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What specs to look for choosing a speaker?

#21
thebassbuilder said:
Duke, thanks for the advice. Do you think that would sound good for bass guitar using that 3" as the tweet with that faital 10? Or do you know of another good tweeter like the eminence apt80 but in a 4ohm? One that is priced like the eminence? I think with this first try I want to keep the cost as low as possible.
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Once we get into systems that call for crossovers, we're beyond my ability to armchair quarterback a design from afar. I think it's possible to get a good combination with the 10FE200 and 3FE22, but the specifics would be up to you.

I don't know of an inexpensive 4 ohm compression driver that would be an approximate equivalent of the APT-80. Personally I prefer the ASD-1001 over the APT compression driver.

That Faital woofer goes up to a good 6 kHz, so if keeping cost down is a high priority, just use one or two of those and goose the top end with your tone controls.
 
#22
thebassbuilder said:
Duke, thanks for the advice. Do you think that would sound good for bass guitar using that 3" as the tweet with that faital 10? Or do you know of another good tweeter like the eminence apt80 but in a 4ohm? One that is priced like the eminence? I think with this first try I want to keep the cost as low as possible.

I also just found this speaker Beyma sm-110 anyone know anything about these speakers. It seems to cover more range than any other 10 I have seen and at 6.5khz that seems high enough to cover the full bass range without a tweeter but I could be wrong.
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The Beyma is a nice driver, but should be as it cost more than 2 of the Faitals and will not handle as much power. Also, looking over the amplitude response graphs, the Beyma begins rolling off around 3.5k Hz with a plateau between 4 & 6.5K Hz that is around 10 db below reference, so it really doesn't do a very good job above 3.5k Hz. The Faital is quite smooth throughout its passband, even at 45 degrees off axis. I would let the Faital run without a low pass crossover, using its natural rolloff which starts at about 6 kHz. I happen to like the little Eminence Apt80 and would use a 2nd order at 6 kHz, along with a 50w L-pad to adjust tweeter level. If you are into some heavy, snarly distortion the crossover should be 3rd order. Only you know if you really need the tweeter. Many players would be pleased with the Faitals by themselves. You could build the box with just the two 10's and leave room for a tweeter, crossover and L-pad. Try them out. If you need the tweeter there would be room to add it. Either way it should be quite a nice bedroom & studio cab.
 
#23
Here's a suggestion from me.
If you want to keep it simple and use it for bedroom/studio and an occasional jam with friends you could build a (vertical)2x8 with this driver:
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-pa200-8-8-pro-woofer-speaker--295-025
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Lately I recommended this driver for someone on this forum to replace the drivers of an SWR henry 8x8, he was more then impressed after installing them. (he even wrote a review on partsexpress)
The nice thing is that this driver has enough high end extension so you don't need a tweeter. Also, the TSP's of this driver are pretty universal, you can build a closed cab with 'm but also a slightly larger ported one.
The xmax may not look large but this is the calculated xmax (voice-coil lenght minus poleplate thickness / 2). The "real" xmax is larger if you would compare them to e.g. Eminence or Faital.

I would choose 2 of these in a ported cab instead of 2 Faital 10Fe200's ina closed cab. But that's just my opinion.
Btw. it's also very inexpensive ;)

Edit:
If you want to build a 2x8 with these Dayton's then you should aim for an enclosure of approx. 36liters(1.3 cu ft) and tune it somewhere between 50 and 60hz). This combination wil give you a -3dB point of 45hz and a 3dB bump around 100hz, that bump will make it sound punchy and sound as large as some 210's :cool:
I think you'll be ready for approx 125 bucks (drivers, plywood panel, screws, glue, cable and a speakon connector);)
 
#25
Ok I think I am going to settle on the Faital 10" 4ohm version that has been recommended. I am also going to build this cab but do like was recommended leave enough room to add a tweeter later if needed.

What should I use for dampening the inside of the cab? I see different types and thicknesses. Also how much of the inside should be covered with dampening material?

What thickness and type of plywood should I use? I want to keep it as light as I can but use the best wood that has a reasonable price.

Until next question.
 
#26
Lots of diversity of opinions on these questions. Whatever you decide will work well if you do a good job.

