Hifi Suitable Horn Waveguide for 2" Compression driver - Eminence H2 EA, P-Audio

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Hifi Suitable Horn Waveguide for 2" Compression driver - Eminence H2 EA, P-Audio

Recommendations for suitable 2" Horns/Waveguides that like to play at home with JBL 2226

I have just received a set of 2'' Precision Device PD CD2N 2-inch compression driver

PD.CD2N

I like to use this driver, crossed at about 700 to 900Hz, in a diy build with a 15'' JBL 2226 in my home music studio. So it is about a good as it gets flat frequency translation and not about loudness or a long throw.
Now I am looking for a suitable 2 inch horn/waveguide that can provide horn loading around 700Hz (more or less) and has an even on-axis frequency translation.
All drivers would have their own amp (Nanodigi outs > Lucid 88192 > Power Amps). Via the Nanodigi, EQ, time and loudness corrections are possible . . but I also like the idea to test an amp-only solution via passive crossover (the PD CD2N has 111dB sensitivity and would need obviously a bit taming)

Here are the 2 inch Horns I am looking up so far:

Eminence H2EA , 60 x 40 Dispersion got pretty positive feedbacks
Eminence H2EA 2" Cast Aluminum Exponential Horn 60x40 4-Bolt

or the Goldwood
Goldwood GM-450PB 2" High Frequency Horn 4 Bolt
Goldwood GM-450PB 2" High Frequency Horn 4 Bolt

P-Audio also has a good range of 2'' horns

Blue Aran - Professional Sound and Lighting > Speaker Components > Horn Flares > 2 Inch Bolt On

P-Audio PH-2380
The rated horizontal coverage angle is 90 degree and the vertical coverage is 40 degree. These angles make the PH-2380 an excellent choice for two way sound reinforcement systems. The large throat diameter makes the PH-2380 an ideal device for reproduction of low distortion vocal material and general mid band program material. Excellent acoustic loading allow the horn to be used to below 1000Hz.
P-Audio :: P-Audio PH-2380 PS25.04

P-Audio PH-942
The medium format mouth area provides excellent acoustic loading to below 1000Hz, making the PH- 942 ideal for wide range and low frequency crossover points. PH-942 a very high performance short throw high frequency wave guide. This makes the PH-942 ideal for wide coverage requirements as well as for down fill applications.
http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=PAUPH942&browsemode=category

P-Audio PH-3223
The large diameter throat is excellent for mid band reproduction, particularly through the upper vocal range. The large horn mouth dimensions of 12.71 inches (323mm) by 9.21 inches (233mm) provide good pattern control and acoustic loading tobelow1000Hz. Large throat diameter horns are well suited for mid band applications.
http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=PAUPH3223&browsemode=category

P-Audio PH-4525
The PH-4525 is a high performance mid range horn designed to provide superior vocal and mid range control. The horn width makes the PH-4525 ideal for use with 15 inch loudspeakers in a professional level two way design. The horn is constructed of high impact ABS with additional glass filling for superior structural support and rigidity.
http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=PAUPH4525&browsemode=category

Does anyone has some 'home' experience with these horns or others and has a recommendation ?

The P-Audio range of 2 inch horns is a good example of me being not really sure yet how to apply the dispersion specs and characteristics from these different horns to my studio* and speakers (*small in size in comparison to a venue)
So I might need a bit info on horns/waveguides when it comes to Dispersion, the purpose of different horn designs/shapes and the achievement of a smooth power response for small (150 sqm) indoor purposes

I might just buy a few different models from the P-Audio range, they are all pretty affordable, and just give them a try and do some measurements

Any info and recommendation is much appreciated
 
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The P-Audio Horns are mostly clones from old(er) JBL, Altec, Electro Voice etc. designs.
With the exception of the Eminence H2EA, all of the above feature diffraction slots in order to mimic Constant Directivity and/or boost high frequency response.
Many horn aficionados on this forum would prefer horns or wave guides with smooth profiles and walls to minimize HOM's.
The Goldwood seems to -at least partly- counteract some typical CD issues by adding a "pathway" in the throat. I doubt this will lead to significant improvements as illustrated by this comment:

