djn - sounds like a major change in direction from your previous system(s), so to provide meaningful suggestions it would probably be helpful to start with a bit more data:
- when you say “loud”, can you define exactly what kind of SPLs you’re talking about?
- how large is the room, and is most of the listening done from a “sweet spot” position, or is it for a larger, less actively engaged audience?
- budget?
If you’re happy with the performance of existing woofers/subs, and they are smooth well into the mid hundreds of Hz, it is very possible to get great synergy with a nominally 4” - 6” FR driver, particularly if actively high passed to eliminate excursion related distortion at higher SPLs.
I’ve not heard the W1808, but have heard the W1772, and found it even to have even more nasal coloration than Fostex FE206.
If not yet on your short list for consideration, you might want to look at the FF165WK, MA Alpair 10Pm or Pluvia 11. The first two are paper, (Fostex WK series have an interesting metal elliptic dome dust cap/ tweeter), while the Pluvia is a low profile thin metal alloy cone with excellent HF response.
- when you say “loud”, can you define exactly what kind of SPLs you’re talking about?
- how large is the room, and is most of the listening done from a “sweet spot” position, or is it for a larger, less actively engaged audience?
- budget?
If you’re happy with the performance of existing woofers/subs, and they are smooth well into the mid hundreds of Hz, it is very possible to get great synergy with a nominally 4” - 6” FR driver, particularly if actively high passed to eliminate excursion related distortion at higher SPLs.
I’ve not heard the W1808, but have heard the W1772, and found it even to have even more nasal coloration than Fostex FE206.
If not yet on your short list for consideration, you might want to look at the FF165WK, MA Alpair 10Pm or Pluvia 11. The first two are paper, (Fostex WK series have an interesting metal elliptic dome dust cap/ tweeter), while the Pluvia is a low profile thin metal alloy cone with excellent HF response.
Not really an ellipse, a dome with a (vertical) ridge in it to siffen it up. IIRC first seen on some of their special edition drivers.
Here a set of urgandy (a bright red + the grey FF cone colour) FF165wKeN (EnABLed FF165wk):
dave
If you want to rock out, check out the PRV 5MR450NDY. It is 95dB sensitive and can handle 225wrms. It is a 5in though and really does shine for clean clear and loud. Does not do bass though so needs a helper woofer.
Thread here:
PRV 5MR450-NDY for FAST/WAW applications
Put it behind a tractrix horn and it will really rock out with ultralow distortion as only tens of micrometers of cone movement needed for 100dB sound levels.
Any more, to me, rocking out MAYBE 100db. My room is 21ft x 11ft and only has one chair in it. I have bass traps in all 4 corners and reflection panels on the walls and ceiling. My budget is 2k and I have a wood shop so I can make the cabs.
Here is an interesting full range speaker from Europe. They are Field Coil drivers. SONIDO SWR250FC 10"
Here is an interesting full range speaker from Europe. They are Field Coil drivers. SONIDO SWR250FC 10"
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At 300 Hz/2nd order, it takes an 8"/~220 cm^2 to get loud at low distortion [< 1.5 mm linear excursion]*, drop it to 150 Hz and it's 4x larger = 880 cm^2 = 'fat' 15".
Conversely, increase excursion 4x and you only need a 55 cm^2/~4.5-5" driver/300 Hz, though at an 'honest' [<10% distortion] 6 mm Xmax, not sure if such a mini 'beast' exists.
FWIW, having had a big horn system, a 4" 'FR' driver in a 40s tuned MLTL or similar vented pipe horn can be quite entertaining even in a fairly large room [sort of open 16 x 25 x 8 ft in my case] at modest SPLs, but quite the contrary from the norm here, forget critical listening or much over typical family TV movie SPLs, plus with hearing ~like mine, recommend concentrating on 12-15" and IME only the latter really does it for me.
GM
* Assumes you're typical of most folks with PA oriented systems, i.e. used to near zero excursion from ~500 Hz-up when used in a HIFI app.
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