Jan
10, 2011
Preliminary
Listening Test
Before
I decide to conduct any frequency response sweep, it is
customary of me to listen to the components first. By simply
placing the raw driver beside or on top of a woofer, I can
quickly evaluate the sonic qualities of the driver. This
saves me a tremendous amount of time and expense. If it
doesn't sound right, the component is outright rejected.
The
components I'm listening to in this setup is a Peavey RX14
Compression Driver coupled to a 60x40 constant directivity
horn. This combo is actually the high frequency section
of the Peavey PV115 ( pdf
), a 2-way system with a 15" woofer.
My
intention is to determine whether this reasonably priced
compression driver with this particular plastic horn is
good enough for hi-fi use.
For
convenience, the woofer is a Tang Band W5-704s from the
Oriole that has
the Hi-Vi RT1C-A planar tweeter disconnected. The RX14 and
W5-704s are driven by the Synergy,
actively crossed at the lowest recommended frequency of
2KHz at 18dB/octave. The Synergy is outstanding in this
kind of operation. It's a real chore having to design passive
crossovers just to test components. No CD horn equalization,
passive or active, has been applied yet.
So,
how does it sound. In one word, nice. Doesn't "spit"
at me, indicating a smooth response. No excessive sibilance.
Surprisingly, tone wise, it is free from the "brightness"
that titanium diaphragms are noted for. String instruments
like acoustic guitars are rendered beautifully. Definitely
worth exploring further. Perhaps, mate it with an 8 inch,
one that can extend smoothly beyond 2KHz without nasty cone
breakup.
Mike |