Opinions about cheap Ribbons >3k5 XO with a 3" mid

Hello,


The mid unit is a 3" ScanSpeak 10F 8ohms I'd like to XO no more than 12 db electrical at 4 K hz max.


My feeling is some ribbons could do the trick though I have a small budget, nearer to the Fountek's than Hivi's for illustration.


Now I know a better center to center spacing could be near 1.2 to 1.4 of the XO wave length for a dome or clode to the edge of a ribbon I also have the choice with cheapo very good dome, as some 22 mm and also horned ones by design or with a 3D party of shelves WG (Monacor, Visaton) or 3D ones as Augerpro's.


So the list is relativly big, but my feeling is a ribbon could be more forgiving with the XO I plan instead a dome.



Problem being is the design is monowired, passive. (the units are all 8 ohms)


Anythought on cheap ribbon models please ? Fountek neo 3.5 H for instance ?


It's true there are excellent dome also on my wisch list, knowing the spl should be around 86 db imho at XO with the mid :


Peerelesss NV19 non horned
Monacor DT-25N

SB26 CAC non horned
SB26STAC

Morel CAT378 (perhaps too short in the highs, but without Ferro ?)

DX25TG horned
XT25TG horned
Wavecore TW22WA10


There is no AMT, reading the good enough are outside of the budget.


If anyone have experience with the 10F and ribbons or tweeters of that list, advices much apreciated . Would like to stay 12 dB XO !

Many thanks Zvu, I didn't know that unit !

Hi AllenB,


No, more in a way I will hear it less than a dome (more forgiving?) ...with the doubt of the difficulty of a rectangular shape overlapping a cone in the XO Area... (vertical directivity ? lobbing ?)

But what is low enough with a planar ? Many cheap ribons or cheap AMT are not going much lower than 3500 hz circa in the budget I plan?


When you say low enough you mean avoiding such areas where our ears are not liking too much... put the word I don't find in your previous answer, please. The center of the mid cone being 5 cm, it's easy to be in the 1 to 1.4 WL between the two units. I have more a doubt about a 2nd order on the tweeter unit with such planars... But, my basic understanding is their impedance being flatter with a less visible resonance, they are maybe easier to live with ?

Thank you for the details.

May I illustrate what you're saying cause not sure I understand what you meant.


Say the height of the ribbon, i.e. its radiating area is 5 cm. 5 cm is circa the wave length for 7000 hz. So if the cut-off of the XO is < 7000, it will radiate closer to a dome tweeter.


Did I understand correctly your words ?

Thanks. So not a big problem to cut off around 3500 hz with most of the little ribbons.
Any thought about the list I made according your expérience with some of them please?
The amt of Zvu's post seems promising and less fragile than a ribon...
Well the max power handling is 60 w rms IIR and that the one of the SB23nbac 8 ohms I chose.

Many thanks guys for all the ref and advices in the low budget allowed. First diy loudspeaker, casual project, little 3 ways classic I hope to share if good enough. But the 10F I hope to stay cheap.

things are going slowly for many reasons, I'm on this for 6 months. Some photographs though, it's made to change easily of front baffle, so make à la Harbeth and as a first diy will be called : the "Hard bet"