Yamaha DXR15 woofer upgrade/replacement.

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David Ojeda

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Dec 8, 2021
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Hello, i currently have a pair a Yamaha DXR15. Seeing at the DZR line, being the top line.
I tough if it could be an upgrade replacing the OEM driver on the DXR15,
With the woofer Lavoce WAN153.00. Being lighter neo magnet.
And with more xmax. and bigger voice coil 3 inch voice coil vs 2.5 inch voice coil from the OEM 15 woofer.

I also would like to replace the OEM 1.4" Diaphragm with the new 1.75" from the MK2.
Any thoughs ?
Thanks everyone.
 
At a minimum, you will need to update the processing in the box when you make the driver changes, and that's assuming the new driver is appropriate for the box size and tuning. And given that the processing is usually baked into the amplifier module, updating it may not be possible as an end-user.

IMO, if you want an upgrade, you'd be better served by selling your existing boxes and putting those funds towards your new speakers.
 
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David Ojeda said:
Hello, i currently have a pair a Yamaha DXR15. Seeing at the DZR line, being the top line.
I tough if it could be an upgrade replacing the OEM driver on the DXR15,
With the woofer Lavoce WAN153.00. Being lighter neo magnet.
And with more xmax. and bigger voice coil 3 inch voice coil vs 2.5 inch voice coil from the OEM 15 woofer.

I also would like to replace the OEM 1.4" Diaphragm with the new 1.75" from the MK2.
Any thoughs ?
Thanks everyone.
Click to expand...
Like Rob said - the short answer is no. If you want an upgrade, sell your existing speakers and buy newer ones.
 
To give you a little more technical detail...

Many modern powered speakers have a DSP (digital signal processor) integrated into the amplifier module. Yes, there are still some that do not, but these are generally cheap off brand stuff from China, and generally undesirable. The engineers select the driver components they plan to use in the speaker system, then they carefully program the DSP to compensate for the characteristics of the drivers and cabinet design they selected, so that the sound that comes out the front side is as equalized / flat / shaped (depending on intent) as they can possibly deliver. They will also program max power levels, and max driver excursion so that under most circumstances, it is extremely difficult to blow these cabinets up.

If you are a "speaker tweaker", and you think you can do better than the Yamaha / QSC / EV / etc engineers, then you should basically never buy powered cabs. Stick to unpowered boxes, and buy your own amps. Then you can change drivers at a whim...

Some years back, I bought a pair of broken QSC KW152's, fixed them up (bad caps) & played around with this very idea. I quickly concluded that the QSC engineers, with access to anechoic chambers and advanced electronic analysis equipment were able to get much better sound out of decent but mid line Celestion drivers than I was slapping in some random high end drivers that were completely outside the parameters of the DSP / amplifier module.
 
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If your up for an experiment give it try, do a controlled listening test between the OEM speaker and
the "upgraded" version better yet post up some transfer function screen shot traces.

There's a 50 50 chance that the woofer may not actually fit the cabinet bolt holes may not line up and or
the cut out could be too small, I've never opened up a DZR or DXR for that matter but if the woofer
fits into a recessed opening the frame may not fit into it.

Again I have never opened up a DZR but do the OEM drivers even indicate what there rated impedance
is? If you want to experiment you at least need to get that right.
 
Ok, thanks everyone for your time and kmowledge share. I get it. Now im stuck between a pair of jbl srx835 or the rcf hdm 45a. Mostly for events of 100 to 150 people. in a open area of 6000sq ft. Are the rcf hdm 45a, miles away in sound quality vs the jbl?
I use the DXR15s with four 18 sound NLW9601, 18 inch subwoofers.
 
Kind of an apples vs oranges comparison, don't you think? The JBLs are THREE way passive, you pick the power amps you want to run, meanwhile the RCFs are TWO way fully powered & DSP optimized.

My opinion, which will probably be unpopular, but having lived through the era of passive cabinets, and the modern era of powered DSP optimized cabinets, well, I'll take the self powered, DSP optimized cabinets for smaller gigs, EVERY SINGLE TIME. (My opinion changes when you get to gigs big enough to use flying line array cabinets with a proper pre show computer optimization of the full system).

Regarding 3 way vs 2 way, you didn't mention what you are using the system for. I'd go 3 way for live bands, especially those with competent vocalists who will benefit from that extra mid range coverage provided by 3 way. If it's just pre-recorded pop, EDM, rap, disco, whatever, then 2 way will be just fine. How much attention are people really paying anyway, it's a party, right?
 
Roy Andrews said:
Kind of an apples vs oranges comparison, don't you think? The JBLs are THREE way passive, you pick the power amps you want to run, meanwhile the RCFs are TWO way fully powered & DSP optimized.

My opinion, which will probably be unpopular, but having lived through the era of passive cabinets, and the modern era of powered DSP optimized cabinets, well, I'll take the self powered, DSP optimized cabinets for smaller gigs, EVERY SINGLE TIME. (My opinion changes when you get to gigs big enough to use flying line array cabinets with a proper pre show computer optimization of the full system).

