# new tower



## overlord1330 (Jan 12, 2012)

Hey guys I have a question I have a set of cerwin Vega e-712 as my mains but I want to build a new set my question is will 4
6 1/2 drivers sound as good as the 12 in the cerwin I have a pioneer elite head unit but I am using crown xls 1000 on each cerwin at 8 ohm 215 watts each channel


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## tshifrin (Nov 24, 2011)

4- 6.5" drivers have more surface area than 1- 12" and should move more air: if they have equal or more excursion. I don't see the cerwin speakers you mention; are you planning on using the same enclosure or are you designing something yourself?

Tom


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## overlord1330 (Jan 12, 2012)

i don't know I like the cerwins but they are burtal they are e-712 a 3 way big 12 in woofer 1 midrange 5 1/4 one 1 1/8 tweeter that are not that clean or crisp I am thinking four 6.5 drivers like Dayton reference. One 5.25 midrange and one of Dayton tweeter per box the 6.5 two to a encloser apice box will be about 8.w x40h x 8 d. What do u think I am looking at about 250 watts Max


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## tshifrin (Nov 24, 2011)

I appreciate your desire to design and build your own idea of a speaker system, but there's a lot more to it than just choosing some drivers and putting them in a cabinet. I'd really recommend that you take a look at some of the existing kits and designs out there, and save yourself the "will this work and sound rocking?" problem. There are some awesome kits and designs from a variety of websites, which have been built and tested and proven by a bunch of dedicated audio nuts- er, I mean hobbyists, that will be a joy to build and have a proven great sound. Some of these are pretty inexpensive to build; check out the "Tritrix" from Parts Express, or the kits from diysoundgroup.com, or Madisound, or Meniscus. Each of these kits has been designed and voiced and tested by many builders, and that's why they're offered by these companies- they're proven designs. 
That would be the way I'd go; IMHO.

Tom


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

A Tom has said, it's not a simple matter to get a bunch of speakers, put them in a box and add a crossover. To do the job properly you need to design your crossover to suit the drivers as off-the-shelf crossovers are unlikely to suit your selection of drivers.

The kits really are a great place to start at a great price. 

If you do go with your own design then we will help out as much as possible. Be aware you ideally will need specification sheets for the drivers you choose plus some measuring equuipment to do it justice.

Cheers,
Bill.


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## overlord1330 (Jan 12, 2012)

well I do want to build these can u give me a idea of what measuring stuff I need and I have the data sheets on all the drivers tweeters I may be undecied on


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

overlord1330 said:


> well I do want to build these can u give me a idea of what measuring stuff I need and I have the data sheets on all the drivers tweeters I may be undecied on


As others have said, getting a speaker to sound good is a very expensive investment. 

Your best bet is to first evaluate how much you enjoy DIY as a hobby, before you shell out the money on too much design equipment.

Here is a 2.5 way design using _six_ 6.5" aura midwoofers:

http://speakerdesignworks.com/NS6project_1.html

Try building that. It will, quite honestly, wipe the floor with anything you could do yourself without first gaining more knowledge and experience.


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## overlord1330 (Jan 12, 2012)

that is almost exactly what I want to build I could live with


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

overlord1330 said:


> that is almost exactly what I want to build I could live with


Great. Because Curt Campbell is an experienced designer, you will get a speaker that sounds fantastic. The difference is in the crossover.


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## overlord1330 (Jan 12, 2012)

Do u think they would sound better tan the Mai s I have now?


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

overlord1330 said:


> Do u think they would sound better tan the Mai s I have now?


They will certainly sound more accurate and resolving. In the box Curt built them in they have a bit of a midbass hump so you do lose some "definition" in exchange for "slam" but I'd still expect it to be more defined than the cerwin vegas.

I can't however guarantee that they will be your subjective preference.. only you can decide that. I think a few people have built them already around the internet if you search around a bit for impressions.


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## looneybomber (Sep 20, 2006)

I rocked a pair (actually two pairs if I wanted loud music) of Cerwin Vega LS-12's, for a long while. They're a similar design to the E712's and then upgraded to a speaker utilizing four RS180's, which are marketed as a 7" speaker, but have a similar SD to a 6.5". 

Anyway, the point is, going from the 12" woofer to the quad 7's resulted in less overall bass from what I could tell. The CV's had more output everywhere above ~40hz because of enclosure tuning. I realize it's application dependent and a person could just tune a little higher in order to get a little more output in the 40-60hz area, but the RS drivers just didn't have the efficiency of the light weight, paper coned, 12. 

The Stentorians (sp?) linked to may have a little better chance than my speakers with the RS180's, but depending on overall box volume and tuning, it's likely not going to be a night/day difference. Are you looking to upgrade to get an overall better sound, or are you primarily focused on bass?


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## overlord1330 (Jan 12, 2012)

Yha more sound depth and cleaner sound the Vegas just don't have the fine detail that is why I was wanting new spkrs


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## looneybomber (Sep 20, 2006)

I've never heard the stentorians, but I bet they sound better than the CV's, at least at volumes below 110db. Those CV's I have can really belt out the sound, but also have a 98db/1W sensitivity. They may even sound better than the CV’s at louder volumes too. I can only speculate.

The speakers I upgraded to (Dynamic 4T's), along with the added subs gives me better sound, more output, and also more bass...basically more of everything. However, the price I paid in order to greatly beat my CV's cost me probably 4x the price I paid for my CV's, and about 8x the price if you count the electronics. So, it's no cheap task to best the CV's in every way.


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## overlord1330 (Jan 12, 2012)

bass isn't a issue for me I am running 2 Orion hcca 12 powered by 2 crown xls2500 now so I have the bass taken care of what spk would u reccomend?


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## looneybomber (Sep 20, 2006)

Curt has done a good job with XO designs in the past, so I'm sure he did a good job with the stentorians. I've just never heard them. Passing interest made a build thread over at avs forum and did a quick review of them. I think he liked them, but I don't know if he was astonished with their performance. However, they're not that expensive either...

Besides looking up that thread for a speaker review, check out the build process. PI always creates good build threads.


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## overlord1330 (Jan 12, 2012)

ok have a prob with my mains found a reason the Vegas have prod tweets drop out after a few min of use now hey are toast fluid leaked out of them here us my prob I have a 6ohm tweet 4 ohm mid and a 4ohm wofer. I need a 4inch tweet to fill the hole any recs on what tweeter like a ribbon horn loaded. Cone,dome or super tweeter I have never messed it covers but I can learn and I would like to put in a l-pad on the mid and tweet just tell me
What u think


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## looneybomber (Sep 20, 2006)

Well, you'll want to find a duplicate/exact replacement. You may want to check ebay or search for Cerwin Vega replacement parts. Why? For best sound, you don't want to haphazardly drop in replacement tweeters. Besides ohms, you need to match sensitivity, and other things.


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## overlord1330 (Jan 12, 2012)

Unit no longer offered and I can't find a set of the tweets any where called Vega and was told sorry out of luck


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## looneybomber (Sep 20, 2006)

Well you can try to keep an eye out on eBay or Craigslist for a replacement. Everynce in a while you come across what you need, but you have to continuously monitor those places online.


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