NXT.......rubbish??....THINK AGAIN!

Copperhead · « **Reply #180 on:** 9 Oct 2009, 08:31 pm »

Thanks Fullrangeman. Power, Impedance and voice coil diameter are available, but is there any more detailed info out there to
make an informed choice?
The question I asked earlier about Greenvalve's comments, were because he was alluding to the fact that the Dayton exciters
didn't match the old Sonic Impacts that Ziggy has had such success with.

Copperhead · « **Reply #181 on:** 9 Oct 2009, 09:52 pm »

Ziggy, you recommended the Daytons over the Parts Express earlier, saying there would be benefits especially in the bass.
Was that a guess? Do you have any more detailed specifications on these, or the Soundpads you used?

j gale · « **Reply #182 on:** 10 Oct 2009, 03:11 am »

Hi guys, Re: Daytons vs Parts express I believe that the only difference is 8 ohm for dayton and 4 ohm for parts express. They are both the same size out of the housing. Parts express are cheap only because they are a buy out ( doesn't relate to quality) Their list price is actually higher than Daytons. I 'm using the cheap (2 for $5) My experience is identical to Ziggy's, highs and mids to die for and good bass. The character of the bass is different but very good. My panel is a little smaller (2'x6') than his. Since the cost of admission is so small I would recommend that you order the cheap ones and try them out. Plenty of time to worry about whether or not one exciter is better than another. In time if enough people get involved all that information will come along. For now buy the 2 for $5 and find out for yourselves. Since I have been listening to mine I don't even think about these issues anymore. They are that good. Jim

usp1 · « **Reply #183 on:** 10 Oct 2009, 04:16 am »

I still have not gotten the gatorfoam or the 3M tape so I have been experimenting with other things. I have a 3ftX4ft coroplast panel on which I have mounted four of the PE $5/pr exciters using ordinary two sided tape. I have two each in series and the pair in parallel. I got rid of the housing and took of the cap and resistor. Even with the coroplast the sound is pretty good. I would not call the sound hi-fi yet but pretty darn good mid-fi. What is missing right now is the sparkle of the highs and some bass. I can't wait for the correct supplies to arrive.

Zygadr may have a struck the motherlode with this design.

usp1 · « **Reply #184 on:** 10 Oct 2009, 11:37 am »

Yes sir .... the coroplast will be tossed soon as my gatorfoam arrives. It was the only thing I had handy.

trucker · « **Reply #185 on:** 10 Oct 2009, 11:46 am »

I've been following this thread with much interest. I was wondering if all the soldering (removing caps and resistor) attaching wires and so on, would be a tough job for a novice, or if its straight forward?

Id love if someone eould describe in more detail how thsi is done on the parts express 5$ exciter.

Anyway, I found some good prices for gatorboard her, though in large quantities:

http://www.foamcoreheaven.com/gabofushwh.html

quote: half price!

Also very interesting, is the fact that gatorboard is being used as projector screen material. Just do a search on avsforum. I haven't read all the stuff, but a few posts suggests they perform as good as the projector screens you buy.... And since you can buy a 48"x96" sheet from the vendor above.. why not make it into a giant hiden center channel in your surround setup aa
Sound would be emanating directly from the screen. Naturally you'd have to move the the screen a bit away from the wall to allow space for the exciters, and fix it in place somehow standing straight up. Those of you with panels working, can you see the gatorboard vibrate with the sound or is it dead still?

Good luck

usp1 · « **Reply #186 on:** 10 Oct 2009, 01:11 pm »

The removal of the cap and resistor is fairly easy. You dont even have to take off the wires if you don't mind living with the short lengths of wire. You will have to put a bead of solder between the contacts where you disconnected the resistor to complete the circuit. Its not very hard. The case is also quite easy to remove. The simplest way to do this is to cut the eight little bridges shown below

This will leave a little plastic disc attached to the magnet which you can pry off.

usp1 · « **Reply #187 on:** 10 Oct 2009, 11:41 pm »

More experiments while I await the arrival of gatorfoam and the 3M tape.

I found a cardboard tri-panel the kind used for science projects and tried my four exciters on it. Zygadr, you were right, even the card board is better than coroplast. Just for kicks I used the tri-panel both ways once with the the exciters on the inside of the U and once on the outside. I liked it better when the exciters were on the outside with side panels forming a wave-guide. While the sound wasn't very different the spl level was higher with the side panels forming a wave guide facing forward. The panel is less stable in this configuration though because the magnet weight is on the wrong side. This is so much fun!

dcw · « **Reply #188 on:** 11 Oct 2009, 09:27 am »

Hi All,

This has been a great discussion so far. I've taken some pictures of the two different exciters for everyone's reference. The tape measure seen in some photos is in inches.

