Help me choose a LOUD speaker for acoustic research (1 Viewer)

[StevenK]

Wow...for once my hobby and my work intersects. Interestingly enough I seem to know little on both ends. Hopefully someone can help me out here.

I need several speakers capable of extremely LOUD output with considerable bass. We need the speakers to be able to reach 140 - 150 dB!!! Sound quality is not an issue. We will be generating basically pink noise/static to simulate a rocket launch. Cost, however, is definitely a concern. We certainly can't afford to spend $1000/pair, especially when we need 4 pairs. Size is also a concern. We would certainly prefer a bookshelf size speaker, but I realize that is improbable considering the bass requirements. Perhaps a subwoofer/bookshelf combo might work, but it looks like a tower is needed.

I thought those white van speakers might fit the bill, but funny enough, I don't know where to find them.

Also...some cheap powerful amp suggestions would be good too...though it looks like I might have to go into the car amp world to get something that's crappy but with tons of power.

 

[Jason_Me]

If sound quality isnt important, you might want to check out Cerwin-Vega. The LS-15 can handle 400w of power, has a sensitivity of 102 db, and has a 15" driver. It costs $700/pair at Best Buy.

 

[Chu Gai]

crown amps......people are going to listen to that? ouch!

 

[Drew_E]

StevenK! i don't know what it says in my profile but i go to UCDavis (i'm in Eureka, Ca right now)- studying biochemical engineering. ANYWAYS it is funny you mention "those white van speakers." lol. it's too bad you didn't get at me earlier- because last year i had been doing a little of my own "research" with some of the largest car audio speakers available. I had a fairly large collection of them. My friend and I live in davis and we compete in car audio. Our objective was to find the loudest 12" subwoofer possible and reach 150dB with ONE. We are close to our goal but won't get accurate results until later this month. The easiest way to give you an idea of the magnitude of these speakers is by telling you simply that they're 65 pounds each. That's not too shabby for a 12" woofer.
ANYWAYS i'll get to the point here. I know some people in the "industry" and i think i can tell you exactly what you want given the appropriate environment for the sub, frequency range, etcetc. In fact i personally know the owner of Sonic FX and Resonant Engineering (both SPL subwoofer makers). If you are not limited by box size or type than 18" sub would get you "there" quickest, but if you are playing frequencies of around 65-80Hz than the MTX RFL with Fs of (something like) 65 will probably fit the bill better. they only make those in 12". the Cerwin Vega Stroker has a rather high Fs for an 18" at 35Hz. Whatever you're after i think i can help a fellow UCD guy out . I have a few BIG 12"s if you want to see them and HEAR what they can do . Other options are the Adire Audio Brahma at $300 each - the 10" model can handle 1600W or up to 5000W depending on the environment. I have one of those too (around 48 pounds). If you want the absolute loudest small driver in sealed box the Brahma will be the best price and output. There are other options but most require more $$$!!!. The Resonant Engineering XXX is my favorite at 65 pounds, the 10" is only around 330 bucks. The price on these woofers is not "like 1000 dollars per pair," but depending on the objective you can reach your goal with between 400 and 800 bucks a pair. on the other hand, if you have a good deal of power available and you aren't playing for too long you can do it all with a single sub. BTW what kind of 'work' are you doing? i know (think) there isn't an acoustical department at davis...
oh... and for amps: TOO DAMN BAD you didn't get at me just months ago. i had 4 3,500W amps for sale. if you want cheap and dirty CAR AUDIO than definitely, without a doubt, go with the Earthquake PHD2. new at around 500-600 and used at around 300-400 these things do a serious 2200W+ at like 3%THD.

 

[Dustin B]

You'll want to get in touch with Mark Seaton (ServoDrive) and Dan Wiggins (Adire Audio). They will be able to provide some excellent advice. Both frequent this forum as well.

What you will need to make the bass will depend on what size of room you need to fill and how low you need to go. Filling a car with that level and a room with that level are two very different things.

I think you are gonna need some horn designs though. Only way you'll get there without a tone of money. Even then, depending on the size of area you need to fill with these levels it isn't gonna be cheap and the bass speakers are not gonna be small.

 

[Mark gas]

I would take a look at www.ddaudio.com and www.shockeraudio.com they both have some very good spl drivers and if Sq is not of an issue I would use some 15's or 12's in huge ported boxes with some horns. You should realy check out www.termpro.com the home of DB Drag racing, there are probable at least 70 or 80 guys there hitting over 150 DB's. For amps you can buy a 2400 watt QSC amp for 599.
http://www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl?...02080800293296
If it were me I would get 4 12 inch Shocker 3's for $249 each, the 2400 watt qsc amp, some horns from http://www.partsexpress.com and a amp to power them.
Total cost would be around $2100. This should hit some were in the 140's or higher depending on the room size.

 

[Bill Lucas]

After reading the initial post a couple of times it appears that he is looking for FULL range speakers with considerable bass, not subwoofers. I doubt that there is a speaker on the planet that will do what he's asked for given the cost constraints. It will take a very large, well constructed cabinet, quality drivers and a ton of power to hit 140-150db. That's not something you can get cheap. Methinks you need another science project.

 

[Lito]

quote:
I need several speakers capable of extremely LOUD output with considerable bass. We need the speakers to be able to reach 140 - 150 dB!!!
endquote:
how far will the speakers be from the ensonified object??
when i did a search for LOUD speakers for a project here, i came across the
drivers used in aeroacoustic chambers like the ones operated by the air force.
http://www.ling1.com/ept1094.htm
only draws 7 amps and 500 scfm at 40 psig
they use large arrays to simulate launch/flight conditions.
i did check w/ ling and they're definitely out of the 2K budget.
plus your neighbors would start wondering when you started building
really big high pressure bunkers for the nitrogen tanks!!

 

[Drew_E]

i think hitting 140dB with pink noise is possible with some cheap car audio equipment. 150 is a different story, but still possible.