What you want is nothing new or special. A simple task if you are a speaker builder in PA stuff. You set your budget and size and make a list of chassis that you can get. Then you combine them in some simulation and start building.
The problem is, if you are not a PA speaker builder, you will wheigt the pros and cons wrong. Ending up with some mediocre stuff you could have build finished for the same money, but without the work involved.
I would make it a complete system, starting at the sub, some light D-amps and a DSP for sub, mid and tweeter. As a non professional in speaker construction, active crossover and amping is the only chance you have to not screw up. Maybe.
If you go for passive, when you think you have finished your work, this is not the case, but the start of the real work, your crossover problem.
It doesn't matter that you have been around PA for 3 decades and did a thousand gig's. That doesn't make you a speaker designer, in most cases just someone who thinks to know anything better than those that are.
Don't take a serious advice as an insult, please.
The problem is, if you are not a PA speaker builder, you will wheigt the pros and cons wrong. Ending up with some mediocre stuff you could have build finished for the same money, but without the work involved.
I would make it a complete system, starting at the sub, some light D-amps and a DSP for sub, mid and tweeter. As a non professional in speaker construction, active crossover and amping is the only chance you have to not screw up. Maybe.
If you go for passive, when you think you have finished your work, this is not the case, but the start of the real work, your crossover problem.
It doesn't matter that you have been around PA for 3 decades and did a thousand gig's. That doesn't make you a speaker designer, in most cases just someone who thinks to know anything better than those that are.
Don't take a serious advice as an insult, please.
Thank you for that response and it is definitely not taken as an insult. I am pretty happy with how the subs are turning out but those are pretty simple builds using Beyma’s recommended enclosure design and their recommend dsp settings. And yes I intend to drive them with a light weight class d amp. QSC GXD8 or something similar. I am told by others that they sound really good. We’ll see if that is true in the next couple weeks. If they do, I’ll build two more the occasional more demanding gigs.
I’m getting the sense that high quality diy top cabinets are a different story entirely. And I just noticed that D&B Tech have some really nice compact light weight options available. So I may just keep an eye for some used ones. They do seem a bit hard to come by used and would definitely stretch my budget a bit. But I have a feeling I may be happier in the long run as I am certainly not a professional speaker designer.
I’m getting the sense that high quality diy top cabinets are a different story entirely. And I just noticed that D&B Tech have some really nice compact light weight options available. So I may just keep an eye for some used ones. They do seem a bit hard to come by used and would definitely stretch my budget a bit. But I have a feeling I may be happier in the long run as I am certainly not a professional speaker designer.
I dunno - I thought at one time this was supposedly a site for people who were intent on building their own speakers. Or God forbid…. Amplifiers.
Perhaps commercially it isn’t the right thing to do - but for that there is PSW. Is it still around? Since my interest is only building my own stuff I abandoned it almost two decades ago. I’m a speaker builder (designer) second, PA operator third - as the latter just gives the former some legitimate application. You can only play a home stereo so loud for so long before the police shut it down, and if you want to do more with your equipment you have to branch out. So what’s first? I’m an actual EE designing non-audio ICs for a living, now less than a year from retirement.
Just my opinion but an anti-DIY bias on a DIY site seems counterproductive. Or at least a contradiction in terms. It shouldn’t just be poo-pooed in favor or just buying everything, all of the time. When someone is in over their head it ought to be pointed out for sure, but not everybody is. And the best way to learn to build speakers is by building speakers. Everyone has to start doing that somewhere, the only real decision is whether it’s what they really want to be doing.
Not intended to be a rant or insult anybody. But this is DIYAudio.com, not soundproductions101.com
Perhaps commercially it isn’t the right thing to do - but for that there is PSW. Is it still around? Since my interest is only building my own stuff I abandoned it almost two decades ago. I’m a speaker builder (designer) second, PA operator third - as the latter just gives the former some legitimate application. You can only play a home stereo so loud for so long before the police shut it down, and if you want to do more with your equipment you have to branch out. So what’s first? I’m an actual EE designing non-audio ICs for a living, now less than a year from retirement.
Just my opinion but an anti-DIY bias on a DIY site seems counterproductive. Or at least a contradiction in terms. It shouldn’t just be poo-pooed in favor or just buying everything, all of the time. When someone is in over their head it ought to be pointed out for sure, but not everybody is. And the best way to learn to build speakers is by building speakers. Everyone has to start doing that somewhere, the only real decision is whether it’s what they really want to be doing.
