What Drivers would you use

[edward]

Gentlemen and Ladies
The question is:
If you had to i repeat had to replace the drivers on, oh say the
Rocket 850
Which would you choose?:scratchchin:
Not the electronics, crossover, amplifier, etc.. just the drivers.
The end result being an improvement from the old drivers.

have a safe weekend
ed

[dvenardos]

What he said. :D
Can't change the drivers without redesigning the crossover.

[Mep]

Exact same drivers already in the 850s. If we are talking about a complete redesign, cabinet, crossover and drivers, I'd go with 6.5 inchers for the woofers to make the bigfoot.

[edward]

What he said. :D
Can't change the drivers without redesigning the crossover.

With respect to Mr dvenardos i don't want to come across as a hardhead and clearly i do need to read up on loudspeaker design as i am inexperienced at how the thing works.
But here goes

Why does the crossover have to be redisigned ?
i am under the impression that the crossover controls/limits the frequency to the drivers and the drivers reproduce
that part of the signal being sent to them so if the limits are unchanged the new drivers would still be under the old frequency limits??
And it is difficult to believe that of all the driver manufacturers there isn't a few made that can fit in 850's cut outs.
while the drill holes may not line up i do not think the 850s enclosure is made with a hand in glove type fit there has to be some space left in there.
Of course i could be totally wrong about this.

thanks
ed

[etcarroll]

What you're now asking for is a primer on speaker design.

Before that conversation goes any further, maybe you'd enlighten us all as to just why you're considering changing out the drivers in the first place.

[NekoAudio]

Forgetting even the crossovers, the enclosure's interior volume was designed to match the T/S parameters of the woofer.

The simple explanation is two drivers that _look_ the same have very different electrical and acoustic characteristics. The crossover is designed under those conditions.

As an example, your receiver has a built-in crossover for handling a subwoofer. Even after that, you have to adjust the subwoofer SPL to match your speaker SPL. And adjust the subwoofer's phase relative to your other speakers. And everyone uses the THX 4th order crossover design for this so the frequency overlap is minimized, but if a 2nd or 1st order crossover was used things are a lot more difficult to sync up.

After swapping in a new driver, how are you going to do any of that?

[edward]

What you're now asking for is a primer on speaker design.

Before that conversation goes any further, maybe you'd enlighten us all as to just why you're considering changing out the drivers in the first place.

Thank you learned gentlemen for your posts i have read them and the link provided by SlushPuppy
Mr Etcarroll:
I was just curiuos as to if it can be or has been done. i was thinking that the cheapest way to go about upgrading speakers would be to swap out the drivers.
Mr NekoAudio:
Thanks for the explanation, and good luck with your business.
gentleman:
i have not one piece of AV123 product, but the 850 seems to
be a popular model of discussion aside from the awaited LS models
hence the decision to use the 850. but it still seems way more complicated then it has to be at least for me, i think i will stick with my Real Estate and just buy what sounds good too me.
Now then with respect to Mr. Craig and his AV company:bowing:
i will ask
does anyone still recommend the 850 sig. for music only?

thank you

[dvenardos]

Check these out:

http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=64857.0

You can go anywhere from doing everything yourself to having them built for you to somewhere in between.

Danny Richie is the designer of the current av123 and TCA speakers, as well as the ninja upgrades.

[etcarroll]

For just music only there are other options indeed. Rockets are great for home theater use, and more than acquit themselves for music. However, I recently acquired Skiing Ninja upgraded XOVERS for my RS-1000s to improve my 2-channel experience.

For just music only there are so many options, one wouldn't know where to begin. From AV123 I've heard the Ref 3, (now discontinued), and the LS-6, both admirable.

Once out of the AV123 offerings, well, there are hundreds of options. I'd recommend you haunt various forums and read what you can, then look for 'get togethers' in your area where different speakers get compared, in order to hear for yourself.

The RS850 is a fine speaker, but buying it with the intent of swapping out drivers from the 'get go' for 2-channel listening doesn't seem a sensible path to go down.

Good luck.

[edward]

For just music only there are other options indeed. Rockets are great for home theater use, and more than acquit themselves for music. However, I recently acquired Skiing Ninja upgraded XOVERS for my RS-1000s to improve my 2-channel experience.

For just music only there are so many options, one wouldn't know where to begin. From AV123 I've heard the Ref 3, (now discontinued), and the LS-6, both admirable.

Once out of the AV123 offerings, well, there are hundreds of options. I'd recommend you haunt various forums and read what you can, then look for 'get togethers' in your area where different speakers get compared, in order to hear for yourself.

The RS850 is a fine speaker, but buying it with the intent of swapping out drivers from the 'get go' for 2-channel listening doesn't seem a sensible path to go down.

Good luck.

i have taken a look at the Skiing Ninja but i am not to skilled with a soldering gun and it would be a bad day if i were to take apart the 850s and not be able to put them back in working order.

I have taken a look at Danny's web site i do like some of his speakers but i am of the type that they need to be ready to play out of the box in other words not to skilled with putting together wood and electronics.
and i have not yet looked at the Salks.
The one big thing AV123 has going for it in my opinion are the cabinets
they are beautiful and i am not doing the black finish anymore.

thanks
ed

[dvenardos]

I have taken a look at Danny's web site i do like some of his speakers but i am of the type that they need to be ready to play out of the box in other words not to skilled with putting together wood and electronics.

You can have Danny's speakers completely built for you at very reasonable prices, so don't rule them out.

[NekoAudio]

Thanks for the good luck. :)

I'll plug Magnepan 1.6's, as that's what I'm using for my 2-channel music needs. Not usable for home theater though, and requires careful placement and a room that can accommodate them. For music, I prefer them over the Ref 3's, LS-6, and Strata Minis.

You should definitely take a listen to the Salk SongTowers if you can find a local customer to audition. I haven't heard them myself but I've only heard good things.

I also haven't heard the Rocket line but I suspect they are of similar quality to the Monitor Audio silver line. The Ref 3's were an upgrade over those.

[Cujobob]

The Rockets are still a high value product for a 5.0 setup. For music only in that price range I would get a pair of Gedlee Nathans but they require subs and don't offer premium finshes. Salk Songtowers look great and supposedly sound great, too.

[TJEli]

Paradigm Sig S8s. Yummy....



-Eli