DR200 settings (SMAART outdoors)

[sstillwell]

Okay, maybe this isn't going to be correct for YOUR DR200s, but for mine, matched with a pair of Danley TH MINI, it's within +/- 1.5 dB from 40 Hz-11kHz (1/3 octave smoothing).

My measurement mic is cr*p (included mic for a dbx DriveRack PA, bleh), so SMAART shows the DR200s as dying RAPIDLY above 11kHz. Coherence trace in SMAART shows nice and tight at 100% or very close, so it's not an environmental issue...how much of that is the piezos and how much the mic...who knows? I gotta blow some cash soon on a nice Earthworks and just be done with it.

Anyway, here's what I've done:

Crossover @ 100Hz, Linkwitz-Reilly. Subs 24 dB/octave, tops 48 dB/octave. 100's probably lower than I should take the DR200s, thus the steeper slope. Leaving the subs at a more gentle slope warms up the sound a bit...the boxes start sounding a bit clinical at 48 dB symmetrical.

Even though the Danleys are VERY efficient for such tiny subs, I have to pad the DR200s by -6 dB to get them to even out with the subs. Amps in this case are PLX1804 for tops, PLX3602 for subs, both run normal stereo mode, no amp filters engaged. Amp attenuators all set wide-open.

Here's the filters I used...bear in mind the bottom 100 Hz filter isn't going to apply to the DR200...it's for the sub. BW (Bandwidth) is in Octaves...I show the equivalent Q for those whose EQs are measured that way.

Freq BW Q Gain
100 SHELF6 5.0
250 0.6 2.39 7.0
400 0.5 2.87 -5.0
1200 0.3 4.80 -2.0
1300 1.0 1.41 7.0
2000 0.3 4.80 8.0
2800 0.3 4.80 -2.0
3000 0.3 4.80 -7.0
6000 0.6 2.39 5.0
10700 0.1 14.42 -5.0

So far it sounds pretty d*mn nice. I tried correcting out some of the drop over 11k, but between my "too many years on loud stages" ears and the fact that I'm pretty sure the mic is junk above that freq, I gave up and zeroed it out. I may try again when I get a better mic.

I need to go buy some dowel rod to make the diffusers for mine, but they sound like new boxes now already...LOUD ones.

I may also swap out the DeltaPro 8As for the newer Selenium drivers to give myself a little safety cushion for when I'm pushing them hard.

Hope this helps...

Scott

[el_ingeniero]

You're using more filters than other setups for the DR200 I've seen here:

http://billfitzmaurice.info/forum/viewt ... 57#p158557
http://billfitzmaurice.info/forum/viewt ... 17&t=11577

but it looks like your cuts/boosts are about the size in the same places. Not sure your measurement mic is all that bad. One other guy has a major boost at 15K.

[sstillwell]

RE: 15K, yeah, I had a boost up there at 15-16k or so, but took it out as it was sounding harsh to me and I couldn't verify that the measurements I was getting were accurate at all. Below 11k I trust what I'm getting.

Note: If I take the smoothing down to 1/24 octave or so, the response curve still looks like a mountain range...but there aren't enough filters in the world to fix that...nor should I try. It sounds pretty good as is.

A friend of mine wants me to come SMAART his rig (EV T-251+ tops and EV S-181 subs...triamp powered by MA3600s and 1200s and 600s) I'll take my rig along to A/B against his...it should be interesting.

Scott

[Tom Smit]

A friend of mine wants me to come SMAART his rig (EV T-251+ tops and EV S-181 subs...triamp powered by MA3600s and 1200s and 600s) I'll take my rig along to A/B against his...it should be interesting.

Scott

Indeed. Please report back with your conclusions.

[Dave Non-Zero]

That'll be the really interesting stuff.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

. Not sure your measurement mic is all that bad. One other guy has a major boost at 15K.

Getting things flat to 15kHz is counter-productive. Few sources, both microphone and instrument, go that high anyway, so what you mainly get up there is noise. Flat to 12kHz is fine. I've got RTAs of a hundred touring headliners through million dollar systems, none have major content above 12kHz.

[sstillwell]

Is the drop over 11k typical, then? It shouldn't be, I'd think. It was dropping like a rock...> 24 dB/oct and no, I didn't accidentally have a low-pass filter up there (I checked).

I'd almost expect something like that from a 2" exit driver, but not from piezos that are nominally okay up to 27kHz or so.

I agree that there's not jack for content up there...just wanting to make sure that if something's broken it gets fixed.

Scott

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Is the drop over 11k typical, then?

Yes, it's a product of using multiple drivers. And since response above 12kHz is no concern it's not a problem for us.

[sstillwell]

Ah, right on...that makes sense...driver-driver distance > wavelength, phase cancellation...gotcha.

Scott

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Ah, right on...that makes sense...driver-driver distance > wavelength, phase cancellation...gotcha.

Scott

It's not phase cancellation, it's the lowering of the Ka frequency in the high end by a factor of 0.7 with each doubling of driver count. It's a very basic acoustical engineering limitation, if not for it enough drivers would be able to achieve an efficiency in excess of 100%, whereas in practice 50% is the practical limit for horns, 25% for direct radiators (Keele).

[sstillwell]

Cool, I'll read up on it...not a principle I've been familiar with up until now. Learning is good.

Scott