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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Macondo’s lowest channel.
Post Subject: Are original Aura Sound 1808 sound ULF solution for sealed enclosure?Posted by oxric on: 2/9/2011
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 Romy the Cat wrote:

Aura made their 1808 driver in 80s and most of the 90s and it was wonderful. It had huge high-temperature neodymium magnet, unique magnet geometry with underhung 4" edgewound aluminum voice coil.  It was the only 18-inchers underhand voice coil ever produced. The finny part that despite of the underhand configuration it had 98dB sensitivity with 2” total excursion – what a motor! The driver had paper cone, cloth suspension and had phenomenal articulation at lowest frequencies. The 1808 was suggested for 20 Hz - 200Hz but it did not sound good even at 80Hz. The Aura 1808 had free air resonance at 24Hz and required enormous sealed enclosure of 14-16 cu feet.  Wilson Audio used the Aura 1808 in their unfortunately-ported XS subwoofers and soaked from their relatively small enclosure an extra 19dB of port noise at 20Hz.

Rgs,
Romy the Cat


Hi Romy:

I am presently considering an opportunity to buy some very old Aura Sound 1808 drivers, but not the Leviathan you enthused about in the quote above. My understanding is that the fairly low Qts would make the original (non Leviathan) less suitable for use in a sealed enclosure. However it also sounds as if it might work in such an enclosure if it was big enough, i.e. 14-16 cu feet. I have never liked ported enclosures but would that not be the only way the 1808 should be used?

For what it's worth, this consideration is part of a larger question, which is what would be the ideal ULF solution for pretty much the same Macondo set-up that you have, being used in a fairly large room of 25x21 feet with a ceiling height of 8ft? I have been thinking of the line array that you are using but I am wondering whether a pair of 1808 or even a line array made out of 6 such drivers, 3 on each side stacked vertically might not prove a more versatile solution ( somewhat extreme admittedly, but with a view to the future when I will have a bigger room with higher ceilings).

I am also very tempted by the McCauleys 6174 or Maelstrom 21" but they are somewhat more expensive in Europe....

Obviously there is no question that I will be able to listen to any of these solutions so any thoughts or even considerations that I ought to keep in mind, are welcome. With regard to drving them, whilst I know that the ULF section of the Melquiades can drive the Scanspeak 10" line array, I am of course not sure whether that would be satisfactory with the Aura Sound 1808...

Kind regards
Rakesh

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