Smoothness is definitely what I'm looking for. Ideally the new driver would have similar impedance and be a drop-in replacement. (ie, the same or slightly larger cut out)
This may be asking for too much 🙂
The FF85 is 8 ohm, the 2 Alpairs 4 ohms. All too small to pop in.
So look at the Alpair 7.3 or wait to see what a wider audience says about the new Alpair 7ms. Or the EnABLed versions. These (or the very rare MAOP versions) are the best midTweeters we have used. Available in Copper or Silver.
It should fit in your hole (at least close) but should either have a rebate or have the baffle built up to be fludh (thick felt or cork would work).
https://frugal-phile.com/boxlib/markaudio/Alpair7g3-dimension-230611.pdf
Whatever you drop in some XO optimization would likey be ideal.
dave
So look at the Alpair 7.3 or wait to see what a wider audience says about the new Alpair 7ms. Or the EnABLed versions. These (or the very rare MAOP versions) are the best midTweeters we have used. Available in Copper or Silver.
It should fit in your hole (at least close) but should either have a rebate or have the baffle built up to be fludh (thick felt or cork would work).
https://frugal-phile.com/boxlib/markaudio/Alpair7g3-dimension-230611.pdf
Whatever you drop in some XO optimization would likey be ideal.
dave
Also make to chamfer the rear side of driver through hole for any of the cited full-range drivers - particularly with main baffle panel thickness of more than 1/2”
Perhaps there was a reason that box was in a farm shed. 😀
Of all the Fostex drivers I've used, the FE103 (e and Sol variants) have the best fullrange magic. They give up some sparkle up top to the FF85K/FF85WK, but the midrange "magic" is there in spades - maybe its the distortion, I don't know, but I love em. 😛
Of all the Fostex drivers I've used, the FE103 (e and Sol variants) have the best fullrange magic. They give up some sparkle up top to the FF85K/FF85WK, but the midrange "magic" is there in spades - maybe its the distortion, I don't know, but I love em. 😛
If you want smooth, I've found the Alpair 6, FF85WK, and Visation B80 to be among the easiest to listen to. The B80 is really on another level as far as a fullrange driver goes. Incredibly smooth. Great top.
Looked up the B80 and was all ready to order till I got to the cutout diameter - it's not a drop-in replacement as it's 5mm smaller. :-(
Oh crap - sorry I missed the part where you wanted a drop-in for the FE103 cutout. I'm pretty sure the Alpair 6 will fit. I've used both of them in the same 3.75" hole with no issues.
While I thoroughly enjoy the Alpair 7.3, I'm not sure smooth is how I would describe them. They are a very engaging driver with a slightly bumpy midrange and a zinger up top, on-axis. After A/B'ing them with other drivers (FF85K/WK, FE103e, B80) they exhibit some relative harshness if you aren't in the sweet spot, which is fairly small. Don't get me wrong though, it is a fun driver when set up properly.
I don't mind enlarging the hole. Have even considered a modded Eminence Beta 12 lta with baffle step comp and a super tweeter, but once you start adding the electronics it gets pricey. Running two big drivers in parallel would boost efficiency and lower impedance to 4 ohms, which would make my little chip amp happy. It's seriously tempting.
I realize swapping 8 ohm drivers requires tweaking the xover, probably, but I use digital room correction software, which can cover a multitude of sins - I can't imagine living w/o it, at least as long as I'm a renter.
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