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Author Topic: Sound reinforcementCan I run signal directly from amp to high frequency drivers?  (Read 10933 times)

stuartwgibson

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Well, now that you mention it, that's kind of what I am trying to do.  The Comp-3300s are quite nice.... more crisp and defined, definitely not muddy.  I already had 2 as built into my PA15x (B-52 2-ways) pair.  I was hoping to buy just the HFD raw components (2 more) and add those into the chain (with or without the lamer Yamaha tops). 


Simply adding more HF drivers will make it louder-but it WILL ALSO make it sound WORSE.

Your best bet is to use FEWER-BETTER QUALITY HF drivers.  This way you can get louder and sound better.  Of course it will cost more.

Adding more subs is one thing-adding more highs is a totally different matter and MUCH hrader (to get them to sound good).  It is real easy electrically-but ACOUSTICALLY is where the challenge is.  It is one of the hardest things to do in audio-at least to do RIGHT.
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stuartwgibson

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Don't know what tail lamps are..:-)  Yes, DJ, but large outdoor venue. 

Add one or 2 tail lamps in series with the driver.

Am I safe in assuming this in for DJ service?
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sam saponaro

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I run my RCF N482 drivers/H3709 bells(8ohm 90W) in my EAW cabs direct off one side of a Crown CE1000 with nothing inbetween but a 2A fuse.So far so good and it sounds great. I run each side(1 cab per side) of my top end on its own CE1000 split in stereo.Each amp runs CH1 for mid/bass and CH2 for HF crossed at 1.5K befor the amps with a DBX crossover.
I heard wiring a capacitor in series with the HF driver helps limit the LF that the drivers can see but I have not tried that.
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Art Welter

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I heard wiring a capacitor in series with the HF driver helps limit the LF that the drivers can see but I have not tried that.
A capacitor can protect the HF diaphragm from DC output from a catastrophic amp failure or 60 Hz damage from a huge ground loop.
Back in the 1970s  both of those problems were frequent, with current technology series capacitors are not generally needed, and cause other sonic problems.

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Art Welter

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Don't know what tail lamps are..:-)  Yes, DJ, but large outdoor venue.
Series light bulbs (commonly tail lights or cabin dome lights) illuminate at high drive levels, reducing level to the driver and visually indicating you are near the thermal limit of the driver if properly sized for the application.

Before the bulb sees enough power to light up, it acts like a series resistor.
The only speakers I ever owned with series bulbs I found them to be an annoyance, as high volume transient peaks would make the bulbs burn out like a fuse, we replaced them with  resistors of the same DC resistance as they were part of the passive crossover.
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stuartwgibson

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So I could put a DC resistor between the amp and the HFD to protect it?  I like that idea, but I don't know how to figure out what resistor to use.

The HFDs in question are rated at 125 watts
800-20K Hz
16 Ohms

not sure what to make of the fact that the driver is clearly marked 8 ohms, but the b-52 web site says it has an impedance of 16ohms.


Series light bulbs (commonly tail lights or cabin dome lights) illuminate at high drive levels, reducing level to the driver and visually indicating you are near the thermal limit of the driver if properly sized for the application.

Before the bulb sees enough power to light up, it acts like a series resistor.
The only speakers I ever owned with series bulbs I found them to be an annoyance, as high volume transient peaks would make the bulbs burn out like a fuse, we replaced them with  resistors of the same DC resistance as they were part of the passive crossover.
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Patrick Tracy

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So I could put a DC resistor between the amp and the HFD to protect it?  I like that idea, but I don't know how to figure out what resistor to use.

No, he said he had speakers with protective light bulbs incorporated into the passive crossover and that it was inconvenient when they burned out so he replaced them with resistors so they wouldn't burn out, losing the protection.

Tim Perry

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So I could put a DC resistor between the amp and the HFD to protect it?  I like that idea, but I don't know how to figure out what resistor to use.

The HFDs in question are rated at 125 watts
800-20K Hz
16 Ohms

not sure what to make of the fact that the driver is clearly marked 8 ohms, but the b-52 web site says it has an impedance of 16ohms.

The "resistor" would actually be a thermistor. That is a resistor that changes value as its temperature goes up.

In the case of these light bulb protectors, a low resistance is presented when cold which rapidly increases when the filament gets hot.

It can be annoying when these burn out or open up due to mechanical shock, however it a easier and lower cost fix then replacing the voice coils or drivers.

If you are blowing 125W drivers you must be running these screaming loud of have some other issue with you setup.   
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Ivan Beaver

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If you are blowing 125W drivers you must be running these screaming loud of have some other issue with you setup.   
Or they aren't really 125wat drivers.  The less expensive drivers often come will sorts of "inflated" wattage ratings to make them "appear" to be stronger than they really are.

Is that continuous-program-peak-peak to peak power or something else?

My car can get 100 miles per gallon-as long as I only measure it coasting down a mountain while in neutral--------  But int he real world-much less.  So it is not the number that is suspect-but rather the test condition/measurement.
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A complex question is easily answered by a simple-easy to understand WRONG answer!

Ivan Beaver
Danley Sound Labs

PHYSICS- NOT FADS!

Tim Perry

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Or they aren't really 125wat drivers.  The less expensive drivers often come will sorts of "inflated" wattage ratings to make them "appear" to be stronger than they really are.


Curses, fooled by the phony marketing specs again!

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