Has anyone tried a Dayton 12" waveguide horn on an Altec or JBL compression driver at a crossover frequency about 1500hz? How did it sound compared to JBL&ALTEC horns?
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Has anyone tried a Dayton 12" waveguide horn on an Altec or JBL compression driver at a crossover frequency about 1500hz? How did it sound compared to JBL&ALTEC horns?
I did... years ago. Built a sub-baffle to allow it to be placed in lieu of 2344 on a pair of 4430's.
They're in a closet now, and the 2344s are back where they belong. Driver was
2426 with the adapter off (so it threaded into the horn).
All I can remember is they were temporarily interesting to listen to (and cheap),
but the "sweet spot" was so small I gave up on them... never even attempting
to EQ them properly. Others might find this engaging... I found it distracting.
Granted, this use took it below 1500Hz, but the beaming I thought I perceived
was on the top end.
IIRC, it did not match an oblate spheroid type expansion. I think "badman"
here severely modified a pair of these (also some time ago) and was happy
(or happier) with them vs. stock, and played with a pair of 2226's at the time.
I used them as a platform to "build up" horns. They were cheap enough that I could use them as a structure to add material to to get the end result I wanted. I now use them in conjunction with BD15 woofers (underhung neo 15"s), and am rather pleased with them. They are close to OSWG profile but are a little bit more "done by eye" than someone looking for precision might accept. I am okay with a little variance as long as the horn has the right smooth transition characteristics and relatively constant directivity.
The dayton on it's own has a horrid throat discontinuity- a big step which is in effect a diffraction slot. This can, and should be, smoothed out to create a continuous flare from the throat angle to the horn profile. The shorter this transition the higher in frequency it remains CD, but longer smoother transitions have advantages too (less EQ needed in the top octave, for ex.) Waveguides/horns, like overall speaker system design, are a balance of compromises.
https://imageshack.com/i/g4finishedosguides3j
The above link is the system Grumpy heard w/2226h and 2426h on the horn/waveguide.
Below is the front of the system as it stands today, with the BD15 and a modified selenium D2500Ti on the horn/waveguide.
Attachment 62701
This is the rear section (I've added acoustic damping to the lip around the speaker), it operates as an offset bipole. I have a lot of room behind the speakers so the bipoles match my space really nicely. This section is JBL 2206h w/added damping, 2426h on a DDS ENG90 waveguide variant.
Attachment 62702