My love for it will last a lot longer if I'm playing lots of gigs. Once the gigs taper off I start listening to whatever I'm playing in the bedroom and it always sounds like crap.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Modeling Faital 15HF500 with WIN ISD
- Thread starter gmarcus
- Start date
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
Beautiful job of jigsaw-puzzling adequate port length into a compact box! Looks like the inner port flares clear the woofer magnet with just enough to spare. You've got a symmetrical airload, chimney-effect cooling, pluggable ports, no sharp ends on your ports, and enough cross-sectional area that you won't have any port compression issues, much less chuffing. I think you did everything right.
I had planned to use that sort of port layout in a big experimental box tuned to about 34 Hz (switchable to 25 Hz by plugging two ports). But then the goal posts for that project got moved so I had to patch up the holes (they'd already been cut) and switch to two ports on the bottom of the cab, making the long vertical run. So I haven't actually used your port configuration yet, but it makes sense to me, and it does several things better than the longport configuration I had to switch to.
You might want to only tape the port sections together, at least for initial testing. If you need to raise the tuning frequency, you can shorten the topmost and bottommost ports a bit. In fact, there's an argument in favor of using different-length ports, to stagger the port tube resonances. The resulting effective port length would be the average length, for box modeling purposes.
If for some reason you find that the inner flares aren't clearing the woofer magnet, you can use a straight end and cut it on a 45 degree angle. The greater cross-sectional area of the resulting elliptical opening isn't quite as good as the flare would have been, but it's still an improvement over a square-cut tube.
The port tube resonances aren't as pronounced with the flared ports (or with the angled cut) because the lengths of such ports tend to be a bit "fuzzy" up at those shorter wavelengths.
Beautiful project.
I had planned to use that sort of port layout in a big experimental box tuned to about 34 Hz (switchable to 25 Hz by plugging two ports). But then the goal posts for that project got moved so I had to patch up the holes (they'd already been cut) and switch to two ports on the bottom of the cab, making the long vertical run. So I haven't actually used your port configuration yet, but it makes sense to me, and it does several things better than the longport configuration I had to switch to.
You might want to only tape the port sections together, at least for initial testing. If you need to raise the tuning frequency, you can shorten the topmost and bottommost ports a bit. In fact, there's an argument in favor of using different-length ports, to stagger the port tube resonances. The resulting effective port length would be the average length, for box modeling purposes.
If for some reason you find that the inner flares aren't clearing the woofer magnet, you can use a straight end and cut it on a 45 degree angle. The greater cross-sectional area of the resulting elliptical opening isn't quite as good as the flare would have been, but it's still an improvement over a square-cut tube.
The port tube resonances aren't as pronounced with the flared ports (or with the angled cut) because the lengths of such ports tend to be a bit "fuzzy" up at those shorter wavelengths.
Beautiful project.
Last edited:
Duke
Thanks for all of the great feedback!! I'll let you know how it sounds. I'm between sets at a gig now. Pumping out that dubby bass
Thanks for all of the great feedback!! I'll let you know how it sounds. I'm between sets at a gig now. Pumping out that dubby bass
The Cab is supposed to arrive on Tuesday!!! Don had to use a strap handle because the cup handle would have hit a port and he covered the ports with rat fur cabinet carpet to damp out vibrations in the tubes. It looks beautiful and weighs 36lbs. I can't wait to try it out. He said it will take ~10 hours of gigging to break it in, because the woofer is really heavy duty. Don sent me this snap shot.
Duke, I just have to say that you're incredibly encouraging and you add a ton to this forum. It's wonderful how you share your expertise with those of us who are just aspiring to do what you've already done. Thanks for this and all your other great contributions.
Thanks! waiting until Tuesday is going to be the hardest part!
Great looking cab! I'd be very interested in your opinion of it. I'm looking for a small, light, single driver cab. This driver is cheap enough that I'd buy one or two and build cabs for them, if they proved to be capable. I do go for a brighter tone, but then the driver looks pretty good up fairly high.
Eagerly awaiting your opinion of it, once you've put it thru its paces.
Eagerly awaiting your opinion of it, once you've put it thru its paces.
