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<blockquote data-quote="Ivan Beaver" data-source="post: 51159" data-attributes="member: 30">Re: Adding cheapo piezo horns to cheapo monitors.Having used all the different types of piezo drivers over the years-here is my take and some considerations.Everything I used was the Motorola version-so I cannot comment on the &quot;current crop&quot; of piezos.The biggest thing you are going to run into is sensitivity.&nbsp; While the effeciency of a piezo is extremely high-the sensitivity is not so.&nbsp; So depending on the woofer-this may or may not be an issue.In any case with a piezo you will want to completely bypass the old crossover.&nbsp; Just wire it directly to the input terminals.&nbsp; HOWEVER it is recommended to put a small series resistor between the input and the piezo.&nbsp; 8 ohms or so.&nbsp; This helps at extremely high freq where the piezo is acting as a capacitor-to prevent a very low impedance on the amplifier.&nbsp; I would first consider one of the screw on piezos for the current horn. There were 2 versions-a 800hz and a 1.8Khz.&nbsp; They both have a little light bulb built in-for some added protection (it doesn&#039;t always work)&nbsp; But both of these can handle more voltage (think power if you want to) than the typical &quot;little guy&quot;.&nbsp; I would go for the 800Hz version myself-if still available. Then the 1.8KhzMy next choice would be the 2x6.&nbsp; Basically a 1.8Khz driver on a small 2x6&quot; horn.Then you are left with the 3x5 and 4&quot; round guys-which are pretty much the same-except for size.&nbsp; These handle less than the ones listed above.&nbsp; You can always add more together to make it louder.&nbsp; Don&#039;t worry about impedance-since the piezo is pretyy high and will not be an issue.You WILL have some combfiltering issues-but at this level I would not really care about that.If you want to increase the &quot;power&quot; (actually voltage) capacity, use several with them connected in a series parallel configuration (4 or 6 with 2 in series-all sets in parallel).&nbsp; This will give you 6dB more &quot;power&quot; capacity&quot;.&nbsp; And look &quot;cooler&quot; also.Depending on which way you go, you may want to disconnect/bypass the crossover on the woofer.&nbsp; If using the horn driver ones I would start by leaving the current crossover in place.If using the &quot;little guys&quot;, I would disconnect the crossover and run the woofer full range.Yes these are general ideas-but we are not talking about a studio monitor here.OF course not knowing any more information than has been provided-it is hard to say what would be best-and I don&#039;t even know what versions of piezo are available now-Parts Express would be a good place to start looking.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ivan Beaver, post: 51159, member: 30"] Re: Adding cheapo piezo horns to cheapo monitors. Having used all the different types of piezo drivers over the years-here is my take and some considerations. Everything I used was the Motorola version-so I cannot comment on the "current crop" of piezos. The biggest thing you are going to run into is sensitivity. While the effeciency of a piezo is extremely high-the sensitivity is not so. So depending on the woofer-this may or may not be an issue. In any case with a piezo you will want to completely bypass the old crossover. Just wire it directly to the input terminals. HOWEVER it is recommended to put a small series resistor between the input and the piezo. 8 ohms or so. This helps at extremely high freq where the piezo is acting as a capacitor-to prevent a very low impedance on the amplifier. I would first consider one of the screw on piezos for the current horn. There were 2 versions-a 800hz and a 1.8Khz. They both have a little light bulb built in-for some added protection (it doesn't always work) But both of these can handle more voltage (think power if you want to) than the typical "little guy". I would go for the 800Hz version myself-if still available. Then the 1.8Khz My next choice would be the 2x6. Basically a 1.8Khz driver on a small 2x6" horn. Then you are left with the 3x5 and 4" round guys-which are pretty much the same-except for size. These handle less than the ones listed above. You can always add more together to make it louder. Don't worry about impedance-since the piezo is pretyy high and will not be an issue. You WILL have some combfiltering issues-but at this level I would not really care about that. If you want to increase the "power" (actually voltage) capacity, use several with them connected in a series parallel configuration (4 or 6 with 2 in series-all sets in parallel). This will give you 6dB more "power" capacity". And look "cooler" also. Depending on which way you go, you may want to disconnect/bypass the crossover on the woofer. If using the horn driver ones I would start by leaving the current crossover in place. If using the "little guys", I would disconnect the crossover and run the woofer full range. Yes these are general ideas-but we are not talking about a studio monitor here. OF course not knowing any more information than has been provided-it is hard to say what would be best-and I don't even know what versions of piezo are available now-Parts Express would be a good place to start looking. [/QUOTE]

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