Hello all,
I'm looking to build a single monitor speaker like an Avantone, Auratone or Mixcube.
So far I have found (I sorted them based on my own understanding of suitability for this goal):
Dayton Audio SIG120-4 (most suitable, smooth low end roll off, only downside seems peak at 6Khz)
Scan-Speak Discovery 10F/8414G10
Tymphany TC9FD18
SEAS Prestige FU10RB
However, as I am no expert, and the driver, other than the enclosure is the only mission-critical component, so I'd really like your opinions on driver selection, preferably ones that I can buy at soundimports.eu, as I am based in the same city !
I'm looking to build a single monitor speaker like an Avantone, Auratone or Mixcube.
- single 4"ish driver in sealed enclosure with stuffing
- stable freq range between 200~5Khz , with smooth rolloff without requiring a crossover or filter
- as low THD as is practical
- max 150EU for single driver
So far I have found (I sorted them based on my own understanding of suitability for this goal):
Dayton Audio SIG120-4 (most suitable, smooth low end roll off, only downside seems peak at 6Khz)
Scan-Speak Discovery 10F/8414G10
Tymphany TC9FD18
SEAS Prestige FU10RB
However, as I am no expert, and the driver, other than the enclosure is the only mission-critical component, so I'd really like your opinions on driver selection, preferably ones that I can buy at soundimports.eu, as I am based in the same city !
Thanks for the suggestion, but that driver has too much extended high end for this purpose I think,
If you want a rolled off top the CHN-70 has a purposly suppressed top end above 5kHz. The bass driver version, CHBW-70 takes that down another 5 dB. You will still have response below 200 Hz,, but a bigger box with a lower Q will help with that.
CHBW might be difficulat to find, i still have some, but shipping across the Atlantic could ruin the value part.
dave
CHBW might be difficulat to find, i still have some, but shipping across the Atlantic could ruin the value part.
dave
Thanks a lot for the suggestions Planet10, ill definitely consider them! Just to ask, is there anything to the CHN-70 that makes it more suitable for the target purpose in your eyes than the SIG-120's? I find it hard to judge from reading spec sheets and freq graphs.
Cheers,
Olivier
Cheers,
Olivier
There are quite a lot of different drivers that could fit.
Would not avoid this one...
https://hificompass.com/en/speakers/measurements/sbacoustics/sb-acoustics-sb12nrxf25-4
Would not avoid this one...
https://hificompass.com/en/speakers/measurements/sbacoustics/sb-acoustics-sb12nrxf25-4
TangBand W4-1996
aluminium cone neodimium magnet for 139US dol.
Or some TangBand W4-....
paper and titanium cone and cheaper!
aluminium cone neodimium magnet for 139US dol.
Or some TangBand W4-....
paper and titanium cone and cheaper!
The SS 10F and the Visaton B80 are both very well balanced drivers.
Those would be at the top of my list.
The TB drivers are also good, but they always need a notch or two to tame some errand peaks.
Those would be at the top of my list.
The TB drivers are also good, but they always need a notch or two to tame some errand peaks.
SB Acoustics SB12PFCR25-04, I use these in my Auratone Clones. Sound great!
Larry
Larry
Olivier, I don't know if you can stretch your budget and size a bit, but the 6½″ SATORI MR16P-8 is probably the best of its kind out there. That thing has no flaw, besides being a tad bit pricier! 🙂 Look at its FR graph. Distortion is also amazingly low.
The original request was for a single driver without the need for a crossover, so no tweeter and no notch filters.
I would like to highlight that one should look for a driver with a copper cap on the pole piece.
That will help a lot to the overall sound quality.
Okay, for whatever anything I suggest is worth (nothing), this may need a bit of extra thought, as the original requirements seem slightly contradictory:
4in = 50cm^2
3 1/2in = 36cm^2
4 1/2in = 65cm^2
5in = from about 75cm^2 - 85cm^2 depending on whether people lump 5 1/2in units into the same category.
Assuming you really do want to BW limit the top, then the CHP-70.2 & CHBW-70 that Dave mentions are possibles, as is the 4in SB mentioned. A few alternatives: Scan Speak Discovery 15w/4424 or its 8ohm 8424 stablemate with coated fibreglass cones. Like the Seas FU10 they get a bit higher than desired, but have fairly linear responses with smooth rolloffs. These units have smaller coil diameters to their 4434/8434 stablemates, and don't have an aluminium shorting ring unlike the latter, so they have a smoother HF corner. Copper (or aluminium) plating or shorting rings can be useful at lowering HD if used well: however, because they reduce the effective impedance as frequency increases, they tend to work against a smooth HF rolloff, which coil inductance can help with. That's not invariable, but it applies in many cases, so it depends what you're prioritising. If you can stretch the budget, the 15w/8530K00 Revelator is still one of the best soft-cone midbass drivers on the market, 20+ years after it was released. That's one of the exceptions as it's full symmetric-drive with copper plating in all the right places in the motor -but you pay for it. Seas have a couple of options in their Prestige range: CA15RLY coated paper cone 5in, the ER15RLY (same, but with a reed-paper cone) and the U16RCY woven polypropylene cone model, although like the Dayton you mention, it has a minor peak before it rolls off. There are others, but those are some easily available possibilities.
