fEARful™ Part Eleven (11)

[edwinhurwitz]

so, I really want to do this as cheaply as possible. Now, I'm not going to skimp on the quality of the parts, at least not the most important ones, but I'm a college student and I make less than $10 per hour. So, I anything I can do to save money on this is good.

That's one of the reasons I want to build most of it myself (besides the satisfaction of playing through something I put together with my own hands and the experience I'll gain from doing it).

So, what do you guys recommend? A kit of some sort?

Speakerhardware.com is a great place to go for a kit that's really easy to build. If you have good woodworking chops, you can save some more by buying a sheet of plywood and doing the cutting yourself, but for a guy like me, having the precut kit with biscuit construction made life easy.

 

[KingRazor]

What's the difference between the 6ND410, 6NM410 neo, alpha6a and alphalite 6a neo mid drivers?

 

[bwoodman]

What's the difference between the 6ND410, 6NM410 neo, alpha6a and alphalite 6a neo mid drivers?

I'm pretty sure that's discussed on the fEARful site:
fEARful™ enclosures utilize Eminence Kappalite 3012LF or 3015LF high-excursion neodymium woofers and 18Sound 6ND410 / 6NM410 neo (for most designs) or Eminence Alpha6A / Alphalite6A neo (these two are only suitable for 12/6 designs) midrange drivers.

I read these threads here for about a year before I finally built a cab - lots to read and learn. Or, now it's real simple - more so than a year ago - just email Leland at speakerhardware with questions / order the stuff / build a cab.

 

[KingRazor]

I'm pretty sure that's discussed on the fEARful site:
fEARful™ enclosures utilize Eminence Kappalite 3012LF or 3015LF high-excursion neodymium woofers and 18Sound 6ND410 / 6NM410 neo (for most designs) or Eminence Alpha6A / Alphalite6A neo (these two are only suitable for 12/6 designs) midrange drivers.

I read these threads here for about a year before I finally built a cab - lots to read and learn. Or, now it's real simple - more so than a year ago - just email Leland at speakerhardware with questions / order the stuff / build a cab.

All it really says is that the alpha6a and alphalite6a neo are only suitable for the 12/6, whereas you can use the others for any of them...

I would definitely go with one that had a neo magnet as it would be significantly lighter, but I still don't know whether to use an Alphalite6A or a 6NM410.

 

[edwinhurwitz]

It works! I fired it up and everything seems fine from the get go. I've got a bit of a buzz from the very low end, but if I make sure everything sealed, I'm sure it will go away.

Sleep now. Pictures later.

 

[1n3]

All it really says is that the alpha6a and alphalite6a neo are only suitable for the 12/6, whereas you can use the others for any of them...

I would definitely go with one that had a neo magnet as it would be significantly lighter, but I still don't know whether to use an Alphalite6A or a 6NM410.

The Alpha 6 has a ceramic magnet; the others are neo. The Alphalite is about 2lbs lighter than the Alpha. Other factors in your decision might be tonal preference, budget, and the ability to add cabs.

If you're serious about building, you should visit the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].

 

[KingRazor]

The Alpha 6 has a ceramic magnet; the others are neo. The Alphalite is about 2lbs lighter than the Alpha. Other factors in your decision might be tonal preference, budget, and the ability to add cabs.

If you're serious about building, you should visit the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].

I had to google "who's the cat that won't cop out" to find out the answer to the question to allow me to create an account........lol

 

[dhomer]

What's the difference between the 6ND410, 6NM410 neo, alpha6a and alphalite 6a neo mid drivers?

The main differences between the 18Sound and the Eminence mids is sensitivity and price.

The 18Sound mids have over 100dB/watt sensitivity, which means they will match up well with the 3015LF in the 15/6.

The 3012LF's are a little less sensitive. The Alpha/Alphalites are better matches, and they are considerably less expensive.

However, some folks have used the 18Sound mids in their 12/6's. The crossover is usually heavily padded, and the padding is usually switchable in/out. The reason this is done is because some users may want to add a 12 sub for additional SPL if needed. The extra woofer creates about a 6dB loudness gain, and the mid w/the padding switched out makes for a good blend..

 

[1n3]

I had to google "who's the cat that won't cop out" to find out the answer to the question to allow me to create an account........lol

... you talkin' 'bout Shaft??

Sounds like greenboy has a new technique for foiling bots.

 

[dug dog]

I had to google "who's the cat that won't cop out" to find out the answer to the question to allow me to create an account........lol

LOL indeed!

 

[steve_rolfeca]

So what are the pros and cons of going with a 12/6 over a 15/6?

