Decware + Lowthers + Daytons + Augies running
Hi All
Sorry for the long delay, but my system is finally up and running. After all your feedback and some nice info found elsewhere I've gone for a pair of Dayton plate amps driving a pair of Hawthorne Augies.
The OBs have only been running for 2 days, and as you all know Lowthers needs quite a long run in time, but even now already these speakers are just blowing me away. You all know the feeling, popping in one CD after the other to hear how the "new toys" change music you're so used to 🙂
Pics below:
Any questions, just shout 😉
Cheers
Andre
Hi All
Sorry for the long delay, but my system is finally up and running. After all your feedback and some nice info found elsewhere I've gone for a pair of Dayton plate amps driving a pair of Hawthorne Augies.
The OBs have only been running for 2 days, and as you all know Lowthers needs quite a long run in time, but even now already these speakers are just blowing me away. You all know the feeling, popping in one CD after the other to hear how the "new toys" change music you're so used to 🙂
Pics below:
Any questions, just shout 😉
Cheers
Andre
I would say inch the baffles out 6 more inches a little bit each week so the wife doesn't notice.
Are you running lowther without a crossover?
Are you running lowther without a crossover?
Don't worry, the WOF is quite good on this one. The OBs may have a large front section but else they have a very small footprint. Keep in mind that my plans in the past included the Big Fun horn. Mm, the WOF on that was very low 🙂
So, to answer your question, the Dayton plate amps have a fixed 125HZ HF crossover and then the gain and XO frequency of the LF can be set on the provided controls.
So far I've found the sweet spot with gain and LF XO set to the 1 o'clock position on the 2 plate amps.
Well, about level with the front of my entertainment unit 😀
My problem is that my listening room - a.k.a. living room - has a very poor layout in terms of sound. It is L shaped with floor to ceiling windows on 3 walls. The speakers are standing in the corner part of the L so one OB plays into a corner (2 dimensions) and the OB on the left plays into the back wall only.
So I've not played much yet with positioning. Not sure it will make that much difference though 😕
So at this stage, what would the consensus be as to the best choice of woofer on OB be for someone running an active crossover and seperate amps? I'd prefer just one speaker, but could go to 2 per side if the performance is greatly improved. I'm thinking of an open baffle design with U loading of the woofer. So far I'm thinking the Augie looks pretty good.
Well, in my opinion you have a lot of options. I've read a lot of good things about Alphas but, I need the LF extension and just felt Alphas may be a bit too weak in this regard. The other reason I initially explored a solution using 2 or 4 Alphas with my 2 Lowthers was to try and stick with a single amp.
The beauty of the Augies is that they go very low 😀 but you need to drive them from dedicated amps especially if your HF speakers are of the efficient kind.
The advantage of this solution is the flexibility it provides, it cuts out complex passive XOs (not that I have anything against those) and it potentially keeps power sapping LF from your main amp.
Down side is price since you need additional LF only amplification.
So, to answer your question, with my specific HF speakers, I find the Augies a very good match and at this stage cannot find any reason to want any more in the LF department.
Maybe sometime in the far future I will swap the Lowthers with a pair of Hawthorne Silver Iris speakers just to see what the hype is about, he he 😉
Cheers
Baffle protection
Right, so all done now with childproofing installed. 😀
Some superglue, black paint, small super magnets, flattened out spade terminals and there you have it: easy to remove speaker grills. Sorry, but I just could not face using the standard plastic mounting brackets the grills ships with 🙄
See ya
Right, so all done now with childproofing installed. 😀
Some superglue, black paint, small super magnets, flattened out spade terminals and there you have it: easy to remove speaker grills. Sorry, but I just could not face using the standard plastic mounting brackets the grills ships with 🙄
See ya
Those look great, glad you're enjoying them Andre.
I came across an older thread that discussed possibly using the Acoustic Elegance speakers as another possibility. I think the IB15 might be another strong contender for this role.
I'm also mulling over whether keeping the bass drivers as dipoles rather than putting them in sealed cabs really makes a lot of sense if you cross them over fairly low. If you crossed over at, say 100 Hz, something like a Lab 15 in a sealed cab might be a contender. I've never really heard dipole bass units, so I'm not really sure how much cleaner and well integrated the bass would be with dipole vs a really well braced sealed cab.
I came across an older thread that discussed possibly using the Acoustic Elegance speakers as another possibility. I think the IB15 might be another strong contender for this role.
