Curvearray questions

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Keryn O'Shea
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Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 5:50 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Curvearray questions

#1 Post by Keryn O'Shea »

Good evening all,
I'm looking for suggestions on a way to build something to drop tweeters on top of the pictured Curvearray. I built it way back when without tweeters.. not sure why. I had a single silk dome sitting at the front/centre, that was cute, but wasn't really cutting it. I'm also free to use more than 6 tweeters, would you go nine? And finally should I even bother as they'll be quite a distance from the mids?
Attachments
20220902_172744.jpg
AT8 14", AT10 19", T30 28" LAB12, T48 36" 3015LF, THT 20" LAB15, SLA 4x3"/4x4", CArray 6x4", TLAH, TLAP, J10 FLat, J12 Flat, OT12 Flat, OT15 CD, SLAP 2x6"/4x6", WH8, DR280 Mld'd, XF210. Next J10L

Grant Bunter
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Re: Curvearray questions

#2 Post by Grant Bunter »

Welcome back Keryn, LTNS!

I had a thought, check out Wagner's website (or WES components if you are a registered user, same people) at their ribbons.
Ribbons have come way down in price, there might be something simple and cute to throw in a little box that does the trick???

Or, rebuild the box with the drivers you have, and add tweets...
Built:
DR 250: x 2 melded array, 2x CD horn, March 2012 plans.
T39's: 4 x 20" KL3010LF , 2 x 28" 3012LF.
WH8: x 6 with melded array wired series/parallel.
Bunter's Audio and Lighting "like"s would be most appreciated...

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Bill Fitzmaurice
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Re: Curvearray questions

#3 Post by Bill Fitzmaurice »

I'd duplicate the existing box made just high enough for six tweeters. Either that or start over.

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Seth
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Re: Curvearray questions

#4 Post by Seth »

What's the measurement from the top of the woofer cut out to the top of the cab? Is there not enough room to drill and put surface mount tweeters there?
Build in process - 2 WH6, one Alpha 6a loaded, one PRV Audio 6MB250-NDY loaded

Two 2x6 shorty SLA Pro's
One T39, 16", 3012LF loaded
Tall AutoTuba, 20" wide, 2x 8" MCM 55-2421
TruckTuba, 8½" wide, 2x 8" MCM 55-2421

Keryn O'Shea
Posts: 444
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 5:50 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Re: Curvearray questions

#5 Post by Keryn O'Shea »

Thank you for your responses gentlemen,

Cheers Grant, yes it's been many moons! Ok I'll check out the ribbons man, I've not had any experience with them.

Yes Bill it's looking that way if I want to have the six tweeters in this cab to start over. We're still trying to have a shed built here at our new premises, so I've nowhere to make proper dust atm. A 9 driver/tweeter Curvearray is the first cab on my list to build though when that happens.

Seth, the driver cutouts are centred on the baffle so there's not enough room for a GT-302 above the mid, even shaving both component frames and the inner of the cab, I just sat over at the cab with a GT-302 to find that out, but... I noticed that there is enough room to fit 5 tweeters in between each mid on the join of each baffle. I can sort the gap at the tweeter frame with something.
So now my question is, would five tweeters work out with impedance/filters..

Actually there could be 2 tweeters on the centre baffle join, that makes 6. If I'm making a mess of this now, just tell me and I'll let myself out..
AT8 14", AT10 19", T30 28" LAB12, T48 36" 3015LF, THT 20" LAB15, SLA 4x3"/4x4", CArray 6x4", TLAH, TLAP, J10 FLat, J12 Flat, OT12 Flat, OT15 CD, SLAP 2x6"/4x6", WH8, DR280 Mld'd, XF210. Next J10L

Keryn O'Shea
Posts: 444
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 5:50 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Re: Curvearray questions

#6 Post by Keryn O'Shea »

If the tweeters were to be built into a frame which sits on top of this cab, would they be too far away from the mids?
Attachments
20220903_160223.jpg
AT8 14", AT10 19", T30 28" LAB12, T48 36" 3015LF, THT 20" LAB15, SLA 4x3"/4x4", CArray 6x4", TLAH, TLAP, J10 FLat, J12 Flat, OT12 Flat, OT15 CD, SLAP 2x6"/4x6", WH8, DR280 Mld'd, XF210. Next J10L

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Bill Fitzmaurice
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Re: Curvearray questions

#7 Post by Bill Fitzmaurice »

Less than ideal, but serviceable. You'd have to be within three feet or so to notice any problem.

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Seth
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Re: Curvearray questions

#8 Post by Seth »

A couple thoughts I had on possible solutions...

- Mount the tweeters in front of the woofer on two strips of wood that bridge the woofer cutout.
- Mount the tweeters behind a cloth grill that fits to the face of the array, hiding any unsightly overlap.
- Get tweeters with smaller frame dimensions that would fit your existing available space.
- Router filler discs, glue them in the existing driver cutouts, fill any voids with Bondo, sand flush, relocate the cutouts lower, allowing the tweeters to be mounted above. Still way less work than building one from scratch.
Build in process - 2 WH6, one Alpha 6a loaded, one PRV Audio 6MB250-NDY loaded

Two 2x6 shorty SLA Pro's
One T39, 16", 3012LF loaded
Tall AutoTuba, 20" wide, 2x 8" MCM 55-2421
TruckTuba, 8½" wide, 2x 8" MCM 55-2421

Keryn O'Shea
Posts: 444
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 5:50 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Re: Curvearray questions

#9 Post by Keryn O'Shea »

Excellent, thank you all very much for your input and help with this minor and possibly annoying venture, there's some interesting fabrication ideas there Seth!
AT8 14", AT10 19", T30 28" LAB12, T48 36" 3015LF, THT 20" LAB15, SLA 4x3"/4x4", CArray 6x4", TLAH, TLAP, J10 FLat, J12 Flat, OT12 Flat, OT15 CD, SLAP 2x6"/4x6", WH8, DR280 Mld'd, XF210. Next J10L

Grant Bunter
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Re: Curvearray questions

#10 Post by Grant Bunter »

Heck, if you were to go to all that trouble, why not just redo the baffle from scratch.
Cut out the existing baffle with a multitool, pop a new one in that has everything in the right place.

