Measuring speaker to build matching cab

[Tim de Martino]

Hi,

Is there any quick and nasty way to measure a driver for the basic specs needed to match it with a cab design (or tweak existing design)?

I have a 15 inch driver made by a custom speaker shop, very efficient 8 ohm coil with kevlar cone, cast basket, regular (non neo) magnet. I want to build a ported cab for it but don't want it to be a crapshoot. I was looking at the Nearful idea but from what I understand, those designs work best with high excursion speakers? - this is not one.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[Passinwind]

Measuring Loudspeaker Driver Parameters

 

[AstroSonic]

There are typically two sets of numbers, often on the back of the magnet, or on the back of the mounting flange. One set provides the manufacturer and production date. The other set is the model number. Follow this link to decode the numbers:http://www.recycledsound.net/8_Speaker_EIA_codes.pdf. Contact the manufacturer and request the TS parameters for the driver.

You'll find that building a cab is a fair amount of work that you probably won't really want to do unless the result is worthwhile. If you are building a bass guitar cab, using a driver that is designed for some other use often leads to a disappointing result. A lack of excursion is not a good sign. What kind of surround does it have? If you lightly tap the edge of the cone does it produce a deep tone?

 

[B-string]

This will get you close (being easy) "Dayton Audio DATS V2 Computer Based Audio Component Test System" from www.parts-express.com! make sure the speaker is in "free air". This means placing it on a cylinder or holding by the magnet as far away from your body or any boundary, hard to do with a heavy speaker.

 

[Rick James]

You can use various methods to measure all the T/S specs except xmax, and where maximum output is concerned that's the most important one. Why can't the shop that made the driver get you the specs?

 

[BogeyBass]

yeah it's not really a crapshoot existing designs work and are all similar for reasons

cast frame sounds like a decent speaker you'd assume ts specs should be available.

 

[Tim de Martino]

Here's the beast.

Thanks for the input and the great info.

I contacted the maker - he will measure the speaker on his software at a facility he uses next week. I know that that was the obvious answer but I thought there might have been rough roundabout way of getting basic measurements.

Measuring Loudspeaker Driver Parameters

I love this - right up my alley!

Thanks again folks.