CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

mr_ro_co · Joined: 08 May 2006 Posts: 1643 Location: Santa Fe NM

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4901 Location: Flower Mound, TX

I'm no expert nor do I claim to be, but as an interesting FYI, I googled "define:midbass" and this is what I got:
http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3Amidbass&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Also, I found several large speakers being identified as "midbass". Here is a 15":
http://www.rcf.it/vediMacro.phtml/lang/IT/IDMacro/2726/menuAttivo/2293/m1/1/m2/1/m3/1_1_0/LowFrequencyWoofer/Mid-BassMB15H401/product.htm

Since they consider a 40-2KHz range "midbass" it goes to support the upper definition to some degree.

The guys that make an $85,000 system seem to consider the frequency range of 60Hz-400Hz as the midbass range:
http://www.vonschweikert.com/zvr10.htm

Frankly, I'm not an expert in this field, but after my quick googling and reading I've come away with the impression that midbass starts somewhere around 40-60Hz and ends somewhere between 200 and 400 Hz.

Further, the term "midbass driver" seems to be used in two ways:
1) A driver that is only covering the midbass range (40-60 up to 200-400), or
2) A compbination midbass/midrange driver covering the midbass range and the midrange (up to somewhere between 2 kHz and 2.5 kHz). Thus a speaker doing 40-60Hz up to 2-2.5 kHz.

Like I said, I don't know anything, but that seems to be what the industry is saying. Smile

Again, I've got no dog in the fight.

Dave

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:18 am Post subject:

Hell, if you believe Bose, a stamped frame 6" speaker is a 'subwoofer... Very Happy

mr_ro_co · Joined: 08 May 2006 Posts: 1643 Location: Santa Fe NM

By "midbass," many people are probably referring to midrange-bass, meaning drivers that have extended response. For obvious reasons these tend to be small drivers.

The term "midbass" is more properly used when one is dividing the bass range with woofers purposed for only the subdivided ranges.

A small woofer that can run up to 2.5 KHz cleanly is still a woofer. The reason why most small woofers can reproduce upper midrange well is mostly a function of their small radiating diameter. Woofers become better and better at midrange frequency the smaller they get. This is nothing special. That is, will an average 5.25" woofer have good midrange performance? Almost certainly. It is redundant to point this out with a term "midbass." The defining feature of a small woofer is its bass ability, not its midrange ability, which is almost inevitable.

Now watch someone jump on me for discrediting driver designer efforts to maximize extended range out of small woofers, and that their midrange ability is no accident. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know all that, okay!

Or, what about those full range drivers! They reproduce bass all the way to treble! Still gonna call them woofers? Huh?

Please spare me such challenges!

mr_ro_co · Joined: 08 May 2006 Posts: 1643 Location: Santa Fe NM

Mark_A_W · Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:34 am Post subject:

This is kinda surreal.

I'm going to go and stroke my midbasses, that's what they are. The are not woofers, and they are not midranges, they are midbasses. The term is ubiquitous.

mr_ro_co · Joined: 08 May 2006 Posts: 1643 Location: Santa Fe NM

redcorvette_85 · Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 10:51 pm Post subject:

Well lately I have been keeping an eye on craigs list for some decent used speakers at a good price to get me going on a starter set and haven't had a lot of luck finding something I like. So I took a look at Vancouver's craigs list yesterday(about a 2-3 hour drive) and they seem to have a lot more used paradigm speakers at better prices for sale than they do in Washington state. So my question is what do you guys think of the Paradigm SE series, there seem to be a lot of those for sale reasonably priced. I can tell they are the lower end of the line, but do they still sound pretty good? From what I saw I was thinking a pair of 9 or 7se's for fronts and and 3se's or atoms for the surrounds. Also what is the deal with bringing that kind of stuff back across the border? I am guessing there is some kind of tax or fee.
Thanks

jask · Joined: 17 Mar 2006 Posts: 10165 Location: kamloops BC

the 3 are nice cheap speakers, not pretty,kind of black boxy and a little bulky but they have decent sound for the very little cash you need to put out for them.As long as they are not the primary HT speakers and are paired with a good clean sub they will impress the hell out of you in a dark room.I have a set I use with the TV in the family room,had to reglue the edge of one surround after a few years of hard driving Very Happy

