Author Topic: Speaker design using different bass drivers.  (Read 9180 times)

Offline Werd

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Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« on: January 05, 2015, 09:17:30 AM »
Are there any manufactures that use different bass drivers on each side?
For eg the right side uses 2 - 8"woofers and the right side houses a single 15".

Could you integrated those drivers into the sweet spot?  I am thinking its possible. Maybe idk ...hmmm?
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Offline richidoo

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2015, 02:39:14 PM »
No mfgs would do that because the sides would different. Dispersion is different, affecting power response. The tone would be different due to dispersion differences too. Can't EQ that out. Stereo  requires symmetry. May a weird shaped room might benefit for assymetric woofers, but would still need EQ and tuning.

Offline jimbones

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2015, 05:39:04 PM »
wrong, wrong, wrong don't do it.  :duh 8)
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Offline Werd

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2015, 06:18:21 PM »
If you used the same driver and crossovers materials, same cabinet but only driver size differences. I don't see how that would affect midband and HF dispersion or tone?
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Offline Werd

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2015, 06:32:51 PM »
I agree you would need the same power response to the both sides at a xover frequency into midband and HF.
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Offline richidoo

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2015, 10:26:11 PM »
If you used the same driver and crossovers materials, same cabinet but only driver size differences. I don't see how that would affect midband and HF dispersion or tone?

Depends how high the crossover. Bigger woofer will beam at lower mid frequencies than a smaller woofer, the beaming affects power response, which effects tone because of reflections. We are very sensitive to 500-1500Hz. A common 3way crossover might be 300Hz@12dB, so it is still audible at 600Hz and up.

Two 8" vs one 15" are very different in many ways. Electrical impedance, coil inductance, acoustic impedance (cone area,) sensitivity, distortion, beaming. That's a lot to compensate for to make them sound balanced L/R. Of course, you can do anything with enough time and money.  :thumb:

Offline Carlman

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2015, 06:50:04 AM »
Why not try experimenting with it, Werd and get back to us on how it works out?
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Offline Werd

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2015, 06:53:11 AM »
It would probably be easier to work in mono. Also it may not sound like a conventional stereo soundstage either.  

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Offline Werd

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2015, 07:30:11 AM »
Why not try experimenting with it, Werd and get back to us on how it works out?

This reminds me of a couple of years ago (and i posted this here) i discovered a new type of mono soundstage.  :lol:

I had a tweeter go on my Zens. Sent it back and got another one in the mail. While waiting i was stuck with my left side tweeter-less. Of course i am going to listen to it. What i found interesting was how it didn't sound that bad. One tweeter could work if you can get it to display all the music information. The only way to do that was by using a mono signal. Using my Carver c2 preamp (set to mono) i went further and seen how i could improve it. I basically spent time trying to get the image to work better by moving the speakers around. Further away then closer kind of thing.

The thing that made it troubling was the tendency to listen to the left side. The tweeter- less side. It stuck out like a sore thumb then it occurred to me - there it is that's the solution.  Concentrate on the tweeter less side.  It sounds easy but what it meant was unraveling the embedded stubborn tendency to listen for the stereo image and concentrate on the one side. You need to listen to each speaker individually. Complete opposite of listening to a stereo image between the speakers. .

What eventually emerged was a mono image at the tweeter less side while the right speaker rained in high frequency tweeter info. It took awhile to hear it. And instead of symetry in cabling it helped to hear the speakers individually by using different cables on each side.

Using a different bass drivers might help to but dam thats a lot of engineering. I aint got that ability in speaker building to do.
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Offline rollo

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2015, 08:22:26 AM »
   It may make sense to try different drivers in a separate enclosure. One could then play with crossover points depending on location in the room.
   Now one could also use a servo controlled sub built in to a conventional speaker.
   

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Offline Carlman

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2015, 08:28:17 AM »
This is a pretty annoying topic to me... I think I'll go listen to 1 hand clapping.
I really enjoy listening to music.

Offline Werd

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2015, 09:26:42 AM »
   It may make sense to try different drivers in a separate enclosure. One could then play with crossover points depending on location in the room.
   Now one could also use a servo controlled sub built in to a conventional speaker.
   

charles

I guess the goal is to get as much bass response from different driver sizes while not overloading room with bass drivers. Also keeping the speaker height under 5'.  I don't see it working without major DSP to compensate for the power response issues mentioned by Richidoo. The end result (if it worked) would be getting the two smaller subs to act like a single big sub or vise versa.
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Offline richidoo

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2015, 11:37:39 AM »
Power response is for audiophiles.  :D 

There are many enjoyable speakers that ignore it and sound good, though in fewer locations in the room.

Is this different stereo woofers idea based in exploring the mono tweeter concept further?

Offline Werd

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2015, 06:20:13 AM »
Power response is for audiophiles.  :D 

There are many enjoyable speakers that ignore it and sound good, though in fewer locations in the room.

Is this different stereo woofers idea based in exploring the mono tweeter concept further?

No, it might work in that environment though.
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Offline Barry (NJ)

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Re: Speaker design using different bass drivers.
« Reply #14 on: January 14, 2015, 02:38:18 PM »
I think, that a pair of matched smaller main speakers, paired with two different sub-woofers may actually work well(?)
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