Good morning Everyone😊. So am looking at building a small book shelf speaker for Tv and background music duties. I know SB Acoustics is A great company to buy from. I like this driver because with different Temperatures in Michigan it will not effort the sound of a these drivers (like paper which is one of my favorites). So is this driver worth$75.00 each At Madisound? The driver is the SB 12CACS25-8 is the model number of the speaker driver am looking at and I included the picture and specs and Frequency graph. Am again not looking to shake the pain off my walls or try and blow my out of my room. Does anyone know the sound of these drivers? I know each company has a signature sound to their driver brand. Am looking doing a passive crossover 12 DB on the tweeter and 6 DB on the woofer. Am looking at building a rear ported box or port slot? I Do Have a Vifa Ring tweeter but, am looking at an Morel tweeter for their flat frequency response and a smooth sound. Please let me know your thoughts? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Towards this new project am starting. 😊. Be blessed. Jeff
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Hello Jeff,
See this design :
https://sbacoustics.com/product/micro-c/
SB acoustics has very good tweeters too.
Have fun !
See this design :
https://sbacoustics.com/product/micro-c/
SB acoustics has very good tweeters too.
Have fun !
It's a great driver series, with one of the lowest distortion motor assemblies around.... Have only worked with the 6" version of the CAC and NBAC series, but they're great, and are used in many 10kUSD commercial speakers.
They have really good lower midrange clarity (low IMD), but only until you overload them with power or bass duties - as any driver.
But in the US, I would seriously consider the older Dayton Reference series as they're really cheap, and arguably have better both motor structures and build quality than their newer (and more expensive) Dayton siblings.... I'd place them as equal to the smaller SB, but with slightly less bass extension on their own. The RS125, both in alu and paper version is a great little driver. For the created budget surplus, I'd make it a 2.1 system with maybe a GRS 10SW (maybe even the HE version) - or a 2.2 system with two GRS 8SW 1 cubic feet boxes, sealed or ported also works for deeper extension as long as you don't play loud. I think this would do more for midrange sound quality (off-loading bass from the mid drivers) than the difference between the SB and the Dayton...
They have really good lower midrange clarity (low IMD), but only until you overload them with power or bass duties - as any driver.
But in the US, I would seriously consider the older Dayton Reference series as they're really cheap, and arguably have better both motor structures and build quality than their newer (and more expensive) Dayton siblings.... I'd place them as equal to the smaller SB, but with slightly less bass extension on their own. The RS125, both in alu and paper version is a great little driver. For the created budget surplus, I'd make it a 2.1 system with maybe a GRS 10SW (maybe even the HE version) - or a 2.2 system with two GRS 8SW 1 cubic feet boxes, sealed or ported also works for deeper extension as long as you don't play loud. I think this would do more for midrange sound quality (off-loading bass from the mid drivers) than the difference between the SB and the Dayton...
And as jerome said, look at the SB26ADC tweeter if you don't like the ring radiator you have. Cheap, and also a really good quality driver thats linear and very easy to work with 🙂
The CAC series have been used by many DIYers recently and highly regarded - particularly for their midrange quality.
The 5-inch version was used in Craig S. in the Keramiskas followed by Curt Campbell and Jim Holtz's in their Travelers and then Anthology II. @wolf_teeth used the 4 inch version this year in his Anomalies.
The 5-inch version was used in Craig S. in the Keramiskas followed by Curt Campbell and Jim Holtz's in their Travelers and then Anthology II. @wolf_teeth used the 4 inch version this year in his Anomalies.
Ani-101 used the 4" in an MTM, and they sounded lovely. Don't know whether he used the 8 or 4 ohm drivers. I used the 4 ohm model in my Anomalies. MicroC sounded good too, but used the 4 ohm model.
There is a build in the Project Pad on FB called the Katydids that uses the 4" too.
(JeffB used the 5" in the Revolution Mistakes which I liked a lot. The SB Bromo sounds good too. Then there was the Ceramicos by JeffB and Rick Craig did a similar design.)
More info In that you will likely need more than that simple of a xover because of them being metal cones. You have to attenuate the breakup. If only using a single driver, you'll be combating some low sensitivity numbers after BSC, but mine do fine in my living room with the single 4 ohm model. The 8 ohm will be 3dB lower than that singly, but 3dB more if using 2.
Paired with the right tweeter and the right box and xover, they will impress.
There is a build in the Project Pad on FB called the Katydids that uses the 4" too.