On the acoustic insulation I suggest that you experiment and make this cab your cab. You can get good results with dacron pillow stuffing, egg crate foam or acoustastuff (the most potent). As a guideline, since you are going for clear sound, line all the interior surfaces with about 1 inch of material. Play some music through the cab for a few hours (or long enough to get a good feel for the sound. Then repeat with material on the back and two orthogonal sides (a long side and a short side) - only one of each parallel side is lined. Use the scheme that you prefer. There is a grade-off here: too much material and it saps the life of the sound; too little and its lively but confused. Nearly (but not) always, stuffing the cab will result in a lifeless sound.

Construction material; more diverse opinions. I'll suggest 13 mm baltic birch plywood with modern bracing. Make the baffle board (the one the speakers are mounted to) double thickness. Use a speak on connector. Review a few DIY projects here to see pics of modern construction and bracing. Using these bracing schemes will result in a more solid cab than using 3/4 inch. The idea is to stop the cab panels from vibrating. Vibration is energy stolen from the sound - reduced dynamics. It's also delayed energy that will mask low level harmonics and fill in the silence between the notes. The braces break up the panels into smaller panels of unequal size. If you do the research so you understand in principal what bracing is about, the cab will turn out just fine. Better than most commercial boxes.

Don't forget to add a good handle or two, and some rubber feet.

Good luck!
 
#28
One last suggestion: Either round (file and sand) the inside corner of both ends of the port tubes (they would need to be thick walled, schedule 80 PVC) or (better) use flared ports, again, both ends. This ensures that the ports will be effective at higher spls.
 
#30
I am trying to go ahead and get an idea for the box size/Shape, so I can go ahead and figure out how much wood I will need. I am going to go with a rectangular shape box. I am also using winISD and it gives me dimensions but I do not like them. As long as the final volume is the same can I take away from the width and add to the depth and any other side, without issue or needing to change anything else?
 
#31
I am messing around with the winISD and punching the specs of the 2 FaitaPro 10FE200's and it is saying the 8ohm is more suited for a vented box. Duke or anyone else, does this sound right? I know you mentioned it is designed for a sealed box. This winISD is new to me but I have double checked all the specs per the Faital Pro site. I ran both speakers through it and the only difference is the 8ohm has a bump around the 100hz zone. Just let me know what you all think?
 
#32
WRT box design, you must maintain the internal volume regardless of dimensions. To minimize internal resonances, no dimensions should be the same or an even multiple (12x12x24 would be far from optimal!). Just multiply the dimensions to make sure that they equal the target internal volume.

The 4 ohm version is better suited to vented boxes, although the 8 ohm version can be shoe-horned into one. You will use two 4 ohm version (10FE200-4) drivers wired in series to get an 8 ohm cab.

The 4 ohm sims (1cf per driver, tuned to 46Hz) with a broad peak of about 1 db at 125 Hz and F3 of about 65 Hz. The 8 ohm version has a much larger peak (not unheard of in commercial designs).
 
#33
AstroSonic said:
WRT box design, you must maintain the internal volume regardless of dimensions. To minimize internal resonances, no dimensions should be the same or an even multiple (12x12x24 would be far from optimal!). Just multiply the dimensions to make sure that they equal the target internal volume.

The 4 ohm version is better suited to vented boxes, although the 8 ohm version can be shoe-horned into one. You will use two 4 ohm version (10FE200-4) drivers wired in series to get an 8 ohm cab.

The 4 ohm sims (1cf per driver, tuned to 46Hz) with a broad peak of about 1 db at 125 Hz and F3 of about 65 Hz. The 8 ohm version has a much larger peak (not unheard of in commercial designs).
Click to expand...

Thanks man and good info.
 
#35
thebassbuilder said:
Just wondering because I found this speaker for sale locally. What is the Eminence 12" Kappa like? Good, bad, bassy or balanced tone? I see they do not go that low, so maybe I should not consider this.
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To determine the value of a particular driver you need to have a project in mind (what you want to achieve performance wise). The Kappa 12A and Pro models are both good drivers… if they deliver what you need. Unless you had a particular need for this driver, I would pass on it.
 
#36
AstroSonic said:
To determine the value of a particular driver you need to have a project in mind (what you want to achieve performance wise). The Kappa 12A and Pro models are both good drivers… if they deliver what you need. Unless you had a particular need for this driver, I would pass on it.
Click to expand...

Thank you! That is what I was thinking but want to hear others opinion.
 

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