[BoJonJovi]

I have now spent hours researching 10" and 12" driver for open baffles. Many of the posts start with a driver in mind and not much is considered past that. Many posts are starting to get pretty long in the tooth like around 10 years old. More people are going OB and I suspect speaker options are also improving so maybe someone has made a stunning discovery.
Anyway I am planning on doing another OB build and am looking for drivers that people have direct listening experience with.  We all know a driver can sound pretty bad yet still have good specs. Currently I am using an Eminence 12" Beta-12LTA. These are over Matin King H frames. I love the H frames but I am not happy with the Beta's. Although they sound very good I find them fatiguing and sometimes shrill with female voice.
I plan on supplementing the mids with the MK H frames and some type of tweet so I do not necessarily need a full range driver.  I would also like to keep the cost per driver under 100 bucks or so. So I am looking for something that does an extraordinary job with mids and voice.  What have you all listened to or built that delivers stunning mids in the 10"-12" range?

[guest42212]

Only 8" , but do a great job !

http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/me820c-8-coaxial-ceiling-speaker-pair.html

[OB_Newbie]

Have you considered a 8"???   There are very few 10 and 12 inch drivers like the Betas that are meant for full range/mid duties.  If you have not already, if better performance is needed I would consider modding it with a phase plug and treating the cone with Puzzlecoat, Mod Podge, Podgy, etc..

The new bamboo/ferrite Tang Band's look fantastic and cost effective.  I have had the 4, 5 and 8" high-end TBs and really enjoy them. 

Ugly link was here.

[JohnR]

This link might work better?

http://www.parts-express.com/brand/tang-band/276

[OB_Newbie]

Sorry guys, saved the message not to loose it as I went to get the proper URL and have been unable to edit and save that monstrosity of an URL on my phone. 

[BoJonJovi]

Hey thanks for the input. I went to Lowes and got some pipe insulation and cut off about a 4" piece for a phase plug. I put 4 drops of Quick Grip on it and wrapped it in an index card and inserted it. The index card set my tolerance so it does not rub. The insulation was light enough that I did not have to worry about it rubbing due to weight. The phase plug helped immensely. I also rolled a few different tubes into my dac and settled into one that seemed to take some of the shrillness out.
I will have to read up a bit on cone treatments. I hate to do things that I are not backward compatible. Like phase plugs, once it is done there is no going back. The phase plugs were definitely an improvement and I think the pipe insulation turned out to be an excellent idea and a prefect fit with near perfect clearance.
I am still considering speakers either as replacements of for a new build. I would really like to try MKL 18" H frame build.
The TB seem to be the front contender. I have considered Lowthers but I just am not that flush and the TBs are a stretch.  With the new tweaks I may be able to live with the Beta's a while longer. The new Tang Band W8-2145 8" Paper Cone Full Range Drive might be a cost effective way to go but there are no reviews yet. A purchase would be somewhat of a stab in the dark. On the other hand like the 1808 if they are good the price will rise rapidly.

[matevana]

Put 3 paperclips on the whizzer cone of the Beta LTA, equidistant from one another. This will temporally negate it's effect.  It's likely that the "shrill" you are hearing is coming from this secondary cone.  If you prefer the sound, think about adding a separate tweeter and removing the whizzer entirely. You can either leave the phase plug in place, or purchase an over sized replacement paper dust cap to cover up your work. I have done this on an Eminence B102 (cone similar to Beta LTA) and it sounds much better as a mid/woofer w/tweeter.

[Horizons]

I have used the Eminence Alpha 8, 10, 12, and 15. I am currently using the 8 and 15 in different OB speakers. I think the Alpha's are excellent. I'm currently using the 8 without xover with a Heil AMT. Everyone who hears it loves it. I'm using the 15 with a AMTPRO mid/tweeter. Dipole AMT drivers work really well with the Alpha's in OB designs.

FWIW, there are shortcuts to DIY. In one case, I took an old Infinity box tower speaker and cut large holes out of the rear panels. Not quite pure OB, but sounds close and looks very nice.  In another design, I took high quality finished shelving wood and added L bracket feet for a very nice looking pure OB baffle design.

Once you hear OB, it is very hard to go back to boxes.

Here is another opinion. People diss OB bass all of the time and use sealed subs. I have recently tried an EQ on my OB 15 speaker and a little boost under 70 Hz can eliminate the need for a sealed sub and sounds alot better. OB bass energizes the room unlike a sealed sub that goes THUD.

Recently I was playing my system with a live Yo-Yo Ma cello recording with my 4 OB speakers. It really sounded live and energized the room much like a live event.

Good luck with your project. 

[arcgotic]

Hi Horizons,

You use Alpha 8 on baffle or suspended? What amplifier do you use to power them?
I only have one piece at the moment, but i plan to use the it instead of Visaton BG20 that i use now in my 3way active setup.

Thanks!