"But how do they Sound? In a word, good. About as good as any spin on Don Keele's creation can sound. These represent an appreciable effort to improve the listenability of CD horns over the 80s' machines without sacrificing much of their lower-frequency loading benefits.First off, the designers eliminated all sharp edges within the horn, save for those at the end of the slot, to reduce some of the diffraction nasties associated with this CD format. Towards similar ends, the engineers also slanted the top and bottom sides of the diffraction slot and bored a slight, circular cut into the length of the left and right sides of the slot to cut down on the development of standing waves. Good work!Listening (with a dose of eq to lift the sagging VHF response and dipping lower midrange, starting around 800Hz or so) indicated (to my ears, anyhow) that these lenses offer a reasonable sound quality advantage over their ancestors.That said, I don't foresee Earl Gedees (or any dedicated member of the EconoWave crowd) running out to buy a pair. No number of small enhancements eliminates the relatively severe time-domain distortions inherent to the application of a diffraction slot to achieve high VHF dispersion."

From your list, I would definitely put my money on the Eminence horn.

This might be another option, if you could live with the narrow horizontal coverage angle.
Moreover, I suspect the Eminence H2EA to be less sensitive to the exit angle of your PD driver -> a better match.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
 
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Arai H290, 18sound XR2064, Autotech Iwata 300.

PS: Most 2" drivers go to hell above 8-10kHz.

Yes, these biggies will, but the Eminence and 18Sound are usable to 20khz with some eq boost on top. For a 2 way monitoring speaker these are probably 2 of the very few options. Nearfield (less than 2m), a smaller waveguide might be the better solution, depending on the room. As a guideline you could compare polar/directivity maps and plots.
 
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^^ Rubbish. Look at the CSDs. No point in EQing lots of breakup to get a flat response. Been there, done that.

Presumably, you have used this particular PD driver.
1" or 1.4" would be preferable for 2 way duty, but lots of 2 way's with 2" comps have been designed and built. These people might all be insane...
You may as well be more knowledgable than the engineers at 18Sound, Eminence and Precision Devices.


An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
 
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Thanks Zvu, that doesn't look too bad, does it?
The BC 750 might be a slightly different animal compared to the PD, but this H2EA is certainly one of the best waveguides. It is basically a 2" version of the H290 which has been tested favourably by many.

@ the OP:
You could always buy a pair of H2EA's and see how these perform with your PD drivers. Since these are quite sensitive, I wouldn't be surprised if you manage to get satisfactory results in a 2 way with XO somewhere between 800-1200 Hz.
In Europe, Precision Devices is ranked among the very best. Who am I to dismiss their statement about the application of this 2" in high performance 2 way loudspeaker systems?
 
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Doesn't that eminence plot show the breakup in the waterfall above 10K that Brett was talking about ? I thought it was common knowledge that compression drivers broke up above their mass corner (or whatever it's called) ?

I run 2" p-audio BM D750's on JBL 2385 horns at the moment and they are eq'd flat to 20k. To my ears they sound good but my beyma 1" cd's sound sweeter up high. (I'll be trying them crossed at 7k to the jbl horns once I get my other dcx crossover fixed)
 
Do these "sweet" Beymas happen to be CP380M's?

I am not particularly fond of titanium diaphragms, but that doesn't mean all drivers with titanium dia's are bad.
Recent developments in diaphragm suspension/surrounds are not to be neglected.
 
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That would indeed be the breakup in the waterfall above 10KHz, but I've seen much worse.
This PD driver is 111dB, combined with a 96-98dB woofer leaves roughly 10dB to attenuate. While this doesn't take breakup out of the equation, you could be hard pressed to notice it, aspecially in a studio or domestic environment.
 
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