Schu Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I am looking at moving to a 2" mid-range at some point in the future and I realize, I don't know a damn thing about them. talk to me about 2" drivers and what diaphragm materials, brands and designs are better/BEST. I am not looking to break the bank, but if I am doing it, I might as well do it just one time and not have to buy another set of drivers later that are better. probably used in conjunction with one type tractix lens or another... have not decided on which one. appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 drivers and horns have to match each other as a system. you should consider what style and size of horn that you are willing to accept in your system then find the driver that will best mate to the horn that you choose. Aluminum is the best material at reasonable prices Radian have aluminum diaphragms with Mylar surrounds which are very nice. Titanium is more durable than aluminum in pro situations though it will break up sooner than aluminum will, in home situations you don't need to worry about ultra high levels so worrying about slapping diaphragms at high level wont be a concern. There are many fine ti drivers so don't discount the material off hand. Beryllium is the very best diaphragm material hands down nothing else even comes close but you are going to pay for it. You might consider (used) the JBL 435 with a Be diaphragm but it has a 1.5 inch exit not a two inch. A set of JBL 435 in excellent condition will set you back $500.00 - $700.00 a pair plus shipping. That could work to you advantage as you could go two way instead of three way. The EV DH1A is a superb world class driver with a nominal 2" exit and a three inch titanium diaphragm remove the extender nose cup and you now have a 1.4"exit. These sell for very reasonable amounts used mostly because they weigh so much (23.5 lbs each)they can output TEN acoustical watts across their band, I don't know of any other compression driver that can do this, that more output than a JBL2226 fifteen inch woofer. I bought a pair of DH1A in excellent condition with shipping for only $260.00. Look also to the large format JBL 4 inch diaphragm designs they are available in 1.5 inch and 2 inch exit. Something like a JBL 2250 (4" diaphragms)used will be around $700.00 - $900.00 a pair plus shipping. You could later make the jump up to Be diaphragms for these at a cost of around $1200.00 for the diaphragms alone install and shipping will be extra. Best regards Moray James. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 Probably looking at used... and some form or Beryllium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/151409-fs-jbl-2360a-horns-ev-drivers/#entry1759753Superb horn superb driver both sots components and they both work together this is a match made in heaven. A used set of 4" JBL drivers will set you back at least $500.00 the pair plus shipping and remember these are 25 pounders then Be diaphragms with installation you are looking at an additional $1500.00 for the diaphragms. That will give you a rough minimum dollar value unless you find a stolen pair for next to nothing. New Radian drivers with Be diaphragms will cost a lot more than that each. The Radian drivers seem to be considered on par performance wise with the JBL units. Decide first on what horn and if you want to go two way or three way those decisions will sort out what you will do next. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Three way for sure... thanks for the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 You might also take a look at the B&C DCM-50. Its a treated paper diaphragm, and a fine sounding driver. Product Details B&C DCM50 2" Neodymium Midrange Compression Driver 8 Ohm 4-Bolt The B&C DCM50 2" exit midrange compression driver represents a new level of high quality, high performance drive units. B&C's patent pending design utilizes a neodymium magnetic assembly and an extended-winding 2" diameter voice coil that is coupled to a 5" paper/composite cone. The cone's carefully engineered construction offers superior damping properties, which contribute to the DCM50's neutral, non-fatiguing tonal character -- even at extreme sound pressure levels. Specifications: • Power handling: 80 watts RMS/160 watts program above recommended crossover of 0.4 kHz/12 dB slope • VCdia: 2.0" • Impedance: 8 ohms • Frequency response: 400-10,000 Hz • SPL: 108.5 dB 1W/1m • Dimensions: 6.0" diameter x 4.25" depth • Net weight: 7.5 lb. Product Specifications Mounting Type4-Bolt Exit Diameter2" Diaphragm MaterialPaper / Composite Impedance8 ohms Power Handling (RMS)80 Watts B&C DCM50 2" Neodymium Midrange Compression Driver 8 Ohm 4-Bolt Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBPK402 Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I am very happy with my EVDH1a in my JBL 2360a horns.... We are running them as 2 ways and they sound awesome with the 1/4 pies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Is anyone here actually using the DCM50? Anyone compare to the BMS? "Paper"? The 4592-MID costs almost twice as much. I hate this stuff sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 there are so many choices... I would hate to have to buy a pair or drivers twice because I could not feel comfortable the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Bob Crites (BEC) and Wrinkles (Mike) both speak very highly of this 2" driver as a 1/5 cost alternative to a TAD TD-4002: http://www.usspeaker.com/Faital%20Pro%20HF200-1.htm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mboxler Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I have the BMS drivers in my Khorns, but cannot compare them to anything else. Curious... Are the recommended crossover points for all drivers based on 2nd order Butterworth? If you used 4th order LR, can/should you cross lower? I bought the BMS's 'cause they can be crossed @ 300Hz. IMHO, the more music from the mid driver, the better. My apology to the OP if this is beyond the scope of your thread. