TL606 or fEARful with 3015 non-LF?

J-wall · #1 10-21-2011, 07:25 AM

I am interested in building a single 15" one-way cab and I have been looking at the TL606 design, but I have also read greenboy's (and others) comments about the redundant bracing and other issues that surround it. I am not a cabinet designer by any stretch, but it makes sense to me.

My question is concerning the fEARful sub enclosure. Could a non-LF 3015 be put in that box as-is per the plans and perform well (i.e. - like the modified TL606) or would I be better off modifying the bracing pattern and port height of the TL606 design?

Also, if modifying the TL606 would be the way to go, what changes need to be made to the port shelf length? This has been mentioned in other threads, but i have found no specifics in my searching so far.

Thank you for your help in advance!

Josh

will33 · #2 10-21-2011, 07:36 AM

The 3015 is fairly forgiving but neither of those boxes were designed specifically for it. Model it yourself and/or check out some of eminences cab design pdf's. Those drivers are $$. If you're going to drop the coin on it, put it in a proper box designed for it and realize it's full potential. In the end you'll be glad you did and it'll be worth the coin.

BurningSkies · #3 10-21-2011, 08:16 AM

Josh,

The 3015 is a different speaker from the 3015LF, and the fEARful box isn't designed the 3015. It would be a total crapshoot, and not in a good way.

Smurf-o-Deth · #4 10-21-2011, 08:20 AM

FWIW, I have two 3015-loaded TL-606s that sound great, and the 3015 is generally considered a good drop-in for that cabinet.

J-wall · #5 10-21-2011, 08:23 AM

Thanks, and I realize that what you are saying is true. However, I don't fully understand cabinet design software and thus I was hoping to find an easier way from trusted sources.

I like the design fame of the TL606 and I have heard good things about the 3015 being used in it, and I get the benefits of modifying the internal bracing - I want a lighter cab that is worth it and I have seen enough to believe in the fEARful stuff. I was hoping that the stars might align and this would be easier than I feared. :-)

rpsands · #6 10-21-2011, 09:43 AM

Take the fEarful sub, and shrink it maybe 4" off the back, and recalculate the tuning. GB's design is going to be far superior to the TL606 due to the extra port area.

Passinwind · #7 10-21-2011, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-wall

I like the design fame of the TL606 and I have heard good things about the 3015 being used in it, and I get the benefits of modifying the internal bracing - I want a lighter cab that is worth it and I have seen enough to believe in the fEARful stuff. I was hoping that the stars might align and this would be easier than I feared. :-)

The 3015 is already a whole lot lighter than the EVM driver that the 606 was designed for. I'm with Will though, do the scary math and don't use shortcuts. Buy once, cry once.

hdracer · #8 10-21-2011, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smurf-o-Deth

FWIW, I have two 3015-loaded TL-606s that sound great, and the 3015 is generally considered a good drop-in for that cabinet.

I run the same. I like the fEARFUL's but a pair of TL-606's with 3015's rock. Mine weigh about 46 lbs each. They are much easier & cheaper to build.

singlemalt · #9 10-21-2011, 10:21 AM

I've built a pair of the TL-606's for the 3015 (non-LF). On Charlie's suggestion I made the port 1" higher, but other wise stuck to the design. The shelf length stayed the same. They sounded great, and AB'd against a TL-606 that had the stock port and the same 3015, it did a better job. The pair packed a wallop and fit in the back of the Corolla.

I'm a carpenter by trade, so I found the bracing in the TL 606 plan redundant for anybody who can biscuit and glue and clamp a cab in to a square form. I put the bracing in on the first go round, and dispensed with it on the second. It's 3/4 ply, and the bracing is overkill. I think the bracing came in when they aimed to design a cab for someone with little or no skills in wood work, no glue, and very few tools. Basically, you can build it with a saw, drill, and a screwdriver. It's a very simple plan.

If you have access to some better tools: air stapler or air brad, six or eight 30" bar clamps, and a good saw, and a biscuit jointer (nice but not a deal breaker), you can glue these together and skip the bracing. It's stout.

Like smurf said, a great sounding, simple to build cab. A pair is tons of fun. Its a great way to get your feet wet in cab building. I built them for under $200 each back when 3015's were $130. Scrap wood from the shop and hardware from Parts Express. Notice the recycled kitchen cab material for a baffle on the second. About 45 lb each.