Check out the Faital 15PR400, It is louder and has more going on in the upper midrange. I built this cab for Reggae and Dub so I don't need much in the way of upper midrange but need really solid low mid and bass. That is why I went for the 15HF500 (it has a lot more excursion). Don kept trying to talk me into the 15PR400 for the extended midrange. The greenboy dually and basic 15 both use the 15PR400 too. (High praise for the driver)
Also check out Jonk_10's great thread. He has some recording comparing the PR400 to the Eminence Kappalite 3015
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/custom-diy-2x15-cab-build.854517/
Also check out Jonk_10's great thread. He has some recording comparing the PR400 to the Eminence Kappalite 3015
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/custom-diy-2x15-cab-build.854517/
The cab arrived yesterday, The construction is top notch, I highly recommend Low Down Sound! I need to play it for a while to form a reasonable opinion about the tone. This speaker definitely needs to be broken in. It sounded stiff without a lot of bass at first so I hit it with a 20hz sine wave for about an hour (off and on over about 3 hours). After that the bottom end really opened up and the overall sound smoothed out. I think it could use a few more hours with the sine wave and a few gigs to fully break it in. It does have incredible punch and the high mids are extended enough for my needs. Playing finger style with flats you can hear the finger scrape on the string. The bass is tight and deep at the same time and you can crank the bass without a complaint from the speaker or cabinet. It seems to complement the streamliner 900 well....tight bass and no sizzley highs. I'll post more as it breaks in.
One other thing. There is definitely a lot of midrange coming out of the ports on the sides so it doesn't get too muddy off axis....at least in a small bedroom.
Last edited:
I played this with a solid hitting drummer at practice with the Streamliner 900 and it kept up just fine. Deep tight and solid sounding! My gigging situation has been pretty spotty lately, but I have a gig coming up May 27th at the Middle East in Cambridge. I will bring the cabinet out for that. It's a duo with a great acoustic guitar player/singer so I should have plenty of volume. We will see how it likes the room which can get pretty loud with conversation.
Wow after what seems like forever I finally got to use this cab at a reggae rehersal. I was auditioning for a band called Higher Vibrations. Singer, hard hitting drummer and electric guitar. I powered it with a Carvin B2000 at about 1/2 master, and a ton of sub bass and bass (2:00 and 3:00) low mid at 1:00 mid at 9:00, high mid at 7:00 and treble at 11:00. This thing was solid deep and warm. It shook the 16 by 16 room without breaking a sweat. It just loved all the power and bass boost. Sounded really articulate and slotted in nicely with the drums. Now hopefully I get the gig!
Just a quick note on the gig at the Middle East. This was a medium size room with at least 20 foot ceilings and about 20x50 feet with a bar in the back. I powered the cab with the Streamliner 900 and only had it up to about 12:00 on the master. The cab held together beautifully. People in the audience said the bass sounded great and during sound check I actually had to turn down a little. This was the acoustic duo so the volume was not an issue at all, however he was up pretty loud through the house PA which was a pair of QSC K15s mounted above the stage so the guitar and voice were loud enough to require ear plugs (for me).
I think I like it better with the Carvin B2000. The EQ is more predictable and I was able to dial in a really solid sound, but in a smaller room at the practice space. I will gig it with the B2000 next time and see what happens. The Streamliner sounds a little more ragged when you push it compared to the ultimate control that the B2000 gives me. I might order a matching cab if I get the reggae gig. I could see needing a little bit more for a medium sized room with a Reggae band. This band wants the bass to be overwhelmingly loud and deep
.
I think I like it better with the Carvin B2000. The EQ is more predictable and I was able to dial in a really solid sound, but in a smaller room at the practice space. I will gig it with the B2000 next time and see what happens. The Streamliner sounds a little more ragged when you push it compared to the ultimate control that the B2000 gives me. I might order a matching cab if I get the reggae gig. I could see needing a little bit more for a medium sized room with a Reggae band. This band wants the bass to be overwhelmingly loud and deep
.
Played a gig in a big Art Gallery in Central Square Cambridge last Saturday. There were 6 bands and I let everyone use the cabinet and Streamliner. It just killed it on every level. Deep articulate and the bass was consistent all over the room. I played with a rock band with a Fender American Standard Jazz V passive directly into the Streamliner. I hung up some little 9 volt condenser mics above the stage so this is about 45 degrees off axis from the cabinet.
1 year update. Played many gigs with the cab and it still sounds great. I always get compliments on the sound. My favorite combination is definitely a 5 string jazz directly into the Streamliner 900. It just naturally has exactly the sound that I need at a gig. When I practice at home I sometimes crave just a touch more top end, but its not anything that you can hear at a gig (with flat wound strings on the bass). At 36 lbs it has really saved my back. Faital has a 15FH520 now that seems to be tuned a little higher and produces a touch nore high mids.
