Calling Dr. Zaph

[trevorg]

I have read your page on the B3S desighn. I orderd a pair to build some computer speakers. Is there anything i need to do to break these speakers in? I also recall you saying somthing along the lines of watts are cheap, dose this mean that as long as the crossover is set right these things will handle some power?

[palouse1]

If you read his write-up, (IIRC) he says the speakers are not very efficient, therefore you will want to dive them with a fairly decent size amp, like say 100 watts. The "watts are cheap" comment just means that you don't have to spend much money to get 100 WPC these days. How much power they handle will be dependent on where you cut off the low frequencies and at what slope. If I remember correctly, he covers quite a bit of this in the write-up.

[jkrutke]

Hello,

I think the last time I said watts are cheap was when I reviewed the Adire Extremis. Watts *are* cheap. But with a driver that's 82 dB @ 1w/1m and good power handling, you're gonna need lots o' watts.

Small full rangers are another story. When using them as full range drivers well down into the midbass and bass range, (not as a dedicated midrange) a point I often make is that the sensitivity is completely unimportant simply because you will run out of Xmax long before you run out of power.

A little breakin will help. Just run them at full Xmax with a bass tone for a few hours.

> I have read your page on the B3S desighn. I
> orderd a pair to build some computer
> speakers. Is there anything i need to do to
> break these speakers in? I also recall you
> saying somthing along the lines of watts are
> cheap, dose this mean that as long as the
> crossover is set right these things will
> handle some power?



(Originally posted by: jkrutke)

[Dirk]

Making the wild assumption that you'll actually read this, where do you get your MDF from? Locally, I mean? In all your pictures, you seem to have lighter, more yellow MDF. The "good stuff", as it were. I've gotten that from Home Depot as handi-panels but I've not found it in 4x8s. C'mon, man, share your hookup. :-D

Sincerely,
Dirk in DePere

> Hello,

> I think the last time I said watts are cheap
> was when I reviewed the Adire Extremis.
> Watts *are* cheap. But with a driver that's
> 82 dB @ 1w/1m and good power handling,
> you're gonna need lots o' watts.

> Small full rangers are another story. When
> using them as full range drivers well down
> into the midbass and bass range, (not as a
> dedicated midrange) a point I often make is
> that the sensitivity is completely
> unimportant simply because you will run out
> of Xmax long before you run out of power.

> A little breakin will help. Just run them at
> full Xmax with a bass tone for a few hours.