a tweeter as low as possible and as low order filter as I can realistically get away with. The extremely low MMs is also very attractive to me.
So, has anyone had these drivers? any opinions? or any alternative drivers out there worth considering with similar attributes? (low mms, 88-90dB, very smooth extended HF rolloff) Or should i just stick to the AP130ZO i have now?
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
So far Ive found these Arum Cantus drivers, but ive not heard them before and to be honest I dont know alot about the manufacturer:
Aurum Cantus AC-130MKII 5-1/4" Carbon Fiber/Kevlar Woofer
Aurum Cantus AC-130F1 5-1/4" Woofer
not sure If i can source these in the UK though.....
Aurum Cantus AC-130MKII 5-1/4" Carbon Fiber/Kevlar Woofer
Aurum Cantus AC-130F1 5-1/4" Woofer
not sure If i can source these in the UK though.....
AP130ZO
I used this driver 15 years ago. With a friend we made a small bookshelf.
We use a small neo tweeter, soft dome, look like the TM025C3
My friend changed it to the AP130G2, a more natural midrange sound. The crossover was very simple, first order.
These plastic AP series is not successful in my opinion... We tweaked the driver by making small holes in the part between the magnet and the spider. Easy to do in a plastic driver. It ventilates the motor Better sound.
Something similar ? No idea. Aerogel is something very unique, very good in the low range.
Perhaps a fiber glass cone ? Peerless or scanspeak ?
You can buy Aurum Cantus in Italy or Germany ?
hifisound eShop - HARWOOD ACOUSTICS TM 130 MK II S
Harwood acoustic = Aurum Cantus
I used this driver 15 years ago. With a friend we made a small bookshelf.
We use a small neo tweeter, soft dome, look like the TM025C3
My friend changed it to the AP130G2, a more natural midrange sound. The crossover was very simple, first order.
These plastic AP series is not successful in my opinion... We tweaked the driver by making small holes in the part between the magnet and the spider. Easy to do in a plastic driver. It ventilates the motor
Better sound.Something similar ? No idea. Aerogel is something very unique, very good in the low range.
Perhaps a fiber glass cone ? Peerless or scanspeak ?
You can buy Aurum Cantus in Italy or Germany ?
hifisound eShop - HARWOOD ACOUSTICS TM 130 MK II S
Harwood acoustic = Aurum Cantus
Well I have a pair of AP130Z0 HDA drivers, and the TM025F1 soft dome. crossover essentially cannibalised/stolen from the vance dickason centre channel HT system, WITHOUT the pair of AP210Z0 HDA bass drivers.
Theyre really very good, considering I bought them when they were alot more freely available. Having seen the HM130Z0 and Z10 for sale again, and also the HM170, which i hadnt previously considered, Ive thought about an upgrade to the old speakers.
The trouble I have is that both the HM130Z0 and Z10 have very low Qts lower mms. They would make a nice small bookshelf monitor, but the bass would be limited in comparison to the AP130Z0 i have now in ~15 litres.
I may just try and source some spare AP130Z0, and find a good tweeter upgrade to the Audax soft domes. They arent the smoothest tweeters....
Im even considering getting a spare pair pair of Ap130Z0 and taking the magnet off somehow.... Then I can take it to work and drill a pole piece vent out.
at least then, IF it should go horribly wrong, I have a spare pair to replace them.
Theyre really very good, considering I bought them when they were alot more freely available. Having seen the HM130Z0 and Z10 for sale again, and also the HM170, which i hadnt previously considered, Ive thought about an upgrade to the old speakers.
The trouble I have is that both the HM130Z0 and Z10 have very low Qts lower mms. They would make a nice small bookshelf monitor, but the bass would be limited in comparison to the AP130Z0 i have now in ~15 litres.
I may just try and source some spare AP130Z0, and find a good tweeter upgrade to the Audax soft domes. They arent the smoothest tweeters....
Im even considering getting a spare pair pair of Ap130Z0 and taking the magnet off somehow.... Then I can take it to work and drill a pole piece vent out.
at least then, IF it should go horribly wrong, I have a spare pair to replace them.
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Done at least three time with a lot of success...
Im even considering getting a spare pair pair of Ap130Z0 and taking the magnet off somehow.... Then I can take it to work and drill a pole piece vent out.
at least then, IF it should go horribly wrong, I have a spare pair to replace them.
