Yeah ofc. But you have only used the roar12, and if the pros and cons written for the roar12. Then it looks like stacked tham18s reach same low 🙂
I have been using Fane's since 1980.
From 10 inchers up to 18 inchers.
I have strayed from Fane a couple of times but always come back to them.
Good loud solid speakers.
I use a 18 inch 600watt RMS speaker for testing amps at high powers.
Its very loud and its taken a lot of abuse like blown mosfets in class d and still survived.
From 10 inchers up to 18 inchers.
I have strayed from Fane a couple of times but always come back to them.
Good loud solid speakers.
I use a 18 inch 600watt RMS speaker for testing amps at high powers.
Its very loud and its taken a lot of abuse like blown mosfets in class d and still survived.
Lots of simulations and theory here, but I have some real world experience with 18XS and many others.
Fane says 18xs is recommended for scoops, well my experience has totally different story.
I tested 18xs in hog scoop and while it indeed was moving lots of air (more trouser flapping), there was just too much lack of punch and overall SPL. It also started to make flapping/farting sound quite easily when pushed to around 1kW of power, so it was losing control. It has too high Qts, low BL and too low EBP of 82 while recommended EBP for scoops/horns is >100.
Other tested drivers: RCF lf18x400, 18sound lw2400, RCF lf18g401, Fane 18SB (this one is actually pretty neat scoop driver!).
My favourite is X400 overall. Nice warm sound, good cone control and good amount of SPL.
So if you ask me, 18XS is very good reflex (or possiby bandpass) driver but not for typical horn loaded applications.
Hog scoop is a kind of tapped horn also, no idea how 18XS would behave in other horns like Tham18 etc.. I think Cubo18, having large chamber for weaker drivers, would be the only good "horn style" option for this one.
Fane says 18xs is recommended for scoops, well my experience has totally different story.
I tested 18xs in hog scoop and while it indeed was moving lots of air (more trouser flapping), there was just too much lack of punch and overall SPL. It also started to make flapping/farting sound quite easily when pushed to around 1kW of power, so it was losing control. It has too high Qts, low BL and too low EBP of 82 while recommended EBP for scoops/horns is >100.
Other tested drivers: RCF lf18x400, 18sound lw2400, RCF lf18g401, Fane 18SB (this one is actually pretty neat scoop driver!).
My favourite is X400 overall. Nice warm sound, good cone control and good amount of SPL.
So if you ask me, 18XS is very good reflex (or possiby bandpass) driver but not for typical horn loaded applications.
Hog scoop is a kind of tapped horn also, no idea how 18XS would behave in other horns like Tham18 etc.. I think Cubo18, having large chamber for weaker drivers, would be the only good "horn style" option for this one.
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Hi Guys
Some time ago I became interested in Fane Audio speakers and I was looking for some publicly available tests of their products, to check it. It turned out that they did not perform such, but recently a test in Voice Coil Magazine was published of a flagship 18'' woofer: Test Bench: The 18NDLX Imperium Woofer from Fane | audioXpress. Compared to other speakers of the PRO segment and of this size, the measurement results are not to great, especially the linearity and distortion level at the lowest frequencies are disappointing. In fact, distortions are surprisingly high.
Why do you think it looks like this? Is it a problem of a driver itself and its quality, or maybe something went wrong during the measurment?
Fane drivers are rather cheap compared to e.g. 18 Sound, B&C Speaker, BMS, etc., so maybe the difference is justified here and in fact compatition performs better overall?
Some time ago I became interested in Fane Audio speakers and I was looking for some publicly available tests of their products, to check it. It turned out that they did not perform such, but recently a test in Voice Coil Magazine was published of a flagship 18'' woofer: Test Bench: The 18NDLX Imperium Woofer from Fane | audioXpress. Compared to other speakers of the PRO segment and of this size, the measurement results are not to great, especially the linearity and distortion level at the lowest frequencies are disappointing. In fact, distortions are surprisingly high.
Why do you think it looks like this? Is it a problem of a driver itself and its quality, or maybe something went wrong during the measurment?
Fane drivers are rather cheap compared to e.g. 18 Sound, B&C Speaker, BMS, etc., so maybe the difference is justified here and in fact compatition performs better overall?
It is little worse, but consistent. I do not see anything wrong with it? Yes, I think some more prominemt brands are little ahead.
It would like to see similar measurments of Fane Colossus Prime 18XS, becouse that is the model I'm interested in.
Anyone, anythink? Producer do not share anything on that subject.
Anyone, anythink? Producer do not share anything on that subject.
Colossus Prime 18XS has demodulation ring, so it should measure better, with beter linearity and simetrical Le and BL vs excursions, thus lower distortions at high excursions and low frequencies, compared to mentioned Imperium 18NDLX, whis has no demodulation ring.
