Audiokinesis TC115 Composite

Mike Arnopol · #1 02-01-2012, 04:40 PM

Some pics of the new TC115 that I built for Duke. (he said it was ok to post these) Dimensions are 25 1/2" tall , 20 1/2" wide and 15 1/2" deep. Weight is a hair under 33 lbs. Pardon my phone pics.I'll probably put on one more coat of Duratex. Future cabs of this profile will be 1/2" smaller in all dimensions. I'll be building the smaller TC115 next. This cab sounds RIDICULOUS.

Mike Arnopol · #2 02-01-2012, 04:44 PM

Mike Arnopol · #3 02-01-2012, 04:45 PM

the finish looks much better than in this pic---the light is reflecting so it looks a bit patchy

will33 · #4 02-01-2012, 04:59 PM

That's some serious port area. Without getting in any trouble, what can you tell us?

will33 · #5 02-01-2012, 05:01 PM

Recessed drivers, cool. The HF component looks the same. I assume padded differently to better match the 15. Is this also a 4ohm version of the LF?

jnewmark · #6 02-01-2012, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will33

That's some serious port area. Without getting in any trouble, what can you tell us?

I'm thinking the same thing. Do you plug one port, two, three ? All 4 ?

Mike Arnopol · #7 02-01-2012, 05:07 PM

(4) 3" ports. And included are the fancy--shmancy Audio Kinesis port plugs. By the way---I'm waiting on the black washers for the grill clamps. As far as porting, it kindof compares to the TC112 in terms of proportional port area. The 15 moves a lot more air than the 12, so the ports all open yield a similar balance as far as bass. Just a helluva more of it. It does offer more flexibility as far as changing cab tuning as there are 4 to play with. And the mids and highs are really fantastic.

Mike Arnopol · #8 02-01-2012, 05:40 PM

The compression driver is different and a lot more costly than the TC112 although the horn is the same. The crossover is also more complicated and costly. With the composite construction I was able to recess the 15" driver an additional 1/4". It is 4 ohms. Its sensitivity is also higher. I seem to have a lot more volume and headroom with the with the Doubler which is rated at (a very optimistic) 550 watts.

Ric Vice · #9 02-01-2012, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Arnopol

The compression driver is different and a lot more costly than the TC112 although the horn is the same. The crossover is also more complicated and costly. With the composite construction I was able to recess the 15" driver an additional 1/4". It is 4 ohms. Its sensitivity is also higher. I seem to have a lot more volume and headroom with the with the Doubler which is rated at (a very optimistic) 550 watts.

First you build the smallest, lightest, DB cabinet. Now you bring the TC 115 in at 33 lbs. One can only imagine how light the TC 112 would be built this way.

Ric

DukeLeJeune · #10 02-01-2012, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will33

That's some serious port area. Without getting in any trouble, what can you tell us?

The TC115 uses four 3" diameter flared ports from Precision Ports. Flaring delays the onset of turbulence ("chuffing"), and I think it improves the sound of the midrange energy that escapes the ports compared to an equivalent unflared round port (the ports are right smack behind the cone). Since the internal volume of Mike's composite cab is a little bigger than my equivalent wooden one, his cab is probably tuned to 48-49 Hz (my equivalent "widebody" wooden cab is tuned to 50 Hz). The -3 dB will be in the mid to lower 50's, and the stiff composite box will result in better impact than my wooden version.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jnewmark

I'm thinking the same thing. Do you plug one port, two, three ? All 4 ?

You want to keep a symmetrical airload on the back of the cone when the box size is fairly small for the amount of air-movement the woofer is capable of; the bigger the cone diameter, the more likely that an asymmetrical airload will cause cone rocking, and severe cone rocking can cause a long voice coil to tap against the sides of the magnetic gap. If you have a nice big cab (like the fEarful 15/6), then the internal pressures aren't as high, and cone rocking isn't a problem. It's only when you're cramming a big, long-excursion woofer into a relatively small box.

So, four ports open = symmetrical; two ports plugged on a diagonal = symmetrical; and all four ports plugged = symmetrical. I do not recommend either 1 or 3 ports plugged.

Two ports plugged = mid-30's tuning frequency, and -3 dB in the mid to lower 70's. Four ports plugged = sealed box, -3 dB at about 100 Hz.

DukeLeJeune · #11 02-01-2012, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will33

Recessed drivers, cool. The HF component looks the same. I assume padded differently to better match the 15. Is this also a 4ohm version of the LF?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Arnopol

The compression driver is different and a lot more costly than the TC112 although the horn is the same. The crossover is also more complicated and costly. With the composite construction I was able to recess the 15" driver an additional 1/4". It is 4 ohms. Its sensitivity is also higher. I seem to have a lot more volume and headroom with the with the Doubler which is rated at (a very optimistic) 550 watts.