Not intended to be a rant or insult anybody. But this is DIYAudio.com, not soundproductions101.com
@wg-ski I see your point, but I'm far away from anti DIYS. Just the opposite.
Anyway, if someone makes a living out of lending out PA and doing sound reinforcement services, he needs to have perfect gear for the job. Otherwise he may loose customers, money and even be unable to pay his bills. Also, he mentioned age. So he is no kid anymore.
There is nothing problematic about making your own experiences with some private home HIFI or even hobby PA.
He talked about investing 2000$ in every speaker, now sum that up with amps, DSP, rack, wood and all. That is a serious investment, no "maybe it works?" hobby thing. You and me may have no problem to spent that much of a customers money, because we know how to measure, know the physics, have made all the mistakes many years ago. So we are sure to get a 100% success out of such a build, leaving some rest risk aside.
It is not fair to talk someone, who is not firm in this stuff, into DIYS building a commercial PA system. I know I'm quite alone with that, but you have some
responsability if you post something that may harm the reader seriously. May it be body or money.
The prime problem about DIYS speaker building is the crossover. You know that, but a huge number of people think you go to an online calculator and only pick some parts, solder them up and you have a first class speaker, playing like the heavenly choir.
No problem with that mistake in a man cave, but a huge one with a 300 people audience wanting to dance and disliking the sound.
Even the advanced simulation tools don't always work. In many cases you end up with a 25 part 2-way crossover, that will make the most lively speaker a boring linearity in a non resonant room. It all boils down to real experience.
Be assured, I'm still thinking about a save solution for the thread starters problem that he can do DIYS. If he tells me where he lives, I could look for proven solutions that he can copy and buy the components. It doesn't help if he doesn't get the chassis localy or only ridiculous expensive.
With active DSP crossover you get into the measuring problem weeds, just like with passive, only different. A simple click at the wrong page and the expensive compression driver is gone. Some people even don't like new apps they have to learn to use.
Anyway, if someone makes a living out of lending out PA and doing sound reinforcement services, he needs to have perfect gear for the job. Otherwise he may loose customers, money and even be unable to pay his bills. Also, he mentioned age. So he is no kid anymore.
There is nothing problematic about making your own experiences with some private home HIFI or even hobby PA.
He talked about investing 2000$ in every speaker, now sum that up with amps, DSP, rack, wood and all. That is a serious investment, no "maybe it works?" hobby thing. You and me may have no problem to spent that much of a customers money, because we know how to measure, know the physics, have made all the mistakes many years ago. So we are sure to get a 100% success out of such a build, leaving some rest risk aside.
It is not fair to talk someone, who is not firm in this stuff, into DIYS building a commercial PA system. I know I'm quite alone with that, but you have some
responsability if you post something that may harm the reader seriously. May it be body or money.
The prime problem about DIYS speaker building is the crossover. You know that, but a huge number of people think you go to an online calculator and only pick some parts, solder them up and you have a first class speaker, playing like the heavenly choir.
No problem with that mistake in a man cave, but a huge one with a 300 people audience wanting to dance and disliking the sound.
Even the advanced simulation tools don't always work. In many cases you end up with a 25 part 2-way crossover, that will make the most lively speaker a boring linearity in a non resonant room. It all boils down to real experience.
Be assured, I'm still thinking about a save solution for the thread starters problem that he can do DIYS. If he tells me where he lives, I could look for proven solutions that he can copy and buy the components. It doesn't help if he doesn't get the chassis localy or only ridiculous expensive.
With active DSP crossover you get into the measuring problem weeds, just like with passive, only different. A simple click at the wrong page and the expensive compression driver is gone. Some people even don't like new apps they have to learn to use.
So I’ve read both of the previous post multiple times and I’m not really sure how to feel about it.
I started this thread after spending hours scouring the internet for proven diy design that meets the criteria I’m looking for. So far I haven’t found one. There are a few relatively complex designs out there but very few and they are not simple builds.
I also feel a little embarrassed to get on this forum and ask working professionals to help me design a $5k box for $2k. It feels like I would be taking advantage of forum member’s life’s work.
I really do think that a lot of people might benefit from a solid diy, compact, high output design that uses premium lightweight components. To that end, I am somewhat inclined to pursue this and publish the end results even if I have to buy commercial units to use in the meantime.
With that said, it has become apparent that I need to go back and do some serious reading/research before I start buying components.
