Re: 60 Degree DIY Mid Hi
Speaking of Max's version of the box, we got to have some fun with it a few weeks ago! We did a mini "shootout" in my shop. The DIY vs. a d&b M4 vs. a Community SLS960.
The settings that Max rolled with out of the gate were a little, "eh" sounding. I think they were a modified version of what Peter had posted, because he was working with a much more limited processor. So, we spent a little time with SMAART and came up with with Max has dubbed the "DIY lite preset." I took a much simpler approach to EQ'ing/aligning the box, and was quite happy with the results. I gotta say, it packs a lot of SPL in a little-ish box, and the low section does a good job of keeping up with the mid/high. However, after seeing the DIY in person, it certainly not as "compact" as I was expecting. It's somewhere in between a Community SLS920 and 960 size wise, just a little lighter.
So, anyhoo... Some remarks from the listening tests:
The d&b M4 was the all around best sounding out of the gate. It's also the lightest and most compact. Also the most expensive. It's 44lbs, pole mountable and came within 2dB of limit on Max's somewhat conservative presets. The Community SLS960 was the loudest by far- about 6dB more output(and I didn't bother running it into limit) than where Max's DIY stopped. But, the 960 was also the "SPL by sheer force" box. It gets loud, sounds decent doing it, but doesn't quite have the detail or smoothness of the other contenders. If you just need stupid loud, the SLS960 is the winner in this case. A little disclaimer though, I was running an older preset which isn't quite a fine-tuned, so that put the 960 at a little disadvantage. But on to the DIY...
I'm impressed all around! It's a cool design and my hat goes off to Peter for making a low section that can keep up with that big ass horn. Even at high SPL it keeps right up and is damn clean doing it. It's easy to have a good sounding, loud as balls MF/HF when you have a massive driver on a massive horn. But having a low section that can keep pace is the key to success, and Peter did it. It's certainly a good box for the money involved, and if you have any kind of carpentry skills, it can be a good money maker for a small audio company.
Oh, and on a side note: I know the quest for a sub that can keep up has been an ongoing venture... Well, Max can attest to this as well, my CD218 kept right up with the DIY. 8)~
~
Evan
