Requesting assistance designing an isobaric tapped horn

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Hello everyone,

Hope you don't mind my first post being a new thread. I found this forum when searching for the term 'isobaric tapped horn' on goog and, yes, I have read through your previous threads (this one being the most informative) but most of the conversation is honestly a bit over my head. While I am very interested in pro sound, I have only just begun to learn about cabinet design and have never used a calculator like hornsrep, nor have I ever designed and built my own speaker box. I'm hoping I could get a little guidance regarding, well, pretty much everything. I have some modest woodworking experience and some general audio knowledge, but that is all.

To begin, I know we should begin with the drivers so we can build the box around them. Mine are 11" Focal Polyglass 27 V1s: http://www.focal.com/en/index.php?controller=attachment&id_attachment=624

I have 4 of them and would like to build 2 boxes that would deliver the best all around response, hoping for a -3db down to around 30hz. It doesn't need to deliver frequencies much higher than 50hz since I always use good tops (like Mackie 450s) that deliver 50hz on up quite easily.

I've heard both isobaric boxes and tapped horn boxes are able to provide the best performance out of the smallest physical space but I've never seen any designs until I came across this website. I haven't been able get the idea out of my head since I first thought of this a few months ago and even if the internet didn't exist I'd probably end up building a few of these things in various shapes and configurations, inevitably wasting a ton of fiberboard until I ended up with something that sounded decent. I do quite enjoy experimenting so the journey is equally as enjoyable as the destination. That said, I'd prefer not to waste energy and time by at least avoiding things that will obviously not work - that's why I'm here.

Without using any calculators, or anything at all, I opened google sketchup and made the attached diagram off the top of my head. I know isobarics typically have very little space between the drivers, especially when face to face. My design uses the space between them as the loading area (covered with a plexiglass door) which I figured would make them relatively easy to install and would provide an artistic touch. Part of the reason I'm creating this post is to hear from you guys how this space will affect performance along with everything else.

The exterior dimensions of the box are 3'10.25"H x 1'11.5"D x 1'1.5"W Using .75" MDF (interior width is 1').

Lastly, please don't tell me to build a boring square ported box. No matter what I end up doing, I want it to be unique and something that would impress one of you guys if you happened to visit my house. Both by its sound and by its design. I'm here because I want to do something difficult and challenging, something I can learn from, while hopefully taking full advantage of these drivers all at the same time.

Thank you,

Kelly
 

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Greets!

IME, even mounting drivers in ‘clamshell’, the trapped air mass appears a bit ‘springy’, so mounting driver-in-driver with the Focals seems a bad plan to me, though only one way to know for sure unless AkAbak or other advanced software can accurately enough sim it.

Regardless, a ~27-80 Hz TH can theoretically be realized in ~43-48 L [1.52-1.7 ft^3] net depending on whether end loaded or DTS concept driver positioning. The challenge will be folding it up to fit a dual driver in ‘clamshell’.

Of course you pay dearly in overall performance compared to a bipole dual driver reflex in the same net Vb and probably won’t look all that unique other than seeing a rear view of the driver poking out the TH’s big [reflex] vent. A ‘clamshell’ isobaric FLH good down to 30 Hz with a Plexiglas access panel covering the rear chamber/horn throat OTOH would impress me. 😉

GM
 
I've done AkAbak analysis on isobaric mounting. Any significant volume between the drivers causes one driver to move more than the other at enclosure resonance frequencies. This limits the maximum output attainable. The effect is less significant with a sealed enclosure but can be quite bad with a ported enclosure or tapped horn. As a general rule, mounting them directly face-to-face gives best results.

I gave an example of the problem here:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/subwoofers/229628-isobaric-tapped-horns.html#post3362557

It shows the effect with drivers mounted face to face on opposite sides of a baffle. You can imagine how bad it could get if you allow as much volume as Kelly did in his diagram above.
 
