puppet, I agree, I will be trying to find local supplier. It is not easy to get good,visually acceptable anodization, many companies offer technically ok results but visually suboptimal.
For this loudspeaker WG pair will get same painting as baffles, it have fine structure so it is durable and not prone to fingerprint marks.
For this loudspeaker WG pair will get same painting as baffles, it have fine structure so it is durable and not prone to fingerprint marks.
Mbrennwa, your waveguides from 3dhubs looked good. What was the cost?
T34A could also perform well in this wg. Alu version has even wider directiviry compared to Be, maybe Alu in WGon axis response will not be as linear as Be...and top band directivity will be wider than in 2kHz area where wg has the most effect. For Be in wg DI is gradually rising, for Alu the top band DI could have downtilt.
My estimate here is based on d2004 and r2004 measurements in WG.
T34A could also perform well in this wg. Alu version has even wider directiviry compared to Be, maybe Alu in WGon axis response will not be as linear as Be...and top band directivity will be wider than in 2kHz area where wg has the most effect. For Be in wg DI is gradually rising, for Alu the top band DI could have downtilt.
My estimate here is based on d2004 and r2004 measurements in WG.
Costs depend a lot on the number of items. I usually calculate CHF 95 per waveguide for the group buys when I am ordering a small batch. That's not exactly cheap, but given the overall cost of such speakers it's not much.
The type of aluminum used can affect the finish when anodizing, generally cheaper aluminum doesn't seem to come up as well due to some impurities eg. 5083 can look very grainy compared to 6061 when anodized.
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I would absolutely love a pair of these T34B waveguides. Aluminum looks great but in all honesty, I believe a decent polymer would actually outperform Alu and theres no need for finish work if the color of plastic is correct.
I'm not concerned about an exposed beryllium dome. The worst case scenario is shattering of the dome and ejecting Be particles into the air. I highly doubt that will ever happen under normal circumstances and a metal grille wouldn't help much there. I'd always pick grille cloth over metal in terms of sonic impact. Children and pets would require some form of mechanical protection via a metal grille.
I'm not concerned about an exposed beryllium dome. The worst case scenario is shattering of the dome and ejecting Be particles into the air. I highly doubt that will ever happen under normal circumstances and a metal grille wouldn't help much there. I'd always pick grille cloth over metal in terms of sonic impact. Children and pets would require some form of mechanical protection via a metal grille.
Beautiful though very expensive.
Baffle reminds me of Thiel and Hales..
-it's one thing to get that sort of perfect baffle dimensionally - something that a good CNC result can provide.
HOWEVER it's quite another to ALSO get such a perfect looking finish.
That combination really does look perfect.
Baffle reminds me of Thiel and Hales..
-it's one thing to get that sort of perfect baffle dimensionally - something that a good CNC result can provide.
HOWEVER it's quite another to ALSO get such a perfect looking finish.
That combination really does look perfect.
ScottG: thank you.
Ok, so the first report, system is up and running, already warming up for a two days.
Here are some first impressions:
1. T34B is a lot like T25B and fully up to expectations. For some songs it is a bit harsh and I will need to spend some time with fine tuning of treble level, and will also try to flatten 10k peak down by ~1-2dB.
2. 32W in closed box is a beast, even without low end EQ there is a lot of bass, measured response -10dB at 20Hz. It will yet take some time to run it in, but it has already qualities that are immediatelly noticeable. Sorry for using these word but they really describe it well. It is very firm, fast, impactfull, and integrated with the rest. It is also dryer compared to bassreflex, it leaves the impression like there is less room effect in overall presentation.
3. Midrange, hmm hmm very hard to describe, for now trebles and bass are what took my attention. But thinking of it, there is clarity and more importantly, it support good impression from the bass.
4. system goes to high SPL with ease.
So all acoustic slopes are LR4, 200Hz and 1400Hz.
Ok, so the first report, system is up and running, already warming up for a two days.
Here are some first impressions:
1. T34B is a lot like T25B and fully up to expectations. For some songs it is a bit harsh and I will need to spend some time with fine tuning of treble level, and will also try to flatten 10k peak down by ~1-2dB.
2. 32W in closed box is a beast, even without low end EQ there is a lot of bass, measured response -10dB at 20Hz. It will yet take some time to run it in, but it has already qualities that are immediatelly noticeable. Sorry for using these word but they really describe it well. It is very firm, fast, impactfull, and integrated with the rest. It is also dryer compared to bassreflex, it leaves the impression like there is less room effect in overall presentation.
3. Midrange, hmm hmm very hard to describe, for now trebles and bass are what took my attention. But thinking of it, there is clarity and more importantly, it support good impression from the bass.
