2x10 --- Why Two?

James Willie

James Willie

Serious Business
Jul 29, 2016
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Lake Texoma
#1
Concerning a DIY Build:
While researching a 2x10 cabinet to stack on top of my 1x15 and wading through hours of forums, didn't find design that I liked.

Greenboy = No ;)
Bill Fitzmaurice = No :thumbsup:
Googled It = No :roflmao:

Newer speakers handle more watts than the older ones once did.
One idea was to use only one speaker.
Wouldn't one speaker sound cleaner than two?
Left speaker might be pushing and the right one pulling at the same time.
So why does everyone use two speakers?


speaker verses.jpg


Thanks for your help
Jaimbo :bassist:
 
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#4
Both speakers. We'd to move in the same direction or they will cancel each other out and you'll lose much of your bass response.

It's not just power handling but moving air. The more air you move the more sound you make. There are 2 primary ways to move more air. Add speaker area or increase the excursion ( in/out movement ) of the speaker. Or both.

At some point it's cheaper to add a over speaker than to buy more expensive high excursion speakers. The barefaced cabs are very high excursion and you can get a lot out of a small package. But you pay for the convenience.
 
#5
I was asking why the need to use two speakers, and not just one.
Moving air is a good answer. Never thought of it that way.
Big speaker cabinet is not convenient for me.
Need to roll in, plug in, set up, in minutes.
Thanks
 
#6
Jimbo Edwards said:
So why does everyone use two speakers?
Click to expand...
You have to use two tens to keep up with one fifteen not because of watts but because of displacement. One ten would fart out long before the one fifteen would.If you do it the right way using a crossover to take the highs away from the fifteen and the lows away from the ten then one ten and one fifteen would work just fine. For that matter even one six or one eight would match up with one fifteen.
 
#7
Jimbo Edwards said:
Newer speakers handle more watts than the older ones once did.
One idea was to use only one speaker.
Wouldn't one speaker sound cleaner than two?
Click to expand...

No. Two speakers gets you more sound at the same amount of power. You have to move air to make volume. So you either move in and out more, or add more surface area. Generally moving in and out more requires more power and power handling, while adding more speakers requires less power to make the same amount of sound. So depending on your design and tonal goals, there are different reasons to change plans.

Jimbo Edwards said:
Left speaker might be pushing and the right one pulling at the same time.
Click to expand...

This only happens if you dont understand what you are doing. If you dont understand how to prevent this, then you should not be starting a DIY build yet.
 
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#8
The movement of the speakers is not random. Two speakers that are matched and wired properly will move together at exactly the same rate and will work together to produce sound. It also helps tremendously if they are installed in a carefully designed enclosure that matches the speaker's specifications.

This is my take as a layperson, not an audio design engineer.
 
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#9
If you grab some equations or software, and were to put a single ten in the space of what is typically a 2x10 you'll likely find you'll get the same sensitivity and extension with just 1 as you get with 2. Bill Fizmaurice has cabinet measurements at his site, and he points out that cab makers could be making cabs with half the number of drivers, getting the same results, and save half the cost on drivers.

It's some odd familiarity look that a cab needs as many speakers as can fit on the baffle.
 
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#10
I appreciate the warnings about being a amateur. Totally agree.
But very stubborn. Build it myself or die trying.
Local door company has tons of scrap birch plywood.
If the speaker farts, I will build another one.
I am going to do a youtube video. Will update when I am done.
Thanks, your advice is most valuable.
Jimbo
 
#11
Jeff Scott said:
Make two identical 1-10 cabinets (in my case, with 6.5" mid drivers, too); this provides you with flexibility for different needs/gigs/venues.

View attachment 939083
Photograph Copyright © Jeffrey P. Scott 2014 All rights reserved.

View attachment 939084
Photograph Copyright © Jeffrey P. Scott 2014 All rights reserved.
Click to expand...

Those are totally awesome. Are these the Greenboy plans?
 
#12
Jimbo Edwards said:
I was asking why the need to use two speakers, and not just one.
Moving air is a good answer. Never thought of it that way.
Big speaker cabinet is not convenient for me.
Need to roll in, plug in, set up, in minutes.
Thanks
Click to expand...

With respect to your question about adding a 110 or 210 cab to stack on your 115. The project is fraught with uncertainty. There is no way to know how the two cabs will sound together until you hear them. Then there is the question of power distribution among all the drivers, and phase related dips and peaks. Any pairing of cabs will 'work' (make sound) and probably be somewhat louder, as long as their combined impedance does not fry the amp.

Basically, you need a rig that you can easily transport, and that meets your tone and spl requirements. This is best done from the ground, up. Select an efficient, light weight cab with the tone and volume capability you need. Then select a class D micro head to go with it.

If you want us to help, you will need to provide:
1) a budget (how much can you spend),
2) information on what kind of tone you are after (do you boost the bass, prefer mid dominant tone, prefer tight, lean bass, etc.), and
3) your spl requirements (typical venue size, how loud your band plays, musical genre(s) you play).
 
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#14
Without fail, any time I have used more than one speaker, I have a better, more full sound. Doesn't stop me from using one speaker on some gigs, but I always prefer two or more...I'm just lazy sometimes :D
 
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#17
Meant as supplement cause "moved air" is frequently referenced.
Ears are only sensetive to difference of air preasure which has nothing to do with things like "moved air"
Allthogh there is a thing called acoustic power (there is an equivalent in electronic) ears can't detect an acoustic power.
The only thing that ears can hear is "pressure" which is expressed with the term SPL = sound "pressure" level
If there was something different in acoustic science we had rather to spell like sound "power" level
 
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#18
kurth83 said:
It's about how much sound you want. Two speakers are more than twice as powerful as one, but only for lower frequencies (which is happiness for us bass players), it's called coupling.

Here is a thread covering some technical details:
Speaker coupling?
Click to expand...
Beyond 1/4..1/2 of source distance wavelength it's not the case frequencies would not couple anymore, it's then overlayed by comb filter effects which reduces off-axis "average" gain to around +3..4dB instead +6dB and of course there is some comb-filter coloring.
For folks who look for HiFi it's a no go, while others may tolerate this "little" draw-back better.
Actually some folks claim off-axis response would totally cancel out due to comb-filter effects, that's untrue, it's a myth!

On stage I struggle way more with "three steps foreward, three steps back" sound coloration which even a skinny stacking of drivers can't solve.
Others claim they want have best dispersion to the audience possibe if there is no PA support,
hey, while I'm playing on stage and try to have the best sound possible to feel happy!
If I play crappy doesn't serve the audience anyway.
 
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#20
Jimbo Edwards said:
Greenboy = No ;)
Bill Fitzmaurice = No :thumbsup:
Googled It = No :roflmao:
Click to expand...
That's kinda blasphemy you know my friend?
Take it easy, was laughing a lot. The clans will bear it

edit, btw,
state your sound goals, what's your music genre, what's your existing cab, ss-amp or tube head
these informations help to narrow down boundaries to provide "really" helpfull answers.
 
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