PA speakers for home stereo ?

[ChrisG]

Doesn't matter what they're rated for. People can slap whatever numbers they like on a product - that doesn't mean the product will put out those numbers.

Piston Excursion calculator

www.baudline.com

They claim 140dB per speaker. A single 18" driver would need a 34mm Xmax to reach 140dB@100Hz. There are very few 18"s that have such excursion available.
Excursion quadruples for every octave down you want to go. At the claimed LF limit of 20Hz, the 18" cone would have to move 852mm each way - physically impossible.


I suspect they've said 100dB@1W sensitivity, and decided you can drop 10KW peaks in there. After all, 10KW = +40dB over 1W.
I used to own an amplifier that would get close to that (Crown MA12000i, bridged, for 9KW@8ohm), but at the moment I'm limited to a mere 5KW@8ohm from my Powersoft T602. Still, if anyone wants to send me one for some destructive testing, I'd be happy to do so.


Moving away from the LF section, you've got a diffraction-mess around the HF units.
The midrange drivers will also struggle to produce 140dB. I'm pretty sure they're using the Eminence Alpha 6, which has a rated Xmax of 3.5mm, and an "excursion limit" (presumably, before damage) of 4mm.
For 12x 6" drivers to produce 140dB@200Hz, 6.4mm of excursion is required.

We have, once again, broken the drivers.


I suspect that there are unintended methods of causing those speakers to produce 140dB. Perhaps if we dropped one from a helicopter...

 

[Mart68]

I suspect that there are unintended methods of causing those speakers to produce 140dB. Perhaps if we dropped one from a helicopter...

Blow one up with half a pound of Semtex?

 

[egellings]

Not a chance of hitting 140dB over the full bandwidth. Maybe at one carefully chosen frequency, for half a cycle, once. If you're lucky.

If 140dB were possible, who'd want that in their living room? That would be ear shatteringly loud.

 

[gasolin75]

Not a chance of hitting 140dB over the full bandwidth. Maybe at one carefully chosen frequency, for half a cycle, once. If you're lucky.

DD Audio 9918Z hits a staggering 180.5 dB! – Hi Fi HQ Blog: News, Reviews & Tech Talk

 

[gasolin75]

If 140dB were possible, who'd want that in their living room? That would be ear shatteringly loud.

Do you drive a speed of 200 miles or more if your car can do that ?

If your speaker can handle 2000 watt do you buy a 2000 watt amp ?

 

[Flaesh]

if anyone wants to send me one for some destructive testing, I'd be happy to do so.

This is a wonderful, positive, and fruitful initiative!
I'm just a little worried that they might send you too many speakers and you'll have to work hard .

 

[Hubi74]

Tektondesign makes some crazy shiit, 140db each https://tektondesign.com/product/full-range-speakers/flagship/1812-model-v12/#color

If you're looking for a similar concept, but with actual engineering applied to it and proven performance: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/zero-sounding-zs1011t.67102/

 

[AA63]

I had a set of 80s sonics that outplayed so many towers i've listened to but its time to really step up the game and upgrade. The conclusion i come to time after time after time is that Size DOES matter.

So my question is not to the rich having the latest and most expensive set of B@W's or AR's or whatnot. If the top of the line stuff sounds really good, then lucky you that you can afford it, i can't So my question is.

To those who have tried PA systems as a home stereo system.

i have a specific set of PA's that i am eyeing that i will be asking questions about in a later thread (mainly due to budget but also i have heard local praised them for being good PA speakers. (but have not gone as far as to ask them if they ever tried to use it as home stereo speakers)

SO what it comes down to, I am on a strict budget. Can i use a PA system as my home stereo. Will i be pleasantly surprized or horribly disappointed ?

Coming from an old musician/mix engineer, I've tried this numerous times - from back in the day when Turbosounds were good, to Martins, to JBL rigs (Bryston powered up the wazoo), to more recently powered QSC's and 12" Yamaha's.

My impression? Good? Yes. Bang for the buck - maybe. In a regular sized living room, they CAN be eq'd to reproduce recorded music well at household listening distances/volume - BUT they lack finesse - which is of course the tradeoff that the speaker manufacturers decided upon to opt for projection and high spl - so it is by design. Depending on the cab and horn configs you would also probably need some room treatment as again, they were designed for projection beyond a small(er) enclosed room.

My conclusion - not for me - I wasn't satisfied with the end results.

 

[ChrisG]

DD Audio 9918Z hits a staggering 180.5 dB! – Hi Fi HQ Blog: News, Reviews & Tech Talk

Did you read the link?
It's being measured within a concrete enclosure.

Pretty sure I've got a 190dB compression driver around here somewhere. Just block the exit with the measurement mic...

 

[ChrisG]

If 140dB were possible, who'd want that in their living room? That would be ear shatteringly loud.

A reasonable question.

FWIW, this is a question that I like to raise when it comes to the idea of "realistic" playback.

A Marshall stack going full-bore is not something you want in any domestic space...

 

[Salt]

Did you read the link?
It's being measured within a concrete enclosure.

Pretty sure I've got a 190dB compression driver around here somewhere. Just block the exit with the measurement mic...

Btw: what Mic would do that job?

 

[Flaesh]

Did you read the link?

I did.

this DD-Z18 produce very high SPL numbers but it also sounds great doing so!

I sincerely hope the venerable Alan Dante was inside this concrete blue Volvo, enjoying some nice music. When those 180 dB were measured.

ps: What does this have to do with the topic?

 

[ChrisG]

Btw: what Mic would do that job?

Well, I believe Sennheiser have claimed that it's impossible to overload the MD421, so I'd start there.
I suspect the output voltage would be high. I've known dynamic mics put out somewhere-near line-level before now...

 

[Salt]

I suspect the output voltage would be high. I've known dynamic mics put out somewhere-near line-level before now...

Do that, report here.