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Shavatar...!

spiritbass

spiritbass

Jun 9, 2004
11,053
34,686
Ashland, MO
#1
Is the the name that occurred to me for the new combo I'll be using for the early service. A Shuttle-powered modified neo B212. When I fired up this cabinet with the new mid-driver and a Thunderfunk, I was highly impressed. I also have a better idea of the sound of a Berg NV-215 and players not needing more highs than what are available from their mid-drivers. Then I paired it with the Shuttle and the results were even better. What I found today was the tonal variation available in the gain and volume settings. Favoring the preamp gain over volume brings the tube presence & liquid, meaty mids (woofers are running full-range which also added fatness compared with the horn & two-way crossover). With my favorite setting (so far :smug: ), gain @ 2, volume @ 10, bass @ 11 ( 2 clicks left), mid & treble @ noon, no filters engaged, there was more bass and high-end from the Tri-115 as expected. With the same settings through the B212 (now more forward in the mids and attenuated in the highs), the low end is full, tight, and well defined as with the 'Funk, but when I close my eyes, I can easily imagine a Sunn sitting on a couple of JBL's instead of the Shavatar :cool:. Hope you enjoyed the mini-review, you may now return to your regularly scheduled program (or not :D ) Obligatory pic:
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#2
The Shavatar delivered nicely this morning. I set it on the old piano bench that I use for an amp stand. I ended up backing off the bass setting two more detents (4 ccw) and got excellent full lows. The mids were sounding sweet (as usual). The Clarus I tried once in this room barely kept up with both volumes dimed, the Shuttle was cruising with headroom to spare. I did a recording with a Zoom H2 and the bass was sitting in there very well. Good presence without overpowering. The bass tone even got a nod of approval from the worship leader. :cool: The bass used in the previous living room test and today is the dual-Darkstarred LeCompte strung with DR Sunbeams. I'm taking the Afterburner next week. :bassist:

Ken
 
#8
Did you do a different crossover, or stay with the avatar; and in either case:
where's it crossover?

The B&C goes from 150hz to 6khz, so dang near anywhere would be ok...

I wonder if one of those would drop in my Henry 8x8 to replace the horrid LeSon piezo tweet...

nice project!
 
#11
Thanks for the compliments, gents! I had a lot of fun doing this; it doesn't qualify as work to me... :) Chef - I unsoldered the wires to the Avatar crossover from the speakon input jack, disconnected the harness from the drivers, and sold the horn, harness, & crossover to JoeGeezer. I used the cap & inductor recommended in Burdizzos mod which crosses over @ 500hz and leaves the woofers running full-range.
 
#12
Good choice!

I have an LDS 2x12+2x6 that's all B&C neos, crossed similarly.
Good stuff!

Done properly, with the right driver, you really won't miss a horn.
 
#13
Johnny Atomic said:
How would these mid drivers compare to the galaxy mid mod???
Click to expand...

Both those 6 inchers are much more sensitive and have higher power handling than the Galaxy. They also cost a lot more and will require considerably more effort to fit in the Avatar cab. I've only heard the Galaxy crossed over at the stock Avatar frequency, dunno how it fares if you feed it real midrange.

As far as the 18Sound driver, I messed with my speaker management system and biamping to find what crossover format I preferred with my DIY cabs. With a true crossover (4th order L-R) I like ~635 Hz, but the exact frequency isn't all that critical IME and IMHO. With a lower order crossover or just a high pass, something between 700-1K Hz works well for me. That's with a single 15 underneath FWIW. My passive box with the B&C is 1st order low pass at 725, 4th order high pass at 775. That's a function of readily available inductor values as much as anything. Speaking of which, those inductors are big heavy suckers!

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#14
Passinwind said:
Both those 6 inchers are much more sensitive and have higher power handling than the Galaxy. They also cost a lot more and will require considerably more effort to fit in the Avatar cab.

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Click to expand...


Thanks for jumping in, Passinwind, I didn't notice Johnny's question.

Atomic - the horn opening must be enlarged with a saber saw.
The enclosure for the mid-driver is attached to the back of the baffle with liquid nails. I found a small white plastic bathroom trash container at WalMart, poured 2 liters of water into it (recommended enclosure volume) and traced the water level around with a sharpie marker. I then cut it down with a hacksaw. It made a nice, rigid, airtight enclosure.
 
#15
Swerve:
here's the LDS 2x12+2x6; i hope it's ok to add it here as reference material for those interested in such things:
lds_1.gif

lds_3.gif
 
#16
I've always liked that cab. :cool: I'm surprised that there aren't a few more offerings from commercial makers with a mid instead of a horn. I guess the niche is considered too small? It's good that Don's always ready to accommodate!

Passinwind said:
My passive box with the B&C is 1st order low pass at 725, 4th order high pass at 775. That's a function of readily available inductor values as much as anything. Speaking of which, those inductors are big heavy suckers!
Click to expand...
Yup, the 3.6 mH inductor that went in this one weighed between 2 and 3 lbs. I mounted it with wood screws on the brace between the baffle and enclosure back. Long cable ties secure the cap to this same brace. Considering the weight of the horn & crossover removed vs. the new components (mid driver, enclosure, 100w L-pad, inductor & cap), the overall weight gain was about two pounds.
 

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