4. system goes to high SPL with ease.
So all acoustic slopes are LR4, 200Hz and 1400Hz.
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According to some theories perhaps.... But I have found that a speaker of modest sensitivity (88 dB for instance) can have high dynamic range if sufficiently powered (250 W +)...
And yes, with an active system it is not necessary to match the sensitivities of the drivers as closely as with a passive system.
if you can reach peaks of mid 110 dBs you pretty much can cover 99 percent of the spectrum. More than that is just bragging rights and potential hearing loss.
Agreed, a high 80s dB/W speaker powered by a decent sized separate power amp will get it done. I generall aim for 90 dB/W which gives me the needed dynamic range and won't magnify residual gain related hiss/noise to noticeably annoying levels. Once you get close to 100 dB/W sensitivity, you start noticing gain stage noise and hiss alot more.
Agreed, a high 80s dB/W speaker powered by a decent sized separate power amp will get it done. I generall aim for 90 dB/W which gives me the needed dynamic range and won't magnify residual gain related hiss/noise to noticeably annoying levels. Once you get close to 100 dB/W sensitivity, you start noticing gain stage noise and hiss alot more.
tktran: my thoughts exactly. For passive version I will have hard time to decide among T00/T01/T11. T00 works very well in closed box, other two dont. Other two work well in BR, T01 going lower than T11. Hmmm hmmm I have a month to make a decision.
T34B attenuation, there is a good thing that it requires small capacitor to make it flat so the most part of attenuation is realized with capacitor. It would be also good to use 8ohm version of 18WE in passive version.
Right now in active system 18WE attenuation is 6.5dB and 2dB for tweeter. I use 1.5uF tweeter capacitor for its protection and it also realizes the filter/attenuation.
It has been 4days since this project started to make the sound. It is already partially burn in, and it starts to sound really good. All LR4 and all LR2 crossover. And in spite of my general preference for LR2, I have to admit all LR4 sounds better here. It gives more detail, resolution, energy and punch. LR2 is little bit laid back, all drivers sound better merged, easier to listen too, but also softer presentation and weaker impression of the bass. All LR4 is more precise, punchier, midrange sounds more clear and clean.
So current setup is all LR4, at ~180Hz and 1800Hz. I will try to move lower crossover to ~220-250Hz as 180Hz sound sometimes little bit detached from MT.
And the most significant happened in tweeter crossover. Trebles were still somewhat harsh and unpleasant at higher volume, so I tried to flatten 10Hz peak by 1.5dB. This completely shaved all the scratchiness and I could elevate the trebles by ~0.5dB. The trebles are now excellent.
T34B attenuation, there is a good thing that it requires small capacitor to make it flat so the most part of attenuation is realized with capacitor. It would be also good to use 8ohm version of 18WE in passive version.
Right now in active system 18WE attenuation is 6.5dB and 2dB for tweeter. I use 1.5uF tweeter capacitor for its protection and it also realizes the filter/attenuation.
It has been 4days since this project started to make the sound. It is already partially burn in, and it starts to sound really good. All LR4 and all LR2 crossover. And in spite of my general preference for LR2, I have to admit all LR4 sounds better here. It gives more detail, resolution, energy and punch. LR2 is little bit laid back, all drivers sound better merged, easier to listen too, but also softer presentation and weaker impression of the bass. All LR4 is more precise, punchier, midrange sounds more clear and clean.
So current setup is all LR4, at ~180Hz and 1800Hz. I will try to move lower crossover to ~220-250Hz as 180Hz sound sometimes little bit detached from MT.
And the most significant happened in tweeter crossover. Trebles were still somewhat harsh and unpleasant at higher volume, so I tried to flatten 10Hz peak by 1.5dB. This completely shaved all the scratchiness and I could elevate the trebles by ~0.5dB. The trebles are now excellent.
LR2 always sounded better to me in terms of imaging, soundstage and depth. It blends much better and makes the transition seamless. The low mid turnover is clean and smooth. I dont feel it causes any lack of precision in sound around the crossover region. The speaker as a whole tends to disappesr better than with higher order filters..
LR4 in contrast sounds more abrupt and disconnected, more like a PA system sound that feels like its a switch in the crossover region. That's the largest downside for me, even though it does provide the sharper cutoff needed to get the most dynamics and power handling from smaller drivers operating close to their frequency limits.
LR4 in contrast sounds more abrupt and disconnected, more like a PA system sound that feels like its a switch in the crossover region. That's the largest downside for me, even though it does provide the sharper cutoff needed to get the most dynamics and power handling from smaller drivers operating close to their frequency limits.