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Author Topic: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?  (Read 14591 times)

dave celko

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thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« on: October 16, 2013, 10:53:04 PM »

what are ur guys thoughts on theese
http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/OmniTop12.html

im thinking about building a couple of these in a 2x12 configuration or maybe even the j aray

reason being is my tops are having trouble keeping up with my subs , and im starting to get some bigger events


pricing seems good and reviews seem good , but id like to hear maybe some first hand experiance with them
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Rick Powell

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Re: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2013, 01:14:34 AM »

You are probably not going to get a lot of love for this box or any BFM designs around here.  I have never knowingly seen or heard a BFM box in all my travels, I may have heard one of their Tuba sub designs.  The cluster of piezo horns breaks every rule I have heard regarding HF horn design, but as I say, I have never heard this box so I can't comment on how it sounds or performs.
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George Dougherty

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Re: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2013, 01:17:31 AM »

what are ur guys thoughts on theese
http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/OmniTop12.html

im thinking about building a couple of these in a 2x12 configuration or maybe even the j aray

reason being is my tops are having trouble keeping up with my subs , and im starting to get some bigger events


pricing seems good and reviews seem good , but id like to hear maybe some first hand experiance with them
I use the compression driver option in the hf and with a bit of tuning am very happy with them from 125Hz up.  If you don't need to meet riders they're fine boxes that can be built as I did them for under $500/ea attributing no value to my labor.  I use 2 per side as a minimum and 4 per side will handle 1000-1500 people. Supporting them in a ground stack above people's heads so they don't kill anyone in front of them can be a challenge.
If you need to meet riders or may want to grow into a real business, put your money into something else.
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David Parker

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Re: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2013, 09:29:31 AM »

what are ur guys thoughts on theese
http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/OmniTop12.html

im thinking about building a couple of these in a 2x12 configuration or maybe even the j aray

reason being is my tops are having trouble keeping up with my subs , and im starting to get some bigger events


pricing seems good and reviews seem good , but id like to hear maybe some first hand experiance with them

I built 8 of the single 12 version with the piezo melded array. That's 96 piezos total. I used them a lot in various arrangements. the only time I use them now is for something outside where I need a lot of volume. 4 twelves on each side stacked on top of each other as they are designed will put out a lot of sound. They need a lot of eq, and they are inconsistent with regards to eq in the area they cover. One thing, they are amazingly efficient for their size, weight, and cost when properly arrayed, stacked on top of each other. I've done intimate settings where I put two on each side on stands, with the top ones turned 90 degrees to cover a wide area. they worked well in that setting. As with all Bill Fitzmaurice designs, they do not some anywhere close to his claims, but they are an interesting design, and have some use. That being said, again, I rarely use mine anymore. As one other said, they might be different if I'd used the compression driver option, but the frequency response of the boxes is FAR from flat. They are extremely efficient in a narrow band. That means, to get them to sound good, it takes a lot of eq cuts which negates the efficiency.
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David Parker

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Re: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2013, 09:36:02 AM »

what are ur guys thoughts on theese
http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/OmniTop12.html

im thinking about building a couple of these in a 2x12 configuration or maybe even the j aray

reason being is my tops are having trouble keeping up with my subs , and im starting to get some bigger events


pricing seems good and reviews seem good , but id like to hear maybe some first hand experiance with them

here's a photo of one side of the rig I used for a stadium youth crusade. I got rave reviews on the sound. One stack like this on each side, tilted back to aim the sound up into the bleachers.
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dave celko

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Re: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2013, 08:47:13 PM »

I built 8 of the single 12 version with the piezo melded array. That's 96 piezos total. I used them a lot in various arrangements. the only time I use them now is for something outside where I need a lot of volume. 4 twelves on each side stacked on top of each other as they are designed will put out a lot of sound. They need a lot of eq, and they are inconsistent with regards to eq in the area they cover. One thing, they are amazingly efficient for their size, weight, and cost when properly arrayed, stacked on top of each other. I've done intimate settings where I put two on each side on stands, with the top ones turned 90 degrees to cover a wide area. they worked well in that setting. As with all Bill Fitzmaurice designs, they do not some anywhere close to his claims, but they are an interesting design, and have some use. That being said, again, I rarely use mine anymore. As one other said, they might be different if I'd used the compression driver option, but the frequency response of the boxes is FAR from flat. They are extremely efficient in a narrow band. That means, to get them to sound good, it takes a lot of eq cuts which negates the efficiency.

thank you this is the kind of response i was hoping for , i have diy subs ( a dozen) and they work great and they are as flat as the designer said they were 20-100 hz. so was hoping i could find a diy solution for tops that would work just as well 
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dave celko

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Re: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2013, 08:50:08 PM »

If you need to meet riders or may want to grow into a real business, put your money into something else.

its a hobby for me really, i do some private events for myself/work that i promote, i do some stuff for the township,and some bar gigs, among other gigs.
wont ever get further then that really
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David Parker

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Re: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2013, 10:00:00 PM »

thank you this is the kind of response i was hoping for , i have diy subs ( a dozen) and they work great and they are as flat as the designer said they were 20-100 hz. so was hoping i could find a diy solution for tops that would work just as well
It was interesting the responses I got with this rig. Most people had no idea what it would do. They compared it to similar sized cabs they recognized. The design allows for a really light cab, because it is not intended to reproduce low frequencies. The band showed up and thought it was going to be a bad night, not nearly enough rig. I put on some mp3 music while they were setting up and they immediately changed their minds, nothing but praise for the rig. The seating area covered would seat 5000. Not rock level, but plenty adequate for a praise band and preacher.
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George Dougherty

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Re: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2013, 01:57:20 AM »

its a hobby for me really, i do some private events for myself/work that i promote, i do some stuff for the township,and some bar gigs, among other gigs.
wont ever get further then that really
I had the same complaints as David with the melded arrays.  Ditched them for the compression drivers and have been much more satisfied. Major issue is how the 12" dispersion is narrowing up at 2k and the melded array kicks in at almost 120 degrees. Gives a very uneven response off axis. I'm crossing my Beyma cd10fe's at 1.2k with good results in pattern consistency. It cost a lot more and I chose to biamp so I could align the drivers, but I wouldn't go back.
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dave celko

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Re: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2013, 02:00:22 AM »

I had the same complaints as David with the melded arrays.  Ditched them for the compression drivers and have been much more satisfied. Major issue is how the 12" dispersion is narrowing up at 2k and the melded array kicks in at almost 120 degrees. Gives a very uneven response off axis. I'm crossing my Beyma cd10fe's at 1.2k with good results in pattern consistency. It cost a lot more and I chose to biamp so I could align the drivers, but I wouldn't go back.

i cant decide if i wanna give them a shot or not , ill have plenty of time to decide though as i dont need a large rig till spring time

what i have now is covering 3-8,000sqft the tops struggle on the upper end of that


with just 8 subs i should be damn near 142db , ive only ever used 6 at a time though, and i know i can peg my spl meter at 135db

what i want and need is something to keep up with all 12 subs at a large event( yes i know probably overkill), stuff like home comings, 4th of july celebrations and other events of this nature and size i do for the township + stuff like warehouse raves and partys

any other suggestions then the omni tops?
if not im try out building some of the omnitops as a 2x12 with compression drivers
« Last Edit: October 19, 2013, 02:02:35 AM by dave celko »
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: thoughts on bfm omnitop 12's ?
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2013, 02:00:22 AM »


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