I'm also mulling over whether keeping the bass drivers as dipoles rather than putting them in sealed cabs really makes a lot of sense if you cross them over fairly low. If you crossed over at, say 100 Hz, something like a Lab 15 in a sealed cab might be a contender. I've never really heard dipole bass units, so I'm not really sure how much cleaner and well integrated the bass would be with dipole vs a really well braced sealed cab.
Hi Racket Scientist
Sorry but I cannot comment on integrating bipoles or boxes subs into an OB system. My experience is just way too limited in this regard.
Without knowing what high frequency drivers you will be using all I can offer is some idea of what I aimed for in my design. You see the Lowthers are limited in terms of lower frequency extension and having them OB makes this even worse. Therefore a higher xo for the subs really helped to make up for this limitation and helps a lot in presentation and extension.
If you have a high frequency driver that offers good low frequency extension say at least to 100hz before dropping off, you could easily go for a boxed solution. Keep in mind with a sealed, ported or bandpass configuration you will end up with a large box but you will have good LF control. Check your drivers and make sure you use the correct cabinet design.
But this is my car audio days talking and I would rather defer to more experienced members on this forum. 😉
Andre
As I've commented elsewhere, I am having very good luck
with 8 inch Lowthers and the 9 inch Feastrex in OB with
Eminence 15 betas. I cross the woofers at about 80 Hz and
the Lowthers at 150 Hz, and if you do it just right, you get
perfect response with both drivers in phase.
Active is best with 2 pole hi pass and low pass.
Passive is best with single pole LR (LP) and CR (HP) networks.
The values must be adjusted against the baffle size - 3 ft
wide with 1 ft lower side supports is best if you can put up
with that size.
😎
with 8 inch Lowthers and the 9 inch Feastrex in OB with
Eminence 15 betas. I cross the woofers at about 80 Hz and
the Lowthers at 150 Hz, and if you do it just right, you get
perfect response with both drivers in phase.
Active is best with 2 pole hi pass and low pass.
Passive is best with single pole LR (LP) and CR (HP) networks.
The values must be adjusted against the baffle size - 3 ft
wide with 1 ft lower side supports is best if you can put up
with that size.
😎
Hi Nelson
Yup, I made sure I google'd up as much of your posts on various forums as I could before I started with the OBs. The panel size I went for is about the max my WAF will allow 😀
I cannot describe myself as an audio expert at any stretch of the imagination, but to my ears my combination of Decware amp, TEAC source together with the Lowthers and Augies, sounds real good. Music I listen to typically include a lot of Jazz.
You make a good point and I was very concerned about mid bass to male vocals range but I think the lower XO on the Lowthers plus the ability of the Augies to fill in above 100hz does the trick for me. (for now at least, he he)
Cheers
Ha ha, luckily to location of the OBs is such that the boys cannot easily get to the rear of the OBs.
But, one day the kids will be all grown up and daddy will have his own dedicated listening room (I can dream a bit can't I?) 🙄
Hello Nelson,
I am planning an OB with Lowther and AE Dipole15 or IB15. Are you using with good results the PM6A standard?..Or it a modified unit?.
What do you think of the PM2A for OB use in this case?
Thank you
I am planning an OB with Lowther and AE Dipole15 or IB15. Are you using with good results the PM6A standard?..Or it a modified unit?.
What do you think of the PM2A for OB use in this case?
Thank you
I have a big room of 16 x 10 meters. And it is soft everywhere, carpets, wood, soft appliances etc. Reading the Lowther site they advice the aluminium coil, but, I never had the chance to listen a Lowther in Ob. Only looking fo OB use the Lowther.
I have Open baffles with Beta 15, and Visaton B200 on top. 60 cm width, 120 cm height. No side wings. Biamped. Hybrid crossover, 2nd order. (active low/passive high). Low pass: 75 hz (butterworth alignment-active crossover)
Hi pass- 400 Hz-passive crossover (PiO caps and air core inductor). Part of the reason that I went the passive route on the high pass is the trick to "bypass" the output electrolytic capacitor that is used on F3 amplifier (that I use for B200's). Thus, PiO caps replace it and also become part of the crossover. Two birds with one stone 🙂
I played with the AE's and they were very nice, but I have
stayed with the Eminence because they also sound good and
their price is within the range of most DIYers. Most of my
work on this has revolved around DIY.
I had an early pair of PM2A's that I didn't like as much, but
I think it's a case of comparing an earlier whizzer design
without the folded edge compared to the later ones. My
favorite Pm6A is the 16 ohm version - not as sensitive, but
smoother and less peaky response.
😎
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