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Hope you don't mind my first post being a new thread. I found this forum when searching for the term 'isobaric tapped horn' on goog and, yes, I have read through your previous threads (this one being the most informative) but most of the conversation is honestly a bit over my head.
I have 4 of them and would like to build 2 boxes that would deliver the best all around response, hoping for a -3db down to around 30hz. It doesn't need to deliver frequencies much higher than 50hz since I always use good tops (like Mackie 450s) that deliver 50hz on up quite easily.
Kelly,

There was good information in the thread you linked, Josh Ricci summed things up well in post #21:

" You need 4 drivers to 1. You sacrifice 6dB potential by isobaric loading."

Tapped horns can add around 6 dB over a bass reflex design, but you loose any advantage by isobaric loading.

The Mackie SRM 450 can do around 124 dB SPL above 55 Hz, if you want your subs just to keep up, they need to do at least that level, though many seem to like subs having +6 dB to +20 more output than tops.
With the drivers you have, they just won't keep up if you sacrifice 6dB potential by isobaric loading and also want a 30 Hz F3.

Art
 
Wow, thank you everyone.

bjorno, I had to pick up my jaw from the floor after seeing your post. I wish I could fully understand everything you provided me. Given what weltersys says, I wouldn't be taking advantage of my drivers using an isobaric TH configuration anyway. The only reason I considered the two was because I thought it would give me the best of both worlds. This is sounding like trying to mix bacon with ice cream, they are great separately but maybe not together.

GM, Performance certainly doesn't want to be sacrificed. As for your last comment, are you saying I could regain the isobaric advantage by using a folded horn instead? This would necessarily mean one of the drivers would be completely sealed? Do people do that? I can't see that being a good thing because there would be no way to equalize the pressure and it would cause the chamber to act differently if it's hot or cold or raining or balmy. I know the standard isobaric configuration has one driver sealed, it just worries me. Maybe I'm being irrational, I don't know.

Don Hills, I was afraid of something like that being the case since the pressure behind the two drivers would be different I expected the least amount of space between them would allow for the least variation in throw. I could shrink the chamber to about 5.75" and still load the drivers between the gap but clearly that creates at least 5x more volume than a typical clamshell.

weltersys, I especially appreciate you pointing out that quote. I missed it. If I lose my TH advantage by an isobaric load then my desire to move forward with this idea has evaporated. Had no idea that would happen.

I guess I'm back to the drawing board quite literally.

What would you guys do if you had these Focal drivers and wanted to take full advantage of them? (I actually have 8, but was planning to sell the other 4 on ebay, pictures added of the custom boxes they're coming out of, they sound fine btw, just a pain in the butt to move around and the fiberglass will shred the skin of your knuckles if you're not careful)

It's nice being blown away with information like this. Feels I've learned more in the last 24 hours than the last 24 years.

Downloaded hornresp. Guess this will be my new friend for the next few weeks.
 

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Kelly,
Your previous speakers looks nice (pics), and it could work with the right enclosure volume and alignment (just saying not testing yet). (I would if you give details to compare).
About your response to bjorno (and others above) maybe you are not full understanding the meaning of the project you are looking at in post#2.
(It) Has F3 28Hz, so ""hoping for a -3db down to around 30hz"" is more than obvious. The best you can do in BR is 31HZ (extreme alignment) and for sealed is not so great obviously. I see you have a port there in the bottom of yours, is it for the 4 drivers or part?
(hope to understand what is going on, I'm not the best person with bjorno papers)
Then it's not what you call isobaric but a T-TQWT (I usually call it TL Transmission Line or Quarter Wave, you can look in more detail). And it can also be said that is a folded horn (I guess and have no further knowledge of the vocabulary used here in this mixed situations/enclosures).
So what I'm saying is, go for it or you will miss your opportunity (with your mind in/like a sheet of cool Plexiglas). You can use it anyway in your new speakers if you understand where to locate it (Plexiglas I mean). 😉
 
About your response to bjorno (and others above) maybe you are not full understanding the meaning of the project you are looking at in post#2.

I will be the first to agree. I'm trying to understand. Until I began posting here I really had no idea how much I don't know.

