Distortion on lower notes on SWR LA10 !?!

The speaker - cab combination will mostly determine distortion levels at lower notes. Please keep in mind that speakers need to be matched with the cab to get the proper performance. If you can measure the internal space of the cab and let us know how many and what size ports (if any) there are you will probably get a lot of suggestions for a speaker upgrade.

 

A cabinet that small just isn't capable of going below at best a low G cleanly, irrespective of the driver used. If you're going to go low and do it with any kind of volume the box has to be at least twice the size as this one.

 

Bill is certainly correct about the size of the cab and it's limitations. After all, he's a cab builder by trade. It would seem to me though that a better handling speaker made for smaller cabs would not distort even if it isn't producing the fundamental notes with high volume.

The first thing I would consider doing is increasing port volume. You might be hearing chuffing sounds that could be interperated as distortion. 2 round ports that measure 2" in diameter and 2.5" in length would keep the box tuning relatevely the same but greatly improve port performance.

I have done some research on some suitable drivers for your cab and here's what I came up with. All of these drivers have a similar F3 of about 80hz in your box. Prices range from about $90 to about $270. The overall tone of these speakers cannot be determined with the WinISD program I used. Only the low end extention can be simulated.

Eminence Kappa Pro 10
B&C 10 PS26
Eminence Legend B102 (not BP102). This one has a whizzer cone for a higher frequency extension without a tweeter.
Beyma 10G40
EV EVM DLX. This one will have a very strong mid peak at around 600hz. Probably good for hard rock music.

These drivers are listed in no particular order. They should all keep the sound clean even if you won't get earth shattering lows in your box. If you kept your original driver you could toy with the idea of building or buying a bigger box in the future. Anyway I think that tinkering is a great way of learning so good luck!

 

PVC will work well. Just use the inside diameter for reference. You could get a cleaner look if you bought port tubes specifically made for this purpose. Ebay is a good source for this. They are cheap.

The Sheffield speaker you refered to didn't have enough specs to make any determination on it's compatibility with your cab. The one spec that did jump out at me is sensitivity. The sheffield is 89db@1w/m. The drivers I suggested are on average 8db louder. That means it would take roughly 250watts to achieve the same volume level with the sheffield that you could with the other drivers with your 35watt amp. This translates to lower level on your amp to achieve the same volume level. That means the speaker will be pushed less and distortion will be down.

If you e-mail Dave at avatarspeakers.com I think you will be pleasantly surprised on his price for the Eminence kappa pro 10.

 

No problem. Keep us posted!

 

I periodically forget this piece of advice and halfway convince myself that I've blown a speaker when the real problem is that bass notes suck too much power for a battery that is on its way out to handle.

 

Glad it worked for you! Now if lack of low end is your only concern try placing it in a corner. You should pick up some free lows that way.

 

BTW the Delta is not the right choice for a small cab like yours. The Kappa Pro would work much better. BUT..........none of these speakers are going to give you killer low end with such a small box. If it isn't distorted anymore I would leave well enough alone.

 

Hartke's sell well on the 'Bay!

 

An interesting thread, since I just picked up an inexpensive LA10.

Gintaras, any more specifics you can remember that might help me when adding a second port and port tubes to the LA10?

Muzikman, when adding the second port, how do you think it would work if I put it on the rear of the LA10 (centered?) to get more of a omni-present sound, like a Hartke Kickback or my Bag Ends?

Thanks for your help....Lyle