Don't expect the impossible from a 15 inch driver!!

[agedhorse]

There's no reason why you can't be both. The best techs are the ones who understand why things work the way they do.
The next time you look at a square wave on your scope first run the output of the signal generator through inductors of various values and then into the scope and see how they affect the waveform. Try some capacitors paralleled across the load too, because voice coils have capacitance as well as inductance.

Disclaimer- don't use any capacitive load directly across the amp's output terminals as many amps can oscillate or latch up (and fail). It must always be isolated by either inductance or resistance in series.

 

[David Jayne]

..... The gap itself acts to cool the coil by sinking radiated energy.

....

I've heard this before. Is it because the amount of (turbulent) air in the gap is minimal and the metal around it conducts heat better than air alone? Obviously the metal doesn't magically 'suck' the heat from the coil. If it did, the cooling effect would work in a vacuum.

 

[agedhorse]

In air alone, the air gets hot and acts as an insulator. The magnetic structure serves to absorb heat from the surrounding air. The clearances are only .015" or so.

There's always some radiated energy directly absorbed by the structure through radiation also.

 

[Al Kraft]

Sorry
1-15xlt

I owned a D115T back in the day. It was a very nice sounding cab (warm, smooth voicing), but had less power handling than my current Mesa SW115. I think it was rated for around 200 Watts and while it was very adequate, I would not describe it as a loud cab - smaller to medium venues were its forte as a solo cab.

The D115XLT could get quite a bit louder as I recall, but I don't think it sounded as good as the D115...although it came close. That cab had a lot of bottom end and decent mids and highs, where the D115T was a little more vintage sounding to me. I never owned a D115XLT, but I played on them occasionally.

The Subway 115 has everything I liked about the D115 in terms of tone, as well as the improved mids and highs of the XLT. Additionally, the SW115 can produce greater volume, it has the the ability to carry a medium+ venue easily on its own, and to my ear provides a nicer top end (high mids and treble) than those cast gold horns in the Edens.

That's the best I can do from memory - I haven't had a chance to compare side by side since my Eden 115 cabs have been gone since the late 1990's. Hope that's helpful!

 

[lpbfender]

I owned a D115T back in the day. It was a very nice sounding cab (warm, smooth voicing), but had less power handling than my current Mesa SW115. I think it was rated for around 200 Watts and while it was very adequate, I would not describe it as a loud cab - smaller to medium venues were its forte as a solo cab.

The D115XLT could get quite a bit louder as I recall, but I don't think it sounded as good as the D115...although it came close. That cab had a lot of bottom end and decent mids and highs, where the D115T was a little more vintage sounding to me. I never owned a D115XLT, but I played on them occasionally.

The Subway 115 has everything I liked about the D115 in terms of tone, as well as the improved mids and highs of the XLT. Additionally, the SW115 can produce greater volume, it has the the ability to carry a medium+ venue easily on its own, and to my ear provides a nicer top end (high mids and treble) than those cast gold horns in the Edens.

That's the best I can do from memory - I haven't had a chance to compare side by side since my Eden 115 cabs have been gone since the late 1990's. Hope that's helpful!

Grateful!

 

[Mark Andrew]

Seems to be allot of love for the kappalite 15's on here. ...

So let's just say the black widows get shrubbery duty many people are reccommending kappalites. I have no problem keeping the cab as it's nice and sturdy and good for use with a 210 if I don't use a full stack. Which kappalite or standard kappa for that matter would go in best? I've read all the threads and the equations get pulled out thrown around and one tends to get baffled with things I don't understand. I will not be using it by itself often if at all 3015 or 3015lf ? The cab is big 180 L. Light weight is fine but not a must. Keep it simple please

 

[lethal dose]

You'll likely want to provide internal dimensions and port size so an expert can weigh in. Putting a driver (even the mighty kappalite) into any old box could prove catastrophic...

