I have the option to buy 4 driver units as part of an estate sale, a sad story for someone I know but life goes on.
There are 2 Monacor SPH-102KEP and 2 SPH-200KEP, unused and still boxed, asking price is €150 for the four.
Speaker cabinet and crossover design I last took notice of in 1976 when I built a pair of closed 3 way cabs with Fane units. About the only thing I knew was to make a seperate enclosure for the mid range and buy some good sound absorption batts to line the cabs, chipboard cabs I might add😱. The crossovers were probably very wrong off the shelf units from Central Radio in Manchester but it all sounded good from a QuadII gifted to me.
Are these drivers a suitable pairing to use in 3 way cabs with a tweeter yet to be decided on?
I might find it easier to buy some drivers with well established and proven cabinet/crossover designs for I know that cab and crossover design is a skill that can take years to learn but I cannot resist a bargain.
I have used Mission 770 for decades with the bass drivers replaced long ago but they are failing so the wallet must come out, I do not have the cash to spend big.
There are 2 Monacor SPH-102KEP and 2 SPH-200KEP, unused and still boxed, asking price is €150 for the four.
Speaker cabinet and crossover design I last took notice of in 1976 when I built a pair of closed 3 way cabs with Fane units. About the only thing I knew was to make a seperate enclosure for the mid range and buy some good sound absorption batts to line the cabs, chipboard cabs I might add😱. The crossovers were probably very wrong off the shelf units from Central Radio in Manchester but it all sounded good from a QuadII gifted to me.
Are these drivers a suitable pairing to use in 3 way cabs with a tweeter yet to be decided on?
I might find it easier to buy some drivers with well established and proven cabinet/crossover designs for I know that cab and crossover design is a skill that can take years to learn but I cannot resist a bargain.
I have used Mission 770 for decades with the bass drivers replaced long ago but they are failing so the wallet must come out, I do not have the cash to spend big.
Ew, beware bargains. 😀
You have no idea what a huge project this might turn into.
MONACOR: SPH-200KE
MONACOR: SPH-102KEP
But doable IMO, like the Wharfedale E70:
I would think 1-2kHz crossover to the mids. 4 kHz to a tweeter.
Lot of cabinet stuff, lot of crossover effort. You need a woodwork shop.
You have no idea what a huge project this might turn into.
MONACOR: SPH-200KE
MONACOR: SPH-102KEP
But doable IMO, like the Wharfedale E70:
I would think 1-2kHz crossover to the mids. 4 kHz to a tweeter.
Lot of cabinet stuff, lot of crossover effort. You need a woodwork shop.
I made a mistake there. I thought you had 4 mids on offer.
But all is not lost:
The Celestion Ditton 22 was just you classic three way:
Entails building a mid enclosure, and I suppose a reflex bass alignment:
If you are up for it, I think we can sort out a filter easily enough, like Troels Gravesen's 3 way classic:
The theory is easy enough:
You will get a superb result, even if Kevlar drivers can have some breakup. That's what you are in for.
But all is not lost:
The Celestion Ditton 22 was just you classic three way:
Entails building a mid enclosure, and I suppose a reflex bass alignment:
If you are up for it, I think we can sort out a filter easily enough, like Troels Gravesen's 3 way classic:
The theory is easy enough:
You will get a superb result, even if Kevlar drivers can have some breakup. That's what you are in for.
Looking at the spec sheets, I'd say they'd make a good 3 way, perhaps starting with a simple 2nd order LR crossover. Two concerns - the rising response of the 102KPE may need to be dealt with; and if they've been sitting unused for years, suspensions tend to harden, they may take some breaking in.....
Workshop, table saws, routers, jigs and fixtures I have. What I don't have is a proven design, obviously I would like to get the best from these drivers if I buy them. It would be nice to have them correctly tuned as opposed to the thrill making but not quite right boxes that I made age 16.
Cheers! Yes I am up for it, if I decide to splurge. I have not been brave enough to make up the total yet, birch ply 1.X sheets, sound absorbant pads, speaker connecttors if I bother with them, crossover parts and of course tweeters.