On the left is the black plastic encased Dayton Exciter (US$16.90/pair), on the right is the white plastic encased Generic exciter (US$5.00/pair), both straight out of the package. The Generic exciter comes as a series-wired pair, with a capacitor on one and a resistor on the other (both should be removed and/or bypassed as mentioned by Zig and others).

The Dayton exciter has a quality 3M adhesive circle on the foot, ready to be mounted to a panel. The Generic exciter has an exposed foot, and will require the 3M tape mentioned by Zig for mounting.

Seen from the side, the Generic exciter is slightly taller than the Dayton exciter.

After the plastic housings are removed, the pole piece can be seen. The Dayton has an unvented pole piece that is roughly 1-1/4" in diameter. The Generic has a vented pole piece that is roughly 1-3/8" in diameter. The Generic is slightly heavier than the Dayton, but I do not have a scale to check the exact difference.

The bare Dayton exciter has an exterior diameter of 1-3/4". The bare Generic is 2" in diameter. This is primarily due to the wider spider and support ring of the Generic exciter. Note that both the Dayton and Generic have a foot with the same 1" outside diameter.

From the side, the bare Generic exciter is about 3/4" tall, although there is some minor variation from exciter to exciter. The bare Dayton exciter is slightly shorter at 5/8".

Good luck with your panels!

-- dw

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #189 on:** 11 Oct 2009, 10:32 am »

Thankyou for this great images DCW, splendid work, very instructive.

bytheway · « **Reply #190 on:** 12 Oct 2009, 03:18 am »

Wait, the dayton exciter doesn't require me to buy the 3m tape?

usp1 · « **Reply #191 on:** 12 Oct 2009, 04:52 am »

Both will require the 3m tape after you take off the housing. The dayton exciters have tape on the feet of their plastic housing. However, to get the best results zygadr recommends removing the exciters from the housing. It makes a huge difference when you remove the housing.

dcw · « **Reply #192 on:** 12 Oct 2009, 02:37 pm »

FULLRANGEMAN: You got it, glad this is useful!

bytheway: The Dayton exciter comes with a circle of very thin, reasonably tacky, black 3M double-sided adhesive tape already on the foot. Whether it's as good as the 3M VHB stuff Zig and others have recommended, I don't know. You can try it first, and if the exciter falls off, then get the VHB to stick it on permanently.

Zig: Thanks! I've thoroughly enjoyed following this discussion.

Regarding manufacturers, I wonder if FULLRANGEMAN might have nailed it earlier with this link (this site has spec sheets too):
http://www.jmaxx.cn/EN/Product.asp?gCateID=64

Because I found this today while searching on a site for something else:
http://jmaxx.manufacturer.globalsources.com/si/6008832660040/pdtl/Horn-siren/1022556762/NXT-Exciter.htm

Of course, they could always be a subsidiary or partner of Billionsound...

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #193 on:** 13 Oct 2009, 01:43 am »

HI BOYS,
The JMAXX Link already was offer by a poster on a early page on this thread.
Please Note: The Dayton exciter(25mm) is smaller than the 0805(seems 30mm), Bigger is better!!
I wonder which is the better now?? What do you prefer Zygard?? Which is the best?

bytheway · « **Reply #194 on:** 13 Oct 2009, 02:40 am »

Yeah, I just spent the extra money on the dayton assuming it was the better pick, now I'm not so sure.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #195 on:** 13 Oct 2009, 03:04 am »

Strange: PartsExpress page info say it is also 25mm(all 3 exciters brands models are 25mm) except the white covers are 10W and 4 ohms.
Looks the appearances mistake us. Dont afraid BytheWay.

dcw · « **Reply #196 on:** 13 Oct 2009, 05:36 am »

Hi guys, voice coil diameter on both the Dayton and Generic are the same size. The foot is also the same size. The picture might make the Generic look bigger because the foot is clear plastic vs. black plastic on the Dayton.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #197 on:** 13 Oct 2009, 02:08 pm »

These 0805 generic exciters have plastic voice coil form and are very different from the exciters images Zygard post (metal voice coil form, 0828 label). I think a metal voice coil form is more durable than plastic, mainly with hot temperatures.

dcw · « **Reply #198 on:** 13 Oct 2009, 02:47 pm »

Guys, here's a shot of the Dayton and Generic, foot to foot, as it were...

Note that the voice coils and foot are exactly the same size.

FULLRANGEMAN: I think these are all plastic voice coil formers, including Zig's.

If you look at Sonic Impact's website, you can ascertain that they are the OEM supplying Parts Express with several products being sold under the "Dayton" brand, including the DAEX25 exciters, and the DTA-1 amplifier.

Therefore, the "0828" Sonic Impact exciters that Zig is using should be identical to the "Dayton" exciters, except for the color difference. From the pictures, I observe them to be structurally identical.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #199 on:** 13 Oct 2009, 04:00 pm »

Thanks for clear this doubt DCW. This images give me a false impression of size.