Ive decided that I want to upgrade and try the best sounding midrange I can find. what is the best sounding midrange you've worked with or heard....
my current mid is a peerless 830883 6 1/2 mid. hope to upgrade from this
my current mid is a peerless 830883 6 1/2 mid. hope to upgrade from this
I too am interested in good mid range performance........perhaps you could indicate the areas that concern you.
I am looking for clarity/good vocals.....I'd also prefer a unit that goes comfortably up to around 6 KHz...
I am looking for clarity/good vocals.....I'd also prefer a unit that goes comfortably up to around 6 KHz...
I am hoping the Morel EM1308 I am putting in my 3 way will do the job, reports seem to say that is produces mid range sounds very naturally. If you search Hificompass and his group test of the new Bliesma M74 range you may find something in there that suits.
However, midrange is a moveable feast so can you provide the range you are looking at, 300-2500hz with a 6”, 1000-6000hz for a 2” dome ? Depends on what you are putting below/above it.
However, midrange is a moveable feast so can you provide the range you are looking at, 300-2500hz with a 6”, 1000-6000hz for a 2” dome ? Depends on what you are putting below/above it.
Almost any problem with loudspeakers is on the midrange, so a good driver is just part of the equation. Take control on directivity, diffraction, possible cabinet resonances, modes inside cabinet and possible port, early reflections in room, distorting tweeter, distorting bass, distorting anything, everything falls on midrange 🙂 Address all issues so that the speaker is problem free and good midrange should happen, even if the mid driver wasn't "best in the world".
The most seductive midrange I had heard was the Altec setup from my next door neighbor. He had an old Altec Barcelona set of speakers with 15" cone + horn on top.
That midrange gave me goose bumps as it was so right, so captivating. It made me change my EQ scheme of my own speakers. Adjusting the tonal balance till I got it
right. I was running line arrays with 25x TC9, now in the middle of changing those out. I managed to capture that same tonal feel with EQ tweaks, it's all about balance.
Well, balance and the way the speaker interacts with the room. So perhaps it does go past having the greatest midrange on earth. As even the room's answer will have it's
influence on tonal perception.
The moral of my story: buying a better midrange may not get you what you're after... In both cases I discussed here, there's a large difference between direct and indirect sound
due to the speaker construction (due to horn or line array, avoiding certain reflections because of their specific pattern control) and it's interaction with the room.
More direct sound vs indirect sound should be the goal to achieve that kind of clarity if you ask me. And searching for the right tonal balance after that.
With direct radiators get the speakers further away from the walls might help achieve that. Or some well placed absorbing panels in the right spot. How hard it may be to believe,
the room is a large part of what we hear.
That midrange gave me goose bumps as it was so right, so captivating. It made me change my EQ scheme of my own speakers. Adjusting the tonal balance till I got it
right. I was running line arrays with 25x TC9, now in the middle of changing those out. I managed to capture that same tonal feel with EQ tweaks, it's all about balance.
Well, balance and the way the speaker interacts with the room. So perhaps it does go past having the greatest midrange on earth. As even the room's answer will have it's
influence on tonal perception.
The moral of my story: buying a better midrange may not get you what you're after... In both cases I discussed here, there's a large difference between direct and indirect sound
due to the speaker construction (due to horn or line array, avoiding certain reflections because of their specific pattern control) and it's interaction with the room.
More direct sound vs indirect sound should be the goal to achieve that kind of clarity if you ask me. And searching for the right tonal balance after that.
With direct radiators get the speakers further away from the walls might help achieve that. Or some well placed absorbing panels in the right spot. How hard it may be to believe,
the room is a large part of what we hear.
I am partial to the larger midranges like the 10" drivers JBL 2123 as an example. The have high sensitivity, high power handling and are never have compression issues at any level in a home situation. Also like large format compression drivers for the same reasons. They sound effortless and have great clarity and dynamics.
Rob 🙂
Rob 🙂
Thanks for the input. yes implementation is more important than the driver. I just want to make sure I am starting from a good place.
Not true. You can use best midrange in the world, but if you use terrible tweeter, all is lost.
Similarly, if you do not have clean bass, it will never sound natural. Like well designed 3way always sounds more real than bookshelf with the same mid and tweeter.
Music lives between 30Hz and 20kHz, you can not neglect any part of audio band.
That goes without saying. It's all important but I find the mids critical. I have selected a tweeter based on some recommendations. I will select the woofers as well based on input. Not sure what size woofer I am going with yet. I prefer not to build an extra cabinet. My current cabinet will support a 8 inch (21W/8555-10).
The best midrange I have ever heard came from a good electrostatic speaker, a quad ELS-63 or Acoustat Model II. Magnepan speakers come in a close second. Of course, placement and listening position is critical for these dipole speakers.
Perfect segue, which brings me to this driver https://www.parts-express.com/GRS-PT6825-8-8-Planar-Mid-Tweeter-8-Ohm-272-126
Is is any good?
Is is any good?
My room is a decent size. it is 13.5 x 22 but really is bigger as it is L shaped and I have not included the other part which is fairly large. I do have bass traps and wall treatments at first reflection points and diffusion on the front wall.
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Tmuikku hit thew nail on the head. The driver itself is only part of the equation, excellent midrange comes from good balance of all aspects of acoustic design. With that said, while we are focusing on the driver itself, I really like the 830883, it's honestly one of the best values in 6.5" drivers available so expect to double your budget to really improve on it. The only problem is the size, 6.5" driver is sort of like an all-season tire, it tries to be the best of all worlds but excels at nothing. For a dedicated midrange in a 3-way, a slightly smaller driver 4 to 5.5" may be a better direction, my favourite to date is Wavecor WF120BD03/04, it is just natural sound that comes from it. I use it from 450 - 2800Hz.
my plans are 300-2500hz. That is a reasonably priced mid. Its a bit inefficient in 8 ohm version at 84 db but thats fine. with contribution from woof and tweet it brings it up