8" full range driver paired with woofer for outdoor and indoor movable system

[Vladimir Filevski]

OP clearly is not experienced, so a good 8" fullrange is a sure path to instant success, with very low budget. Of course proper two-way professional loudspeaker will be better, but for a start this is more than enough.
I have used Sica 8D1,5CS on numerous occasions with great results for a modest outdoor parties, or in cafes, when the budget must be tight. Subwoofer is a must!

 

[voodooless]

There are plenty of 2-way DIY kits available that would be a good fit for the use case and will give a lot better result even for a smaller budget.

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

Please share with us which are those 2-way DIY kits for less money.

Another way is to buy cheap plastic PA loudspeaker, like:
https://www.thomann.de/intl/behringer_pk108.htm#bewertung
https://www.thomann.de/intl/fun_generation_pl_110_p.htm

 

[voodooless]

Interestingly, that JBL that the OP mentioned isn’t even a full range driver. It’s a coaxial

Given that that thing is about $€£ 350, there should be plenty of kit’s available in that price bracket. For instance here:

Home Audio Kits

Speaker kits used for home audio or monitors

www.diysoundgroup.com

Or

Denovo Audio Home Theater Speaker Kits

Speaker kits used for dedicate home theater

www.diysoundgroup.com

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

There is only one lower cost 2-way kit with better sound and comparable/better sensitivity and power handling as Sica 8D1,5CS - that is Volt-8 kit from diysoundgroup:
https://www.diysoundgroup.com/home-theater-speaker-kits/volt-8-v2.html
but unfortunately it is out of stock and the old price is $179, which is more than double than the current price of Sica 8D1,5CS.

 

[mhardy6647]

I did indeed absolutely manage to read through the "paired with subwoofer for outdoor events". Sorry.
So...that's a much easier question to answer!
Don't.

I cannot imagine any fullrange solution available today that will get the outdoor sound part right.
Even in the old days, most of them used 12" drivers (EV's Musicasters come to mind, e.g.).

The EV Sonocaster used an 8" EV "Michigan" MC-8 twincone in a Samsonite luggage case, but it wasn't the 'suitable for large outdoor gatherings' kind of hardware.

I mean -- there's always the "Cobraflex"

robocop horny speaker

what type speaker horn is it ? is it this

www.audiosciencereview.com

I'd get a pair of Klipsch LaScalas... or literally any black plastic two-way commercial sound reinforcement loudspeaker(s) that fit the budget -- active or passive.
There are zillions, and most of them (except the very cheapest) are OK.
That said: We were at a wedding a couple of days ago with the dancing part out on a large patio with a couple of QSCs. They actually didn't sound very good -- but they were OK.

 

[CATY]

hey voodoo! thank you for your answer. what would you suggest as a good idea then? for a system that we need for a cafe that we want to have full frequency spectrum sound during normal times, and then every now and then have a small outdoor party. size isnt a huge constraint.

This seems like a bad idea. Why use a fullrange driver with very narrow high frequency directivity for something like a cafe or for a party. None of these alternatives can handle any significant amount of power, and the sweet spot will be very narrow. For a cafe, you want wide dispersion and for a party you want it a bit more controlled and decent power handling (even with subs).

As for sensitivity, it’s best to ignore the rated number and actually simulate the thing. Where it counts is the the bass, and it will lose quite a few dBs down there. The mentioned Sica driver is “only” 89 dB efficient there. Haven said that, if you really must use a fullrange driver, that Sica is probably still the best choice from all the drivers mentioned here.

 

[voodooless]

hey voodoo! thank you for your answer. what would you suggest as a good idea then?

I’ve already posted a few links with potential options. Have a look there. If size isn’t a constraint, probably a 10 or 12” woofer would be preferable. Probably overkill for a cafe, but will work much better for a party. A sub you’ll need for that anyway.

 

[CATY]

ok wow thank you for all these answers!

i think the sica is a good bet, has a super high power rating (260 watt) too (so it will be good for when it needs to be paired with the sub?). the jbl 328C also has a high power rating (250 watt), and it might be easier to acquire (its on amazon). and what about the sub to pair with these?

 

[Prana Ferox]

A standard 8" driver is going to beam at ~2khz which will be very audible when moving around your cafe, right in front you will have loud high frequencies but to the side it will get noticeably darker. A whizzer or similar makes this a little better but not great. A proper tweeter setup would give much better dispersion.

To get louder outside with a ported speaker you will want to either aggressively high-pass the lows you are now passing to the sub, plug the port, or both. Plugging the port has other effects you may have to EQ for. Also don't underestimate how much wattage and driver you need for subs outside; indoors you get the advantage of room gain, outside not so much, you'll need double or more for the same SPL.

Remember that speaker wattage ratings are generally for heat dispersion and generally at 1khz. It does not mean you can dump 260 watts of kick bass into the driver and expect it to survive. xMax (and Sd, which is just driver size) is a better indication of output on the low end, and 2.5mm of xMax is not a lot at all.

You are almost assuredly going to get better real world results with a commercial (probably 2 way) PA speaker setup, with or without subwoofer. DIY usually doesn't save you money if that's your motivation, especially if you can buy used, and if aesthetics are an issue just build a cosmetic box.

 

[raindance]

I usually suggest JBL EON's for active or EV SX series speakers for passive for the requested application. They're reasonably priced and much better than anything you can build for the price.

 

[DaveWM]

ok wow thank you for all these answers!

i think the sica is a good bet, has a super high power rating (260 watt) too (so it will be good for when it needs to be paired with the sub?). the jbl 328C also has a high power rating (250 watt), and it might be easier to acquire (its on amazon). and what about the sub to pair with these?

Scott Hinson designed a small, robust speaker utilizing the B&C 5cxn44 coax driver. I heard it at BAF this past weekend and it was very impressive. I would highly recommend it for your use case. You can find details here: https://www.facebook.com/4119766956...Z2NopL2FU2JeBtoh5aX7e3GoaHxl/?mibextid=cr9u03

 

[voodooless]

Scott Hinson designed a small, robust speaker utilizing the B&C 5cxn44 coax driver. I heard it at BAF this past weekend and it was very impressive. I would highly recommend it for your use case. You can find details here: https://www.facebook.com/4119766956...Z2NopL2FU2JeBtoh5aX7e3GoaHxl/?mibextid=cr9u03

It could work, but you’d need to make plenty of them to fill a cafe, never mind using them for a party. At € 175 each for only the driver, they aren’t exactly cheap either, but cheaper than the JBL. Performance is impressive though for such a small driver:

Test Bench: B&C Speakers' 5CXN44 Pro Sound Coaxial Driver

This article characterizes a coaxial driver from B&C Speakers, a 5.25” woofer and 1.4" compression driver combo specifically built primarily for sound reinforcement applications. This driver's cooling is exclusively provided by the motor mass, a substantial neodymium ring magnet that powers both...

audioxpress.com

You’d probably want to have a sub with these hidden somewhere.

As for the JBL 328C, that may not be the worst option if you can install them in/on the ceiling. You can also get a back can for them . I don’t see how you would use them outside for parties though… and don’t forget: buying the Sica and stuffing it in a properly sized box isn’t the end of the job: you’ll need to shape the response, because out of the box, it will probably sound bright and thin. And as @Prana Ferox mentioned, with 2.5mm Xmax, not a good idea for parties.