Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site

Audio Discussions
Topic: Wharfedale Super 12/RS/DD 12" full range driver

Page 1 of 1 (10 items)


Posted by movingcoilguy on 05-29-2008
Hi Romy, great site I just recently joined but have read your many posts over the years as I quite frequently end up here while searching the net for info. I recently purchased a pair of Super12 wharfedale drivers and thought with all your audio knowledge you or one of your members may be able to tell me something about them? cabinets that would allow them to shine and bring out there best qualities? Also I should mention for a quick fix I installed them into a pair of 1963 ish Goodman cabinets and they actually sound pretty good. My question is can any size driver work with a lowther Mau horn design? there is some physical issues with using the super 12s with the Mau horn I realize but I were to build an adapter box for the front that would mount over the driver port is there any accoustic reason it wouldn't work? Maybe a different cabinet design would be better? not sure but I use Mau Horns now and it was a though as I could use more volume as my listening room is very large I would guess about 12,000-15,000cubic feet? any and all help would be appreciated!

Posted by Romy the Cat on 05-30-2008

Movingcoilguy,

sorry I know nothing about the Wharfedale drivers, speakers, nether about the Goodman cabinets. Mau-designed boxes are also very much not my area of expertise. In fact, if you read me than you know that I have a strong attitude against any Lowther-based loudspeakers, where Lowther it tried so called full-range. I had in past a few Goodman drivers but I was looking very different things from them then they were made for. So that entire array of loudspeakers went out of my attention. There is a number of sites and communities stressing the idea of full-range loading, you might try there as they would have more experience with the subject

From another side you have said 12,000-15,000 cubic feet that would make over 400 cub meters… Wow! That listening room is very large. Are you trying to load this room with a single Lowther and out of Mau box? I do not even know of I have to put a smiley face here or a sorrow face…

What however is interesting is that the methods of sound reinforcement for 15,000 cubic feet room are very-very different then what we are accustom in high end audio. It might be an interesting subject itself but unfortunately I have no practical experience to do anything in such rooms. I know that to make those room to sound right is very difficult – much more difficult then the easy condoled environment of out shoebox-size of rooms…

Rgs, Romy the Cat

Posted by movingcoilguy on 05-30-2008
Hi Romy ,well I appreciate the reply anyway! I have been reading your many threads and yes some on the Lowther designs but as you know your writings are a large large volume also and I havent made my way thru them all yet. As far as my room I could be off a bit as far as the figures go as I never actually worked it out? but its over 1270sq' and the ceiling is vaulted but the sides are straight up to about 15' before the angle starts then it goes up! my guess is 35' at least from the floor as we bought an old church and the cathedral part is my listening from right now as my stereo sits on the altar. It actually is the best listening from I have had by far as the sound acoustic wise is very good and with my small Mau horns the sound travels right to the back wall at fairly loud volumes. So when I sit in one of many of the sweet spots about 8-10 ' in front its very real. I realize I want a bigger sound mainly so that I could reach concert or obtain concert level sound in any part of the room and not just in front. But with the gain I have now on my phono section I dont like to turn the volume much past 12:00 noon. I would like to build something bigger but I am limited to my home built 2A3 amp which is a couple of watts. I have thought about trying multiple speakers in series but am not sure on how it would be configured to drive several with one source. As right now I dont use a crossover but have a pair of Altec Lansing electronic diving networks that I wondered if they would be of use? Anyway keep up the good writing and I will try and keep up reading them! I came across your site when I was looking for info on the Melco I had purchased! Theres not much out there on the Melco and I have posted on every site but this one I think? As I want to find another one and will pay for any of the original documentation etc. Cheers Daren

Posted by Romy the Cat on 05-30-2008
Well, Daren,

there is a huge difference between the 1.200 sq feet and 12.000 sq feet. The 1.200 sq feet is a good size room the 12.000 sq feet is good size concert hall for a couple thousand people…. So we are back to a sane listening room…. :-)

Interestingly that when we I talk about matching between room and speakers I hardly talk about volumes, gain or about the low-power amps driving themselves into grid currents of A2. I rather think about the ability of properly loading the room with sound of acoustic systems. You might red the flowing threads to get better illustration of what I am taking about.

http://www.romythecat.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?postID=4421#4421

http://www.romythecat.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?postID=2553#2553

Rgs, The Cat

Posted by movingcoilguy on 05-30-2008
Yes Romy I will read the posts thanks I never real ment 12,000 square feet as I ment cubic feet as volume wise its still pretty huge with the 35-40 foot ceilings etc seating it would hold easly 200. its the volume of it I was wanting to fill more . I will read your posts and it will give me a better understanding on your approach to handling my situation. Sorry for my lack of understanding all I have really done is get a system worthy of playing music well and never really got a total grip on the complicated electrical side of things although I do have a sound analizer that I can perfect my setup with but have yet to do so since I moved here. cheers Daren

Posted by Romy the Cat on 05-30-2008
Oops sorry, I just re-read you post and you did said the “cub feet”. I read it as “sq feet”… so it came from it… If I have 12,000 square feet I would defiantly build a nice sleeping place for my Koshka inside a 50Hz midbass horn… That is one of the reason why I, knowing myself, do not buy a house – I do not what to open a Pandora Box for another year-long project….

The Cat

Posted by movingcoilguy on 05-30-2008
I Romy I have readone of your posts that you sent or posted and I am beginning to get a bit of a grip of what you are saying but will continue to read the other thread also. I guess at this point I should really use the tool I have and see what if any problems I can discover ? maybe I can make a few corrections. Possibly some of my other speakers may be better suited for the large volume not sure but I do have others including a pair of Early ESS heil monitors, ADS 910's. Magnephan Typanis, and many other vintage ones in the basement including huge Grundig D70 box speakers, sorry I no that there not that exciting but some of them do have a bit of merit. I have tons of drivers and parts kinking around along with a couple of huge univercity cobreflex horns! I will get my AudioSource Realtime Spectrum Analyzer out and see what I can figure out as it came with a Pink noise generator. If I can remember how to use it I will be all set? Daren

Posted by kirschi on 08-06-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d
Hi movingcoilguy,I have the original specifications for the RS/DD/12 (Aluminium coil - superb speaker!)
Do you still require the info? I can scan them for you, if you do.Wharfdale specified 3 or 4 different boxing options, ranging from socially acceptable up to audiophile-but-deemed-to-be-lonely LOL 
This speaker does need a big box, and responds with an exceptionlly warm and accurate sound.
Ilan

Posted by datam0nk3y on 10-19-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d

Hi kirschi, sorry to dredge an old post, but if you're still able to send me a copy of the original specs that would be really appreciated!  r dot kim at uq dot edu dot au 

I've got a pair of the RS/DD/12s and would love to build some appropriate enclosures to get the best out of them.  Wharfedale told me they've lost their old specs ages ago in a fire. 


Posted by unicon on 10-19-2009
fiogf49gjkf0d
datam0nk3y

i know a way to get the specifications u need to design the enclosure and the port (if u need to have it) in relative

you need a pc and full duplex sound card and a simple board(simple mixture) u need to build and few other stuffs which is pretty cheap and catchy

just tell me when you are serious about it.

i have tested and designed many DIY speakers with no sheets in hand . u need Qts Fs and Xmax DC resistance and finally driver impedance response  FFT & pc
you can all of them by testing dw

Page 1 of 1 (10 items)