help needed for a compact 2 way PA speaker project

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Dear All,

My project : building a 2-way PA speaker for disco and voice, to be used at outdoor parties once a while. I'd like them casual, versatile, able to handle at least 150 watts.

Not to big, I'd say compact but efficient, no more than 35cm wide x 50cm high x 30cm deep. A bit smaller is fine also. Speakers will decide the right volume, and bass-reflex is not a priority.

I've made HiFi loudspeakers before but never did a pair of speakers for PA, dancing... So I just know some brand names but I don't know what to choose and I've no idea of a good combination of speakers

I'd like a fair quality, not to expensive, but good sounding for voice, not too harsh or agressive. Can we say musicality for PA ? Any ideas , experiences, picts, speaker brands and models is more the welcome. Thank to everyone.
Frenchguy
 
Right, for that size, you're probably looking at an 8" and horn. For the 8", I'd be looking at B&C or PHL, not the cheapest, but reliable, robust, and musical. 😉

For the top end, look at a decent compression driver, the DE250 is a good choice, but I prefer the Celestion CDX1730. Mount either on an 18Sound XT120 and you're well on your way.

This format won't go that deep, you'd need subs for anything really bassy, but if you're not pushing them that hard, you can get away with a bit of boost on the bottom end, but keep an eye on the Xmax in your simulation program.
 
I can't say I'm entirely convinced about the current crop of small-ish co-ax's in the PA world. Some of them can be made to work very well, but need lots of EQ and crossover tweaking to do so.

Not the most straightforward option.
 
I'm not sure how big all your measurements were, but I have to say I'm quite pleased with some PA speakers I've been using.

Compression Driver: Pyle PDS182 1.5" Titanium Horn Driver 8 Ohm

Horn: Goldwood GT-400PB 1" Horn 1-3/8"-18 TPI

Woofer: Pyramid Studio Pro WH10 10" Woofer Accordian Surround

I tried to go for the best bang for my buck. I have nothing bad to say about this setup except that the horn is a bit flimsy. I cross it over at 5Khz, it all sounds great to me, but I also have a separate 15" horn loaded woofer for 120Hz and lower.

Just thought I'd throw in my :2c:
 
you can't cheat physics!
expecting bass that's adequate for disco or dance music from such a small enclosure will be a challenge but not impossible.
the dimensions you specified limit the size of speakers you can use so driver selection is already greatly narrowed.
if increasing box size is not out of the question something that would accommodate a 12'' or 15" driver for bass would be better.

la vie en rose n'es pas facile!
 
Hello
Thank for helping, Yep, I can get B&C or Celestion, quite easily here. I remember Beyma was good for DJs speakers
10" or 12" are big enough I guess, but I'm not crazy about Xtrem bass, and I don't want to have huge boxes.
I keep on searching a good match between a 12" and a tweeter,
TheTubeAmper : thanks, it give me ideas...
back to you soon
bye
 
Hi,

A few questions...
- how much power do you have available?
- what's the budget?
- do you have any speaker processing? EQ, active crossover etc?

If it were mine, and there's EQ and power (~500w/ch) available, I'd go for a pair of 10" drivers, one co-axial. Common chamber, ported, tuned ~70Hz, then EQ it flat through the bass.
There'll be a huge bass bump ~150Hz, and that must be eliminated.
The lower 10" should come in at the baffle step frequency, probably ~500Hz.

A pair of 10"s a side will go pretty loud, and a decent set of drivers will take the EQing required and go reasonably low, too. They should just fit on the front baffle, if you offset each one slightly.

Chris
 
hello Chris661
I've got a 2X200watts amp on 4ohms
Budget 300 euro/350 USD
no speaker processing, just CD player, small mixer and an amp, simple and good enough
OK for a 10" + tweeter. Any idea of a good combination, brand model ?
best regards
Dieter
 
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