So far my criteria are
1. 40lbs or less
2. 125db from 80hrz up. (Anything lower would be a bonus)
3. Passive (I really dislike active speakers)
4 As of right now RCF HF94
5. Crossed around 900hz.
Thanks for the comments everyone. This has truly been helpful feedback. I need to go start reading!
I started this thread after spending hours scouring the internet for proven diy design that meets the criteria I’m looking for. So far I haven’t found one. There are a few relatively complex designs out there but very few and they are not simple builds.
I also feel a little embarrassed to get on this forum and ask working professionals to help me design a $5k box for $2k. It feels like I would be taking advantage of forum member’s life’s work.
I really do think that a lot of people might benefit from a solid diy, compact, high output design that uses premium lightweight components. To that end, I am somewhat inclined to pursue this and publish the end results even if I have to buy commercial units to use in the meantime.
With that said, it has become apparent that I need to go back and do some serious reading/research before I start buying components.
So far my criteria are
1. 40lbs or less
2. 125db from 80hrz up. (Anything lower would be a bonus)
3. Passive (I really dislike active speakers)
4 As of right now RCF HF94
5. Crossed around 900hz.
Thanks for the comments everyone. This has truly been helpful feedback. I need to go start reading!
Art Welter's SynTripp mains and Keystone subs. proven design, fully documented, the system will do everything you want it to do and more
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...part-virtual-single-point-source-horn.264485/
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/keystone-sub-using-18-15-12-inch-speakers.185588/
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...part-virtual-single-point-source-horn.264485/
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/keystone-sub-using-18-15-12-inch-speakers.185588/
No problem to ask here for a cost saving project you build for your own. Even if you make some money with it later. This forum has participated in many more commercial products than anyone knows. So the revision 3.33 you can buy online now, finaly works because members here fixed it. Some clever not only Asian professionals have their products developed here, for free, but that's another story...
What is your definition of a passive speaker? You want a passive crossover inside it or is it only that your speaker has no build in amplifier?
I dislike active speakers too, but don't want a passive crossover between mid and horn or mid and sub. So my top speakers have a single SpeakON connector that leads to the amp. Two speaker, two cables, one amp, mains to the amp and you are done. Remember the SpeakON have 4 contacts? We have a cable with 4 wires inside. The separation and equalizing of frequency is done inside the amp. Active. Because the quality is much better and any adjustment can be done without buying new crossover parts and soldering them somewhere inside the speaker.
If you want a real passive crossover for some reason, thinks get simpler, as you have to find a complete plan of a speaker you can build 1:1
With no personal "refinements" other than the outside color.
Your SPL level wants a 10" mid.
900 Hz need quite large horn and an even more capable driver. Don't forget a steep slope in the crossover. 18 dB/oct or more.
Two mid woofer sound better than one, a 10" is better than an 8" squeezed out to the last dB.
With a commercial build, they call your 125dB idea a 135dB maximum SPL design. With 10% K3 distortion. Outch. Marketing always beat's solid data. So some clues you might get from manufacturers speaker data have to be taken with a grain of salt or you copy a lie. That's no good for your sound.
Reading is a good thing, the more, the better. Just remeber, you can't learn to swim from a book.
What is your definition of a passive speaker? You want a passive crossover inside it or is it only that your speaker has no build in amplifier?
I dislike active speakers too, but don't want a passive crossover between mid and horn or mid and sub. So my top speakers have a single SpeakON connector that leads to the amp. Two speaker, two cables, one amp, mains to the amp and you are done. Remember the SpeakON have 4 contacts? We have a cable with 4 wires inside. The separation and equalizing of frequency is done inside the amp. Active. Because the quality is much better and any adjustment can be done without buying new crossover parts and soldering them somewhere inside the speaker.
If you want a real passive crossover for some reason, thinks get simpler, as you have to find a complete plan of a speaker you can build 1:1
With no personal "refinements" other than the outside color.
Your SPL level wants a 10" mid.
900 Hz need quite large horn and an even more capable driver. Don't forget a steep slope in the crossover. 18 dB/oct or more.
Two mid woofer sound better than one, a 10" is better than an 8" squeezed out to the last dB.
With a commercial build, they call your 125dB idea a 135dB maximum SPL design. With 10% K3 distortion. Outch. Marketing always beat's solid data. So some clues you might get from manufacturers speaker data have to be taken with a grain of salt or you copy a lie. That's no good for your sound.
Reading is a good thing, the more, the better. Just remeber, you can't learn to swim from a book.
