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Wondering if there is a huge difference between the super ferrite 15 and 12?
I have used the super ferrite 10 in an open baffle and it was one of the best speakers I have ever heard. And I have heard a bunch. This prompted me to buy the classic 15 alnicos and (David will hate this post) I really didn't care for these. I'm guessing that the treble dispersion was really a problem for me. Sold those and moved back to Martin Logans, horns, etc.
Now I want to get back to a DIY open baffle with the Ferrite super 12 or 15s. Price is not a factor. Has anyone compared the super 12 and 15?
I have used the super ferrite 10 in an open baffle and it was one of the best speakers I have ever heard. And I have heard a bunch. This prompted me to buy the classic 15 alnicos and (David will hate this post) I really didn't care for these. I'm guessing that the treble dispersion was really a problem for me. Sold those and moved back to Martin Logans, horns, etc.
Now I want to get back to a DIY open baffle with the Ferrite super 12 or 15s. Price is not a factor. Has anyone compared the super 12 and 15?
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I have the super ferrite 15". The treble needs help. but it is easy to fix. A simple small half inch tweeter and a capacitor of 2uf for 8 ohms should do the trick. The natural roll off at about 10kHz by the super15 means no crossover is necessary...
Oon
The 12 vs the 15 I'm not, but in the past I have the 10" CF and also I listened to the 15" Alnico model. The treble extension is a little problem to my hearing (I listen to 17-18kHz***), but dispersion is better than you expect from a such huge driver; is not that beamy than one can imagine; is good, in fact
***even so, is fine on most recordings per se, and possible solution, oon_the_kid and others mentioned in DIY pages
I finally finished my open back baffle with the AN Super 12 ferrite. Pretty amazing overall. Needs a sub but I still can't get over how transparent the AN tweeter and midrange is.
Going to try some tubes on this setup but it already might be the best sound I have ever had. And this includes Maggies, Logans, other stats, vintage, Spatial Audio, vandersteens, etc.
It really is a mystery why AN drivers are not more popular.
Going to try some tubes on this setup but it already might be the best sound I have ever had. And this includes Maggies, Logans, other stats, vintage, Spatial Audio, vandersteens, etc.
It really is a mystery why AN drivers are not more popular.
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Indeed, the Super 15 is superb and I’m confident the 12 too so I’m unsurprised by your experience. I’ve been so happy with mine that I’ve build very few other speaker projects, just focussed on amps. I am going to have a go at a horn speaker, it offers higher sensitivity and an excuse to build but honestly, I do feel that these two AN drivers really are that good they can be the end game for most.
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I’ve not heard the Classic so I can’t say anything for sure but without the whizzer the Classic must have the worse treble dispersion of the two options, perhaps even as far as having excessive beaming. I did ask the manufacturer about the dispersion and he said the Super was better. So, for that reason I prefer the Super as in my use, I like the very generous treble dispersion it affords to a more even power response across the frequency spectrum. If you don’t want this level of dispersion then the Classic avoids the potential interference effects between main cone and whizzer cone. If my driver died tomorrow, I would not hesitate to replace it with the same.
The AlNiCo version of the 15” Super doesn’t appear to have any significant advantage, on paper, when looking at the datasheet compared with the Ferrite. It is, however, very heavy and expensive. The manufacturer said it was “5% better”. Fair enough, many people will pay big for that last 5%, but I wasn’t convinced at the time. However, I never heard both versions and would be interested to hear the comparison. If I preferred the AlNiCo I would spend the extra because this driver has been my main source of sound for a decade and I’d have got my money’s worth twice over.
The AlNiCo version of the 15” Super doesn’t appear to have any significant advantage, on paper, when looking at the datasheet compared with the Ferrite. It is, however, very heavy and expensive. The manufacturer said it was “5% better”. Fair enough, many people will pay big for that last 5%, but I wasn’t convinced at the time. However, I never heard both versions and would be interested to hear the comparison. If I preferred the AlNiCo I would spend the extra because this driver has been my main source of sound for a decade and I’d have got my money’s worth twice over.
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My experience directly matches Bigun.
I have used the AN10 super ferrite, Classic 15 Alnico, and now the AN12 super ferrite. I was hoping the Classic 15 Alnico would be my final speaker but I found it totally lacking in the highs. I even experimented with adding a tweeter which defeats the whole full driver benefits. I eventually sold the Classic 15s and went with the AN12 super ferrite because I didn't have the space for the Super 15. In my experience, the supers are superior to the classics.
I have used the AN10 super ferrite, Classic 15 Alnico, and now the AN12 super ferrite. I was hoping the Classic 15 Alnico would be my final speaker but I found it totally lacking in the highs. I even experimented with adding a tweeter which defeats the whole full driver benefits. I eventually sold the Classic 15s and went with the AN12 super ferrite because I didn't have the space for the Super 15. In my experience, the supers are superior to the classics.
Fortunately the big fifteen ferrite in "Super" form is still being made. The silly Alnico Super and Classic has the **** poor electrical control at a Qes of only 1.266 ...this only makes it useful for OB. Even the big diaphragm of fifteen inches won't work too well in OB...You can't pump air if your "pipe" isn't connected.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Rick......
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Rick......
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Based on my experience with the 15” Super Ferrite being positive I looked through many of the data sheets for their other drivers. The one other driver that looked as if it could be as good was the 12” Super Ferrite. There’s a promising 8” somewhere in the collection, but nothing else was quite as good.
I’ve never found quite the same satisfaction in smaller speakers, but sometimes there are space constraints.
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You will understand why I more or less stopped building speakers after I got my AN 15 in place !
I am going to try building another large speaker to see if I can do better, it will be a 15” bass + 5” Lowther with option to add super tweeter. Probably horn loaded throughout. This is a major project, aiming to build it summer of 2021, nearly 10 yrs after my AN15. Ithink it will take something this extreme to seriously challenge the AN 15, it’s that good to my ears (I expect the AN12 to be just as good). If this crazy idea doesn’t beat out the AN then it’s unlikely I will make any future attempts to do so and I’ll buy a spare AN driver as insurance.
I am going to try building another large speaker to see if I can do better, it will be a 15” bass + 5” Lowther with option to add super tweeter. Probably horn loaded throughout. This is a major project, aiming to build it summer of 2021, nearly 10 yrs after my AN15. Ithink it will take something this extreme to seriously challenge the AN 15, it’s that good to my ears (I expect the AN12 to be just as good). If this crazy idea doesn’t beat out the AN then it’s unlikely I will make any future attempts to do so and I’ll buy a spare AN driver as insurance.
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Yes, no small speaker enclosures here. The single Bass driver (PD 153C001) to go into a 40Hz ‘compromised’ >2.8m long exponential, mid (A55 8Ohm) to go into a Tractrix, ‘cut off’ somewhere around 200Hz so XO at 300Hz. Nothing will be easy or without numerous tradeoffs and I’ve no experience with this type of speaker to draw from at all. I giess it’s for another thread.
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