I just wanted to add a few comments to Mike's response. Using a 15" woofer is more demanding on the compression driver, because the compression driver has to both go lower and play louder (assuming our tone goals are the same as with the TC112). So I needed to go with a more powerful and rugged compression driver, and fortunately in this case it's also a bit better-sounding driver. Unfortunately, it's about five times more expensive, in part because I'm using a neo-magnet driver to keep the weight down.

The woofer is a custom 4-ohm Kappalite job, and it's about halfway in between the 3015 and 3015LF as far excursion, but its parameters, efficiency, and frequency response are closer to the 3015 than to the LF version. I asked Jerry McNutt of Eminence to make me a 15" counterpart of the woofer in the TC112, and this is what he came up with. Relative to the woofer in the TC112, the one in the 115 is 2.4 dB more efficient, and its fartout threshold (excursion-limited max SPL) is about 2.5 dB higher.

CDweller · #12 02-01-2012, 06:13 PM

.......!

will33 · #13 02-01-2012, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DukeLeJeune

I just wanted to add a few comments to Mike's response. Using a 15" woofer is more demanding on the compression driver, because the compression driver has to both go lower and play louder (assuming our tone goals are the same as with the TC112). So I needed to go with a more powerful and rugged compression driver, and fortunately in this case it's also a bit better-sounding driver. Unfortunately, it's about five times more expensive, in part because I'm using a neo-magnet driver to keep the weight down.

The woofer is a custom 4-ohm Kappalite job, and it's about halfway in between the 3015 and 3015LF as far excursion, but its parameters, efficiency, and frequency response are closer to the 3015 than to the LF version. I asked Jerry McNutt of Eminence to make me a 15" counterpart of the woofer in the TC112, and this is what he came up with. Relative to the woofer in the TC112, the one in the 115 is 2.4 dB more efficient and has a similar increase in fartout threshold (excursion-limited power handling).

Very cool. I know the goal is to sound like it should all over the room. Knowing that, it'd take a pretty highend horn driver to accomplish that.

As always, great work, man.

DukeLeJeune · #14 02-01-2012, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will33

Very cool. I know the goal is to sound like it should all over the room. Knowing that, it'd take a pretty highend horn driver to accomplish that.

As always, great work, man.

Thank you. The compression driver is the Celestion CDX1-1731, the same one I use in many of my home audio speakers, and in my studio monitors.

will33 · #15 02-01-2012, 06:21 PM

It amazes me the lengths Duke goes to to make this stuff just right. After reading the BGM article on his TC112AF, I think I have an amplifier or two with a lower parts count than one of his crossovers.

DukeLeJeune · #16 02-01-2012, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will33

It amazes me the lengths Duke goes to to make this stuff just right. After reading the BGM article on his TC112AF, I think I have an amplifier or two with a lower parts count than one of his crossovers.

Again, thank you. I'm amazed that Mike got the weight of the enclosure itself down to half of what I'm getting with a box made of 1/2" Italian poplar! Factor in the stiffness, and Mike's version of my cab takes it to another level.

Mike Arnopol · #17 02-01-2012, 07:46 PM

The crossover boards are Insane! (in the best possible sense). When I received them I was shocked at their complexity. (and they ain't light!) What Duke has done is to take a bass cabinet intended for live use to the level of the best studio monitors and home hifi speakers. They have very little "baked in " voicing although Duke may not agree. What the TC115 has done I think is take what I described as the "neutral palette" of the TC112 to another level.
What I'm realizing is that there are now several very high end bass cabs out there (the Fearfuls come to mind) that offer different takes on the state of the art in bass cab design. I hope we're evolving past the point of "this one is best"---the highest of the high end are best at different things. And us dumbass bass players are the fortunate beneficiaries.
I actually think that the composite cabs sound better than comparable wood cabs. Maybe not tons, but noticeable to me.
I don't take any credit for the sound---that's all Duke---I'm just a carpenter that likes working with weird stuff. But BOY DOES THIS SOUND GOOD>

will33 · #18 02-01-2012, 07:53 PM

I think the composites are becoming the next advancement in cab construction. You can do them that light and that stiff, you're one of the few on the leading edge here. Stuff like this, in design or construction, not to mention sound, wasn't even available to a bass player at any price not that long ago.

CDweller · #19 02-01-2012, 07:55 PM

Will this be for sale in composite? Any thought of the TC112AF in composite?

Mike Arnopol · #20 02-01-2012, 08:27 PM

I think I can chime in---Duke has already mentioned that the composites will be available. The TC115 will be available in 2 different forms. This is the wider one. Keep in mind that the comparable composite cab will be 1/2" wider and taller and 1/2" deeper than then wood version. (to maintain the same internal volume--due to the fact that the composite material is thicker) The smaller one (in composite) will be 25 1/2" tall, 18 " wide and 15" deep. (I think).