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fEarful Cabinet Question...

#61
That's what I assumed is a response shelf.
It's friendly to lower bass notes

Only drawback is loss in power handling
For just a single driver application
The cure is adding another driver.

Everyone's application is different.
Higher tuning might gain 30 to 40 watts of power handling.

But that's looking at a pretty graph on a computer screen.

Real world, 40 watts might not equal that much more SPL

It's trade off some don't get. Most will choose a smaller box and high tuning. And really try and get as much as they can in a model.

But real world it could or couldn't change much. In reality you can run a bigger box and lower tuning. Has a nice feel.

If you really want more power handling you add more speakers. Not fiddle fart with alighnments trying to weasel more power out of one driver.

Eventually it is what it is.

The LF version is only 95dB but has 9mm xmax. So technically it be suited for lower tuning. Likewise a Fs of 37hz
On paper it does " more watts"

Non Lf is 100dB substantially higher sensitivity. But less Xmax

In real world reality the max SPL of a 95 dB 9mm driver and a 100 dB 6mm driver is the same.
A single high power 12" is a single 12"

More power handling means nothing. It takes way more power to make up for inefficient speaker.

Think you'll find both systems do the same thing. And 10% distortion is meaningless in real world. " Feel" is different. Both those drivers in a room reach the same level before they feel
" spongy"
One just needs a extra 90 watts to feel spongy and be at the same SPL. ( With no high end)

The LF does more damage in at least a pair or Quad. Otherwise just go full range with a 2x driver application
 
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#62
yodedude2 said:
wanna buy a cab? heh heh heh but if anyone is interested, i do have the 3012lf drivers and their crossovers up for sale still.

heck, if anyone wants to buy the assembled sub, i will make a deal. do it now before i hack into it and make a full-range cab. it costs about $125. to ship...which killed more than one previous sale.
Click to expand...

I've shipped bigger and heavier cabs for less than that. I wonder if it's a regional thing or if there are less expensive options?
 
#64
yodedude2 said:
thank you for the input. perhaps i should try it 'as is' first before modding? the response graph showed a ~6db dip form 80-400Hz or so, but there was a better low-end extension before rolling away.

obtw i tune to d standard.
Click to expand...
6db seems like a lot, especially for a dip in that region. I think +/- 2 or 3db is probably a good target. Are you sure you modeled it correctly? What's the box volume?
 
#69
Here are a couple of links to @fdeck 's speaker design program in Java, which is really easy to use in case you want to play with other port tunings.

12Sub Tuned to 45hz
12Sub Tuned to 55hz

Both are definitely usable and will take plenty of power. Not sure if you mentioned it yet or not, but do you play 5-string or with low tunings at all? If so, than I'd go with a higher port tuning than the original. For regular 4-string bass, 45hz should be fine.

One more thing: I would highly recommend using a HPF if you don't already. Take a look at the excursion plots. Notice how the speaker goes into over-excursion below the port-tuning--that goes for either tuning. A HPF will help prevent that, which in turn will allow you to push the driver closer to it's 400W thermal limit. Even if you use a lower power amp, it'll help you get the most out of it's power by not wasting energy on the lowest, most problematic frequencies.

Edit: I just checked the port length calculated by fdeck's Java program, and based on the port dimensions OP posted on page 2 (7.5"x2.5", 13" long, *2 ports), I got that the current dimensions give a tuning of ~56hz with the 3012HO, which also happens to give a very nice FR. Maybe someone should double check my numbers?
 
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#71
yodedude2 said:
i can't seem to find the volume measurements now...i think ~2.2 net internal and ~.2 for the ports, all in cubic feet.
Click to expand...

I had it at 2.6 cu ft in the model that's been linked (took me a while to find it on my computer), but I may have taken that from the original 12/6 design, which was slightly larger than the final version.
 
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#73
even with 2.6 ft^3, I'm getting a tuning frequency of ~52hz with a 13" port. I know that @Passinwind knows his stuff, so I could totally be doing something wrong. OR, maybe the driver TS specs have changed over time?

Edit: Frequency response still looks pretty gosh darn good with 2.6 cf and ~52hz. A very slight scoop where, personally, I might like a slight hump, but basically flat from fifty-some hz on up.
 
#77
i did put the 3012ho in the 12sub cab at spec to take it for a quick test drive and see what was up. and....wow, that is a dark-sounding cab! as expected. i was disappointed with the loudness level of the cab. since the speaker is relatively efficient, i was expecting more 'sound'. i did use the h.p.f. on my amp and had no trouble with 'farting' or breakup distortion even at 3/4 full preamp gain (on the pot) and full gain on the amp, an A.I. clarus sl, ~ 350 watts @ 8 ohms.

i did not spend much time with it or fuss with the e.q. at all. i have put the project aside for the moment.

(edit: i have used a schoreder 4-ohm 15L for the past couple of years with my a.i. amps. the schroeder cab does have a tweeter. i am sure that my memory of the 'schroeder sound' affected my opinion of the sound i got from this '3102ho-loaded 12sub' 12" cab. i can say this: for gigging, i would want two of these 12" cabs, and add some upper mids to the e.q. ...also, i bet this 12" would be a great cab to mic in the studio and mix with a direct signal.)
 
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#79
true. that's why i edited to mention it. to be fair, the schroeder i have is the new 'L' design, and not the semi-horn loaded cabs that were overly-middy (is that a word?). still...your mileage may vary. this is all anecdotal and unscientific.

point being, it works...
 
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#80
yodedude2 said:
Hello TBers, and thanks for reading my question, to wit: if I put an Eminence 3012HO speaker into a fEarful 12sub cabinet designed for an Eminence 3012LF, what sort of sound results should I expect? (There is no crossover in the cab).

(edi: it does work...see post 77 for a brief review.)
Click to expand...

All fEARful sub cabs have a crossover (one coil and one cap). I just built a 15 sub and it has the same components as the 15/6/1 for the LF driver....
 

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