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In the Forum: Audio Discussions
In the Thread: Natural Remedies for Sick Speakers?

Post Subject: Cold, Hard Facts (or are they...?)Posted by Paul S on: 7/31/2011

Lots of good, relevant information lately in the new "Basic Guide to Advanced Audio" thread! But I don't want to orphan this thread because it is specific to speakers, which at this point means, drivers.

So, germane to drivers, where should one start if everything that is commonly available is "not good enough"? How about a 10" direct driver, searched out and chosen only for its paper cone? As I have often said, I like the "size" of images presented by a good 10", and I +/- like its MF. OTOH, as Haralanov has pointed out, the 10" gives away NEEDED "HF" to the 8", and it gives away "soundscape" to the 12". I hate these compromises, but at some point one has to decide. I will make a new former and VC that I hope to adapt to the very old Alnico motor that I have had re-magnetized. Already for months I have agonized over paper and glue for this project, buying and trying former paper and glue for various applications, like the psycho that I am! Make no mistake, this stuff "matters", and if it is not "at the heart" of this project, yet it certainly stems from the sort of discrimination that is required to "heal" the sick speakers in the first place. In other words, it's not what you see or what you hear about, it's about steering and shaping the project with your ears and your aural aesthetics, bit by bit.

As to what is expected of this 10", it will be the WR "axis" of the system. I wish I could afford a better motor for it. But, even with a better motor, a 10" that goes up needs help as it goes down. I have already tried phasing into a 12" and a 15" as frequencies drop, with plenty of overlap. Cabinets for the bigger drivers are meant to bring out their best at the frequencies they will be limited to. The 12" is a "rare bird" that is well-known to cultists. While they typically run it FR or WR, I will use it only for lower MF, with its "optimized" cabinet. I have at this time only candidates for the 15", which will support lower MF and upper LF, along with its "special" cabinet. For some time now I have had a sort of "mad scientist" idea for LF that involves 4 large paper cones I have stashed away and motors from "another source". I have a boatload of already-culled paper tweeters on hand, and eventually I will make new VCs for them, etc. Based on experiments to date, I will run these tweeters "hot" on top on-axis, but I will aim them away from my listening area.

Easy enough? Don't forget about new chasses, and re-configuring/dialing in the surrounds! I suspect at this point that the chasses need not be anvils; but surrounds matter, a lot.

This is as close as I plan to get to a "formula", and, as Haralanov continues to demonstrate, everything is subject to change at a moment's notice, according to experience. Basically, if you can't figure out and correct for "errors", then don't even start. While this is NOT a matter of "Latest and Greatest", any given "solution" might be supreceded, according to experience.

Paul S

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