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I'm planning to build a three way using domes for ~600Hz to 5,000Hz.I used to have a system with Celestion 2.25" domes filling the critical zone between 550 and 6,000 Hz and I liked the sound. For a DIY this seems like a choice that will make xover design less fraught.
So ... what's available and dare I ask ... what's the best?
J
Follow Ups:
Anyonw tried a Morel [of any type]? The specs give a very wide frequency reponse from 500 to 6,500. They will take a ridiculous 200W which might indicate that they aren't really for hi fi but .... ??http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=287-020
J
Do some reasearch and you should realize that the Dayton RS52AN-8 dome (manufactured by Vifa India) is about as good as it gets. FWIW, some prefer this driver to the renowned ATC.
I agree with mac on the RS52. They must not cost enough to interest some people, that's a real shame.I have to say that my experience so far with the Dayton RS52 is very positive. I am very pleased with its performance. I don't run mine down as far as the poster was interested in though. I run them from 1.2K to 5K crossed in with third order filters. I think this gives me a little more ability to get some higher levels out of it with out any danger. I have been a dome mid fan for a long time. I might experiment with notching the peak in the top end response but so far I think it's no problem. It might be one of those things that once it's gone you wonder why you didn't hear it before.
Thanks Keith ...Parts express are good with the specs too. It looks pretty flat from 600HZ up so maybe 1,000 would still give it a safety margin.
Particularly since I'm going DIY this might well be the best choice.
As to why domes aren't popular ... DJK undubtedly has a point but I wonder if there might be a feeling that they look a bit small for the job compared to the sort of cone that they would replace.
Dispersion is a big factor for me here. Partly because I've been pleased with a mid dome in the past and partly because I want to compare a current dome mid with my more conventional 6" MTM cone/ribbon speaker.
J
nt
They really are hi-fi.Those ratings are actually 'music power into the loudspeaker system, the driver will handle the small portion of the full spectrum it sees through the crossover, as long as you don't clip the amp'.
You could probably blow it up with a 100W amp driven hard.
Thanks djk.The "music power" rating makes sense.
Mac,
I see no reason why I or anyone else shouldn't ask basic questions here without being told they are ignorant ... but I'll take your comment as a positive attitude to the Morel
J
Sorry --- didn't mean to imply that you were ignorant. I simply didn't want you to accept my statement at face value.
Yes Mac ... I think I was a bit spikey there, sorry :-)I suppose the thing is that I've found info on domes isn't all that easy to come by [and I've gone slightly crosseyed googling the topic].
What I'd like to try, is to design a system that doesn't attempt to cover the most sensitive zone of our hearing with drivers that xover right in the middle that zone. Also, an ~ 6.5" driver is going to beam somewhere from the 2,500Hz range up. That might be ok if you're prepared to use the "head in a vice" listening position but for totally subjective reasons, I'm trying to avoid that. I'd like to cover the acute range of our hearing with one driver that's right "in the zone" [and not two drivers crossing over at the limits of their range]. The dome looks interesting because it won't beam and it could cover the sub 1,000Hz to 4,000Hz+ range.
Still, I'm not locked into this and I'm open to persuasion if my approach is full of holes
J
nt
The Dayton RS52 is a great sounding 2" metal dome mid driver and is very reasonably priced. I am using a pair right now and I love 'em. I might try to cross them in a little higher than 600 though.
There are normally quite expensive:http://www.madisound.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cart_id=1257471.5655&pid=2155
http://www.madisound.com/pdf/95-6814.pdf
Kind of pricey:
http://www.madisound.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cart_id=1257471.5655&pid=1278
LPG used to be a sister company of MB Quart. The sale priced MB Quart mid is normally more than the LPG:
http://www.madisound.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cart_id=1257471.5655&pid=642
Soft domes:
http://www.madisound.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cart_id=1257471.5655&pid=641
http://www.madisound.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cart_id=1257471.5655&pid=667
http://www.madisound.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cart_id=1257471.5655&pid=1335
I omitted many that won't go below 800hz.
I've used dome drivers from all the above (except the Accuton).
thanks for the detailed response djk.I've carefully browsed the madisound dome stock now ... along with a few other retailers.
You seem to be something of a fan of domes if you've used everything except the Accuton [which doesn't really interest me].
It's always hard to judge, just from specs and price, what is hi fi and what is not but the range is greater than I'd thought it was.
Interestingly, I still haven't found anything that's quite in the role of the first dome I used, a 2.25" Celestion. Used in a three way I still own, this driver is apparently covering everything from 550HZ to 6,000HZ. Age has wearied it but the specs are impressive.
J
hahax has a valid point about domes rocking.ATC is beyond most budgets, Dynaudio no longer sells parts. The A/D/S mid was never sold (other than as a spare part), ditto, Yamaha.
I just bought a pair of 3" domes the other day (sort of). JBL 2435 Be, they list for about $2800 a pair. For buget use I would either use a full-range Fostex, or the Altec 290.
I find the Altec 290 for as low as $50 every now and then. Mine have measured ±1dB from 800hz~6.3Khz, it can go to 300hz if you need it to. You would have to pad it down a bit though, it is over 100dB/W/1M.
The best dome mid out there is the 3" ATC dome. It's costly but it's a killer with I suspect no real competition in its category.
thanks ... I'll have a look at it. At the moment I'm considering if I should go MTM with the domes and a ribbon but maybe the ATC would save me a driver. I'll check the specsthanks again
J
The ATC does look like a killer but ... I'm going to resist on the basis that I'm experimenting and really don't think my level of knowledge would go anywhere near justifying it.For now I'm thinking Visaton 2" in MTM.
J
Domes, especially big ones are strange beasts. Because of the construction, for instance, they tend to rock on their suspension. The ATC is one exception since it has 2 spiders holding the voice coil at 2 places. I wish you luck. They are hard beasts to tame, even the ATC. A good cone driver is a lot easier.
ah ... interesting. I see what you're saying from a mechanical point of view. Presumably this is the determinant of size limits for available domes. I wonder if it follows, that smaller domes are more stable and that maybe an MTM/TMM would be a safer option.I can't even see management of xover points as a sure way to manage something as quirky as a rocking suspension.
hmmm ... I wonder how they hold the Morel togther, might see what I can find out from them. The housing is quite deep for it's diameter.
On the dome/cone thing. Yes, I might finish up with a cone but I'm keen to try something different if I can.
J
A good cone mid has far better bandwidth than a dome into the bass. But I do know that Gordon Holt Has loved the mids of every speaker he's heard that used the ATC dome and finally ended up with a set of ATC 50 powered speakers and is happier than the proverbial pig in you know what.
Thanks ... that adds to the picture.J
The Audax PR170MO or the Galaxy audio driver used in the "hot spot" monitors. I have the Audax and have heard the galaxy. They both offer tremendous value IMHO. Besides, I like high efficency and high power handling ability.No way I am going back to drivers from the likes of Seas and Scan-speak!
Russ
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