I don’t consider the crossover design to be the barrier here. Sure, it’s a hurdle you have to cross. Either with a passive XO or bi-amped you are going to spend the same time an effort out in the back yard with a measurement mic and a DSP unit, and sitting in front of your favorite simulator. I don’t mind sitting at the bench winding inductors when each one saves $20-50. A passive XO option is nice to have - even if the primary application is bi-amped.
Figuring out which configuration is going to fit in the 40 pound requirement is the biggie. IME, 8’s just won’t cut it below 400 Hz unless SPL requirements are modest. There is just a lot of power in the two octaves between 100 and 400. 8’s just don’t have big enough coils to deal with the thermals or big enough spiders to handle the excursions. The question is whether two 10’s or a single PRIMO 12” is the way to go. Can a good double 10 get under 40 pounds? Maybe start by making a couple of mock-up cabinets for the two configs and see how much they end up weighing. Then you can figure your weight budget. With $2k to spend the cost budget is there - drivers like a 12NBX100 are no issue, with just as much to spend on the HF. I’d hate to see the retail on a cabinet that uses one of those.
I get 80% of the way there output wise with a sub-200 ferrite 12” and B&C 1.4’s I got on close out, but they are a bit over 50 pounds. If money is an object you live with weight. It’s the same when building a house - you either tote 80 pound bags of concrete and 20 foot 2x10’s or pay someone else a LOT to do it.
Figuring out which configuration is going to fit in the 40 pound requirement is the biggie. IME, 8’s just won’t cut it below 400 Hz unless SPL requirements are modest. There is just a lot of power in the two octaves between 100 and 400. 8’s just don’t have big enough coils to deal with the thermals or big enough spiders to handle the excursions. The question is whether two 10’s or a single PRIMO 12” is the way to go. Can a good double 10 get under 40 pounds? Maybe start by making a couple of mock-up cabinets for the two configs and see how much they end up weighing. Then you can figure your weight budget. With $2k to spend the cost budget is there - drivers like a 12NBX100 are no issue, with just as much to spend on the HF. I’d hate to see the retail on a cabinet that uses one of those.
I get 80% of the way there output wise with a sub-200 ferrite 12” and B&C 1.4’s I got on close out, but they are a bit over 50 pounds. If money is an object you live with weight. It’s the same when building a house - you either tote 80 pound bags of concrete and 20 foot 2x10’s or pay someone else a LOT to do it.
Hi wg_ski,
Thank you for that input. I'll get to work on that. I do have one pertinent question though: do spikes in cone excursion and port velocity matter if those spikes lower than the hp crossover frequency?
Thank you for that input. I'll get to work on that. I do have one pertinent question though: do spikes in cone excursion and port velocity matter if those spikes lower than the hp crossover frequency?
I don't really understand what spike you think of.
Any crossover has a steepness, measured in dB/octave.
So if you design a simple crossover, from a coil and a capacitor only, you get 6 dB/oct. Two coils and two caps give 12 dB/oct and three coils and tree caps give you 18 dB/oct.
If you go for a 800 Hz 18 dB/ oct the level at 400 Hz is down 18 dB.
The problem is, chassis are no simple load with a constant resistance (the resistance is what the theoretical crossover is designed for), but change resistance with frequency. The cause why a "simple" crossover from some online calculator doesn't work at all.
For a passive 18 dB x-over you will have to find the values of all these coils and caps, have other parts (R, L and C) correct tha impedance (the resistance over frequency.
There are free programms where you enter the measured response of your chassis inside YOUR cabinet, which simulate such a crossover very well. What makes a x-over sound different from an active setup is the problem that any part in it takes away energy and adds some own signature.
Chassis tend to have a non linear response in the x-over region, that has to be corrected too. You also match the general level of different speaker chassis (tweeter/ mid) with resistors, turning the unwanted amp power in heat.
There are great passive combinations out there, but they are not build in a minute or two.
Any crossover has a steepness, measured in dB/octave.
So if you design a simple crossover, from a coil and a capacitor only, you get 6 dB/oct. Two coils and two caps give 12 dB/oct and three coils and tree caps give you 18 dB/oct.
If you go for a 800 Hz 18 dB/ oct the level at 400 Hz is down 18 dB.
The problem is, chassis are no simple load with a constant resistance (the resistance is what the theoretical crossover is designed for), but change resistance with frequency. The cause why a "simple" crossover from some online calculator doesn't work at all.
