[skite30]

I recently built an ob using the tang band w8-1808 and a modified by pure audio project alpha 15 inch in and h-frame enclosure.   I use a dayton transistor amp on the alpha crossed over at 200…I was previously using a pair of spendor 2/2 with the alphas during the build….They r 88db…the tang bands r rated at 93…I

use a an kit1 300b on the top…i made no changes to the system before inserting the tang bands….they sound wonderful but….they r much less efficient than the spendors….not even close….I have to turn preamp volume control up quite a bit more….   My first ob project so was not expecting this….is this unusual or just the way things r with ob….

[Woodsage]

I’ll bet they will sound better if you orient them this way!

[skite30]

Thanks… ur right they sound better already…sound great either way though…

[Woodsage]

I’ll bet they do sound great.

With an OB you’re going to lose a lot of energy into the room that you won’t with your Spendors. So you'll end up turning things up a bit more with the OB’s. But the sound will be more relaxed and open.

Also dialing in the bass to the lowest possible crossover point and then adjusting the volume on the sub amp up a bit can help too.

Have fun.

[skite30]

 Ok. Thank u for ur input….about 20 hours now and they do sound great….bass not a problem at all.  Full and rich and quite  articulate if u will…. i will try different crossover points as I get used to their sound…thanks agin…

[FullRangeMan]

Avoid place OBs close to walls as in the photos.

[skite30]

Photos r a bit deceptive…they r 4 feet from the front wall and just over 2 feet from the sidewalls….I will experiment with the side walls distance but dont have a lot of room to work with there…

[Woodsage]

Photos r a bit deceptive…they r 4 feet from the front wall and just over 2 feet from the sidewalls….I will experiment with the side walls distance but dont have a lot of room to work with there…

That looks to be kind of a tricky room especially with all that glass which isn’t doing you any favors. I think heavy drapes would help a lot here if they are an option. This could easily be tested by hanging some blankets to temporarily cover the windows.

[skite30]

It is a florida room so the windows are all around so difficult

 room is an understatement….

[Woodsage]

That’s funny, I have the same room off of my house in California so I guess a California room. My windows go lower to the floor and it’s a tile floor of course.

No sound system out there though (other than what wafts in from my garage system) so I don’t have to contend with trying to fix the acoustics.

I was lucky enough to have a couple heavily treated, dedicated listening rooms for 20 years.  Now that I have retired and downsized not so much. Sometimes I miss having a good room but now I spend much of my time pursuing outside hobbies with my PowerBeats on. Funny thing is I enjoy music (and pretty much everything else) a lot more now.

[HAL]

Just a usage of terms, but it is driver sensitivity. 

It is a specification for each speaker driver at a frequency.  That way you can compare the drivers SPL output as it is usually a XXdBSPL/2.83V/1meter or XXdBSPL/1watt/1meter for the specification. 

[skite30]

This is my second system……made up mostly of spare stuff….speakers r only new thing…..a nice open baffle system was what I wanted ….so….there it is…..the top section is not attached to the woofers so will be able to move them quite a bit side to side….I bolted them in so quite easy to turn them around and move them back to front….the room is ….what do u do….?,,,suggestions on that would be welcome…..may try them on the long wall…..lI have lots of room treatments in my main room so will be able to throw them into the mix somewhere…..agree completely on retirement….  New interests and still love the music and stereo….actually have a system in almost every room…..can u tell I am single….?   May be a reason for that…..

[Woodsage]

can u tell I am single….?

Or have a very patient wife like a lot of us. I had five systems going at once in my heyday but now only two (I'm almost fully recovered).

I built these out of drivers I ended up with in trade and scraps from other jobs. TB 1808 and a big Radian 18" woofer in a couple of different configurations.













Fun stuff.

[skite30]

Those r gorgeous…..I am not in recovery yet  ……

[Poultrygeist]

I enjoyed the refined Tang Bands but compared to the in-your-face DX3 they were a bit too laid back for my tastes. I drove the 93 db TB's with a 2a3 SET which worked fine but the extra power of a 300b may have been a better choice.

[Poultrygeist]

My favorite OB driver so far ( I have F-15's on order ) is the big Zenith alnico which has a higher sensitivity ( probably around 97 dbs ). It doesn't need much on the top end but the tweeters do offer some nice cymbal shimmer. 

[skite30]

I just bought a pair of 2a3 paramours to try out….one of the reasons I asked the efficiency question was after hooking the speakers up to the 300b my first thought was I hope the 2a3’s will have enough power….
I have a pair of zeniths I bought a couple of years ago I havent even opened up yet…..will have to mock up something and give them a try…..

[Poultrygeist]

It depends on the type of music you prefer. Head banging music at high SPL's is not the forte of SET amps and open baffle speakers. Small group jazz is where they really shine.

[AJinFLA]

They r 88db…the tang bands r rated at 93

Those are voltage sensitivities. You're using an "audiophile" current amp. It's ability to put power into load probably varies significantly vs impedance, the higher the better, the lower the worse. Can't find any data on a 2/2, but a typical 2 way will have a significant impedance peak around the XO frequency, typical our most sensitive hearing area. Your amp will put out more power there, less elsewhere.
The TB's impedance will be far more constant as a single driver, except at the extremes...where hearing less sensitive. http://rutcho.com/speaker_drivers/tang_band_w8_1808/tang_band_w8-1808.html
Unless something else in the chain is broken, the TB should be louder...with a voltage source, like your Dayton. If its a full bandwidth, not sub amp, you could drive both. I suspect the TB will be louder there. With a low/no feedback tube amp, well...
Btw, hope all is well with you, enjoy your OB sound .

cheers,

AJ

[skite30]

Thanks AJ… ur room in tampa sounded great… still using the sam 1’s in another system…