Ken's Family Build

[Ken Lustgarten]

Here is a link https://picasaweb.google.com/klustgarte ... r6K68qljwE to the first testing of the DR200's in my living room. To fill out the low end a little I used a small ported sub with an 8" TB driver, it was in the corner anyway (later on I will make a table tuba for the driver that looks like an upright cabinet). My first impression was that they sound a lot like the DR250's but with less bottom end. I would not use them without subs for anything other then spoken word applications. I made them wit adjustable ports but I have yet to test them with a 4" port. When I decided on 200's it was because of a mixture of pack space, having a taller array, and the fact that they will always be used with subs. Since one pair of my T39's will be 13" slims there is no reason not to take subs.

This weekend I am going to try to get the DR's outside and RTA them. I want to try a melded and a flat array individually and also in a stack to see what the differences are. Overall I am very happy with how they turned out and the B&C drivers worked out great.

[LelandCrooks]

In a side by side I did with 250's and 200's virtually the only difference is the bass response and overall spl, especially with a Delta Pro running in the 200's. My own personal use it's 250's all the way, I don't like to crossover as low as 200's require. But if pack space was problem, 200's would be my first choice.

[Ken Lustgarten]

In a side by side I did with 250's and 200's virtually the only difference is the bass response and overall spl, especially with a Delta Pro running in the 200's. My own personal use it's 250's all the way, I don't like to crossover as low as 200's require. But if pack space was problem, 200's would be my first choice.

I am going to be getting a pair of the Delta Pros from the for sale thread to finish my last 2 DR's. I set the 250's up with 4" ports but when I tested the 200's it was with 1/4" ports. They have pipe couplers installed so that I can play with the tuning. I am wondering if they will do better with 4" ports especially with the B&C drivers that I used. They have more xmax and vd then the Delta Pro.

I did choose the 200's for pack space and ease of maneuvering due to the small size (I do everything myself). Another consideration for me is that these will get used in typical churches with bad acoustics and lots of reflections. My thought was that the taller array of stacked 200's would be better then only 2 250's.

I did not have a chance to RTA them this weekend. There was a constant threat of rain and several thunderstorms each day. I will get to some testing as soon as the weather cooperates.

[Rick Lee]

My thought was that the taller array of stacked 200's would be better then only 2 250's.

Good thinking!

There was a constant threat of rain and several thunderstorms each day.

We could use a little of that here... just a little!

[subharmonic]

We could use a little of that here... just a little!

Take ours please!

[Ken Lustgarten]

The weather finally decided to cooperate tonight. It has rained everyday, even today. It started to clear out so I setup my gear outside for an RTA session. I used an XTi1000 hooked up to a laptop with System Architect 3. I used True RTA to do the testing. I do have a Driverack PA+ but I have not played with the RTA on it yet so I stuck with what was familiar, the sky still looked threatening I tested all 4 speakers individually and stacked in pairs just to be sure and I got consistent results. After I was done I took the speakers to my work room for a serious listening test. My work room right now is an unfinished bedroom. The walls and ceiling have exposed insulation and are fairly flat, there are no echos. I repeated the RTA test at 5' and the results were virtually identical to the outside measurements with the speakers on a pole and the mic 15' away.

So at this point you may be wondering how they sound. Before I set the EQ I was not overly impressed with the sound (I wasn't happy with the DR250's either before EQing). After the EQ they are very smooth and sound like a good set of home speakers. I am very impressed with them now that they are dialed in. If you have DR's and have not taken the time to EQ your system you are missing out on what these speakers can really do! The resulting EQ curve would have been very difficult to come up with by ear alone. Measuring equipment is a valuable aid and there is no excuse for not doing it when there is even free software available.

I have attached the XTi settings that I came up with. The 9.5K band is set to -12, it can't be completely seen in the pic. I am not sure if these settings will be of use to anyone since I used a different woofer. Everything above the 2k xover point should still be useful.

Last week I bought a pair od Delta Pros to finish my 3rd pair of DR's but I like the sound of the B&C woofers so much that I think I will get 2 more so that all 6 DR's will have the same driver. The Delta Pros will go in some wedgehorns.


Edit: Updated file with easy to read dB settings

[Ken Lustgarten]

This week our travelling group the Gospel Heralds came back home to preform at a few local churches, then they will be off to Florida for a month. I was able to attend one of the performances. Of course they were using the DR250's that I built in this thread. The church seats about 350 people and is rectangular in shape. The sound was incredible it seemed to wrap around you and draw you in. There was not a bad seat in the house and coverage was very even throughout the sanctuary. There was nothing but praise about the sound quality, comments were all over the place! Vocals, piano, keyboard, and english handbells were miced.