(It) Has F3 28Hz, so ""hoping for a -3db down to around 30hz"" is more than obvious. The best you can do in BR is 31HZ (extreme alignment) and for sealed is not so great obviously. I see you have a port there in the bottom of yours, is it for the 4 drivers or part?
(hope to understand what is going on, I'm not the best person with bjorno papers)

I understand bjorno very likely gave me exactly what I asked for, no doubt about that. I just didn't realize the response would be so quiet. Until I read all your responses I was convinced I'd end up with something with more than enough output to keep up with the Mackies.

I didn't design the fiberglass boxes. I didn't even know what they were going to look like until the day I picked them up and took these pictures. The port at the bottom is for all 4, which makes it quite noisy (chuffing). Even to my untrained eye, my very first thought after seeing them was: That is way too small a port to vent all 4.

Then it's not what you call isobaric but a T-TQWT (I usually call it TL Transmission Line or Quarter Wave, you can look in more detail). And it can also be said that is a folded horn (I guess and have no further knowledge of the vocabulary used here in this mixed situations/enclosures).

I meant isobaric only in the sense that, in the first design I posted, the drivers would be facing each other and wired in opposite phase. And TH in the sense the back end of the lower driver occupies the same space as the end of the horn. I'd never heard of Transmission Line until you said that. I see how they are very similar.

So what I'm saying is, go for it or you will miss your opportunity (with your mind in/like a sheet of cool Plexiglas). You can use it anyway in your new speakers if you understand where to locate it (Plexiglas I mean). 😉

I certainly will build something. The information coming from you guys has made see, very clearly, that I need to do some more learning. I don't want to lose 6db. Even if I did want to move forward, I need to figure out how to take what bjorno gave me and adjust my design.

Should I start a new thread at this point? Maybe to change the focus to: What design would deliver me with the highest SPL, between 30-50hz, using a pair of Polyglass 27v1s each?

Once I have that answer, I will be more than happy to decide where to ultimately the place the plexi.

Below is my original idea, I'd be ok with building something like this as well.

I see hornresp takes in lengths and widths of each portion of the horn, I need to understand to adjust my designs, plug them into hornresp and see if they're worth the effort. I don't know how to do that and I'm not going to start cutting wood until I do.

I wouldn't say I'm missing an opportunity, rather waiting for the best one before latching on.
 
and I must say, bjorno your result out of a 70 liter box is IMPRESSIVE!

I've got a 175 liter dual driver sim for tapped horn that picks up about 6db over bjorno sims (hoffmans iron law inplay), as well as a 260 liter FLH that does the same. The Tapped horn is really only solid up to about 70hz (as per your specifications) to keep size down.
 
Okay.

So before I post the intial design here, lets take a moment to talk about the rest of your system.

do you have any sort of processing, or will you have to rely on the 2nd order locut on the mackies at 75hz for crossover implementation?

The biggest issue I have with the mackies is this.

"Overload protection for the LF frequency driver shall be provided by a Dynamically variable hipass filter, the corner frequency of which will slide from 40hz to 120hz as the LF amplifier approaches clipping"

THis means that the enclosure itself is not is not capable of the 124db continuous output in the bass frequency range, even if it where itself "flat to 45hz". The freq resp is relativly flat to 70hz, so 75hz provides a good cuttoff point, but even without this undeafeatable sliding hipass filter, it would only be capable of about 114 db at 45hz, half space (less when placed on a stand), as its about 15db down by 40hz.

http://www.mackie.com/pdf/srm450_ss.pdf

Hopefully you have some other method of hipassing the enclosure, but the 12 db/octave 75hz hipass will at least be semi usable (although for proper phase integration this kind of limits you to a 12 db/ oct filter on the tapped horn sub)

I've attached an image of my initial tapped horn sim. I rarely sim tapped horns... so keep that in mind lol

Resp is shown post filter in 1 pi for an apples to apples comparison with bjorno (I always sim in 2pi personally), and is a single dual loaded cab. Wall loaded, a pair of these cabs would be a "decent" match to mackies. outdoors I would like to have 4 (dual driver dual driver cabs) of them.

