2 way, active ideas

[ClaudeJ1]

31 minutes ago, The Dude said:

Does the k402 have 300hz capabilities with the right driver? My BMS claim to go down to 300 hz. Is this something I should try?

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According to polar plots, the K402 starts to change it's pattern control below about 600 Hz., but since Klipsch uses the same horn as a MidBass horn down to below 200 or so, it's not an issue or a showstopper for most users, especially used in corners.

[Chris A]

1 hour ago, The Dude said:

Does the k402 have 300hz capabilities with the right driver?

Yes, it does...here the K-402-MEH polar sonogram that I measured myself (outside):

 

 

Chris

[The Dude]

Yes, it does...here the K-402-MEH polar sonogram that I measured myself (outside):
 

 
Chris

I've got it crossed now to the Belle bass bin at 300hz 4th order LR. Sounds and measures good, if not slightly better than the 400 or 420 I had before. I guess I have the ability to try different scenarios.

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[boricua2480]

On 2/5/2021 at 11:24 AM, Chris A said:

This is the real advantage of the MEH design: all the drivers couple acoustically to each other--within a 1/4 wavelength of each other at crossover frequencies. 

 

Well done MEHs sound just like full-range drivers (Fostex, Feastrex, etc.) but without the acoustic disadvantages of full rangers (i.e., no bottom end bass, limited output capability, wizzer cone breakup problems, etc.).  They are the best loudspeakers that I've heard, actually, giving the Klipsch Jubilee more than a run for its money, because there is no crossover polar disruption in the lower midrange.

 

Danley is said to be entering the home hi-fi market presently (now that the commercial PA and cinema markets are dead).  Tom Danley did a YouTube video recently, citing the (as yet unknown) "Tom Danley Signature Series". Up until recently, their business has been commercial only, with sales to home hi-fi enthusiasts being sparse due to the higher prices of their MEHs using so many drivers for extreme high SPL duty.  An SH-96, for instance, is about $8K apiece. That's a little pricey for a lot of home hi-fi folks.  But it's got 11 drivers in it...

 

Chris

Since nobody else has asked which surprises me, but I’m curious @Chris A, what would stop you from having a full MEH LCR front end? Is there a reason NOT to? 

[Chris A]

Ron Ellis has got one: @NBPK402

 

 

Those are K-402-MEHs.

 

Chris

[Chris A]

4 hours ago, boricua2480 said:

...what would stop you from having a full MEH LCR front end? Is there a reason NOT to? 

I have owned Jubilees since late 2007, so those stay in the front corners (for now).  But there is no reason to not have three across.

 

One thing should be noted here: MEHs (multiple entry horns) do not need prefabricated horns to perform at their best.  A simple dual-flare horn in plywood, albeit of dimensions the size of current loudspeakers, is sufficient, and requires no K-402 horns to be able to provide the same level of performance.  Here is a multiple entry horn on William Cowan's web site that would do the trick (albeit a little small for full-range operation):

 

 

Another MEH from Bill Waslo's site, here from the reverse side where the drivers are mounted (all that are needed are the apex-mounted tweeter and the woofer slots/woofers):

 

 

You can see that the level of woodworking skill is not really that high to create a usable MEH (the horn itself).  There is a pdf file and an Excel spreadsheet (whose links I already posted above) that helps the novice build their own: http://libinst.com/SynergyCalc/Synergy Calc V5.pdf and  http://libinst.com/SynergyCalc/Synergy Calc v5.xls

 

And there is a cut list optimizer online that help you lay out the plywood cuts to minimize wasted plywood.

 

All this is pretty straightforward.  If you need assistance designing the horn from the spreadsheet, selecting the drivers, finding the right places to place the woofer ports and guidance on the details of cutting the ports (including countersinking the ports on the woofer side of the horn to reduce the effective depth of the port lengths), and/or dialing them in using a DSP crossover, feel free to PM me.

 

Chris