DC160-8 6.5" Vs. DC200-8 8"

[trevorg]

Was just wondering wich one of these drivers will play louder and a 100watt max amp. I know the 8" woofer is has a higher spl. but yet it also calls for 10watts more power and since it is larger there will be more surface area making more sound just wonbdering if i should stick with the BR-1's or if should build a project using the 8" woofer insead with the same tweeter. Overall is it worth the extra roughly 150 for the boost in volume.

[bill]

If you want to build the BR-1s, use the specified 6.5" woofer. I doubt you'd be able to cross that tweeter satisfactorily to the 8" woofer; you certainly couldn't use the BR-1 crossover.

The 8" woofer doesn't "call" for more power; it can handle more power. The 1 dB difference in sensitivity isn't likely to be significant, and a 20% difference in power handling isn't likely to be terribly significant either. The BR-1 is not the world's most efficent speaker, but it does have a great bottom end, and it'll certainly fill a moderately sized room if you drive it with a 100-watt-per-channel amp.

If your objective is purely loudness, build the Smithereens. I wouldn't characterize them as hi-fi speakers, and they're significantly larger and more expensive than the BR-1s, but with 100 watts you can drive them to almost 115 dB, enough to permanently damage your hearing.

From your questions, it sounds like you're new to this hobby. Stick to building established designs without modifications until you've had a chance to learn some more. You'll save yourself significant disappointment. Trust me, I found out the hard way.

HTH,
Bill

> Was just wondering wich one of these drivers
> will play louder and a 100watt max amp. I
> know the 8" woofer is has a higher spl.
> but yet it also calls for 10watts more power
> and since it is larger there will be more
> surface area making more sound just
> wonbdering if i should stick with the BR-1's
> or if should build a project using the
> 8" woofer insead with the same tweeter.
> Overall is it worth the extra roughly 150
> for the boost in volume.