Regarding 3 way vs 2 way, you didn't mention what you are using the system for. I'd go 3 way for live bands, especially those with competent vocalists who will benefit from that extra mid range coverage provided by 3 way. If it's just pre-recorded pop, EDM, rap, disco, whatever, then 2 way will be just fine. How much attention are people really paying anyway, it's a party, right?
Click to expand...
sorry, i meant SRX 835P , the active speaker.
 
Roy Andrews said:
Kind of an apples vs oranges comparison, don't you think? The JBLs are THREE way passive, you pick the power amps you want to run, meanwhile the RCFs are TWO way fully powered & DSP optimized.

My opinion, which will probably be unpopular, but having lived through the era of passive cabinets, and the modern era of powered DSP optimized cabinets, well, I'll take the self powered, DSP optimized cabinets for smaller gigs, EVERY SINGLE TIME. (My opinion changes when you get to gigs big enough to use flying line array cabinets with a proper pre show computer optimization of the full system).

Regarding 3 way vs 2 way, you didn't mention what you are using the system for. I'd go 3 way for live bands, especially those with competent vocalists who will benefit from that extra mid range coverage provided by 3 way. If it's just pre-recorded pop, EDM, rap, disco, whatever, then 2 way will be just fine. How much attention are people really paying anyway, it's a party, right?
Click to expand...
Its just for Djing, recorded music.
I am just looking for more sound quality, an upgrade of the DXR15. I feel the subwoofers overpower the DXR15, so i think there is more room for mids.

Yes, its for partys. People like the sound of the system. I Just want to upgrade.
"Its the i want more sickness".
 
Roy pretty much said what I would have.

Between the DXR's and the RCF HDM45's The RCF's would be the better choice, if for nothing else the large format
high frequency driver and it doesn't hurt that they have a little more power.
I have a pair of the ART 732's and they sound great,

That said my main systems are bi-amp or tri-amp passive cabinets and amp racks.
 
Mike Caldwell said:
Roy pretty much said what I would have.

Between the DXR's and the RCF HDM45's The RCF's would be the better choice, if for nothing else the large format
high frequency driver and it doesn't hurt that they have a little more power.
I have a pair of the ART 732's and they sound great,

That said my main systems are bi-amp or tri-amp passive cabinets and amp racks.
Click to expand...
Do you think the RCF HDM45 are the choice over the JBL SRX 835p ?
 
Ok, all things being equal (which they almost never are), you will almost always get smoother transitions from a 3 way cabinet than you will from a 2 way cabinet. The technical reason lies in the way that the high frequency horn drivers are constructed. HF compression drivers have a diaphragm, which is usually 3/4" to 2" in diameter. The softest material this will ever be made from is a stiff Mylar plastic, and the hardest material, titanium, with several (many?) other materials having been tried & used as well. This is excellent for true high frequencies, but can sound a bit harsh for mids - generally speaking, you want the mass of the driver to be in sync with the frequencies it is producing, so a large 15" driver transitioning directly to a tiny 1.5" (ish) driver is technically sub optimal. The human voice falls mostly in the mid range of frequencies, so having a 5" to 8" mid range driver can help to smooth this out, especially when the low frequency driver is a 15".

(Side note, in my opinion, this is why modern DSP optimized active cabinets are awesome: the engineers can program the DSP to compensate the amplifier & driver response curves to really minimize the impact of only having a HF & LF driver, whereas in the old days you'd need a spectrum analyzer, a graphic EQ & a bunch of time to really sort this out).

Anyway, in many cases when using pre-recorded music, the difference will be subtle. I don't think the difference is going to jump out & smack you in the head (or ears). If I had to guess (since I've never personally auditioned either of these speakers), I would say that you would hear it clearly in jazz, whereas it might be close to imperceptible in EDM (nothing against EDM, BTW, I love it too).

Having said that, if you don't mind carrying around the 85lbs !! weight of the JBL 3 ways (JBL SRX 835p), I think you would enjoy the sound they can produce for you at your gigs. I suspect that they would be sonically similar to the QSC KW153, a DSP active cabinet that I am familiar with and really like.
 
Roy Andrews said:
Having said that, if you don't mind carrying around the 85lbs !! weight of the JBL 3 ways (JBL SRX 835p), I think you would enjoy the sound they can produce for you at your gigs. I suspect that they would be sonically similar to the QSC KW153, a DSP active cabinet that I am familiar with and really like.
Click to expand...
Weight is on the back of the beholder, methinks. At about 85 lbs the SRX835p is LIGHT, compared to another 3 way cab of yesteryear, the KF850, which weighs around 250 lbs. The 850 will outperform the 835p but the weight and roughly 55° x 35° pattern makes the 850 much less desirable for weekend warriors and bands/DJs carrying their own systems. So is 85lbs a deal breaker? Not for me but I threw out my back 40 years ago...

And really, if one is doing gigs that call for larger, heavier equipment in order to meet client expectations or provider promises, GET A HELPER. Seriously. And make sure the helper is a line item on your invoice...
 
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