The biggest issue with this cab is the low xmax and sd on the driver. They just dont move a whole bunch of air unfortunatly. I've attached a comparison between a dual anarchy 6.5" (yes. 6.5", 50 dollars a piece) pair of subs, vs a pair of the dual focal 11s. THe anarchy box is smaller (144 liters), and still digs about 5 hz lower.

you can gain a couple more db by making the enclosures bigger, but 184 sim liters will likely result in a similar final size to your original post design
 

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oh, and I'm sorry bjorno, but even a 70 liter dual driver vented enclosure beats your 70 liter box by about 4 db post filter. 🙁

response shown in 1 pi again (wall loaded) for comparison to my previous post and bjornos design.

honestly it makes even my attempt look pretty shoddy (post filter) as I've more than doubled box size an only picked up about 3.5 db of output and lost all the above 80 potential (thank god op doesnt need that)
 

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Sine143, I always use either a DBX Driverack PX or PA+ so we have a lot of flexibility there. That's why I want to focus on 30-50hz, build the box around that and make the Mackies do the rest.

I do bring the Macs outdoors sometimes, but I sit them on Seismic Audio 18s. Anything I take the time to build is going to be for home use, since it will be very heavy and without handles.

I noticed the Focals don't throw a whole lot but as far as I understood horns to work (hopefully this isn't so wrong as to cause laughter) you want to create as much initial pressure as fast as you can - to squeeze through the entrance of the horn. So if the driver doesn't throw far, you try and make up for it through loading (I understand 'loading' to mean - making the entrance of the horn smaller, requiring more energy to move the speaker, thus keeping it within throw limits at full power), maybe I'm mistaken but that's how I visualize it in my head and precisely why I thought an adequately designed clamshell horn would work so well. ^I have a feeling I'm going to get slayed for that paragraph. Don't hold back, I can take it.

With that perspective, and after reading everyone's reply up to now, I must at least be mistaken about how much you can load a short throw driver. Since we can't do that, or even if it's not taking full advantage of the drivers, then I want to do something else. Again I understand I may be talked out of the original subject line, if so that's ok, that's what I'm here for. I'm kind of feeling talked out of it.

As a side note, I have no idea why these drivers are so highly coveted. I guess they have relatively high sensitivity when compared to other car subs, but you can get a brand new Lab12 for less than a used Polyglass 27. What am I missing?

And if you haven't laughed yet, let me tell you this. When my Dad heard I was planning to use car stereo subs for home use, he said, "will they work on 110v? Thought those would only work on 12v." He's the musician of the family, quite good at singing and the saxiphone mind you.
 
again, refer to my post, I'd cross over the mackies no lower than 75 hz, as they drop off sharply below that (and even quicker once their sliding HP filter starts working). Its good that yo uhave a driverack as you are definitely going to need a hp filter for any type of horn to control excursion, and a couple bands of PEQ will help tame the out of band "noise"
 
Ah I see. I should have known, a quick search for "Mackie 450 response" makes it all too obvious.

Yes a 30hz high pass is my default. I don't freestyle on the driverack, just do what the manufacturers suggest and that's pretty much always there. I would have been skeptical if someone suggested I do without it.

If I may jump back a post.

and I must say, bjorno your result out of a 70 liter box is IMPRESSIVE!

I've got a 175 liter dual driver sim for tapped horn that picks up about 6db over bjorno sims (hoffmans iron law inplay), as well as a 260 liter FLH that does the same. The Tapped horn is really only solid up to about 70hz (as per your specifications) to keep size down.

I'm glad you're able to see through the fog and understand what I really want before I realize it.

Before we continue into the weeds, may I ask everyone's help in deciding which fundamental layout I should go with?


Are there certain performance aspects of this driver that make it ideal in a certain configuration?


What would you do if you had these 4 drivers to play with and a desire to do something unique?

I like the tapped horn idea but if I'm not taking full advantage of these particular drivers, I'd prefer to push the TH project back until I have drivers that are well suited for them.

You said two of these Focals per side, at best, would only keep up with the Mackies if used indoors. I'm very glad you said this btw. I'm not likely going to push the Mackies to full capacity anyway, especially indoors, but it's good to know.

I'm hoping by the end of this post I'll have learned a ton, have a good design in mind, and hopefully set on a decent path to be able to create what I want. If this happens you have no idea how grateful I will be!
 
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