How would this work out? WMTMW array

[MindMeld]

Hey everyone--- i'm doing the first post thing...

This is my first post... woohoo


anyways i had a couple of questions.... I'd like to build a pair of speakers for 2ch high end audio reproduction... I had been looking at some of the legacy speakers as well as the maggies... neither of which i can reproduce without great pain....


so i'd like to try something like the dynaudio evidence speakers..

so--- here's the questions
will a WMTMW system work (i'd rather not have 4 woofers per speaker cause of cost concerns)

and two

what is the benifit of using two tweeters WMTTMW


yes, this will be my first set of speakers that i have built, and i know a custom design vs a kit is going to be quite a bit more challenge, and i know i know very little (nil) about crossover design...

BUT

I figure if i can do this and have moderate success on this project, i'll delve much deeper into a better one(or modifying this one)

I'd like this to be 1 cabinet (i know it'll weigh a ton, but i don't care) and i don't care about how big the cabinet will have to be to get sufficent bass output... I'd also like it to be a closed box design.

So driver wise what do you think of this

1 inch soft / silk dome tweeter

dayton loudspeaker 2 inch dome midrange (how does this sound? i'm imagining the smooth quality of a soft dome tweeter in the midrange and is based off of dynaudio's dome midrange)
and

2 8in drivers per cabinet (or maybe 6.5 if reccomended)

does this seem like a feasable system? I'd rather spend more on a kick ass crossover then the drivers, but do not want to skimp on quality much at any end... i just know that the crossovers are the main weak link in most speakers

any advice, reccomendations, anything would be of great use...
Thanks
marsh

[Kerry Hackney]

WMTMW should work fine. The crossover is slightly more complicated than with a MTM but not a huge problem. As for WMTTMW, I wouldn't do that. I think that there will be problems with cancelation and imaging. The only place that you normally see more than one tweeter used is in a line source array. I don't know enough about them to really comment on why they work as well as they do. Perhaps one of the more learned posters will chime in with an explanation...

[ThomasW]

Hi, welcome to HT-Guide.

Here's a general speaker FAQ.

The fewer the number of drivers, and XO points the better. Years ago when the upper frequency performance of cones was poor, dome mids were a good idea. Today however there are many cones with very good HFE extension, and there aren't very many good inexpensive domes.

There isn't any advantage to WMTMW designs over a good MTM combined with a sub. The WMTMW are very, very, heavy and are more placement critical than MTM especially for good bass/midbass

There are no advantages to 2 tweeters. And in particular there is the potential for significant comb filtering effects.

Having built literally built dozens of projects using midrange domes(and now being much the wiser), please consider using smaller cone midranges instead of domes. That way you can get a lower Fs(resonant frequency) and not worry about overworking a dome.

I'd suggest using 5-6.5" mids, then hand off to 10" woofers if you really want a WMTMW. Or instead of 4-10" just mate a MTM with a good sub with a couple of 12"s.

Give serious consideration to building a kit for your first project. This greatly decreases the potential for problems. Then use the kit speakers for rears when it comes time to upgrade. XO design is extremely important. Also even the best LEAP designs benefit from in cabinet measurements of the drivers, and this isn't easily done by the novice builder




theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio

[MindMeld]

sounds good--- i'll stay away from the domes. I understand the basics of speaker design, and about the fewer crossover points the better (i've been lurking in different diy spots for 2 years or so now)
I just didn't understand why dynaudio wen't with two tweeters instead of one... can anyone shed some light upon this?.


so now i'm looking at
1in dome tweeter
5.5 mid
2 8in woofers


can anyone reccomend drivers for this?

Thanks again
Marsh

[ThomasW]

I'm not familar with the Dynaudio speakers. I tend to have issues with poly drivers and the weird construction techniques used by Dynaudio and Morel. My guess would be that they simply needed more efficiency than they could get with a single tweeter.

As far as recommending drivers first are you planing on using a sub with these? If so I'd again suggest eliminating one XO point and go with a 2 good 6.5" cones and 1" tweeter.

If you insist on using 5" drivers, then go with 10" woofers. Otherwise your spending extra money for drivers that duplicate the same frequencies. The goal is to have reasonable overlap in the top of the woofer and bottom of the mid, but excessive overlap is a waste of money.

Also what is your budget?

Do you have a personal preference for soft or hard dome tweeters?




theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio