RS52 or WR125s?

[kestrel]

So.for those of you that have used the RS52 and the CSS WR125s, which do you think I'd be better off using in a 3 way using two Extremis 6.8s and either the Vifa D26 or BG NEO3PDR? I see alot of people raving about the RS52 but would it be susbstantially better than using two CSS125s per speaker? I think that I would like to cross the Extremis's pretty low, something between maybe 300-600 and wouldn't want to go any lower than 2700- 3000 on the tweeters. I plan on 40-42 liter cabs. Also I'm considering going active on the Extremis to keep from having to pad down the mid(s) and tweeter as much. So what do you think? Pls don't try to talk me into a different Woofer or tweeters. I already have them and four WR125s so I'm just considering using the RS52 in place of the WR125s and whether or not I need to go active on the Extremis/


Thx

[Jed]

The WR125 should reach the crossover point you said you want to use a lot better than the Dayton RS52, plus you already have the WR125 so you might as well use them.

[joecarrow]

I agree with Jed. From what I remember reading, the RS52 is good down to 600, maybe a tad lower, but with a steep slope. It is only 2 inches, after all, so the lower you cross the less loudly you can play. The surface area (and healthy excursion) of two WR125s's will let you cross to the Extremis probably as low as you want, and not necessarily at a steep slope.

The chief benefit of the RS52, in my opinion, would be improved distortion- especially linear distortion. Let's face it- the WR125s is a paper cone. As good as it may be, it's not going to stop on a dime. The RS52 has extremely low non-linear AND linear distortion, with its excellent motor and small rigid dome. For ultimate midrange clarity, I can't think of anything else for the price.

Regarding the tweeter crossover- pay attention to center to center spacing. The vifa could be a big help in getting tight spacing, and should handle a 2.5 khz crossover.

[kestrel]

Thanks for the comments/advice. I think I will stick with the WR125STs and the Vifa. Still, I would like totry the RS52. Hmmm...maybe with the RS180s and the BG NEO3 PDR I have.


Thx!

[joecarrow]

The thing with the RS52 is that its distortion doesn't increase as you approach its low frequency limit, it just runs out of Xmax, so distortion becomes very level dependent. I think you'd want to see how much of a woofer you can get away with. The Extremis, from what I've read, doesn't have the stiffest cone or best performance in the midrange, so you don't really want to run it too high.

I'd be attracted to the RS225- some people have used it with a steep crossover up to 1.2 khz with good results. Decent cone and motor for low distortion that can keep up with the RS52's high level of performance. The only problem is that the woofer really likes a large box.

My main gripes with the RS52 (again, from what I've read- I haven't had one in person)- is its small dome and large faceplate. It's only 2 inches, so how loud can it really get? Also, with its large faceplate, it's limited how high it can cross to a tweeter just based on center to center distance- regardless of its high frequency behavior. They're not really points that make the RS52 a bad driver, just things that prevent it from going into "Wow, this is the best thing since sliced bread!" territory. It's tantalizingly close to being a driver that lets a tweeter get downright comfortable playing loud and not too low, while mating well with a couple of good woofers- such a system would have high dynamic range, low distortion, and good dispersion. You could build a system like that, but the RS52 would probably be the driver to run out of steam before the woofers or tweeters.

Having said that, the center channel recently designed is probably a great use for the driver as it is. If I had the funds, etc, I'd be psyched to give that one a try.

[ThomasW]

The things that makes the RS52 "the best thing since sliced bread " are sound quality, low distortion, self damping dome, and price.

The best metal dome prior to this was the 2" MB Quart. It sounded good but was peaky and required some crossover heroics to use. Initially it started out at $72 ea.

[joecarrow]

Thomas,

I guess I'm being greedy- I see the excellent sound reproduction (I admit, I haven't heard it yet)- and I just want more of it. I guess I've got to go re-read the NeoD CC thread with an open mind to if people who've heard and used it think it's "loud enough"

[biggerrigger]

I use the RS52 in a wwmt and I can say that it will get plenty loud is crossed over high enuff. Originaly I had it crossed at 500hz and you could tell that it would play this fine but did not like this setting at higher power levels. Step this up to 850hz and this little thing will eat up twice the rated rms power and do so with out missing a beat. Clean clear and well defined at high power levels. This is the single best bang for the buck driver that I have ever bought. I used the DC50F-8 at the same crossover settings and I perfer the RS52 hands down.
Aaron

[joecarrow]

You know, I've been reading that NeoD CC thread and going back to some of the pages where folks have measured the RS52, and one thing that struck me was that the NeoD CC was supposed to top out around 105 db.

Honestly, that really is loud. I guess that you could get louder, but in my personal listening I hardly ever reach peaks of 95 db. I suppose if 105 db is no big deal to the speaker, then that's more than enough to handle those transient peaks that lend realism.

Doggone it, now I wish I could get one!

[kestrel]

Ok. So I've decided to make this my next project! It will be an MTMWW using CSS WR125st, the Vifa D26NC55 and the Extremis 6.8s. I have all the drivers on hand. I think I'll try Zaph's half inch waveguide mounting scheme for the Vifa. That should also allow me to mount the WR125 really close. I also think that I'll try putting in a curved cabinet. The mids and Vifa will be isolated from the woofers. I'd like to try a slot vs a tube port but I think that might be too difficult too fit in. Cabinet will probably be 44" tall, 8.5" wide and probaly 14" deep. Any other suggestions or ideas?


Thx

Mike

[Jed]

Sounds good but you better post some pics during your build! :T