Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

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Well, I suppose it's time I started using the PE forum to do some shameless market research, so here's a question for you designers: How do you prefer to use your midrange drivers?

1) Sealed Back - This is the style of midrange driver used in a lot of older loudspeakers, where the frame is completely sealed behind the diaphragm. The resulting small air chamber between the diaphragm and frame raises Qts and Fs dramatically, and also increases sensitivity. The tradeoff is that the natural low-end rolloff of the midrange driver occurs at a higher frequency. Dome midranges tend to also fall into this category, since as a general rule they have higher resonant frequencies than their cone counterparts, and their suspensions are stiffer. Another benefit of these drivers is that they do not require constructing a sealed or acoustically isolated chamber or pathway for their rear radiation.

2) Open Back - This style of midrange driver requires a rear chamber or transmission line tunnel to isolate it from the rear radiation of the woofers in the enclosure, but it permits the size and type of rear loading to be tailored to the selected driver and the desired bottom-end rolloff characteristic. The chamber behind this type of midrange driver is usually much larger than the small air chamber behind the diaphragm of a sealed-back mid, for a lower Qtc and extended low-end range to mate with the woofer(s) using a shallow crossover slope. This configuration also allows for more complete damping of the midrange driver's rear radiation, without re-radiation through the cone material.

3) Dipole/Open Baffle - This is a subset of item (2), but deserves its own special mention. In this configuration, the driver is placed on an open baffle, with unrestricted radiation into the listening space from the front and rear of the driver, for enhanced spaciousness and a more 'live' sound. In this configuration, the linearity of the suspension system becomes more important, since there is no rear chamber to help support the driver diaphragm, and excursion demands are usually also greater, which demands a low-distortion motor structure.

In this poll, I'm referring specifically to midrange drivers, not midbass drivers as used in a 2-way or 2.5-way configuration.

Thanks for your input and participation!

[Wolf]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

I voted one, because I thought it meant the first part of 2.
Wolf

[ryanbouma]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

Depends on the desired results and application. I'll vote 2 though because I think I'd go that way more commonly.

[Pete Schumacher]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

I'm with Wolf . . . voted the same way.

I got to hear the Statements and Khanspires side by side in Iowa. Both use similarly sized mids, one in a tunnel, one sealed, and I preferred the sealed sound over the tunnel. I've heard the Statements a few times since then, and have always thought the mids sounded a bit too recessed and not quite as natural as they could be. Probably voicing more than anything. I've been impressed by every speaker that cjd has voiced.

But reading more closely the descriptions posted by Rory, both Khanspire and Statement fall under category 2.

[donradick]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

Well, I am not an expert, but I think a more useful and focused market research question on mids would be:
"What would you like to see for a PE mid that we don't have now?"

4.5 and 5.5 paper / papyrus / fiber mids, very low distortion, high xmax and power handling, minimal breakup.
(In other words, a reasonalby priced Scan / Vifa NE clone)

Could be used effectively in Scenarios 2 or 3, as well as with a conventional mid range enclosure.

[inspectorkevi]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

I vote #1. I use domes more often.

[Pete Schumacher]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

Well, I am not an expert, but I think a more useful and focused market research question on mids would be:
"What would you like to see for a PE mid that we don't have now?"

4.5 and 5.5 paper / papyrus / fiber mids, very low distortion, high xmax and power handling, minimal breakup.
(In other words, a reasonalby priced Scan / Vifa NE clone)

Could be used effectively in Scenarios 2 or 3, as well as with a conventional mid range enclosure.

There's no need for high Xmax in a mid to be used above 300Hz.

But one more addition to your list would be high sensitivity, at least 92dB/2.83V.

[eyekode]

+1 for high sensitivity cone mid.

[martyh]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

I voted one, because I thought it meant the first part of 2.
Wolf

I voted #1 because it's what I meant to do. :D

[Wolf]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

On that note- I think Rory knows what it is I want PE to produce...
We've discussed it at length,
Wolf

[xavier]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

On that note- I think Rory knows what it is I want PE to produce...
We've discussed it at length,
Wolf

And that would be.......?

[Wolf]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

I mainly posted that for him to see it...
Later,
Wolf

[fatmarley]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

Well, I am not an expert, but I think a more useful and focused market research question on mids would be:
"What would you like to see for a PE mid that we don't have now?"

4.5 and 5.5 paper / papyrus / fiber mids, very low distortion, high xmax and power handling, minimal breakup.
(In other words, a reasonalby priced Scan / Vifa NE clone)

Could be used effectively in Scenarios 2 or 3, as well as with a conventional mid range enclosure.

I was thinking a similar thing.

Can we have something like the JA8008 or the Scan-speak 18w/8542-00 but in a smaller 4-5" size with good sensitivity and smooth roll-off if possible.

[Mayhem13]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

Pete and Wolf.....if I'm not mistaken, Rory is talking about a driver who's back is sealed, not a sealed midrange enclosure who's Q can be chosen by the builder?....unless I missed something. Personally I'd much rather have that option available instead of predetermined by the driver.

Rory....I didn't vote as I might be confused but there's no option for a conventional open backed midrange driver for use in a seperate sealed chamber?

[gabel87]

Re: Poll: How Do You Prefer To Use Midranges?

I did the same thing as Wolf. You used the term "use" in your description and I jumped the gun. Now if you were to ask me if I wish there were different sized cups available I could very easily and lazily apply to quality regular ob mids I would say YES! B/c, try as I may I just can't fall in love with the performance of 2-ways. I like mids as actual mids, like 300-2500hz or narrower.