For a passive 18 dB x-over you will have to find the values of all these coils and caps, have other parts (R, L and C) correct tha impedance (the resistance over frequency.
There are free programms where you enter the measured response of your chassis inside YOUR cabinet, which simulate such a crossover very well. What makes a x-over sound different from an active setup is the problem that any part in it takes away energy and adds some own signature.
Chassis tend to have a non linear response in the x-over region, that has to be corrected too. You also match the general level of different speaker chassis (tweeter/ mid) with resistors, turning the unwanted amp power in heat.
There are great passive combinations out there, but they are not build in a minute or two.
If not with fullranges:
a two way with active crossovers is easier to realize than passive.
24db filters at 1khz will do for most PA drivers be it for the bass or the large horn tweeter
a two way with active crossovers is easier to realize than passive.
24db filters at 1khz will do for most PA drivers be it for the bass or the large horn tweeter
Most PA systems do not sound good.
Maybe its not only how they are built (usually high tuned and undamped reflex boxes) but some sound engineers do not know how good it can sound or do not know how to correct it.
Maybe its not only how they are built (usually high tuned and undamped reflex boxes) but some sound engineers do not know how good it can sound or do not know how to correct it.
It is pretty useless to talk about passive crossovers. Any chassis in a certain baffle has it's own frequency and impedance response. So it will need an individual combination of , L and R parts.
The crossover in the end will create an acustical response. So you may build some kind of 12 dB/oct circuit, but have an actual -18 dB response.
This is quite important. The famous d'Appolito consruction for example should be crossed 18 dB/oct, but acustical, not simply in the crossover construction.
If you have a good PA system and a matching room, it will sound just great even as a HIFI speaker.
How good or bad a PA system sounds and even what you call a PA system is a quite wide field. The two speaker with a sub at a small wedding are a PA, just as the thing that makes the Rolling Stones audible for 50.000 people is one.
Not really professional professionals can make any PA sound bad, that is right. The worst sound comes from DJ's that can manipulate the PA from their place and don't know what the audience is hearing in front of the speakers. Most are deaf anyway.
In my actice time, after installing the system, I played a few records (later CD's) well known to me and had the equalizer on a very long pair of cables, so I could adjust the sound where the audience would listen later. When finished with the setting the eqalizer moved back into the rack, with short wires. Of course, you hadto do a few adjustments later, when the dance floor was filled with people. That worked pretty well, my taste for sound seemed to be liked by guests. A good Disco/ Rock system has to hit you hard, but not hurt. Quite a ballance.
Today I would adjust a PA system for a house curve, with a measuring system, but that was to expensive back then and my ears were younger...
The crossover in the end will create an acustical response. So you may build some kind of 12 dB/oct circuit, but have an actual -18 dB response.
This is quite important. The famous d'Appolito consruction for example should be crossed 18 dB/oct, but acustical, not simply in the crossover construction.
If you have a good PA system and a matching room, it will sound just great even as a HIFI speaker.
How good or bad a PA system sounds and even what you call a PA system is a quite wide field. The two speaker with a sub at a small wedding are a PA, just as the thing that makes the Rolling Stones audible for 50.000 people is one.
Not really professional professionals can make any PA sound bad, that is right. The worst sound comes from DJ's that can manipulate the PA from their place and don't know what the audience is hearing in front of the speakers. Most are deaf anyway.
In my actice time, after installing the system, I played a few records (later CD's) well known to me and had the equalizer on a very long pair of cables, so I could adjust the sound where the audience would listen later. When finished with the setting the eqalizer moved back into the rack, with short wires. Of course, you hadto do a few adjustments later, when the dance floor was filled with people. That worked pretty well, my taste for sound seemed to be liked by guests. A good Disco/ Rock system has to hit you hard, but not hurt. Quite a ballance.
Today I would adjust a PA system for a house curve, with a measuring system, but that was to expensive back then and my ears were younger...
Looked it up, there are ready made speaker plans from manufacturers like Beyma.
https://www.beyma.com/en/enclosure-designs/
Monacor had a brochure with PA designs but could not find it any more. Its years ago I had one in paper form at home.
I am sure there are lots of other free available designs - so no necessity to buy a DIY audio loudspeaker magazine.
https://www.beyma.com/en/enclosure-designs/
Monacor had a brochure with PA designs but could not find it any more. Its years ago I had one in paper form at home.
I am sure there are lots of other free available designs - so no necessity to buy a DIY audio loudspeaker magazine.
