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upgrading to pd drivers ???

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teeboy View Drop Down
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    Posted: 25 July 2012 at 11:18am
i have just built 4 186 horns (which could be converted to take smaller rear chamber depending on what driver i go for) and have them loaded with fane 18 xb's (just cuz they were laying around my workshop) they sound ok but but nothing special so i was thinking to upgrade the drivers to a pd of some sort had either 184 186 or 188 in mind realistically!! would love 1850's but they expensive,
 
what i would like to know is would i really gain anything from doing this??
 
will i regret not going for the 1850 in the long run??
 
and out of the other 3 drivers 184 186 188 which would be the one to go for, because the plan says 186 it seems like the one to go for, but the 188 has higher ebp and bl ??
 
thanks in advance and will try and load some build pics when all painted and finished off!!   Smile
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Keen View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Keen Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 July 2012 at 12:09pm
nice work dude,

I'm doing the same by modifying the rear chamber of the 186 horn to suit the driver I have selected. I went for the Fane 18B800 because I really like the driver, and in the invader horn it is said to produce a very clean defined sound. It won't go super low but I'm only going for 40hz so it should go close.

From what I've read the ribbed cone of the XB isn't ideal for horn use, whereas the PD cones are all smooth which is ideal. The pd184 should produce a sound somewhere between the pd186 & pd188 with the pd186 producing a very smooth full sound and the 188 being more pronounced with a better transient. As Rog says in the speakerplans FAQ, the pd1850 with its high EBP will draw attention to itself but the pd186 wont really. I do think however, that drivers like the pd188 and 18B800 wont draw attention or have as harder edge to the sound as the pd1850, although they share the high EBP. The pd1850 is from what I've read, quite a hard aggressive sounding driver with a hard cone and very low qt's. The pd188 and 18B800 are a bit different but I think the pd188 would sound nice.

Anyway keeps us posted dude, cheers.

Edited by Keen - 25 July 2012 at 12:13pm
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Keen View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Keen Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 July 2012 at 12:12pm
woopsWink

Edited by Keen - 25 July 2012 at 12:13pm
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teeboy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote teeboy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 July 2012 at 12:39pm
nice one mate you certainly understand all this bit better than me!! i have done some research into this but physics isnt strong point for me?!? i think i gonna have to try and get 1 186 and a 188 and see which i like best, from looking at it on paper the xb and 186 look very similar sort of spec apart from design ribbed cone etc. if anything might go as far as to say the fane's thiele small param's look bit better than the pd but im not sure on that, as i suppose it works different to that with different cabinets an the like?? but on the +ives the pd is ment for horn loading so the stronger cone perhaps will make a difference to the end result??
would you say that the fane and 186 would have a similar sound to one an other?? 
 
gonna have to get into this hornresp me thinks?!?
 
only i don't want to go and buy 4 186's and still be dissapointed and also be £800 out of pocket,  then wish id have tried the 188 with smaller rear chamber,
 
 
with the smaller chamber plan and the 188 having higher ebp would you say these would perform better for techno, hard trance/dance music etc. cuz the fane sound good playing jungle/D n B etc but when it come to techno they sound bit to loose and heavy??
 
cheers for your help Smile
 
 
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Keen View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Keen Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 July 2012 at 1:18pm
yeah good questions....

pd186 not necessarily meant for horn loading. Designed for reflex and exceptional reflex driver it is! But as Rog says (should read the EBP over 130 FAQ question if you haven't already) the pd186 will make beautiful noises in the 186 horn.

I think the 18xb and pd186 would sound quite similar, yes. so personally I wouldn't spend money on pd186 if you want a better/different sound. not sure the ribbed cone would make much difference to the sound, think it's more a question of durability. But I know of XB's being used in 186 horns and still going so...

yeah i would think the pd188 would sound faster and have better transient response compared to PD186 for techno and hard dance/trance etc. I've gone for the Fane 18B800 because I listen to more techno/trance etc.

cheers




Edited by Keen - 25 July 2012 at 1:20pm
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teeboy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote teeboy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 July 2012 at 1:32pm
cheers for your help mate, Smile   have left thanks. 
 
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Keen View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Keen Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 July 2012 at 1:33pm
nice one dude!
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vmh View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote vmh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 September 2012 at 2:02am
What about outright volume?
186 - more power but less sensitivity.
188 - less power, higher sensitivity.
Am going to build four myself, driven with a VZ500 mostly for use with Trance/Techno but also some rock.
From what you guys say the 188 should sound better for me but with over 1k per cab to drive them would the higher power of the 186 be more useful for me?
It's not how big it is, it's what you do with it!
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