I think the spare pair will be drilled too It you look the high end version HM130Z0, the motor has vent and is well ventilated
The AP170
Attachments
How are you going to make sure that the swarf from the drilling operation does not (eventually) make its way into the voice coil gap?Done at least three time with a lot of success
It you look the high end version HM130Z0, the motor has vent and is well ventilated
The AP170
Note you can buy Audax here :
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or
Boutique haut parleurs et audio DIY
A pair of H130Z0 76.96 + 15.85 shipping = 92.81€ = 81.54GBP
Google Translate
or
Boutique haut parleurs et audio DIY
A pair of H130Z0 76.96 + 15.85 shipping = 92.81€ = 81.54GBP
Good question
With a hand drill, it's very risky. Perhaps with a press drill, it's easier, you can limited the deep of drilling.
The better solution is to make the hole with a soldering iron . Drill with heat
Good question
With a hand drill, it's very risky. Perhaps with a press drill, it's easier, you can limited the deep of drilling.
The better solution is to make the hole with a soldering iron . Drill with heat
poly baskets are handy sometimes!!!
I plan to remove the magnet, cover the mag gap with masking tape. then Clamp in a bench drill, tape facing me, and drill. using tack to remove any swarf in the drilled vent 'hole' before removing the masking and reassembling the driver.
I work in a HV, EM machine manufacture and test facility, so im used to swarf precautions
Thank you Jerome, your suggestions have been very welcome. I am seriously considering: i) drilling magnet pole vent, ii) drilling behing spider vent, OR iii) removing the dustcap, and trying to get a phaseplug made. Its going to be a difficult decision!
Its good to see someone with the same enthusiasm for the HDA drivers as myself
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Yes this is true, for the LOWEST Mms and what would seem the smoothest HF roll off, then the HM range are better. The best would seem to be the HM170Z0, but i wasnt really considering THAT option until i saw the graphs. The SB's are reasonable, Vas a bit large, mms comparable. paper cone? pity...paper is good but i still have a self doped pair of HT130M0. paper just doesnt seem to show the detail quite like the HDA drivers, the difference between the detail is very noticable, at least in the Audax i mention.
Maybe just adapting the AP130z0 would be an improvement, after all theyre hardly BAD drivers at all. slightly more complex to cross, but everythings a compromise. im not sure even if the motor is much different between the AP and HM drivers. the basket already has added damping mods, so possibly venting the spider/airgap may help things slightly. I love the sound of these drivers either way, I just wanted the last drop of lightweight HDA goodness.
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Again Thank you very much Jerome. Too many options now
considering the Z4, despite the higher mms. 2nd coil loaded through a resistor to increase Qts a little...maybe closed box could be possible.....Food for thought indeed
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking HDA, I love it. The SBs are, well, I'm not sure quite what the cones are, but they do have 90% of that Aerogel goodness.
Hahaha no they look good, substantially flatter for another octave over the AP130Z0, but steeper rise after. better mms than the AP's, heavier than the HM's. lower Fs too. probably a paper/composite paper by the appearance.
Its a hard choice. I remember when I originally bought the AP's, several years ago. The only thing I disliked about the high end Audax was that they were all leant heavily to the vented alignments. The attraction of the HM range is the small box volumes. The ones i have now are in 15 litres and tuned a little lower than SBB4 so F3~55hz, but could actually be lower still. 120hz F3 in a vented box is no good, and awkward for a sub too. I could get similar with the AP in a closed box. Thats why the Z4 dual VC look interesting. im not sure realistically how far I can tune Qts by shorting the 2nd coil with a resistor, but they may be worth experimenting with.
I guess the thing I dont know is if i would notic the difference between the HM and AP aerogel drivers. if i had the AP in a sealed box F3~110hz, and the HM in a vented box F3~100hz (fairly realistic guess-timations), would I really tell the difference, in anything other than the bass rolloff? given the same tweeter and x o point.
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I have a feeling Im going to be very poor soon!
If the graph is to be believed...
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very nice.
If the graph is to be believed...
Google Translate
very nice.
Hey Mondogenerator,
ever thought about one of these ( or its brothers with paper cone ) : WF152BD01_02
I have not used them so far but their data is excellent - even in respect of distortion. And they sell in the same price range as the Audax drivers.
G F
ever thought about one of these ( or its brothers with paper cone ) : WF152BD01_02
I have not used them so far but their data is excellent - even in respect of distortion. And they sell in the same price range as the Audax drivers.
G F
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