Having given up on the restrictive front baffle layout on previous 3 way PA speakers I wanted to build for my son, I instead opted to try larger mid comp drivers on some generic expo WGs.
I've heard a few phenolic diaphragm mid drivers that actually sounded very good, especially for being cheap drivers. The sound was warm but it still had very clean transients on the horn I was going to originally use from another PA speaker project a few months ago..
The drivers I chose were PRV D3220PH. At only $75 they were a really good bargain, especially if you like the phenolic sound. I can also switch the diaphragm out with a Ti dome, Mylar surround or even a pure Ti dome and surround. The diaphragms are only around $40 each, which I think is pretty amazing given the performance you get and also considering many 2" CDs don't sound that good crossed that low (550 hz @ 18dB).
The horn I chose was rather generic looking from ZXPC 18"x10", and supports the PRV D3220PH down to 370 Hz @ -3dB. It only costs about $50 and appears to have an exponential profile. It needed some trimming and leveling at throat flange, so thats really the only catch. It only took about 30 mins to clean up both WGs.
I tried the DSM50 and DCX50 on this WG and both sound very good, but the HF element on the DCX50 doesn't play nice with the throat expansion rate, causing it to beam a little with a loss in HF directivity.
There are 2 designs of the PVR D3220. The revised phenolic (PH model) has a smaller motor, which plays flat down to under 1k with the phenolic diaphragm. The older Ti (Titanium) diaphragm model with the bigger magnet shows a significant dip under 1k, plus it puts more strain on the WG.
If you guys have any other suggestions please let me know.
I've heard a few phenolic diaphragm mid drivers that actually sounded very good, especially for being cheap drivers. The sound was warm but it still had very clean transients on the horn I was going to originally use from another PA speaker project a few months ago..
The drivers I chose were PRV D3220PH. At only $75 they were a really good bargain, especially if you like the phenolic sound. I can also switch the diaphragm out with a Ti dome, Mylar surround or even a pure Ti dome and surround. The diaphragms are only around $40 each, which I think is pretty amazing given the performance you get and also considering many 2" CDs don't sound that good crossed that low (550 hz @ 18dB).
The horn I chose was rather generic looking from ZXPC 18"x10", and supports the PRV D3220PH down to 370 Hz @ -3dB. It only costs about $50 and appears to have an exponential profile. It needed some trimming and leveling at throat flange, so thats really the only catch. It only took about 30 mins to clean up both WGs.
I tried the DSM50 and DCX50 on this WG and both sound very good, but the HF element on the DCX50 doesn't play nice with the throat expansion rate, causing it to beam a little with a loss in HF directivity.
There are 2 designs of the PVR D3220. The revised phenolic (PH model) has a smaller motor, which plays flat down to under 1k with the phenolic diaphragm. The older Ti (Titanium) diaphragm model with the bigger magnet shows a significant dip under 1k, plus it puts more strain on the WG.
If you guys have any other suggestions please let me know.
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