Rob Babcock · Joined: 15 Mar 2007 Posts: 85

I'm not a big fan of vintage speakers. Some of that stuff was okay (some legendary Yamahas come to mind...) but a lot of it is pure junk. I would have to acknowledge that while I love video, I'm a bit more of an audio guy. I prefer "audiophool" as a term. Razz

mack1 · Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 494 Location: SARNIA

Ridebreck · Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 5:43 pm Post subject:

I've been contemplating building DIY surrounds for my HT, but I'm having one hell of a time filtering through the snake oil, fanboys, and endless seas of information. I keep hearing that DIY speakers are very inexpensive. Does anyone know of some good sites to learn a bit about this before I dive in (even if they may happen to call them "woofers" or "midbasses")? Wink

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4901 Location: Flower Mound, TX

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 5:52 pm Post subject:

racerxnet · Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 362 Location: Illinois

I think some of the most innovative designs of the 80's was the Infinity brand with the SEMIT, EMIT, EMIM, Polygraph and Polydome drivers. The Kappa 7,8,and 9 series are very affordable used, and are quite hard to beat for full range speakers. Replacement diaphrams are costly though. I remember reading about the Ionovac Plasma driver. Pretty innovative, if not dangerous at the time. I believe there is a German company producing plasma based type speakers.

Most important is the synergy of the combined equipment and the room size. What is your budget, speaker preference, amplifiers, etc. Let your ears decide, not the final cost. Audiogon is an excellent source for used equipment as well.

Happy listening! Smile

MAK

jask · Joined: 17 Mar 2006 Posts: 10165 Location: kamloops BC

I agree with Curt if size is not a problem there are lots of vintage bargains. for DIY stuff google diy speaker designs
try this out:
http://www.doddsy.net/steve6_020.htm
or
http://www.speakerbuilding.com/
or
http://www.nutshellhifi.com/Ariel.html .. these look like a great design
and if you have a lot of time to surf...
http://www.members.aol.com/_ht_a/pjay99site/linksdiy.html

scoobydoo · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 358 Location: Victoria BC

Hey Little Red

I just went through what your going through.
I'm too lazy to do the DIY thing.

So I went out "looking" one day. I found the best place to pick up deals are actually at a good stereo shop.
I frequently go to one here in Victoria called Sound Hounds. I picked up an amplifer (Creek 5350SE) less than half of what the guy paid for it a year ago. He upgraded and they don't do trade ins but consignments. The next week I went in just to "look" again at speakers.

I demo two B&W set using my amplifier (they had a demo one in the store). The first one I tried out are the B&W CM1 Bookshelf style speakers and compared them to a set of floor B&W speakers.
I found that the CM1 blew away the floor speaker, IMO. I prefer less bass for my music and the floor speakers produced more base and distorted the clarity of the vocals and other instruments.

I ended up picking up the speakers for a good deal as a guy had just traded in two sets with stands. You couldn't even tell that they were used and since the speakers where originally bought at the same store (like the amplifier) they are able to swing things under warranty like they did with my amp I bought there when I did something dumb hooking it up and blew something.

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4901 Location: Flower Mound, TX

d50q · Joined: 22 Nov 2007 Posts: 118 Location: ma usa

its amazing what you can do with a few dollars

i picked up a box of 12 mtx fulranges rated from 65hz to 15k i think its been awhile
anyway i paid like 25 dollars for the box of them and with a few scraps of lumber i made a transmissionline speaker pair
played with the dmpening material till the low end was tyo my taste andwith a 94 bd sensitiviity the sonic t amp i used to drive them they got pretty loud

i still have the other 10 in the box was thinking of building a line array maybe someday

and i saw on utube a guy made a speaker from a paper plate ,tinfiol and a penny
i dont know what the impedence would be on that but the dang thing worked lol