Best 15" driver unit pound for pound?? Any advice welcomed

[lukertweek]

Hi guys,
Yes it's me again, that newbie bassist with his questioning, trying to gleen advice from you more exprienced & knowledgeable chaps

I have a 1 x 15 ported cabinet that I have inherited from a mate. It looks like it has been hand crafted not shop bought. It's made of approx 18mm ply. Anyways, it was free so hey!!

Now all I have to do is decide which bass driver to put in it. I have no real knowledge or parctical experience in this area so I wondered if you guys would mind helping me make the best choice.

I don't want to spend a fortune, like maybe up to around £100 - £130 something like that.

I have been reading reviews and am getting a fair amount of contradiction about different models.
Have been investigating Black Windows, Eminence, Celestion and Fane so far. But I'm still baffled frankly.

Thanks in advance for any advice
Cheers

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='lukertweek' post='626033' date='Oct 14 2009, 02:21 PM']I have been reading reviews and am getting a fair amount of contradiction about different models.
Have been investigating [b]Black Windows[/b], Eminence, Celestion and Fane so far. But I'm still baffled frankly.

Thanks in advance for any advice
Cheers[/quote]


How would you see out of them?

Seriously though I have had Black Widow drivers and they pack a big punch for the money.

Edited October 14, 2009 by waynepunkdude

[MythSte]

depends what box you put them in!!! :ph34r:

[chris_b]

[quote name='lukertweek' post='626033' date='Oct 14 2009, 02:21 PM']....I have a 1 x 15 ported cabinet that I have inherited from a mate. It looks like it has been hand crafted not shop bought. It's made of approx 18mm ply. Anyways, it was free so hey!!....Now all I have to do is decide which bass driver to put in it....I don't want to spend a fortune, like maybe up to around £100 - £130 something like that....[/quote]
Most of the world seems to use Eminence so I would too. The BASSLITE C2515 is their Neo speaker so I'd go for that.

[Uncle Balsamic]

Unintentional baffle pun?

Also, I think you need all the various measurements of the box to choose the right driver.

[alexclaber]

How big is the enclosure? If it's not huge nor tiny then the Kappalite 3015 is definitely the most pound for pound. You can tweak the tuning to suit.

Alex

[lukertweek]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='626203' date='Oct 14 2009, 05:26 PM']How big is the enclosure? If it's not huge nor tiny then the Kappalite 3015 is definitely the most pound for pound. You can tweak the tuning to suit.

Alex[/quote]


Unintentional "baffle" joke indeed....... sorry!!

Enclosure dimensions my friend informs me (the cab is at his place still) are:

L: 695 mm
W: 427 mm
D: 412 mm

And it is ported with a round port 152 mm in diameter, bottom left corner of the cabinet.

[stevie]

Your box is around 110 litres internal volume. If the port is somewhere between 100 and 170mm long it will be in the ballpark.

A neo magnet speaker is a good choice, but if you don't mind the extra weight, a ceramic magnet speaker will save you some money and also open up the second hand market to you.

[lukertweek]

[quote name='stevie' post='626809' date='Oct 15 2009, 11:58 AM']Your box is around 110 litres internal volume. If the port is somewhere between 100 and 170mm long it will be in the ballpark.

A neo magnet speaker is a good choice, but if you don't mind the extra weight, a ceramic magnet speaker will save you some money and also open up the second hand market to you.[/quote]

Brilliant, thanks for that. Could you recommend any specific ceramic makes/models?

Sorry to impose but you clearly know your onions here

[dangerboy]

I use, and love, a Kappalite 3015 in one 15" cab and an EVM 15L (Pro version) in another. I picked these after far too much reading around!

[chris_b]

[quote name='dangerboy' post='626840' date='Oct 15 2009, 12:33 PM']....I use, and love, a Kappalite 3015 in one 15" cab and an EVM 15L (Pro version) in another. I picked these after far too much reading around!....[/quote]
If you put the Kappalite 3015 into your cab you could buy my [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63416"]Boogie 1x15[/url] and make the same stack!