So let's just say the black widows get shrubbery duty many people are reccommending kappalites. I have no problem keeping the cab as it's nice and sturdy and good for use with a 210 if I don't use a full stack. Which kappalite or standard kappa for that matter would go in best? I've read all the threads and the equations get pulled out thrown around and one tends to get baffled with things I don't understand. I will not be using it by itself often if at all 3015 or 3015lf ? The cab is big 180 L. Light weight is fine but not a must. Keep it simple please

 

[Mark Andrew]

You'll likely want to provide internal dimensions and port size so an expert can weigh in. Putting a driver (even the mighty kappalite) into any old box could prove catastrophic...

Good point it's just a bog standard USA bxbw cab Dimensions (H x W x D): 26.875" x 24.5" x 17.25" (68.3 cm x 62.2 cm x 43.8 cm) front ported 3-4 inch port . Plywood . I have some tomatoes I could potentially plant in it but am happy to give it a new lease of life as I did its 210 little brother.....

 

[lethal dose]

Are those outer dims? 3/4" ply? How far offset is the baffle? How deep and wide is the port? Hopefully someone with cab software can chime in and help ya out!

 

[Mark Andrew]

Are those outer dims? 3/4" ply? How far offset is the baffle? How deep and wide is the port? Hopefully someone with cab software can chime in and help ya out!

3/4 inch ply tuned to 40hz I guess the online specs are not gonna cut it I will pull out the tape measure tonight I am baffled if that counts. By baffle you mean what exactly?. Apologies for my ignorance. Exact port measurment shouldn't be a prob...

 

[lethal dose]

Baffle=board the speaker is mounted to. It should be "pushed back" a bit from the front edge of the cab in order to protect the speaker, compensate for its excursion, and allow for grille mounting.

 

[HaphAsSard]

By baffle you mean what exactly?

The front panel, where the driver is mounted.

 

[Mark Andrew]

Baffle=board the speaker is mounted to. It should be "pushed back" a bit from the front edge of the cab in order to protect the speaker, compensate for its excursion, and allow for grille mounting.

Yes it is ok I will get measuring at the next chance I have...

 

[BadExample]

If you get and post the inside dimensions, measure and post the port count and dimensions, and call for @AstroSonic I bet you get some very good advice by sunrise.

 

[Mark Andrew]

If you get and post the inside dimensions, measure and post the port count and dimensions, and call for @AstroSonic I bet you get some very good advice by sunrise.

Well good chance I forget something but here goes : 60 x 54 x 38 internal . Port is 15.3cm wide and 13 cm deep to the back of the baffle. Baffle is 1cm thick as far as I could see and is recessed 2 cm . The port position is bottom left when looking at the cab and the centre point of the port is 13 cm from the left side. There were some special magic words I had to say help me @AstroSonic your my only hope .....in making a perfectly sturdy cab usable again. Ne

 

[AstroSonic]

Well good chance I forget something but here goes : 60 x 54 x 38 internal . Port is 15.3cm wide and 13 cm deep to the back of the baffle. Baffle is 1cm thick as far as I could see and is recessed 2 cm . The port position is bottom left when looking at the cab and the centre point of the port is 13 cm from the left side. There were some special magic words I had to say help me @AstroSonic your my only hope .....in making a perfectly sturdy cab usable again. Ne

That's enough information on the cab. What is still needed is your performance goals and budget. with respect to performance goals, I gather from previous posts that power handling/maximum volume are paramount. Is that correct? Anything tone wise? Do you mainly favor a mid-centered tone, like the bass fat, mainly articulate, deep? How much HF extension? Are you concerned with cab weight? These all affect driver choice, cab tuning and budget. Also, are you willing/able to change out the port tube (change tuning), or add ports? Sorry for all the questions, but the answers are needed

 

[Mark Andrew]

That's enough information on the cab. What is still needed is your performance goals and budget. with respect to performance goals, I gather from previous posts that power handling/maximum volume are paramount. Is that correct? Anything tone wise? Do you mainly favor a mid-centered tone, like the bass fat, mainly articulate, deep? How much HF extension? Are you concerned with cab weight? These all affect driver choice, cab tuning and budget. Also, are you willing/able to change out the port tube (change tuning), or add ports? Sorry for all the questions, but the answers are needed