Way faster, easier to work, sand etc.

Provided there's enough room to add tweets or lower the drivers...
Built:
DR 250: x 2 melded array, 2x CD horn, March 2012 plans.
T39's: 4 x 20" KL3010LF , 2 x 28" 3012LF.
WH8: x 6 with melded array wired series/parallel.
Bunter's Audio and Lighting "like"s would be most appreciated...

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Seth
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Re: Curvearray questions

#11 Post by Seth »

Keryn O'Shea wrote: Sat Sep 03, 2022 4:23 pm ...interesting fabrication ideas there Seth!
I did a TruckTuba that I started out per the plans. Then, I switched gears and put the drivers on a completely different pannel after I'd already cut the hole in the original designated spot. It was way easier to fill the already cut 8" hole than I thought it woud be. After filling, sanding, and paint (duratex) the original hole is completely indistinguishable from the rest of the original panel. Looks completely normal, as if there wasn't ever a hole there.

Doing the same may work out well for you, but you may need to create a circle template and use a pattern following bit to be able to get your router into each angled piece/baffle.

Whether you take that and run with it, or go another direction, I look forward to seeing your results! Please keep us posted (with pics!).
Build in process - 2 WH6, one Alpha 6a loaded, one PRV Audio 6MB250-NDY loaded

Two 2x6 shorty SLA Pro's
One T39, 16", 3012LF loaded
Tall AutoTuba, 20" wide, 2x 8" MCM 55-2421
TruckTuba, 8½" wide, 2x 8" MCM 55-2421

Rich4349
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Location: Kankakee, IL

Re: Curvearray questions

#12 Post by Rich4349 »

You could also "raise the roof" of the cabinet.
Mark off the inner sides sides of the side pieces onto the top (as if you had x-ray vision and were looking down and through the top, seeing the side boards.)
Drill four corner holes inboard of the sides, so that you don't damage them.
Connect the holes with a jigsaw, avoiding the baffle until you can see what you're doing.
Then glue another, new top piece on top, extending the height of the cabinet by the thickness of the original top (that you just cut most of off.)

You should pick up about 12.5 mm of real estate to work with. If 12mm isn't enough to do the job add furring strips of adequate thickness.
2 DR250s, 2 27" Lab15 T-60s, 2 30" Neo Titan 39s, 1 Autotuba...and looking for more!

Keryn O'Shea
Posts: 444
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 5:50 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Re: Curvearray questions

#13 Post by Keryn O'Shea »

Grant Bunter wrote: Fri Sep 02, 2022 3:48 am check out Wagner's ribbons.
They'd be an easy shape to work with Grant, I'm sure they would sound amazing, but they would blow the budget unfortunately!
Great site though, cheers for that.
Rich4349 wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 3:23 pm You should pick up about 12.5 mm of real estate to work with. If 12mm isn't enough to do the job add furring strips of adequate thickness.
That would almost get them in Rich, however...
Grant Bunter wrote: Sat Sep 03, 2022 4:29 pm Heck, if you were to go to all that trouble, why not just redo the baffle from scratch.
Yes, with a 9 driver cab! The more I look at it, cutting into a finished cab unless there was something quite wrong with it (like not enough braces in a T30 :conf:), could be going backwards.
Seth wrote: Sat Sep 03, 2022 1:24 pm - Mount the tweeters in front of the woofer on two strips of wood that bridge the woofer cutout.
- Mount the tweeters behind a cloth grill that fits to the face of the array, hiding any unsightly overlap.
Would I be losing anything from the woofers if they were mounted in front? And if they were mounted any further forward of the woofer, would that cause a problem with sound?
Attachments
20220919_204509.jpg
AT8 14", AT10 19", T30 28" LAB12, T48 36" 3015LF, THT 20" LAB15, SLA 4x3"/4x4", CArray 6x4", TLAH, TLAP, J10 FLat, J12 Flat, OT12 Flat, OT15 CD, SLAP 2x6"/4x6", WH8, DR280 Mld'd, XF210. Next J10L

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Bill Fitzmaurice
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Re: Curvearray questions

#14 Post by Bill Fitzmaurice »

Putting them in front will cause some loss of upper midrange. Frequencies with a wavelength significantly greater than the diameter of the tweeters will go around them, but frequencies with a wavelength shorter than that won't.

Keryn O'Shea
Posts: 444
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 5:50 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Re: Curvearray questions

#15 Post by Keryn O'Shea »

Ok thank you Bill, I'll clear a spot somewhere and get to mocking something up..
AT8 14", AT10 19", T30 28" LAB12, T48 36" 3015LF, THT 20" LAB15, SLA 4x3"/4x4", CArray 6x4", TLAH, TLAP, J10 FLat, J12 Flat, OT12 Flat, OT15 CD, SLAP 2x6"/4x6", WH8, DR280 Mld'd, XF210. Next J10L

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