Hey everyone, so I've built a high end car setup before with fully active crossovers and DSP so I'm not new to some of the theory but totally new to what is normal in the home hifi world so bear with me. Thanks in advance.
Room is 17' deep 22' wide, Home theater and listening room. Split couches so off axis response is very important.
Thinking of a stereo setup with full front facing dual vented (one for the mid and a separate space vented for the sub) floor standing SMT with:
S: Dayton reference or ultimax 8"
M: Dayton Esoteric 7"
T: Peerless Corundum
Amp: 2 total. 100-150w to each sub and the same split for the mid and tweet on a separate amp. This would give me the ability to control the sub volume as well.
1. Is it even possible to get away with a MMT setup and not have to have a sub driver? I have a pair of Eris e8 studio monitors and at a distance the bass really drops off. It's hard to imagine that adding an extra mid driver would fill the room. That's why I'm assuming a 3 way setup would be needed.
2. The tweet can play really low and a guy online was crossing it around 1500 or something which leaves the mid not having to cover much. My old high end car setup had it the other way with the mid covering 80-5500 and just having the tweeter handle the rest. In home audio do people usually try and have the tweeter cover as much as possible?
3. Should I stick with one mid or for a room this size would a dual mid be better?
Room is 17' deep 22' wide, Home theater and listening room. Split couches so off axis response is very important.
Thinking of a stereo setup with full front facing dual vented (one for the mid and a separate space vented for the sub) floor standing SMT with:
S: Dayton reference or ultimax 8"
M: Dayton Esoteric 7"
T: Peerless Corundum
Amp: 2 total. 100-150w to each sub and the same split for the mid and tweet on a separate amp. This would give me the ability to control the sub volume as well.
1. Is it even possible to get away with a MMT setup and not have to have a sub driver? I have a pair of Eris e8 studio monitors and at a distance the bass really drops off. It's hard to imagine that adding an extra mid driver would fill the room. That's why I'm assuming a 3 way setup would be needed.
2. The tweet can play really low and a guy online was crossing it around 1500 or something which leaves the mid not having to cover much. My old high end car setup had it the other way with the mid covering 80-5500 and just having the tweeter handle the rest. In home audio do people usually try and have the tweeter cover as much as possible?
3. Should I stick with one mid or for a room this size would a dual mid be better?
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"Is it even possible to get away with a MMT setup and not have to have a woofer" yes, if your mid-woofers are up to the job, The Dayton esoterics are good in all respects except sensitivity, I'd be looking for drivers that have about another 3dB
It can be good to take a crossover lower, but the tweeters themselves don't always like it.
Subs are good for smooth bass, without them it is more challenging to get a good room position for the speakers.
Subs are good for smooth bass, without them it is more challenging to get a good room position for the speakers.
That's because the Eris are voiced for nearfield setup, and not for listening beyond say 1.5 or 2m. Adding some EQ helps them in that area, a simple 3dB shelving filter at ~600Hz will do it. Almost all studio monitors share this trait, whether they have a 5" woofer or 15".
You usually run higher baffle step on hifi speakers - most compact speakers tend to need more compensation than larger drivers/speakers. Some tiny PC speakers have a massive amounts of compensation so they sound very bassy, but obviously run out of steam when pushed hard. There really isn't a great substitute for cone area when it comes to bass.
And 8/7/1 doesn't sound like a natural combination. The 7" will likely need to be crossed low-ish at the top of its passband and the 8" will not be fantastic in the bass department either. I would downsize the mid to 5" or 6" at the most, this will allow it to be used up to 2-2.5k where a tweeter will be happier, and yet it can go low enough to cross to a 10" bass unit. If you already have the drivers then it's a moot point. At 2.5k the Vifa XT25 is pretty tough to beat, a clean top end for not much money.
Sangram gave some good advice. If I may add to that: don't attempt an MMT on your first try to build speakers. Even a three way is a stretch. Your room is small enough for a two way with 6.5" woofers to give all the bass and SPL you want. That would be a nice introduction in loudspeaker design and tuning. Make sure you invest in a decent measuring microphone and sound card. More important perhaps than buying the very best drivers, which will be no good if the implementation is lacking.
I don't know, I recall the two and a half way TMM being a delight to work with. It's basically a two way T/M, with no need to consider the baffle when you cross.. and then you run a coil to the other woofer to bring the bass back up.
I agree with Allen... Way back 20 years ago before I had good measurement equipment and simulation software, I had the best luck with 2.5 way speakers. It was the easiest to get right.
A lot of good thoughts guys thanks.
I have a Dayton mic that I used back in the day on my car setup and a ocusrite interface running my monitors I can borrow. Also have 3 2x4 unbalanced miniDSPs left over from that project.
Would it be beneficial to just get the drivers first and use the dsps to quickly play with crossover settings or is it possible with known drivers and plans to get it good the first or second time without needing a case of passive crossover items.
Also I was assuming having the sub in phase on axis with the other drivers would be beneficial but you are saying it’s easier in the room to be able to move it around? I just had a vision of all the drivers in each tower. If it’s just a spl issue I don’t mind going to twin 10” or 12” in the towers. I just assumed that the 8” subs would be enough.
I have a Dayton mic that I used back in the day on my car setup and a ocusrite interface running my monitors I can borrow. Also have 3 2x4 unbalanced miniDSPs left over from that project.
Would it be beneficial to just get the drivers first and use the dsps to quickly play with crossover settings or is it possible with known drivers and plans to get it good the first or second time without needing a case of passive crossover items.
Also I was assuming having the sub in phase on axis with the other drivers would be beneficial but you are saying it’s easier in the room to be able to move it around? I just had a vision of all the drivers in each tower. If it’s just a spl issue I don’t mind going to twin 10” or 12” in the towers. I just assumed that the 8” subs would be enough.