Thanks for the quick response. I would rather just drop in another driver with minimal modifications as I'm not much of a carpenter but not incompetent. Small changes in tuning should be possible. I would like the cab to keep up better with the 210 as it is now. I upgraded this with basslites and tweeter protection and I am very happy with the result. But the black widow always gave up first and this is worse now the 210 is more robust. I use them with both 600 w transistor and 400 w valve heads. I play mainly 90s rock and a fair bit of detuning. I didn't dislike the black widow sound particulaly the new one I put in was much tighter but gave up earlier than the old one. For the big stages I use a 410 115 pro series cabs but these are not optimal for my 2 ohm Mark vIII that I would mainly like to use this cab for. But it would be super if it's tolerance to the classic 400 could be improved. The cab is heavy so light weight speakers won't make a huge difference so I'm fine either way but less weight is a bonus but not a must. Budget around 300 euros. Before everyone says buy another cab I like this one as it matches the rest. Sad I guess. I tend to scoop the mids quite heavily and run a smiley face and almost always have punch engaged if available. I was a bit of a bright booster also but allot less nowadays. I dont want to run a crossover and want to keep everyrhing full range but dont mind if the 15 cannot be used stand alone. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Try having outputs short, in a direct coupled amp, that doesn't have D.C. offset shut down protection, see how long your speakers last.

I thought direct coupled amps referenced the inter-stage coupling. DC coupling as opposed to be AC (capacitor or transformer) coupled.

If the output of an amp is shorted, isn't the speaker protected because no current flows through it?
Or did I misunderstand what you were saying?

 

[Hand slap]

I thought direct coupled amps referenced the inter-stage coupling. DC coupling as opposed to be AC (capacitor or transformer) coupled.

If the output of an amp is shorted, isn't the speaker protected because no current flows through it?
Or did I misunderstand what you were saying?

Yeah.

 

[AstroSonic]

Thanks for the quick response. I would rather just drop in another driver with minimal modifications as I'm not much of a carpenter but not incompetent. Small changes in tuning should be possible. I would like the cab to keep up better with the 210 as it is now. I upgraded this with basslites and tweeter protection and I am very happy with the result. But the black widow always gave up first and this is worse now the 210 is more robust. I use them with both 600 w transistor and 400 w valve heads. I play mainly 90s rock and a fair bit of detuning. I didn't dislike the black widow sound particulaly the new one I put in was much tighter but gave up earlier than the old one. For the big stages I use a 410 115 pro series cabs but these are not optimal for my 2 ohm Mark vIII that I would mainly like to use this cab for. But it would be super if it's tolerance to the classic 400 could be improved. The cab is heavy so light weight speakers won't make a huge difference so I'm fine either way but less weight is a bonus but not a must. Budget around 300 euros. Before everyone says buy another cab I like this one as it matches the rest. Sad I guess. I tend to scoop the mids quite heavily and run a smiley face and almost always have punch engaged if available. I was a bit of a bright booster also but allot less nowadays. I dont want to run a crossover and want to keep everyrhing full range but dont mind if the 15 cannot be used stand alone. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

For the performance you are looking for, plug-n-play in your cab, here are a few drivers to consider: Kappalite 3015; Faital 15PR400; B&C 15CL76 and B&C 15NDL76. they have very similar excursion and thermal limited power handling, max spl, and bass extension. All are 'neo' drivers. All will yield an 'unpeaked' bass response. The two B&C drivers will yield an EBS alignment (extended bass shelf) - their bass response is flat, but a few db below the mids. This can produce a near flat response (even with the mids) when located near a room boundary. Otherwise, they will need a mild bass boost to yield a flat response. None of them will yield a bass tone that is rich or fat without a little EQ. All will produce what many would describe as deep and articulate when fed an unequalized signal. All have relatively flat response through the mids, and with the exception of the 3015, all have reasonably well controlled upper mid-lower treble breakup modes. The peaking in the 3015 provides a little more presence than the others, though this may be of no benefit when used with your 210. The B&C 15CL76 appears to offer performance essentially equal to the others, but is the lowest cost driver (of the 4 being recommended). I'm sure there are other suitable drivers, but these struck me as being very good candidates.