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I’ve seen plans like this before - never seem to be tuned for their highest output drivers, though. But if you think about it the LF filter and required corrections won’t be THAT much different. Both designs linked above use the same baffle step correction (98 Hz, just vary the Q a little). A 3 or 4 inch coil neo driver tuned similarly will have similar low end roll off and start beaming at the same frequency. HF is very horn dependent. If you decide to copy and upgrade one of those designs, stay with the same horn. Better drivers may smooth or extend things and give more output, but the horn coloration was designed in. That takes a while to get right when starting from scratch. When you DO get it right the result can be jaw dropping compared to raw driver response (Which can make a mess out of the upper midrange).
Yea I looked at the recommended enclosures from the major driver manufacturers. Some look attractive but I have some doubts regarding the output for sure.
I think I may have found a way to do this using dual B&C 12NDL88's. They are super light and very efficient. I did a quick sketch up to get started. I am not fluent in any 3d software but this should give you an idea. There is room for a 1"x10" port on either side of the HF94. Still need to dive into whether or not having the two 12's angle towards each other will work or not. Hoping it will, if I keep the crossover to the compression driver low enough.
I should be able to get 125db quite comfortably at around 900 watts rms without pushing xmax limits at all. Will definitely be pushing the 40lb mark. Maybe closer to 45 but still doable and fairly compact.
Box Volume 35l
Tuned to 65Hz
(2) 1" x 10" ports
I think I may have found a way to do this using dual B&C 12NDL88's. They are super light and very efficient. I did a quick sketch up to get started. I am not fluent in any 3d software but this should give you an idea. There is room for a 1"x10" port on either side of the HF94. Still need to dive into whether or not having the two 12's angle towards each other will work or not. Hoping it will, if I keep the crossover to the compression driver low enough.
I should be able to get 125db quite comfortably at around 900 watts rms without pushing xmax limits at all. Will definitely be pushing the 40lb mark. Maybe closer to 45 but still doable and fairly compact.
Box Volume 35l
Tuned to 65Hz
(2) 1" x 10" ports
Attachments
If you use the plan of a serious design, you can not change anything. A rule often broken, with the expected negative results. So better take it as is or leave it.
Maybe read a little about comb filtering and why you should never place two mid-woofer like you show on that sketch. The sound from the horn will have a different distance to the listener than that of the lower mid-woofer. Messing up the response. Some frequncy are erased, other increased. Makes no sense to buy expensive linear chassis and then beat that linearity to pieces. On the other hand, in your case maybe no one will care and as we say in German: A man's will is his heaven.
I'm a little too strikt in preventing any negative influence on a sound product, if it is backed up by solid science.
Most people are happy when the music is loud and you can differentiate Madonna from Elton John. The extra 20% sound quality are only recognized if you have gear to compare. In a world where ALEXA and smart phones are the number one source of audio, nothing may really matter PA service. So one can ignore such stupid things like the running time and origin of a sound wave, without a direct penalty.
Maybe read a little about comb filtering and why you should never place two mid-woofer like you show on that sketch. The sound from the horn will have a different distance to the listener than that of the lower mid-woofer. Messing up the response. Some frequncy are erased, other increased. Makes no sense to buy expensive linear chassis and then beat that linearity to pieces. On the other hand, in your case maybe no one will care and as we say in German: A man's will is his heaven.
I'm a little too strikt in preventing any negative influence on a sound product, if it is backed up by solid science.
Most people are happy when the music is loud and you can differentiate Madonna from Elton John. The extra 20% sound quality are only recognized if you have gear to compare. In a world where ALEXA and smart phones are the number one source of audio, nothing may really matter PA service. So one can ignore such stupid things like the running time and origin of a sound wave, without a direct penalty.
It could work, but the response above 600Hz will be ugly, you would want to use a HF horn that could be crossed lower than the RCF 94.
The Fulcrum Acoustics US212 will give you an idea what the short "V" horn does to the upper response of two relatively flat 12" woofers:
Considering your desire to use a passive crossover, I wouldn't advise using a "V" loading.
Using 2x12" front loaded really requires a 2.5 way crossover (rolling off the lower woofer to avoid comb filter problems in the crossover region) to get decent upper mid sound. That makes for a more complicated crossover.
Using a single 14" B&C 14NDL88 would get you ~125dB while still within Xmax, save about 10 pounds of driver weight over 2x12", and simplify both cabinet construction and the crossover.
Definitely a lot easier than the SynTripP 😉
Art