Edited October 15, 2009 by chris_b

[stevie]

[quote name='lukertweek' post='626831' date='Oct 15 2009, 12:25 PM']Could you recommend any specific ceramic makes/models?[/quote]
That's virtually an impossible task because there are so many, especially if you go the eBay route.

Here's some tips on what to look for in the specifications. A too powerful magnet (low Qts under .25) means the driver is designed for horn loading and won't produce much bass in a reflex box. Too small a magnet (high Qts of .5 and over) means a cheap driver built down to a price that will sound boomy. And finally, a short coil (xmax of 3mm or under) means the cone won't be able to move very far before it starts distorting. Don't be too concerned about the maximum power rating. Look for a resonant frequency of between 38 and 48Hz. A cast chassis is a good sign.

You could post a shortlist if you like, or ask about a specific driver.

[Phil Starr]

you have had some good advice but no-one seems to have mentioned that a reflex cabinet has to be tuned to a particulat driver and that you need to march both the volume and the length of the tuning duct to match the drive unit. If you google thiele small and ported enclosures you should find plenty to read.

Fane speakers in the UK are made in the same factory as Eminence and should be of a similar quality and cheaper though they changed the specs this year so they don't match exactly. I'd go for the 15/500 with a decent magnet and a good Xmax or excursion limit. Should be about £50-60 -try Blue Aran for about £20 extra you should be able to get the same speaker with a cast chassis which should be more reliable.

Celestion do some reasonably priced speakers and also some expensive ones. I've not tried these but they are a well known firm. I have a black widow which I bought second hand. It is very bottom heavy, clean and deep but not much in the way of upper mids. Get the black widow with the metal centre if you go this route or plan on using it with a 4x10. They are pricey in the UK

[alexclaber]

[quote name='Phil Starr' post='627485' date='Oct 16 2009, 12:11 AM']Fane speakers in the UK are made in the same factory as Eminence...[/quote]

Nope, no Eminence drivers are manufactured here although the distributor used to be the manufacturer of Fane and PD.

As Phil said you will need to retune the cab unless you're very lucky. A lot of different 15"s will work in that enclosure size, it's big enough to not cause bad mid-bass hump problems but lower Xmax drivers may be prone to farting. Stevie's tips are on the money.

Alex

[lukertweek]

[quote name='chris_b' post='626989' date='Oct 15 2009, 03:10 PM']If you put the Kappalite 3015 into your cab you could buy my [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63416"]Boogie 1x15[/url] and make the same stack![/quote]

That would be awesome, but £350 is way more than I have to spend on this cab right now. Thanks for the offer tho

[lukertweek]

Thanks so much guys. Really very helpful. Given me a good deal to think about. Will do some more research on line and make a decision soon.

Cheers

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='627546' date='Oct 16 2009, 07:59 AM']As Phil said you will need to retune the cab unless you're very lucky.[/quote]

Will simply rolling something into a tube and putting it in the port telescope style to change the length cover 'retuning'?

[stevie]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='627888' date='Oct 16 2009, 02:03 PM']Will simply rolling something into a tube and putting it in the port telescope style to change the length cover 'retuning'?[/quote]

Yes, absolutely, although if you want to make it permanent you should make sure it can't rattle or flap around. I've found that the tubes you get with Pringles crisps work well to lengthen 3-inch ports. They also sell Twiglets in tubes that look like they might work for 4-inch ports.

[lukertweek]

[quote name='stevie' post='627956' date='Oct 16 2009, 03:08 PM']Yes, absolutely, although if you want to make it permanent you should make sure it can't rattle or flap around. I've found that the tubes you get with Pringles crisps work well to lengthen 3-inch ports. They also sell Twiglets in tubes that look like they might work for 4-inch ports.[/quote]

Brilliant! Thanks to allonce again.

[lukertweek]

Well... things changed quite a bit in the end. The cabinet turned out to be a mess upon inspecting it. My friend had told me he had it and that I could have it but it wasn't til I went to see it that I found out it was no good. He's not a musician, it was left in the garage in the house he moved into to so offered it to me as he would only throw it out otherwise.

