dayton reference series
heres my TM. i used the 7" dayton reference woofer and the dayton silk dome tweeter crossed over at around 2500 in a 1.5 ft^3 vented enclosure tuned to 35 hz. i really enjoy them however my room isnt the best for acoustics. ive noticed that the bass responce is drastically affected by the room the speakers are placed in. i love the tweeters definatly the best bang for the buck ive ever heard. here they are.
heres my TM. i used the 7" dayton reference woofer and the dayton silk dome tweeter crossed over at around 2500 in a 1.5 ft^3 vented enclosure tuned to 35 hz. i really enjoy them however my room isnt the best for acoustics. ive noticed that the bass responce is drastically affected by the room the speakers are placed in. i love the tweeters definatly the best bang for the buck ive ever heard. here they are.
Attachments
Glad to see I am not the only one who gets his drivers dusty in the build process. 
Just curious, why that tweeter and not the RS or one of the SEAS (27TBFC/G or 27TDFC) for a little more money?
How sharp is your XO? You might consider crossing lower so that you'd hear less of the RS180's breakup modes. It's a good driver, but really needs some serious attenuation of the breakups over 4KHz. Maybe a 1500 Hz 3rd order or higher XO if your tweeter can take it (the others I mentioned can).
Intended as a constructive critique
Just curious, why that tweeter and not the RS or one of the SEAS (27TBFC/G or 27TDFC) for a little more money?
How sharp is your XO? You might consider crossing lower so that you'd hear less of the RS180's breakup modes. It's a good driver, but really needs some serious attenuation of the breakups over 4KHz. Maybe a 1500 Hz 3rd order or higher XO if your tweeter can take it (the others I mentioned can).
Intended as a constructive critique
thanks for the reply and the helpful words. when i started these i was 17 and finished them up a little while ago. now im 19 and have learned a good bit for future projects.
i wanted to use the rs180s because the had just come out and had the look i was going for and looked good in winisd. i had heard lots of good reviews of the DAYTON DC28F-8 1-1/8" SILK DOME TWEETER. i wasnt bold enough to try to mismatch brands. the crossover is a second order i built with parts from parts express im not sure if its exactly 2500hz... it was a while a go when i designed these. however it seemed to do the trick for the "break up" in the upper frequencies for the rs180. i also attenuated the tweeter a few db's. not really sure how much i just added resistors till it sounded right.
i wanted to use the rs180s because the had just come out and had the look i was going for and looked good in winisd. i had heard lots of good reviews of the DAYTON DC28F-8 1-1/8" SILK DOME TWEETER. i wasnt bold enough to try to mismatch brands. the crossover is a second order i built with parts from parts express im not sure if its exactly 2500hz... it was a while a go when i designed these. however it seemed to do the trick for the "break up" in the upper frequencies for the rs180. i also attenuated the tweeter a few db's. not really sure how much i just added resistors till it sounded right.
OK, that makes sense on the tweeter.
If your XO is 2500 Hz second order, that huge peak in the RS-180 response at 10 KHz is only down ~10 db - easily audible. I think you'd be surprised how much better they can sound even going down under 2000 Hz with a higher order crossover. PE even recommends down to 1800 for that tweeter.
You should build or buy yourself a measurement mike for further development. Speaker workshop www.audua.com is a free design/measurement program that you might find useful.
I was a lot older than 19 when I first had the nerve to design my own crossovers. Good job.
If your XO is 2500 Hz second order, that huge peak in the RS-180 response at 10 KHz is only down ~10 db - easily audible. I think you'd be surprised how much better they can sound even going down under 2000 Hz with a higher order crossover. PE even recommends down to 1800 for that tweeter.
You should build or buy yourself a measurement mike for further development. Speaker workshop www.audua.com is a free design/measurement program that you might find useful.
I was a lot older than 19 when I first had the nerve to design my own crossovers. Good job.
![dsc00548[1].jpg](/community/data/attachments/30/30887-dcaf19bd60f3edfc84c1969429cd2c48.jpg)
Materials
Hi,
They are made out of MDF. They are very thick and heavy. The front baffle is 2" thick.
I tried a veneer and ripped it off right before it dried. ( there were voids uinderneath and it was buckled ).
I ended up using high gloss black enamel. Looked very homemade with brush strokes and stuff. So I sanded the enamel with 600 grit sand paper and it looked kinda like a refinished piano. So I really sanded it smooth and then applied Urathane over the sanded enamel. When wet it looked like the finest Steinway, but as it dried it looked homemade with non-shiny patches and drips. I sweated the last coat of urethane and could not get it right. Then I read on a Piano refinisher's web site to use automotive rubbing compound.