Time I do not factor in, this sort of thing is not just about saving cash.
It's the crossover that's the most difficult bit. Even with a calibrated microphone (Omnimic), impedance measuring device (DATS V3) and a ton of passive parts, it's not easy.
If you like a challenge, and don't give up easily, read here: So you want to design your own speaker from scratch!
If you are thinking of doing it to save money, don't bother. You can buy some very good classic speakers and sell them on for pretty much what you paid for them. Some speakers like Tannoy Monitor Golds only seem to go up in value.
If you like a challenge, and don't give up easily, read here: So you want to design your own speaker from scratch!
If you are thinking of doing it to save money, don't bother. You can buy some very good classic speakers and sell them on for pretty much what you paid for them. Some speakers like Tannoy Monitor Golds only seem to go up in value.
+1 on the difficulty of passive crossovers.
Even if the frequency response graphs look good, there are other considerations - I ended up re-doing a passive crossover because the speakers sounded decent at low-ish levels, but the tweeter was obviously struggling when I turned it up. Went from 2.2kHz 2nd order to 2.7kHz 3rd order, and the tweeter was fine after that.
Chris
Even if the frequency response graphs look good, there are other considerations - I ended up re-doing a passive crossover because the speakers sounded decent at low-ish levels, but the tweeter was obviously struggling when I turned it up. Went from 2.2kHz 2nd order to 2.7kHz 3rd order, and the tweeter was fine after that.
Chris
I just reviewed those Monacor drivers. 90dB reflex woofer, 85dB mid. Both with better than usual low impedance. Looks very similar to Troels' 3 way:
SEAS-3-Way-Classic
The woofer has a bit of Kevlar breakup around 7kHz, but you could take that down with a simple tank notch if necessary. I think Troels' filter would work as is. Maybe increase the 0.82mH to about 1.2mH in the mid filter, but I don't think it will matter.
SEAS-3-Way-Classic
The woofer has a bit of Kevlar breakup around 7kHz, but you could take that down with a simple tank notch if necessary. I think Troels' filter would work as is. Maybe increase the 0.82mH to about 1.2mH in the mid filter, but I don't think it will matter.
Are you related to my widow friends brother😀?
I might well be sold on these if a suitable crossover is straightforward enough.
I have been scouting for suitable tweeters, sub £70 for the pair, an arbitary sum pitched at wallet thinness and the price of the prospective drivers purchase.
Same manufacturer has a ribbon tweeter RBT-95, I see a pair for £50 but the lower frequency/db drops off steeply below 4.5kHz.
I am intrigued and will not be buying well proven and liked complete speakers even though I can probably save some cash. There is an overload of sources and help available and I am in it for the fun, when I last did this there was books and Practical Wireless, Practical Electronics, that was all.
I might well be sold on these if a suitable crossover is straightforward enough.
I have been scouting for suitable tweeters, sub £70 for the pair, an arbitary sum pitched at wallet thinness and the price of the prospective drivers purchase.
Same manufacturer has a ribbon tweeter RBT-95, I see a pair for £50 but the lower frequency/db drops off steeply below 4.5kHz.
I am intrigued and will not be buying well proven and liked complete speakers even though I can probably save some cash. There is an overload of sources and help available and I am in it for the fun, when I last did this there was books and Practical Wireless, Practical Electronics, that was all.
I bought the too cheap to resist drivers, a fool easily parts with his money. They go in the cupboard until winter so I will not be back to ask questions until then.
There is some mission creep in my plans after thinking about sourcing or building suitable crossovers.
I will be building another Quad 405 clone, a 405-2 this time and have ordered 4 boards in total. I have a lot but not all of the components required to build 4 channels, the expensive items, transformers, power transistors and all of the resistors I have so rather than sit down to build two I will likely build four.
There is some mission creep in my plans after thinking about sourcing or building suitable crossovers.
I will be building another Quad 405 clone, a 405-2 this time and have ordered 4 boards in total. I have a lot but not all of the components required to build 4 channels, the expensive items, transformers, power transistors and all of the resistors I have so rather than sit down to build two I will likely build four.