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Custom cab specs

T

tomas_almeida

Oct 5, 2007
403
6
Portugal
#1
Hello TBers once more!

I'm going to have a cab built to pair with my Traynor YBA 200-II (all tube amp). I'm going for something like a 2x12 or a 4x10.

My sonic goal with this cabinet is mostly a very good midrange between 250hz and 1khz (especially on the 400hz), because that's what my amp lacks.

What I want are some suggestions of the specs of the cabinet. For example if 2x12 or 4x10, sealed or ported, speaker brand (and model), etc.


Looking forward, as always, for your responses.

Cheers!

EDIT: I'm not going to be the one building the cab, I'll have a professional cab builder do it for me. I'm just asking specs so I can get a sound of my liking.
 
#5
wow, I think your being ignored, you might want to start with exactly what drivers you want or try some free internet software and plug in some drivers to see what you get. At one time I considered building my on cab and making the front baffle removable so I could compare sealed with ported, or different tunings. That way I could use my ears for the final say but not have to build multiple cabs.
 
#9
I'll toss out a few generalizations.

In general, a driver optimized for a vented box will have better midrange that a driver optimized for a sealed box because the parameters that work well in a vented box typically call for a more powerful magnet and/or lighter cone, which in turn is conducive to good midrange.

In general, clusters of drivers tend to lose some midrange and even more treble because of destructive interference between the drivers. Clusters also tend to have less coverage because they beam.

In general, smaller drivers have better midrange than bigger ones, due to their having a lighter, smaller diameter cone.

If midrange is a high priority, all else being equal I'd choose a vertical in-line 2x12 over a clustered 4x10, and I'd chooose a vertical in-line 4x10 over either. But all else is never equal, so designing speakers based solely on cone diameter is a roll of the dice at best.
 
#11
To put you on the right track, Eminence makes good quality drivers used by many here at TB. You're going to want to check into some free software called WinISD and get very familiar with it.
As for ported or sealed, depends on the sound you are looking for. Generally, a ported (bass reflex) will yield more lower frequency output at the cost of physical size. They are also harder to tune.
A sealed (acoustic suspension) enclosure is more forgiving of tuning , will usually sound "more accurate" and is generally smaller.
There are more benefits and drawbacks to each, but this should put you on the right track.
I also recommend reading the book "Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" if this is your first build.

On a side note, Bill is the man when it comes to enclosures and knows what he's talking about.
 
#12
zagnut said:
As for ported or sealed, depends on the sound you are looking for. Generally, a ported (bass reflex) will yield more lower frequency output at the cost of physical size. They are also harder to tune.
A ported (acoustic suspension) enclosure is more forgiving of tuning , will usually sound "more accurate" and is generally smaller. {...}
On a side note, Bill is the man when it comes to enclosures and knows what he's talking about.
Click to expand...

Yep, and he'd probably find those generalities just that - generalities. For one, it's easy to tune a cab, especially if planned right. For two, a sealed box for bass guitar often has its user trying to boost bass to a level that was already available in a same-sized ported cab, which eats headroom and stresses drivers.
 
#13
A few points

zagnut said:
As for ported or sealed, depends on the sound you are looking for. Generally, a ported (bass reflex) will yield more lower frequency output at the cost of physical size
Click to expand...
For equal low end output ported cabs are smaller than sealed.
A ported (acoustic suspension) enclosure is more forgiving of tuning , will usually sound "more accurate" and is generally smaller.
Click to expand...
You probably mean sealed here, and while acoustic suspension cabs are sealed, a sealed cab isn't necessarily acoustic suspension. AFAIK there are no acoustic suspension bass cabs, nor have there ever been any. Even in hi-fi acoustic suspension pretty much left the scene by 1980.
I also recommend reading the book "Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" if this is your first build..
Click to expand...
A valuable resource, though it doesn't deal with pro-sound, so you're on your own for designs. Unfortunately the only book I'm aware of that dealt specifically with pro-sound was my own (Speaker Builder's Loudspeakers for Musicians) but being ten years old now all I've rendered all the projects in it obsolete, some of them three times over. I wouldn't even think of doing another book, since by the time it got printed I'd probably have already re-done half the projects in it. :hmm:
 
#16
billfitzmaurice said:
A few points

For equal low end output ported cabs are smaller than sealed.You probably mean sealed here, and while acoustic suspension cabs are sealed, a sealed cab isn't necessarily acoustic suspension. AFAIK there are no acoustic suspension bass cabs, nor have there ever been any. Even in hi-fi acoustic suspension pretty much left the scene by 1980.
A valuable resource, though it doesn't deal with pro-sound, so you're on your own for designs. Unfortunately the only book I'm aware of that dealt specifically with pro-sound was my own (Speaker Builder's Loudspeakers for Musicians) but being ten years old now all I've rendered all the projects in it obsolete, some of them three times over. I wouldn't even think of doing another book, since by the time it got printed I'd probably have already re-done half the projects in it. :hmm:
Click to expand...
Oops..yes, I meant sealed. I really need to stop reading more than 1 thread at a time.
 
#20
Thank you all for the feedback, but I made a terrible mistake. What I meant was that I'm going to have a profissional cab builder to build the cab for me. I was just asking specs so I could have an idea with what I could get more low midrange. But thank you all for your responses!
 

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