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I bought the BMS 4592nd-mid last summer. Never say never I suppose but I can't see wanting to try anything else. http://www.bmsspeakers.com/index.php?id=4592nd-mid_overview If you are interested, I can find my info on the US distributor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I have the BMS drivers in my Khorns, but cannot compare them to anything else. Curious... Are the recommended crossover points for all drivers based on 2nd order Butterworth? If you used 4th order LR, can/should you cross lower? That is exactly what Roy Delgado did on the Jubilee design (a two-way using either the K-402 or K-510 horns) with K-69-As (P.Audio) and with TAD TD-4002s. He crosses both at about 425 Hz using L-R 24 dB/octave filters in the dx38, plus using attenuating PEQ filters on either side of the crossover to further decrease the width of the crossover band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 no one is talking about Radian drivers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) Is anyone here actually using the DCM50? Anyone compare to the BMS? "Paper"? The 4592-MID costs almost twice as much. I hate this stuff sometimes. you can also have a look at 18 Sound who have some very interesting diaphragm materials. Radian and Beyma both use assorted diaphragm materials with Mylar surrounds. Best regards Moray James. Edited August 7, 2014 by moray james Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage_Head Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 The KDE-75-8P in these 904s sound pretty nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 no one is talking about Radian drivers? I mentioned Radian drivers in post #4 and again in post #15. The more components you listen to the easier it will be for you to discover what you like best. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsear Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I use the vintage JBL 2482 - 2" driver paired with Hoovers Eliptrac 400 horns. The diaphragms are phenolic. This is in a 3 way configuration with ALKs steep slope crossover on Khorns. Tweeters are the JBL 2404. The vintage JBL midrange drivers are very smooth. Jammin Jersey has a full selection of these older drivers and some can get pretty pricey. But they do have a pair of the JBL 2480 midrange drivers and these are exceedingly rare. You will not even find these rostered on the JBL website and they have a solid performance shoulder down to 300 Hz. They're the upper echelon of these large format drivers. $1K for the pair and they're ready to install. You can change the diaphragms in these to the metal based materials....... IMHO phenolic is much smoother and rich in this midrange frequency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I have the BMS drivers in my Khorns, but cannot compare them to anything else. Curious... Are the recommended crossover points for all drivers based on 2nd order Butterworth? If you used 4th order LR, can/should you cross lower? That is exactly what Roy Delgado did on the Jubilee design (a two-way using either the K-402 or K-510 horns) with K-69-As (P.Audio) and with TAD TD-4002s. He crosses both at about 425 Hz using L-R 24 dB/octave filters in the dx38, plus using attenuating PEQ filters on either side of the crossover to further decrease the width of the crossover band. Remember that if you want to cross low that you will need a large horn if you would like it to have good polar control down low (why bigger is better with horns) and you will need to be able to push a lot of air with your diver if you want to keep distortion low you will need a large compression driver diaphragm and not just a large exit. A three inch or a four inch diaphragm can be used to play as low as 300 - 400 Hz if you don't intend it to play at 120 db levels. Most folks who have hands on experience who I have asked about doing this have told me they don't think playing a comp driver that low will generate too much distortion. I think that the playback level you want along with your personal set of sonic preferences will have a lot to do with whether or not you will like the sound of a true large format (3-4") diaphragm playing this low. Cheap imitation pro drives will not get the job done and you will only be disappointed with them so look to the JBL's which also give you the option to go with the best Be after market diaphragms or the DH1A by Electrovoice. As I mentioned The JBL 435 is a Beryllium three inch diaphragm with a 1.5 inch exit which is also worth consideration. The larger the diaphragm the lower and louder they can play. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Did I miss it? What woofer(s) are you matching to? How low do you need to blow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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