1.4 vs 2 in mid\high frequency horn drivers

[kblackmore]

I am helping a friend build a high output box and we are concerned the 1 inch mid high drivers won't deliver enough SPL. The idea is to come into the horn around 1-1.5 KHz. Using the larger driver, do I need to integrate a HF horn in the mix? The intended use is a dance club PA cab that is capable of delivering a hi fi output. Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.

[Paul O]

Re: 1.4 vs 2 in mid\high frequency horn drivers

I am helping a friend build a high output box and we are concerned the 1 inch mid high drivers won't deliver enough SPL. The idea is to come into the horn around 1-1.5 KHz. Using the larger driver, do I need to integrate a HF horn in the mix? The intended use is a dance club PA cab that is capable of delivering a hi fi output. Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.

What size "mid" driver are you considering?

A 1" CD will certainly generate enough SPL to keep up with even a pair of woofers but it won't perform well(sound very good) crossed low into the 12" and 15" woofers typically used in PA applications, and if crossed higher you end up with tons of cone breakup from the woofers which doesn't sound very good either. A better solution is to incorporate a 6-8" mid and cross the CD higher at 3khz or so or use a high quality 2" exit CD. I recently acquired some B&C DE750s that are shocking clean sounding and capable of serious SPLs even crossed at 800hz with active processing.

[kblackmore]

Re: 1.4 vs 2 in mid\high frequency horn drivers

The idea (so far) is a stackable horizontal cabinet with 2 12 inch woofers, a horn dead center between them and a 6 in mid-bass above and below the horn. To get the 6 in mid-bass drivers to couple, I calculated a max crossover of 700 Hz where they are 1/2 wavelength apart from each other and to the mid bass in an adjacent cabinet so they will acoustically couple. To bring the horn in that early concerns me with a 1" driver, so I decided to go larger. I keep looking at the 2 inch drivers as they can go that low, but the response drops off considerably as frequecies go higher. I have no experience with the 1.4 inch drivers, so I humbly ask for advice.

[billfitzmaurice]

Re: 1.4 vs 2 in mid\high frequency horn drivers

The idea (so far) is a stackable horizontal cabinet

If by that you mean a horizontally arrayable cab, there's no such thing:
http://www.gtaust.com/filter/05/07.shtml

If you mean a horizontally aligned cab you won't be able to stack them vertically laid out as you propose.

BTW, this system uses 1 inch HF drivers, crossed at 1.2kHz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LyOfK-Xng4

Obviously it's a bit much for an IPhone mic to deal with. :eek:

[Paul O]

Re: 1.4 vs 2 in mid\high frequency horn drivers

The idea (so far) is a stackable horizontal cabinet with 2 12 inch woofers, a horn dead center between them and a 6 in mid-bass above and below the horn.

Got some pics or drawings of the proposed setup?
And how many boxes will be stacked?

If you use a 2" exit CD you won't need the 6" drivers, and from my initial impressions I don't think the B&Cs give up any highend advantage to a D210ti for example.

[wg_ski]

Re: 1.4 vs 2 in mid\high frequency horn drivers

Even a D3300 doesn't give up any high end to a D210. IMO, the 2" is better. The B&C 1" will edge out either, but you can't cross it at 800 Hz.
Stackability concerns, however, may dictate the choice of horn/driver, and whether it's 2 or 3 way.