I plotted a bunch of popular amps against the published curves for the various fEarfuls into a spreadsheet, and the differences in efficiency between the various 4 and 8 ohm models seem to correspond pretty closely to the steps in power output between typical amp classes.

This means that:
- A 300 watt amp into a 15/6 is equivalent to a 500-watter into a 12/6. Ditto for a 1212/6 vs a 15/6, or a 1515/6 vs a 1212/6.
- A 500 watt amp into a 15/6 would be just slightly louder than a 900 watt amp into a 12/6, with similar results for a 1515/6 vs a 1212/6.
- At the high end, 900w into a 1515/6 charts a hair louder than a 1200 watt amp into a 1212/6.

This translates into a 15/6 driven by a Genz Shuttle 3.0 (175w into 8 ohms) being within a dB or so of a 12/6 paired with a Shuttle 6.0 (375w into 8 ohms). At least on paper, this ought to apply across brand lines, with a Mesa Walkabout and a 15/6 being roughly on par with a Markbass LMIII and a 12/6.

Of course, you can only downsize so far before running out of headroom. According to my spreadsheet, if you often get loud, amps in the 900 watt class (Genz SL900 and Shuttle 9.0, Markbass LM800, G-K MB 800) are a decent match for the 12/6 and 1212/6. With a big rack rig, the 15" models would be a better match, because an amp capable of 1200 watts or more into 4 ohms can easily exceed the thermal and mechanical limits of a 12/6 or 1212/6.

 

[BurningSkies]

It works! I fired it up and everything seems fine from the get go. I've got a bit of a buzz from the very low end, but if I make sure everything sealed, I'm sure it will go away.

Sleep now. Pictures later.

Good job Ed!

Chasing down buzzes can be a major pain, but its well worth it. Check the usual suspects, handles, jack plate, grill and make sure those speakers are mounted tightly...the generate a LOT of vibration. On some occasions it may be the crossovers vibrating or their parts.

Also, some times its hard to figure if its the cab or something in the room that's shaking.

 

[Count Bassie]

That's the question. Will I pull enough from my little, albeit surprisingly powerful Trace AH250SMX to get a satisfactory performance from this cab? I understand these cabs can take a lot of juice, but I'm not chasing watts, just sound.

I'm about to start in on a BFM horn-loaded build, mostly for the efficiency with lower powered heads...

 

[KingRazor]

The main differences between the 18Sound and the Eminence mids is sensitivity and price.

The 18Sound mids have over 100dB/watt sensitivity, which means they will match up well with the 3015LF in the 15/6.

The 3012LF's are a little less sensitive. The Alpha/Alphalites are better matches, and they are considerably less expensive.

However, some folks have used the 18Sound mids in their 12/6's. The crossover is usually heavily padded, and the padding is usually switchable in/out. The reason this is done is because some users may want to add a 12 sub for additional SPL if needed. The extra woofer creates about a 6dB loudness gain, and the mid w/the padding switched out makes for a good blend..

In that case, the alphalite definitely sounds like the right choice for me.

 

[KingRazor]

Alright, I have a list going, what else do I need?

Precut Flat Pack - $155 (+$15 for jack/handle cutouts)
Alphalite 6a mid driver - $125
Kappalite 3012LF woofer - $260
ASD1001 compression driver - $24
Dayton H70e horn - $7
fEARful High Pass crossover for 3 way - $28
fEARful 12/6 with Alphalite 6 Crossover - $50
Jack Plate Kit 2 Speakon 2 1/4" - $17
Penn Spring Flush Handle - $8
Penn Elcom Chevron Corner - $0.50 x 8
1/2x6 cabinet screws - $0.06 x 32
Duratex Roller Grade (Gallon) - $53

 

[dug dog]

PL Premium
Gasket Tape
Rubber Feet

 

[KingRazor]

PL Premium
Gasket Tape
Rubber Feet

How much gasket tape would one normally use on a fEARful 12/6 cab?

Also, where would I find a grill for it?

 

[dug dog]

I used gasket tape around the handles, the hi freq. wave guide and the jack plate. If you were planning to order from Speaker Hardware, Leland has a package that includes everything. Makes things much simpler.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[KingRazor]

I used gasket tape around the handles, the hi freq. wave guide and the jack plate. If you were planning to order from Speaker Hardware, Leland has a package that includes everything. Makes things much simpler.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I want to get the parts seperately so I'm not spending so much all at once. It's easier to spend $50 here, $100 there, etc than to spend that much all at once.

 

[dug dog]

Fair enough. Greenboy's fEARful site lists sources for grills.