Fair enough. I've never understood the desire for cubes (an acoustically terrible form factor) TBH, but if that's what's wanted, so be it.
Understood. For reference, some approximate sizing conventions based on functional area Sd rather than basket diameter (with a few cm^2 leeway):
4in = 50cm^2
3 1/2in = 36cm^2
4 1/2in = 65cm^2
5in = from about 75cm^2 - 85cm^2 depending on whether people lump 5 1/2in units into the same category.
I'd be looking at a quality soft[ish] cone 4in midbass rather than a full-range, if your desired upper HF corner is only 5KHz. That actually sounds very like the sort of response provided by the long-deleted (5in nominal) Vifa P13.
Be cautious over THD. Since it's a lumped value it's almost worthless at telling you anything useful about performance. The individual 2nd - 5th order HD values that get mashed into it, OTOH, and their level relative to the nominal, can tell you a lot about performance. Not everything, but a lot.
Understood.
All of those apart from the Dayton are functionally 3 1/2in units, and they all get a lot higher than 5KHz. Ignoring the Dayton, since you rejected CHP-90 in another post for having too much HF extension, that applies to varying extents to all of these much smaller units too, with the Seas being closer at only about one extra octave of HF (10KHz) while the others are pushing 15KHz - 18KHz depending on how you want to class their HF limit. For reference, the Avantone Mixcube (active) is rated to 17KHz, and the Auratone 5c to 15KHz -this is why I say we've a few contradictions here that might need a bit of clarifying so we can be as helpful as possible.
Assuming you really do want to BW limit the top, then the CHP-70.2 & CHBW-70 that Dave mentions are possibles, as is the 4in SB mentioned. A few alternatives: Scan Speak Discovery 15w/4424 or its 8ohm 8424 stablemate with coated fibreglass cones. Like the Seas FU10 they get a bit higher than desired, but have fairly linear responses with smooth rolloffs. These units have smaller coil diameters to their 4434/8434 stablemates, and don't have an aluminium shorting ring unlike the latter, so they have a smoother HF corner. Copper (or aluminium) plating or shorting rings can be useful at lowering HD if used well: however, because they reduce the effective impedance as frequency increases, they tend to work against a smooth HF rolloff, which coil inductance can help with. That's not invariable, but it applies in many cases, so it depends what you're prioritising. If you can stretch the budget, the 15w/8530K00 Revelator is still one of the best soft-cone midbass drivers on the market, 20+ years after it was released. That's one of the exceptions as it's full symmetric-drive with copper plating in all the right places in the motor -but you pay for it. Seas have a couple of options in their Prestige range: CA15RLY coated paper cone 5in, the ER15RLY (same, but with a reed-paper cone) and the U16RCY woven polypropylene cone model, although like the Dayton you mention, it has a minor peak before it rolls off. There are others, but those are some easily available possibilities.
I'm more than willing to change the form factor to improve overall sound performance, as long as it's small (+-5L) it should work in my studio.
It seems I made a big oopsie when researching this project, you're right. The range should be to 15KHzish. The purpose of the speaker will be to get an unflattering but accurate response between 200Hz and 15Khz-ish, no warm bass, no crisp treble, in mono. It will serve as an additional reference next to my HD600 and LCD2C Closed headphones, and my HS7 stereo monitors, to check things like: "is the kick audible?", "does the vocal cut through enough?" and "does it still sound like a record when it sounds this bad?".
Thanks all so much for the suggestions, so far I think I'm leaning towards the SB Acoustics SB12PFCR25-04, as Larry had a good experience with them for the same purpose. I would consider the 200$ driver, but as this is my 1st project, I'm trying to stay on a budget (maybe I fail completely and still have to buy an Auratone on top of the 200$).
Please help me with some terminology, does a coaxial speaker actually need 2 drivers or just 2 cones? What would the MarkAudio with the dot in the middle be called, dual-concentric loudspeakers?
Because if I look at the Mixcubes, Avantones, Auratones etc, they all have these "oldschool" type woofers, instead of the MarkAudio look.