| Re: Line arrays: 3 way(4 way) or two way [message #61074 is a reply to message #61064] |
Mon, 28 September 2009 18:02   |
darkmoebius2
Messages: 37
Registered: August 2009
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Baron |
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| Marlboro wrote on Mon, 28 September 2009 15:24 | Running passive crossovers in the middle of that range just obliterates the coherency. Wow do I agree with you there.
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I first got turned onto this by some reviews of single-driver speakers. I ended up buying a kit for the Hammer Dynamics Super-12 speakers. What an eye-opener. That pro audio 12" widerange driver with a tweeter aligned in a coaxial manner just blew my socks off. I'd never heard midrange like that - music just flowed.
I upped the game later with Cain & Cain IM-Bens (mine are in cherry) w/ matching dual subwoofers for the last 5+ years. The combination with top notch single-ended triode amps and a good vinyl rig was sublime, at times. Although, there is still a big difference between the presentation of a large 12-15" widerange driver and smaller ones.
But, there is only so much a single driver can do and the limitations of low power (<8wpc) amps in a larger room eventually got the search for "more" going. I wanted to keep the coherency and tonality/richness in the mids while adding greater dynamics on large, complex, music of scale along with true bass impact and depth.
First on my list was large planar/ribbons like Soundlab, Magnepan, Apogee, etc. But, they are limited in their own ways - mainly SPL's.
Then, I had a chance to hear ESP Concert Grand SI($40k)(Stereophile review) at the 2006 THE Show in Los Angeles. Elliot Midwood of Acoustic Image had a room that changed my audio world. The ESP's were driven by 250wpc Wavestream Kinetic V8 monoblocks($35k) and Elliot's Messenger preamp($25k). The vinyl front end was all Brinkman w/ the Balance turntable, Brinkman's 12" arm, and Brinkman cart($25k-30k?).
Granted that is a ridiculous and unobtainable price of system for 99.9% of us, but it was the sound that floored me - explosive dynamics, effortless delivery, and soundstaging to die for. Yet, it still got the tonality of grand piano and vocals dead right. I'd never heard anything like. And so, my eyes were open to the potential of high(er) power and multi-driver speakers. The ESP's are a large D'Appolito configuration, but it's what got me headed down the road towards arrays.
Anyway, that's my long-winded way of saying that I would love to still keep a crossover out that critical range as much as possible, keep that coherency, yet get the dynamics and soundstaging.
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