It won't take you to fEarful land.

I've got the last of the pair sitting here empty, after I experimented with using it as a sub with the 3015LF and the "cheap but good" low pass. Close but no cigar. I'll throw an EV driver in it and park it at the practice space, or sell it empty.

If you want to go to fEarful land, take it from me, (who learns the hard way) just follow the directions. The cabs are not that much more complicated to assemble. ( I think they are more fun) and the end product is leaps and bounds beyond the basic cab.

J-wall · #10 10-21-2011, 11:28 AM

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it - this thread has turned out to be more encouraging that I first thought.

If I use the TL606, to I need to adjust the length of the port shelf?

Alex1984 · #11 10-21-2011, 11:48 AM

If it's a non-LF, it's meant to be more or less full-range, so I think you'd be better off with a modded TL-606.

rpsands · #12 10-21-2011, 12:10 PM

More port area is really a big advantage for the 3015. The TL606 has a bit less than is optimal.

will33 · #13 10-21-2011, 12:50 PM

Get the bracing out of the corners and use it to span the open expanses of panel like the fearful designs. Or crossbrace side to side, top to bottom, etc. like locking the speaker in jail.

The bracing is to kill vibration/resonance in the panels, not hold up a house. Plain old butt joints in the corners are fine. You can use 1/2" ply and lighten the load if you brace it like that.

1n3 · #14 10-21-2011, 12:57 PM

I will be building a 3015 cab when circumstances allow, so have studied this. I agree with previous comments - the TL606 is too heavy, and has too little port area for the 3015. And it's too big; power handling is better in a slightly smaller box.

If you find the previous comments encouraging for a TL606 build, your reading is different than mine. Like others here, I suggest you emulate fEARful construction methods, in a 2.5-3CF box with roughly 20% more port area than the TL606. If weight is less important than simplicity of construction, you could build with 3/4 ply and less bracing.

rpsands · #15 10-21-2011, 12:58 PM

Another way to lighten the load is to buy some nice plywood. You should be able to find Okoume marine ply at some shops, or Poplar plywood.

Okoume seems to be a bit tougher and not give up much weight to Poplar (or eurolite).

billfitzmaurice · #16 10-21-2011, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-wall

I don't fully understand cabinet design software

Neither did the engineers at EV when the 606 was created, as it didn't exist. For that matter the use of T/S to design cabs was still in its infancy then. But what matters most is that the EV driver that the 606 was created to work with has specs significantly different than the 3015, so if the 606 is ideal for the EVM it can't be ideal for the 3015. As to whether the fEarful is ideal for the 3015, as opposed to the 3015LF, or whether there is a specific 3015 fEarful, you should find that out at the fEarful forum.

GrowlerBox · #17 10-21-2011, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

...or whether there is a specific 3015 fEarful, you should find that out at the fEarful forum.

There isn't, but there is a TB and fEARful forumer (parapentep70) who has built what look to be some well-designed cabs for the 3015 (non-LF).

JazzbassArt · #18 10-21-2011, 04:36 PM

Well, Green Boy did intimate once, about a 3015HO cab he was keeping close to the vest, but hasn't divulged the goods. No harm, no foul, just FYI.

greenboy · #19 10-21-2011, 04:43 PM

Did I? I explained how to do it a number of times, but it's so easy it's almost embarrassing to consider it a design. 3015 BTW, not 3015HO.

4Mal · #20 10-21-2011, 05:33 PM

As previously stated - the 3015 does not belong in a fearful. I prefer mine in smaller than 606 style boxes. A little tighter, less flab. Much like a Bag End but with more bottom. 2.6 to 2.7 cuft gross. I can measure the port for you.

My mission was a pair of cab's that would have a vintage vibe to them. Using modern methods and materials. I feel that I got close enough to have singlemalt build me a second matching cab to the one I designed and built - I ran out of time... I had another kinda generic box around from Sonic that I tested with. I've been running the pair most recently with an old Music Man 100 watt tube amp. Even thrashed, the stack'ola sounded pretty nice. The amp is soon to be rebuilt and that will be my small to med room rock 'em sock 'em robots rig