This ministry team goes on the road for a few months a year. How they sound makes a statement about the college and it's music department. Now they have equipment that matches the quality of the group and the exceptional music staff that is here. The group does have a facebook page. Search for ”On the Road with the Gospel Heralds” I will be running sound for them this Friday and Saturday for a ministry here at the college (Appalachian Bible College, http://www.abc.edu) before they go on the road again. I will try to get at least a stereo recording of the event. In September when school starts up again I will be able to get a multitrack recording. I do have a short clip summarising last years tour. If anyone is interested PM me and I will email it.

[Dantreige]

Awesome. Can't wait for your DR200 review after you get a chance to do a few gigs with them.

[Ken Lustgarten]

Awesome. Can't wait for your DR200 review after you get a chance to do a few gigs with them.

It will be a little while before I get that review posted I need to finish the last pair of DR200's (melded array and Duratex left) and build 4 T39's to start. But....... before I can do that I have to work on the wife's honeydo list starting with building the rest of the cabs for our kitchen. I have uppers on one side left to do so not that bad. I also have to install a wood stove before the fall, wire, sheetrock, make closet, and paint an unfinished bedroom for our girls, build a small porch. With a wife and a house it never ends I will have to resort to the cut a few panels a day method while I am working on these other projects in order to get them done in a reasonable amount of time. Fortunately for the 8 DR build I had some spare time.

[Ken Lustgarten]

I finally got around to starting my first pair of T39's. Since I have for the most part only been using 1 pair of DR200's I decided to begin with 13" BP102 loaded subs. I have 2 Lab12's for the next pair. All future pairs will be Lab12 loaded. I needed 1 narrow pair to fit in the back of my minivan when my wife and 3 kids come along for the ride. I will be making the second pair soon after this set is finished. I have not made up my mind yet as to the width of the Lab12 pair but it will be in the 20" to 24" range, most likely 24" in order to get the most out of the driver while still being easy to manage. Whatever size I pick I want to stick with in the future so I want to make a wise decision now.

Here are some pics after 2 evenings of work.

https://picasaweb.google.com/klustgarte ... ZH2zcDCkAE

I have to say that these things are brain dead simple to make after completing 8 pairs of DR's. They go together very smoothly when all cuts are dead square. The narrow width means that there is a minimum of fuss because of warped plywood. Actually the Auroco that I bought several months ago has stay nice and flat. I was surprised that it did not warp while sitting for a couple of months between builds.

[Ken Lustgarten]

I am considering putting the jacks on the access panel of my T39's. It seems like a good out of the way place. Has anyone else done this and do you find that location to be good?

[Dan30]

I am considering putting the jacks on the access panel of my T39's. It seems like a good out of the way place. Has anyone else done this and do you find that location to be good?

I did it with my T39 and like it a lot. it helps keep patrons away from any connections.

[Ken Lustgarten]

I did it with my T39 and like it a lot. it helps keep patrons away from any connections.

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking the same thing, that in most situations it will put the connections in a spot where they are out of sight / out of mind. The one exception being an event where the subs are in a V configuration and facing the audience. I need to make a few more speaker cables and will put 90 degree speakon plugs on the ends that hook up to the subs. That should help to keep things nice and tidy.

[jswingchun]

The one exception being an event where the subs are in a V configuration and facing the audience.

I end up having to set mine up like this more often that I would want to admit. There just aren't a lot of places where I can wall load them. I wouldn't be comfortable with the cables pointing out toward the crowd. I have mine on the back of the cab, about half way down if I remember correctly. I have the angled/recessed plates and they face with the angle pointing up. I am considering flipping them the other way so the cables point down (toward the mouth of the cab) when plugged in to make a cleaner run.

[Ken Lustgarten]

I got one more evening of work done on the T39's. They are actually a little further along then what the pics show. The PL is cleaned up, holes filled, edges rounded over, and the cabs are sanded. Either tomorrow or Saturday I will start with flat black latex followed by two coats of Duratex.

https://picasaweb.google.com/klustgarte ... t2l-MOY5QE

I can't wait to test these cabs out and start on my next pair which will be 24" wide loaded with Lab12's. I should at least have time to rough cut all the parts this weekend! The system is finally starting to take shape and I will be able to start advertising after I have 4 T39's. My next build will be 2 Wedgehorns. I need some good monitors for live sound. For now I have some older 12" wedges available that I can use temporarily.

This will put an end to my pro builds until the system earns some money at which time I will build a third pair of T39's and 2 more Wedgehorns. I plan for the system to max out at 8 DR200's and 8 T39's. I can't envision that this system will ever come up short for my needs. What I like about this system is that it scales very well ranging from small and portable to large when needed. In the meantime while the system earns its keep I will be switching gears to revamp my home system. Plans include a pair of TLAH's and a Table Tuba. The TLAH's will be of the latest variant with the taper in the back (looks more like an SLA from the front) as the corner mount version will be a little to wide because there is a window 12" away from one of the corners. I have to get the updated plans for the TLAH, my plans predate the new version.