24" T39's

[Curtybob]

This weekend, I had the chance to break out 2 of the T39 army I am building. We played at a local riding group's clubhouse which was a first for us. The setup was a little unconventional as per Bill's usual guidelines, but we were assured (by the usual house band) that this placement would flood the dancefloor and help with levels at the bar. They were right, but I usually don't take advice like that.

We normally use a couple of powered Mackie SRM 1801's because we have had them forever, and they get us by in small bars. Together, they usually make about 115 dB (120 each is advertised... but I am sure the measurement is taken close) on the typical dancefloor, placed ahead of center stage in a pair. They always need a cut at about 75Hz to cut down on boominess. I usually use their built in 125hz crossover, but it really isn't ideal for the mains we normally use (cheap JBL JRX115) which usually sound better crossed a little lower (105-110).

So, We set up the T39's in front of the stage in a V-plated config, but I misplaced the T-bolts for the plate, so I decided to run without. I did do a short test with the plate laid on top.... anyone in doubt about the necessity of the plate should try it. It makes a very audible difference. The usual JBL's were on stands about 6' in front of the subs, and about 15' apart. The room was a long rectangle with the stage area being in an offset cove at the end of the room. I set the sub crossover at 105 (LR24) and gave it about a 6dB gain boost. The mains got the LP set at 110 (LR24) and eventually wound up with the same 6dB of gain boost. I assumed that the mains would overtake the subs, which resulted in the initial sub boost. If I had set the crossover higher, it likely would have been closer. I also had a 2.13ms delay on the mains to help a huge cancellation.

The subs performed way better than I expected, even with the lack of the V plate and no corner or wall loading. The radio shack spl meter I have was reading 116dB on the dancefloor with no real strain on anything. The back of the long room read about 92dB, but I didn't get a reading until after the crowd was starting to grow. I turned up to 120 on the dancefloor after a handful of requests to crank it. There was no real need to adjust the eq after the volume, except for our singers' mic channels. They have a horrible habit of sitting on whatever is in front during slow dance songs. So I had to change the HP on both channels to about 115 before the low feedback disappeared.

Here is the only pic I have of the night... sorry about the blur. It is from a cell phone, taken by someone in the crowd at the front of the dancefloor. We have had horrible weather for the last few weeks, and painting the second sub has not happened yet. Didn't matter much in this setting, but I'll definitely have to class it up for the next few gigs in town.



The 2 DR250's I have built will be put to use as soon as the weather clears and I can get some duratex on them. I used herculiner on the sub that has been painted, but it is a pain to apply evenly. Plus, it stinks. No chance of doing that indoors.

[Tom Smit]

Glad you liked it!

[kkip]

If you are planning to user Duratex with a roller, you can apply it indoors with just a cracked window for ventilation (if that). It has virtually no odor or fumes. Honestly, I don't know why anyone would use anything else. It is so easy to apply and the results are awesome.

[Curtybob]

I did the herculiner because it was easily sourced locally, and because I bought a diy monitor several months ago that is duratexed. Honestly, I am not a fan of how easily it shows scratches (and that monitor has been a nightmare, and i think it makes me hate everything about it). I finally broke down and decided to go with duratex because it is cheaper than most other options, and because it looks easier to apply.

As for painting inside, I was told the other day that I will lose my life if any painting goes on in the house. So I have to wait for the weather to clear, or an out of town trip.

[kkip]

As for painting inside, I was told the other day that I will lose my life if any painting goes on in the house. So I have to wait for the weather to clear, or an out of town trip.

Ah, problems with the WAF? I can relate to that, believe me I can I've applied Durtex indoors but only in an unfinished basement area. Pretty sure if I broke out the Duratex in the living room I would find myself sleeping in the dog house.

I am wondering if the scratching problems with your monitor has more to do with the wood that was used rather than the Duratex. Two coats seem to hold up pretty well on the BB plywood or even Auraco. But, I don't think it would be as durable on softer pine plywood.

[Curtybob]

It gets nicked pretty easy. It's on a diy wedge that has earned it's place as least trusted equipment in the trailer. It looks very professionally done, but only on the very outside. Everything was wired with horrible crimp connections, and It has a horn that likes to randomly quit. Not good in any circumstance. So I think that I just have a bad opinion of the whole thing, and that taints my opinion of duratex.

I will say this: if you are going to test anything, go with the smoother stuff first. Going over that herculiner isn't gonna be fun. Probably gonna have to knock all the texture down before the duratex goes on. Luckily I only got one done.

[miked]

If you're going to redo the whole monitor, I'd just kill off the Herculiner with a belt sander or other sander with appropriately-rough 80-grit paper. And if you're going to go through the trouble of Duratexing, you'll have to remove the drivers...so fix the monitor while you're at it.

And FWIW, Duratex has almost zero smell to it. As it cures, it can smell a little "painty" to my very sensitive nose, but way, way less than typical water-based paint does and about 1,000 times less than rattle can paint. The big worry about DTexing indoors is splatter. As you roll the stuff on you will get some thrown off the roller, no matter how careful you are. So the real danger of Duratexing indoors isn't the smell; it's the chance of getting beaned in the head with a hammer by SWMBO.

[Curtybob]

Yay! I finally got to break out a couple of the DR250's. I had a non-typical setup tonight, but it worked really well. I had 2 DR250's with flat melded arrays, and the same T39's that are waiting on a decent paintjob. Because of a lot of obstacles, I wound up standing the T39's near a corner. There wasn't enough room to V-plate, and there was a dart machine in the corner that the owner didn't allow us to move. The results were still good... but there were a few nulls that I believe would have been corrected if we had enough room to do it right.

The DR250's were on stands, right in front of the stage area. We ran a little late getting to the club, so setup was rushed, and the EQ could have used a little more attention. But I was really surprised at the results I got after just swapping our JBL's for these. I cannot brag on these cabs enough. I can't wait to hear the full melded arrays.



If anyone is curious, the tweeters are painted with a coat of Krylon Fusion in bright red for a base coat, and then a coat of Testors "1629 Gloss Custom Red Metal Flake" spray enamel. I wanted more of a candy apple red, but this is close.



Yep, same two subs, in need of some love and paint.

[Tom Smit]

Nice looking cabs! You might want to tilt them down to catch those sitting down, though, since the pattern of the highs are very controlled.

I hope you get to continue enjoying the cabs.

[DJPhatman]

Judging by the height of the people standing between the camera and the far DR250, I'd say they are the perfect height. Just toe them in about 10-15 degrees to extend your horizontal coverage.

As for the subs, Turn the painted one with the mouth towards the dart board and the side flush against the wall, then move the unpainted one in or out until it is 90 degrees at the mouths, like an "L" shape. Not quite as good as V-plating, but it gets you close.

[Curtybob]

Those are technically the top cabs for the big rig (fixing to start making some big progress), so I didn't want to put holes in for tophats. So, I quickly fabbed up some wooden platform-style adaptors to put the cabs up on the stands. I have them set for a 5 degree angle, effectively putting the front of the cabs angled down by 2 degrees.

And thanks for the sub advice... next time we play there, I will have to give that a shot. I did notice that the nulls were sort of ring-shaped, radiating from the corner. Sort of a cool trick, if I understood how to "aim" them. There was a spot right at the center of the stage, and it carried over to the corner area of the bar. Made for a easier mix because the girls' mics were not getting swamped.