[zipidachimp]

Hi guys, been quiet for awhile. About 18 months ago I built myself a 3-way, crossed at 600/5000. I read somewhere about reverse wiring the mids, tried it compared to normal wiring and it seemed more lively and lifelike. very satisfying.

So, I thought, I have some spare drivers, let's put together a 2-way crossed at 2400. spent too much time on woodwork etc. wired them up and am now listening to them. result? amateur night, tinny, unlistenable. a subwoofer might help but I doubt it. using an 8" woofer and a tangband fullrange.

wotinell happened? did my 3-way spoil me? also, why does reverse wiring the mids in a 3-way add a fuller, lifelike sound?
from this experience, I think I should stick to 3-ways.  any ideas?   

[chlorofille]

An 8'' crossed at 2400Hz !? 
The sound would probably be very dull , thick and closed in.
What woofer did you use? Not many 8'' woofers can be used in a 2 way to achieve hi-fi sound.

Your 3 way's may have a second order acoustic crossover which requires inverting of the mid's polarity to achieve proper phase.

[zipidachimp]

you can probably tell I'm a noob here.  what's the problem with an 8"? it'a a generic. the sound is hollow but tinny.  my 3-way uses a 10" eminence alpha.

suggestions accepted.

[chlorofille]

No worries,

Try listing the drivers used for each speaker. That way it is easier to find out why the sound didn't sound like it should.

Hope to help you as soon as more info about your speakers are available.

[mcgsxr]

Just taking a stab in the dark, I would bet that the QTS of that 8 inch driver is much lower than the ideal 0.7, it might be designed for ported boxes.

That would result in very limited bass on OB.

Need the specs for the driver, and the current baffle shape and driver orientation etc to further postulate!

[panomaniac]

Ditto the above.

My first OB was with drivers taken from a Magnavox console.  Yikes!  I was awful on OB.  Have learned a lot since then.

[zipidachimp]

thanks, guys. the woof is no longer available, no specs. I don't like building boxes, so I'll just use it for experiments using the x-over calculator and OB.  my 3-way sounds great. guess I lucked out.  lack of experience may prove expensive. ah well!
ciao.
p.s. is there any inherent problem with 8" drivers?

[panomaniac]

An 8" for open baffle bass is going to struggle.  But if you use four on the same baffle you might be getting somewhere.   
(for me, an 8" driver is a midrange, not a woofer)