(JeffB used the 5" in the Revolution Mistakes which I liked a lot. The SB Bromo sounds good too. Then there was the Ceramicos by JeffB and Rick Craig did a similar design.)
More info In that you will likely need more than that simple of a xover because of them being metal cones. You have to attenuate the breakup. If only using a single driver, you'll be combating some low sensitivity numbers after BSC, but mine do fine in my living room with the single 4 ohm model. The 8 ohm will be 3dB lower than that singly, but 3dB more if using 2.
Paired with the right tweeter and the right box and xover, they will impress.
That is an excellent woofer for the price. I used the 5" version of that SB woofer in my contest winning 2-way speaker pairing it with the Visaton 1" ceramic coated aluminum dome in the waveguide. KE25 SC-8.
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/visaton-gmbh-co-kg/KE-25-SC-8-OHM/10649837
If not using a waveguide the SB tweeter with the white dome is also excellent.
I put them in these 12" tall LS3/5a replica cabinets that are often sold new on eBay. I 3d printed the front baffles. If you're interested, I can share the drawing files for the front baffle. You would have to modify the size for the smaller woofer. I put a notch in the crossover to kill the cone breakup peak.
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/visaton-gmbh-co-kg/KE-25-SC-8-OHM/10649837
If not using a waveguide the SB tweeter with the white dome is also excellent.
I put them in these 12" tall LS3/5a replica cabinets that are often sold new on eBay. I 3d printed the front baffles. If you're interested, I can share the drawing files for the front baffle. You would have to modify the size for the smaller woofer. I put a notch in the crossover to kill the cone breakup peak.
Thanks you. Yes I have seen this kit on Madisounds website.Hello Jeff,
See this design :
https://sbacoustics.com/product/micro-c/
SB acoustics has very good tweeters too.
Have fun !
Wow those look really nice. 😊. I do have excess to a 3D printer but, will ask if I can use it for this printed part and get back with you. It will have to be afternoon thanksgiving due to my school being closed and the printers being shut down and the computers put away. Thanks for your help. 👍
I have a pair and listened to them in the workshop for quite some time and certainly enjoyed the clarity they have. Overall impressions were impressive clarity, especially in the lower mids, and good bass for such a small driver. Comparing them to the NE123 I also have, the NE123 handled the higher frequencies better and I preferred it over the SB12CAC for mids and highs and imaging. For lower mids and bass I preferred the SB12CAC. Overall I ended up liking the NE123 more, better imaging, and more natural sounding, but it is sadly NLA. You will need a steeper slope than 6dB on your crossover. The breakup on the 8Ohm SB12CAC is fierce, they sound horrible full range.
Erin Audio posted a review of 6" SB Acoustics ceramic driver. Among other things he noted that advertised Xmax of 11 mm p-p is much higher than 5.6 mm that he measured using his Klippel machine. The suspension has mechanical restriction. The 4" version (advertised X max of 10 mm p-p) has considerably smaller diameter spider than 6", so 10 mm is most likely exaggeration.
In my trials, a well-broken-in 4" CAC can do continuous 15 mm p-p excursion.
SB Acoustics 6" CAC review
In my trials, a well-broken-in 4" CAC can do continuous 15 mm p-p excursion.
SB Acoustics 6" CAC review
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WOW!🤯 That’s a lot of voice coil travel for a Little driver. Or xmax as they call it. Looks like his little driver can put some serious sound out in the right box.
So you said the older Dayton Reference Series. Yes a lot of diyer’s have enjoyed these drivers and when they first came out years ago the 8 inch reference was a huge success in the diy community. I got to hear in person at the A.K. Fest years ago. I have pictures of them. Also the 4” inch driver as well for full range duties. I traded a pair off a fellow at the A. K. Fest. Not bad but, in the wrong sealed box with no low end help. So how about the new series of Dayton Audio Reference? Are they any good?
I think "older Reference Series" referred to the fact that the Reference Series is still really good compared to the "newer" Designer Series and Signature Series.
For some reason I thought Dayton Audio redid the original reference series but, maybe am thinking of the sub woofers not the original series?
In the 10", 12", and 15" sizes there is a new (or newer) RSS series. These are very high performance, more expensive drivers. In my opinion, they offer a lot of performance for the cost.
Those RSS came out in 2005, IIRC. The HE line seems to have been discontinued, but have only been out a couple years.
The original RS shielded midbasses were around 2004, and then a redesign hit when they removed the shielded options around 2009.
The original RS shielded midbasses were around 2004, and then a redesign hit when they removed the shielded options around 2009.