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Would wiring 4 super tweeters per speaker box increase life of tweeters?

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Posted on February 23, 2017 at 19:44:23
domic
Audiophile

Posts: 4
Location: ontario
Joined: February 23, 2017
If i were to build my own 3 way speakers with 4 super bullet tweeters, 1 mid range and 1 bass woofer all wired correctly to a 3 way crossover per speaker box, would the 4 super bullet tweeters have a longer life compared to if only 1 of the same super tweeter was wired to the crossover?

 

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RE: Would wiring 4 super tweeters per speaker box increase life of tweeters?, posted on February 23, 2017 at 23:01:35
PAR
Bass, midrange, super tweeter(s). No tweeter so a hole in the sound between the midrange and the super tweeter(s). Why?

NB: the term super tweeter refers to units whose main operational range lies above the conventional limit of hearing (20kHz) hence the "super" prefix. Thus they would normally be used in a 4 way design or have their own crossover with sensitivity adjustment if added as an aftermarket device to a (for example) three way speaker.

As for having 4 of them wired to a three way crossover there may then be problems from the resulting net impedence which could make driving them a problem. There is also a question of dispersion.

Longevity really depends upon power handling and heat dissipation so without knowing what the tweeters actually are and the circumstances they are to be used in it is difficult to have an opinion.

 

RE: Would wiring 4 super tweeters per speaker box increase life of tweeters?, posted on February 24, 2017 at 07:24:28
domic
Audiophile

Posts: 4
Location: ontario
Joined: February 23, 2017



I may want to build 2 speaker boxes. Each speaker box will have 1- 15" bass woofer,1 midrange and 4 super bullet tweeters, wired to a 3 way crossover. LETS TAKE IN CONSIDERATION every speaker is wired correctly to a correct 3 way crossover, the question is, will 4 tweeters per speaker box last far longer compared to if only 1 of the same tweeter was wired to speaker box? Since 4 tweeters will be handling only 25% of the power thus longer life per tweeter, whereas if if only 1 tweeter was wired it would be handling 100% of power therefore shorter life? Am i correct about this?
HERES a photo of the 3 way crossover-

 

Looks like an off-the-shelf pre-fab crossover., posted on February 24, 2017 at 08:03:33
Those things are pretty worthless since they treat the drivers like they have constant impedance, which they do not. A crossover has to be designed to accommodate the drivers in the speaker system. Buying off-the-shelf parts and throwing them in a box rarely results in anything listenable. On the bright side, it's a good learning experience.

 

RE: Would wiring 4 super tweeters per speaker box increase life of tweeters?, posted on February 24, 2017 at 08:06:44
PAR
Your requirement would not be relevant if a single supertweeter is being used within its correct operational design parameters. Having 4 of them operating within the same correct operational design parameters won't necessarily make any practical difference to longevity which can also depend upon matters like ferrofluid if applied drying out over time.

So I assume that you want to use lots of them in order to handle power levels outside of their individual design envelope. It seems to me that the answer will partly lie within the crossover design. For example, if the 4 tweeters are simply wired in parallel to the (super) treble section of the crossover then the load impedence will drop and they will accordingly draw more current which may defeat your objective. So the concept that multiplying the number of speakers will result in a proportionate increase in acceptable power handling capacity is not necessarily true.However you do say that the speakers will be correctly wired. As already mentioned there may also be a penalty paid in maintaining correct treble dispersion in relation to the other drivers although this is a moot point given that these are supertweeters operating above the conventional limit of hearing.

However I am sure that there are other inmates who will know a lot more than me.

 

RE: Would wiring 4 super tweeters per speaker box increase life of tweeters?, posted on February 24, 2017 at 08:59:00
hahax@verizon.net
Audiophile

Posts: 4279
Location: New Jersey
Joined: March 22, 2006
what are he specs of the driver you are going to use, especially what is the fundamental resonance and what is the Xmax? Also what is the crossover point you hope to use?

 

Yes, that will work fine. But-, posted on February 24, 2017 at 10:06:11
Ralph
Manufacturer

Posts: 4769
Location: Minnesota
Joined: April 24, 2002
4 tweeters can be wired to have the same impedance as one, so yes, no worries.

The reason there would be any concern would be if you were clipping the amplifier. It that is the case you might fry all 4 tweeters since they don't handle much power!

 

If you are worried about the tweeter failing, posted on February 24, 2017 at 10:09:18
Ralph
Manufacturer

Posts: 4769
Location: Minnesota
Joined: April 24, 2002
Of course 4 tweeters will work fine (if wired series-parallel).

The real problem is the tweeter isn't going to have a longevity issue unless you are clipping your amp a lot; in that case 4 tweeters might all fail at once.

The simple solution is to install a fuse to protect the tweeter or get a more powerful amp.

Note: tube amps are less likely to damage tweeters when overloaded as they make less higher ordered harmonics than transistors do when overloaded.

 

RE: If you are worried about the tweeter failing, posted on February 24, 2017 at 13:14:09
domic
Audiophile

Posts: 4
Location: ontario
Joined: February 23, 2017
HERE ARE the specs of the 3 way crossover and super bullet tweeters i my buy-

Universal 3-Way Crossover-
Crossover frequencies are based on 8 ohm load. an 8 ohm speaker may vary from 7 to 15 ohms or more. Four selectable crossover frequencies: 800, 1600, 5,000, and 7000 Hz. Each speaker element has two options.(with standard 6 dB/octave
attenuation). Here are the 2 possible combinations for Tweeter(letters are labels of terminals.):
5000 hz (E) 7000 hz (F). Crossover handles up to 100 watts of audio power (maximum music power).

Super Bullet Tweeter, 300 watts, 8 ohms-

Power Rating Watts 800W Music Program 1600W Resonance 25Hz Usable Frequency Range 40Hz-800Hz Sensitivity 97 Magnet Weight 109 ounce,Voice Coil Diam. 4-Inch, Resonant Freq. (FS) 25Hz DC Resistance.

 

RE: If you are worried about the tweeter failing, posted on February 24, 2017 at 13:19:10
domic
Audiophile

Posts: 4
Location: ontario
Joined: February 23, 2017



Will the 4 super bullet tweeters wired to this crossover have a longer life than if only 1 of same tweeter was wired using 500 watt receiver based on those specs? OR should i buy a new crossover? Thanks for replies.

 

I suspect those are not the correct specs on that tweeter., posted on February 24, 2017 at 14:35:39
Ralph
Manufacturer

Posts: 4769
Location: Minnesota
Joined: April 24, 2002
Usually tweeters only handle a few watts.

 

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