I got the stuff and rubbed them down and they look awesome, like a black bolwing ball or piano everywhere. But my arm hurts!
I arrived at a great finish quite haphazrdly...
-Luke
Hi,
They are made out of MDF. They are very thick and heavy. The front baffle is 2" thick.
I tried a veneer and ripped it off right before it dried. ( there were voids uinderneath and it was buckled ).
I ended up using high gloss black enamel. Looked very homemade with brush strokes and stuff. So I sanded the enamel with 600 grit sand paper and it looked kinda like a refinished piano. So I really sanded it smooth and then applied Urathane over the sanded enamel. When wet it looked like the finest Steinway, but as it dried it looked homemade with non-shiny patches and drips. I sweated the last coat of urethane and could not get it right. Then I read on a Piano refinisher's web site to use automotive rubbing compound.
I got the stuff and rubbed them down and they look awesome, like a black bolwing ball or piano everywhere. But my arm hurts!
I arrived at a great finish quite haphazrdly...
-Luke
Great finishing story, Luke. There isn't an easy way around elbow grease for a good finish like that. I've found Pianolac works really well - very black, buffs up to a great gloss, but rent a buffer if you don't own one. Manzerna polishing compound on a domet flannel wheel - amazing. Wish I had pictures that come close to doing it justice. (just a very satisfied customer with no connction to Pianolac)
Hey Bob,
We are turning up in the same spots! ( aleph x forum )
Gosh, I wish I knew then what I know now!!! I should have got on here and asked about what to use first...
For whatever reason, I was never exposed to, nor was able to find info on finishing. So thanks for the product info, I may need it in the future. Pianolac will be easy to remember.
I guess you never know what lessons you will learn doing these projects, but I did not expect to have "existential" moments over rubbing compound!
And, I cannot get a good photo of the finish either...
Regards,
Luke
We are turning up in the same spots! ( aleph x forum )
Gosh, I wish I knew then what I know now!!! I should have got on here and asked about what to use first...
For whatever reason, I was never exposed to, nor was able to find info on finishing. So thanks for the product info, I may need it in the future. Pianolac will be easy to remember.
I guess you never know what lessons you will learn doing these projects, but I did not expect to have "existential" moments over rubbing compound!
And, I cannot get a good photo of the finish either...
Regards,
Luke
BTW
BTW:
When a coat of urethane was wet, I used a bench grinder to grind a tee-nut ( to mount a driver against the tweeter box ( needed a flat side to fit )). The spark shower was spraying at one of the wet cabs, and I didn't really notice.
A few coats of urethane later I realized there was an embedded sparkle and it looks really cool! Very subtle, but neat!
-Luke
BTW:
When a coat of urethane was wet, I used a bench grinder to grind a tee-nut ( to mount a driver against the tweeter box ( needed a flat side to fit )). The spark shower was spraying at one of the wet cabs, and I didn't really notice.
A few coats of urethane later I realized there was an embedded sparkle and it looks really cool! Very subtle, but neat!
-Luke
Hey Phibes,
I got the ScanSpeak 9500 from Madisound, no problem at all. This was only about 3 months ago. They just don't have it a Partsexpress and have a note that it is discontinued. I checked on the Scan Speak web site, and there is no mention of it being discontinued...
http://www.tymphany.com/products.html
I was worried about the same thing. And thats the first thing I bought before I built the cabinets...
BTW: The 9500's are awesome.
-Luke
I got the ScanSpeak 9500 from Madisound, no problem at all. This was only about 3 months ago. They just don't have it a Partsexpress and have a note that it is discontinued. I checked on the Scan Speak web site, and there is no mention of it being discontinued...
http://www.tymphany.com/products.html
I was worried about the same thing. And thats the first thing I bought before I built the cabinets...
BTW: The 9500's are awesome.
-Luke
"Finish"
Hey Everyone,
I told you I am new to these forums!
A lot of people have been saying "Nice Finish"
( Which I appreciate BTW )
I thought everyone was talking about the actual paint and "finish"
But I am beginning to understand it means nice work finishing the project to completion.
I am learning!
Regards,
Luke
Hey Everyone,
I told you I am new to these forums!
A lot of people have been saying "Nice Finish"
( Which I appreciate BTW )
I thought everyone was talking about the actual paint and "finish"
But I am beginning to understand it means nice work finishing the project to completion.
I am learning!
Regards,
Luke