Greets!
Haven't researched but a few of these type drivers since the mid '70s, but curvilinear cones are NOT suitable for high power 'anything' below ~250 Hz unless either 'squeezed' under high compression or basically OB/IB, it's designed for wide range output at/above the ~250-2500 Hz decade telephone BW to couple to 300 Hz-up mid-range systems.
In short, for < ~250 Hz high output, if it doesn't have a true cone diaphragm reinforced 'Six ways from Sunday' [truly pistonic], keep looking IMNSHO/E.
Wish I still had Tom Danley's promo picture of him standing on his Contrabass sub's diaphragm to show how rigid it was.
That said, the Fane's 6" dust cap stiffens it considerably, but apparently maybe not enough plus it's a 700 Hz+ 'driver' in its own rite and unless it's very massive to boot it will also be 'wide range' if not damped and/or there's no stuffing in its horn 'cavity', so could be part of its relatively high distortion measurements.
'Been there, done that' with the Contrabass sub's normal weight dust cap's transmitting its octaves higher mechanical drive's noise. Not a problem in its designed prosound apps of course, but distracting in a typical HIFI/HT app, so something to keep in mind if the Fane or similar is used this way.
GM
GM said:
When my RCF LF21N551 arrived, I could not see why they put curvilinear cone on that speaker. It was so different on many stages from B&C competition, that I concluded that one manufacturer has to be completely stuid.
Fortunately, none of that is the case, and RCF holds its own against B&C. I still wonder why they did these design choices though.
I assume the same reason Altec, et al have done over the ages, use [existing] wide range diaphragm to extend HF at the expense of basic efficiency due to selective doping [mass loading], etc...
That said, with the advent of the latest improvements in motor design, don't even have to give up much efficiency to do it. [Re] design with proper woofer cone design and it might match up with some of the earliest field coil bass horn driver's ~103 dB eff..
Regardless, without distortion plots for comparison, no way to know how compromised it might be.
GM
That said, with the advent of the latest improvements in motor design, don't even have to give up much efficiency to do it. [Re] design with proper woofer cone design and it might match up with some of the earliest field coil bass horn driver's ~103 dB eff..
Regardless, without distortion plots for comparison, no way to know how compromised it might be.
GM
the Fane Colossus Prime 18XS is a beast.
i used one for years to test amplifiers with.
i absolutely flogged the amplifiers to death to test them.
i placed speaker face down on carpet to reduce volume out.
i used one for years to test amplifiers with.
i absolutely flogged the amplifiers to death to test them.
i placed speaker face down on carpet to reduce volume out.
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Joined 2009
Paid Member
There is a huge range of Fane and other power speakers at Blue Aran - The UK's no.1 Loudspeaker Component Stockist
I am a huge Fane fan.
Been using their speakers since 1980.
So bound to be enthusiastic about them.
I dont work for Fane.
Been using their speakers since 1980.
So bound to be enthusiastic about them.
I dont work for Fane.
I tested 18XS in ported enclosure too. Around 220 litres, tuned to 35-40Hz.
Still no contest compared to my RCF LF18x400, XS is losing control at high power levels and sounds stressed while RCF just keeps going, even tho RCF has smaller linear xmax (9mm vs 12mm). XS may have a bit too weak motor, but however it sounds decent and nice! Just a bit slowish and warm if someone likes that kind of SQ. Not for brutal and punchy SPL levels.
18x400 is old driver but still one of my references, really well designed. There are worse and better drivers around 🙂
Still no contest compared to my RCF LF18x400, XS is losing control at high power levels and sounds stressed while RCF just keeps going, even tho RCF has smaller linear xmax (9mm vs 12mm). XS may have a bit too weak motor, but however it sounds decent and nice! Just a bit slowish and warm if someone likes that kind of SQ. Not for brutal and punchy SPL levels.
18x400 is old driver but still one of my references, really well designed. There are worse and better drivers around 🙂
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I've seen a similar opinion somewhere here on the forum, so it's probably true. This is strange - it would indicate a similar situation to the 18NDXL model, i.e. an increase in distortions with an increase in the amplitude of the cone displacement. Compared to the aforementioned RCF 18X400, the situation is so strange that the Fane has a much higher Xlin value (+/- 9.5 mm vs +/- 5.5 mm) ...
18NDXL looks actually very decent. Much stronger motor and lower Qts compared to 18XS.
18XS and NDXL both has +/-12mm linear xmax, but who knows how NDXL behaves if xmax is exceeded..?
18XS and NDXL both has +/-12mm linear xmax, but who knows how NDXL behaves if xmax is exceeded..?