However, still needing a 1 x 15 I decided that with the help of the book "Loudspeakers for musicians" I would go ahead and build the box myself. So I ordered all the parts required from Blue Aran, next day delivery, they offer a great service btw.

The measurements for the ported bass cab in the book were almost identical to the cab my mate offered as it turned out. So I decided to use 18mm extrior grade ply, which I purchased at B & Q. They offer a cutting service there which took all the pain out of getting panels cut to size and nice and true. I just gave the guy on the cutter the dimensions of each piece and he cut them all for me, easy peasy. he didn't even charge me which was a bonus.

Then I got my baton timber and proceeded to knock up the box in me shed. I screwed the batons to the panels, first running a line of no more nails for added strength (have done a bit of construction in the past). eventually the box was complete. Didn't take long at all. Then I cut out the holes for the driver and port, drilled the whole in the back for the speakon socket.

I decided on the Kappalite 3015LF driver after much great advice on the post, thanks guys.

Once the box was all prepped I painted it with matt black smooth hammerite, it's very durable stuff. After that I was ready to load the dirver and finish off. Which I did.

For the port I found that at B & Q again they sell telescopic pipe of the perfect diameter, so that became my port. Today I am going to tune it using that just sliding the inner part of the tube back and forth until I get the desired result.

However, last night I tried it with my rig and to these ears it already sounded totally awesome. I'm well pleased. After tuning it's going to be a monster. I also put a capacitor in line on the positive side of the trace 1 x 10 combo so as to cut the low end to that. That way I don't get any farting from it when I crank the low end for the 1 x 15. I'll take some pics and post them when I get a chance.

Thanks again to everyone for all the input. It made it a hell of a lot easier to do this.

Much appreciated.

Cheers

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='lukertweek' post='638099' date='Oct 27 2009, 04:17 PM']Well... things changed quite a bit in the end. The cabinet turned out to be a mess upon inspecting it. My friend had told me he had it and that I could have it but it wasn't til I went to see it that I found out it was no good. He's not a musician, it was left in the garage in the house he moved into to so offered it to me as he would only throw it out otherwise.

However, still needing a 1 x 15 I decided that with the help of the book "Loudspeakers for musicians" I would go ahead and build the box myself. So I ordered all the parts required from Blue Aran, next day delivery, they offer a great service btw.

The measurements for the ported bass cab in the book were almost identical to the cab my mate offered as it turned out. So I decided to use 18mm extrior grade ply, which I purchased at B & Q. They offer a cutting service there which took all the pain out of getting panels cut to size and nice and true. I just gave the guy on the cutter the dimensions of each piece and he cut them all for me, easy peasy. he didn't even charge me which was a bonus.

Then I got my baton timber and proceeded to knock up the box in me shed. I screwed the batons to the panels, first running a line of no more nails for added strength (have done a bit of construction in the past). eventually the box was complete. Didn't take long at all. Then I cut out the holes for the driver and port, drilled the whole in the back for the speakon socket.

I decided on the Kappalite 3015LF driver after much great advice on the post, thanks guys.

Once the box was all prepped I painted it with matt black smooth hammerite, it's very durable stuff. After that I was ready to load the dirver and finish off. Which I did.

For the port I found that at B & Q again they sell telescopic pipe of the perfect diameter, so that became my port. Today I am going to tune it using that just sliding the inner part of the tube back and forth until I get the desired result.

However, last night I tried it with my rig and to these ears it already sounded totally awesome. I'm well pleased. After tuning it's going to be a monster. I also put a capacitor in line on the positive side of the trace 1 x 10 combo so as to cut the low end to that. That way I don't get any farting from it when I crank the low end for the 1 x 15. I'll take some pics and post them when I get a chance.

Thanks again to everyone for all the input. It made it a hell of a lot easier to do this.

Much appreciated.

Cheers [/quote]

How does the LF driver sound getting full range signal? any funnyness in mids and highs?

[lukertweek]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='638272' date='Oct 27 2009, 06:20 PM']How does the LF driver sound getting full range signal? any funnyness in mids and highs?[/quote]

None that I can detect. Sounds fine tbh. To these ears anyway