[Kevin Haskins]

A little grandstanding there but this is a pretty nice driver.   

The DPL-15 is in stock, ready to ship.  This is a sweet driver, offering a lot of performance for the price.   For dipole or IB applications it will rule the roost.    It has 22mm of x-max, 29mm mechanical clearance,  XBL^2 motor, AlCu shorting rings for linear inductance, single 8 ohm voice coil.     

http://www.diycable.com/main/product_info.php?cPath=24_93&products_id=684



Ahhh... big fat spider.   



Another trick to show scale.   That is the EX-6.5 sitting on the dust cap.



Nice basket... single 8 ohm coil and plenty of breathing space.



Healthy pole vent due to 2.4" VC.   This driver only needs a couple hundred watts to get it going at full-tilt in free air (dipole/IB).   The 2.4" VC should be overkill in terms of power handling.   



Closeup.... plenty of glue in that joint.   


http://www.diycable.com/main/product_info.php?cPath=24_93&products_id=684

[bassboy]

I've been waiting for some pics of this thing, and I have to tell you I'm not disappointed at all.  This is currently my favorite price/performance IB driver of all time (so far...) based on what I've seen.

I've been saving up for something JUST like this, and I've got to say this (while actually holding a fistful of cash for dramatic effect)...
I'd already have ordered at least a 4 pack, if not 8 if shipping prices were not so freakin ridiculously stupid (I'm in Canada).

Now this might be a stupid question and a huge imposition, but I'm wondering if there is any possibility that these could be picked up instead of shipped (for a reasonable sized order of course).  I have no idea where you are, but if you happen to be closer than the moon, I should be able to save at least a couple hundred bucks.

Either way, congrats on a great lookin unit.

[titch]

Maybe CSS is going to sell these up here in Canada.

They use to sell Exodus Audio speakers.

[Kevin Haskins]

I've been waiting for some pics of this thing, and I have to tell you I'm not disappointed at all.  This is currently my favorite price/performance IB driver of all time (so far...) based on what I've seen.

I've been saving up for something JUST like this, and I've got to say this (while actually holding a fistful of cash for dramatic effect)...
I'd already have ordered at least a 4 pack, if not 8 if shipping prices were not so freakin ridiculously stupid (I'm in Canada).

Now this might be a stupid question and a huge imposition, but I'm wondering if there is any possibility that these could be picked up instead of shipped (for a reasonable sized order of course).  I have no idea where you are, but if you happen to be closer than the moon, I should be able to save at least a couple hundred bucks.

Either way, congrats on a great lookin unit.

I'm right across from Victoria, British Columbia!   I can see it at night from my bedroom, and every 10th day in the summer when it is clear enough.    

I don't have any trouble with people dropping in and picking stuff up but I'm not sure how much it will save you.   Where are you coming from?

[Kevin Haskins]

Maybe CSS is going to sell these up here in Canada.

They use to sell Exodus Audio speakers.

The way I've been pricing stuff, we just don't have room for dealers any longer.    I figured we had to do one or the other.   You either go whole hog to a dealer business model or you sell direct.     I sell direct and the prices reflect that.

[bassboy]

I'm near toronto, so you might be right about the point of diminishing returns.  Although a vacation with a purpose is not out of the question, a trip that large is going to have to wait (indefinitely, I suppose  )since I have to go to the east coast for a wedding in a couple of weeks.  Oh well, life is long (until it isn't, I guess).

Ontario (or better yet toronto area) group buy maybe?  I have no idea what would be involved, other than a uhaul and a bunch of people waving fistfuls of cash around...

[AK]

Shouldn't dipole subwoofer have lightest cone possible, with high BL, like pro drivers?
I noticed that all great subwoofers (exodus, dayton, lambda) have relatively low BL vs cone mass.
It may be good for use with enclosures, but in dipole use such heavy cones will have huge kinetic energy.
if going with these subs I see only one solution, keep adding more drivers until you don't see cone moving at desired output.
I mean, if you push 271g cone even to half of rated 22-xmax, there is no way it can stop instantly.

[Kevin Haskins]

Shouldn't dipole subwoofer have lightest cone possible, with high BL, like pro drivers?
I noticed that all great subwoofers (exodus, dayton, lambda) have relatively low BL vs cone mass.
It may be good for use with enclosures, but in dipole use such heavy cones will have huge kinetic energy.
if going with these subs I see only one solution, keep adding more drivers until you don't see cone moving at desired output.
I mean, if you push 271g cone even to half of rated 22-xmax, there is no way it can stop instantly.

Wiggins wrote a tech. paper on this subject.    I don't read too much into the parameters.   I look at the output, and I know that perceived speed is more a function of the FR & the room than anything else.       

http://www.diycable.com/main/pdf/WooferSpeed.pdf

Important to note, there is an increase in inductance as you move up in driver size.    Some might say that the larger inductance of a larger voice coil is the reason, rather than the moving mass, for perceived differences in sound quality between smaller & larger woofers.     With the experience I've had, I've come to the conclusion that the room & the FR rule our perception of the bass response.   The room to such a degree, that it is extremely difficult to make broad generalizations about a device out of context of the room.    The stored energy in the room is often x10 the magnitude that people rant and rave about in the driver and box.     Why would you spend all your time chasing and worrying about a hangnail when you have a broken arm?    Focus on the big problems first.

[AK]

Thank You for reply Kevin.
very helpful article. and you are so right about the room.
my basement room gives up way before speakers do.
when speakers are starting to play at high volume I can hear how ringing grows for 3-4 seconds and becomes very unpleasant. actually it's a good room test, turn your speakers very loud with intense music (metal) and listen for sound to change in a first few seconds.

[JeffB]

Hi Kevin,

I am considering trying to improve the quality of the bass in my open baffle application.
I am torn between buying a better 15" driver than the one I have or going with multiple smaller drivers say four 10" drivers.
Considering that the 10" drivers have a smaller inductance and may have more perceived speed, this seems like possibly a better way to go.
On the other hand, I would like the 10s to go as low as a single 15, so I will need to EQ them.

I got thinking along these lines after reading about the LS9s, which contain 12 6.5" speakers.
Then I started thinking about the natural ultimate extreme of this idea, which would be a bunch of nano-particle sized speakers packed infinitely tightly into a rectangular panel.

Do you have any thoughts about whether a single 15 or four 10s would be better for bass reproduction?

[Kevin Haskins]

Hi Kevin,

I am considering trying to improve the quality of the bass in my open baffle application.
I am torn between buying a better 15" driver than the one I have or going with multiple smaller drivers say four 10" drivers.
Considering that the 10" drivers have a smaller inductance and may have more perceived speed, this seems like possibly a better way to go.
On the other hand, I would like the 10s to go as low as a single 15, so I will need to EQ them.

I got thinking along these lines after reading about the LS9s, which contain 12 6.5" speakers.
Then I started thinking about the natural ultimate extreme of this idea, which would be a bunch of nano-particle sized speakers packed infinitely tightly into a rectangular panel.

Do you have any thoughts about whether a single 15 or four 10s would be better for bass reproduction?

The inductance thing is a generalization.    Wiggins and I are working on a 21" driver with a 5" VC with the inductance of a midrange.    The differences between the DPL-10 & DPL-15 are not enough to make an audible difference.   The other factors like format, baffle size and such will make a bigger difference and the DPL-15 is going to have more swept volume.      I'd make the choice based upon what fits your design goal in terms of size and your desired output.