Bass cabs with mid drivers

[fuzzy beard]

I have been doing alot of reading on here. And it has brought about a lot of questions. So thanks for all that help my never ending quest for knowledge!

Been reading about all the issues with mix matching driver sizes due to phaseing issues. So are there phasing issues with full range cabs using multiple drivers in one box?

If not how does that work but not mixing lets say a 1x18 and a 2x10?

Also do they make a cross over to run mixed cabs?

[MuzikMan]

The well designed boxes with different driver sizes will have a crossover network, partly to avoid the issues you mentioned. Some do it, some don't.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by fuzzy beard

are there phasing issues with full range cabs using multiple drivers in one box?

Not when done properly, with a crossover.

[fuzzy beard]

So can someone buy a cross over to use with 2 cabs?

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by fuzzy beard

So can someone buy a cross over to use with 2 cabs?

Unless said cabs are specifically designed to operate over different bandwidths there would be no point in it. AFAIK no electric bass cabs currently sold fit that description.

[will33]

Some bass heads have bi-amping built in. Otherwise you would use an active crossover like is in a PA rack to separate the subs from the tops. It still requires a stereo power amp or 2 mono amps.

And yes, it'd be a waste of money if you're not using drivers specific to that purpose.

[fuzzy beard]

Well bass cabs and cab design are becoming very interesting to me. Can anyone suggest a book or site to where i can learn more. I am interest in cab design!

Also i am trying to figure out frequency range and what they mean to the human ear. I wish i had a 12 band eq so i could play and figure it out! Because to me when i see a 18cab with a freq of 30 to 2khz. I dont know how far in the mid range that is. So when i see a 2x10 cab rated at 60 to 20k hz. Seems to my novice mind they would work good crossed over together. Covering from 30 to 20 k hz.

[will33]

Can't do links from a phone but DIY Audio & Video - FAQs, Tutorials, and Calculators for Speaker Boxes, Crossovers, Filters, Wiring and more has some good basic info on speakers/wiring/crossovers etc. There's more to it than just whats on that one site but it's a place to start. Lot's of good reads and links to follow in the DIY/techtalk sticky too.

There are a few real pro's that post here. Bill F. is one, Duke Lejeune is another. There's more. Basically heed their advise and if they post a link follow it.

[will33]

Hey, it made a link, cool.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by fuzzy beard

i see a 18cab with a freq of 30 to 2khz...So when i see a 2x10 cab rated at 60 to 20k hz. Seems to my novice mind they would work good crossed over together. .

They won't. That's only a one octave difference. Three octaves is the minimum range you want between bandwidths. That means crossing over a driver that runs from 30 Hz at no less than 250Hz. And doing so to tens that operate to 60 Hz is a waste in three ways. First, 3/4 of the cab volume of said 2x10 is there to support operation to 60 Hz. It's a waste of cartage crossing at 250Hz. Second, a 2x10 that's configured to work to 60Hz won't work nearly as well into the mids as one configured to work only to 250Hz. And third, you don't need two tens to match an eighteen. One is sufficient.
In short, for best results you don't just throw a bunch of cabs or drivers together willy-nilly.

[JimmyM]

I suggest taking a look at some of Bill's designs, also the fEarful, the Audiokinesis Thunderchild, and to a lesser degree the Avatar TB153 to get an idea of how to mix different sized speakers properly, especially if you're interested in using a mid driver.

[rpsands]

A 2x10 would be fine with a 1x18 if the 10's were mod-50s or something like that. Guitar drivers, not bass drivers. And if you stacked them vertically.

Honestly, I am seeing more and more the appeal of a vertical 4x10, kind of like half an SVT-810. Good dispersion, natural midrangey grind without pedals, and so on. It'd work for a lot of people.

Tens go high enough for most people and you can get a horn crossed over in on top for without an 800 component crossover if you wanted also.

It's too bad the neo driver hike came around--120 dollar basslite 10's kind of killed my desire to design a vertical 4x10 with a horn and bother learning all that crossover design hoohah

[will33]

I can see the appeal of it as well if you used a HF driver and big enough horn to reach down to 2khz or so without getting harsh.

And yeah the neo prices put a bunch of wild ideas out of my head and kinda forced me into making some much needed improvements to stuff I already have and getting to work finishing a bunch of 1/2 done projects with "heavy" drivers I already own. If you consider a few pounds heavy....I don't. Check back in another 20 years and I may be singing a different song.

[rpsands]

Yeah, there are tons of horns that go down to 2khz-2.5khz with sufficient handling for bass and then some, that are not even that expensive.

It's moving it down to 1500-1800hz for 12s that gets pricey, both in crossover components and horns. At least, from my limited sampling.

[will33]

Ya, reaching that low steps you up to 2" drivers for the most part and some pretty big/long horns