Is it possible to cover the whole spectrum, high SPL, low distortion with a 2-way?

It is probably no coincidence that I also have quite a bit of experience with Dynaudio. During my hi-fi years I've owned several Dynaudio loudspeakers of the Contour series and Crafft monitors. In addition, I have bought Dynaudios on behalf of customers and friends.

In the 80s and 90s Dynaudio became known for the quality of the drivers. The vintage drivers are still sought after by hobbyists today. Judging by the (attached) spec sheets of the drivers that you've used, it becomes clear why.

However, my eyes (or rather: ears) were opened when I experienced 'high sensitivity' loudspeaker systems at the beginning of this millennium. From that moment on, my view on loudspeaker technology changed.
Thanks for the spec sheets. A blast from the past. I didn't use Dynaudio's variovent. I used my own resistive venting scheme, which was part T-line and part resistive vent. Nor did I like the results of Dynaudio's recommended use of 6dB/Oct crossover slopes. My slopes were 24dB/Oct electro-acoustic at about 2,200Hz, IIRC. For the time, and my knowledge, I thought the drivers were some of the best available for home use, and the price was acceptable; $40 for each woofer; $40 for each tweeter; in 1980's dollars. I spent a few dollars at Madisound. I still have a few practice inductors from that project in my parts bin. :)

My views have changed over the years too. I now like higher sensitivity drivers. I like compression drivers and horns, which is also a new challenge. I try to remember that some of my new views come from expanded learning, and some are just opinions.
 
Last edited:
"The horn does play a big role. With that said. Even on the giant 2360A the Axi2050 still runs out of gas due to diaphragm displacement limitations near 300Hz. This isn't really seen until absurd output levels with more than 10 volts applied = REAL LOUD, so technically you could get away with a 300Hz Xo on that horn in most cases."
https://data-bass.ipbhost.com/topic...pression-driver/?do=findComment&comment=24944

300 Hz seems plausible, even with an undersized horn, judging by the products from a Swiss guy, mentioned earlier in this thread.
He recently launched two 2-way systems. The first features a 15" + 4" comp. driver and his latest creation is a scaled-up version based on the same recipe: 18" + 5" dia.

fh-15-01.jpg
FH 20.jpg


According to the specifications, the crossover freq. of both systems is 300 Hz.
The 15" is probably equipped with the RCF ND950 2.0, because he almost exclusively used RCF drivers before.

For the 18" version, the Axi2050 is the only option.

Here you can watch a short video of the 18" in action.
 

Attachments

  • ND950 2.0.png
    ND950 2.0.png
    204 KB · Views: 103
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
anyone know what 15 or 18 is used in these swiss speakers?
Judging by the cones, dustcaps and surrounds, the 15" looks like a B&C and the 18" like a Celestion.

The CD in those clips sound like they are straining to me.

Indeed, definitely a recipe for headaches in the long run.
PP tube amps combined with 4" VC's + a big compression driver behind a tiny horn, crossed way too low; you don't even have to listen to the clips to predict the outcome.
 
Last edited:
There is a phenomenon, a tendency, for the sake of convenience I will refer to this with the term 'Asian preference', where the focus is on reproduction of vocals > remember the comment of the Japanese guy regarding the RH-3.
When you look at Asian audio culture, the focus on mid and high frequencies is ubiquitous.
2-way systems are often equipped with a tweeter and super tweeter.

I am a member of some Asian communities for vintage audio gear (WE, Altec etc.). The same phenomenon is also dominant here.
The musical preference - mostly old jazz, opera, chamber music - seems to play an important role.
 
@ 99dB 1 watt good luck with that.

Rob :)

In such systems, BSC is often ignored, resulting in a lack of bass when placed in large rooms.
Add to this the (frictional) losses inherent to the electro-magnetic structures and suspensions of nearly all modern pro woofers and it becomes obvious why very few large format 2 way systems are tube-friendly, despite the (specified > not necessarily realistic) high sensitivity.

A few years ago, I mentioned the incapacity of the AN Ongaku to breath life into the cones of the JBL DD67000.
This also applies to the Unison Research Max 1 and 2 ao.