Scan Discovery vs. SB Acoustics drivers........

[Roger Hill]

I am planning a new three-way using an LCY 130 tweet, 5" mid and 8" woofer (sealed). Shooting for a final sensitivity around 87-88dB. (I use tube amps). What I value most is clear resolution of detail. Scan Speak and SB Acoustics have reasonably priced drivers that would work and they obviously have some similarity in design though different cone materials. Any experience with either to help me decide?

[Taterworks]

That's an ambitious-sounding project. It sounds like you have the format decided-upon. I've liked the sound of the SB Acoustics midbasses I've heard.

Just looking at the 8" woofers now, I think the SB Acoustics driver looks more robust. Also, the SEAS 8" is another candidate that you should consider, since it's been used in a lot of successful designs and has very low measured distortion. It might be a very good pairing with one of the SB Papyrus mids. Aluminum cone drivers can't be beat for bass-only applications because of their combination of high rigidity and a homogeneous (non-fibrous) material; it's only in the very upper midrange that they start to take on a specific sonic character due to the ringing of the cone, and that's where a fiber cone material (paper, Kevlar, glass fiber, carbon fiber) starts to come into its own because it dissipates energy chaotically through the cone material rather than conducting it to the cone edge and back to the center. Even there, dry pulp cones (not treated with any resin or coating) can have some issues with self-noise from rubbing of the fibers (imparting the 'papery' character), so you may prefer a mid with the coated SB Papyrus cone. The aluminum cone bass driver would be absolutely silent, and would track the drive signal well in case you decide to bi-amp later with a more hefty amp driving the bass driver.

[dst]

I think it is a brown trout vs rainbow trout kind of thing. Both are great to catch, but which is one's favorite comes down to personal taste. I am a tube guy as well, and have never heard a bad Scan-Speak mid or woofer. Most have a detailed, full but warmer type sound that I very much like. Many of the discovery series pick up much of their design from some former peerless and vifa drivers and essentially make some updated versions of them. Have not heard them but I would think they are good given their origins.
The SB drivers seem very well made, are very competitively priced, and are created by former Scan-Speak engineers. So I don't think you can go wrong either way. To make the choice harder, I think SB has just come out with a new 5 and 6 inch poly mid-bass units, if you did not want paper. Look like the paper based units but in poly.
It may come down more to your filter design than the drivers themselves.
Good luck. How is the S. Platte these days? I have not made it to the Canyon in quite a few years. WD and then the fires kind of broke my heart and I have been giving the old girl a rest for a while. -- Dave Taylor

[Roger Hill]

Thanks, Rory and Dave. I am vacillating between an MTMW and a standard TMW format. Got enough amps that I am also going to try a miniDSP for development of crossover. plan to do physical offsets of drivers in the cabinets to facilitate passive crossover development later. I'm thinking something along the lines of the Tarkus would allow the MT portion to slide back and forth relative to the woofer so that only the mid tweeter cabinet offset has to be carefully developed. I am also thinking that there is no reason not to make the mid rear chamber removable so that I could also play with a dipole. Planning to start with John K's filler driver TP, which I implemented before in my previous scan speak 3-ways. (they just occupy too much real estate because of the 10" 8565-00 woofers).

How is the S. Platte these days? I have not made it to the Canyon in quite a few years. WD and then the fires kind of broke my heart and I have been giving the old girl a rest for a while. -- Dave Taylor

I too was broken hearted by the fires and haven't been back since. Just fish Elevenmile Canyon now and it is very good. I'm told that the debris from the fires has filled all of our favorite deep holes, and that I really wouldn't recognize the bottom anymore. Don't plan on testing that, just want to remember the canyon as it was. Please plan on coming down for lunch and a listen as soon as I have a listenable pair of speakers built.

Roger

[dst]

Will do. I get to the Springs every couple of months for work. Maybe an Eleven Mile trip in the Spring in toastier weather. I hope for the monster front range water year that can blow about 3000 cfs through Cheesman some day.