Here's the deal, this driver has had my interest piqued since it was posted here not too long ago. I'm slowly making some changes and actually stepping backwards at a price point level.
The other deal, this driver is NOT INSTALLED, I don't know how it sounds, what I put here is EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT IT! Please do not PM/e-mail the hell out of me regarding the install or how I like it, I just don't know yet. I plan to install them in a month or two, I have more goods to collect before I do so such as acoustic treatment and mounting materials, I also need to procure time, which is a rather rare commodity at this time.
What it does in comparison to my installed Seas CA18RNX with 2.83V input... ON PAPER...
The magenta trace is the Seas, yellow is the Aura.
Pics of the actual driver...
Notes thus far:
First off they are LIGHT, very cool! You cannot stick a screwdriver to the magnet, the gap must be huge because you really have to press on one side to get any rubbing and it skews the cone like a mutha, from pushing on it I HIGHLY doubt they will ever bottom out, so the gap is "like throwing a hot-dog down a hallway." As long as there is a ton of flux in that gap I see no issues with this or possibly a benefit for a door that could/will flex or people that don't believe in even mounting surfaces. The basket DOES ring at about 630Hz in free-air (I call in 1/3 octaves) when pressed to the bench there's an ever so slight ting that would easily be taken care of with spare deadening and not much of it. The cone is less flimsy than the Seas CA18RNX but that does not mean it's stout, the CA18 is pretty damn flimsy. It is NOT 6.5" it's a 6" driver plain and simple, it's kinda spooking me but they ARE going in, popping them with a 9V battery does indicate a strong resonance but under amplifierdamping it should be fine, they DO NOT ring with a shorted coil and a tap.
I think they will be fine as long as their sensitivity figures don't lie, however I feel that I will have the highest sub crossover of all-ya-allz, there is just not much cone there.
I put power to them free-air just to see what they will take, that was impressive, they won't bottom out Fed them 200W at 8 ohms with house music off of XM, full range, that cone was MOVING and I could tell when it had enough but it made no foul mechanical sounds.
One thing that's concerning me is the pressed paper gasket, I may dilute some glue and coat the edges or remove it all-together, it seems that it will de-laminate easily and buzz.
That's all I know at the moment, I don't know the OEM application (it's from Aura's OEM division.) I plan to mount them in my doors just as the seas are at first then possibly work on an angled mounting approach because my door panel allows it, that will come much later. I want to see if they can take the heat first.
Chad
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikinpunk
Mark's an up late kinda dude. His neighbor has a horse.
Got garage/shop cleaned and ready for fab work this weekend. I have a project to do for work then i can start. I need to get a barrier stuffs and some acoustic treatment before I tear into it tho.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikinpunk
Mark's an up late kinda dude. His neighbor has a horse.
These are in the car, amazing for under 60 bucks a pair. No EQ on them unlike the seas which had some pretty heavy EQ. They are crossed at 80/12 and 2.5/12.
Not nearly as bloated sounding as the Seas, rather transparent and open. They sound MUCH more substantial than they look, they take shit that the seas did not like level wise. I don't feel as I have to be as careful with them although I need to forget how they looked so I can rip into them a bit more. I have a gutted one I ruined while testing on the bench, I'll post up pics of the motor and coil. Neat little speakers, would make a first choice for me in a DIY budget rig.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikinpunk
Mark's an up late kinda dude. His neighbor has a horse.
yeah!! can't wait to hear the detailed comparo against the seas. So far you make it sound like they are just as good if not better at a cheaper price. I'm looking for mid drivers in a 2way for a first install, and as always on a budget. This is looking promising!
yeah!! can't wait to hear the detailed comparo against the seas. So far you make it sound like they are just as good if not better at a cheaper price. I'm looking for mid drivers in a 2way for a first install, and as always on a budget. This is looking promising!
yeah!! can't wait to hear the detailed comparo against the seas. So far you make it sound like they are just as good if not better at a cheaper price. I'm looking for mid drivers in a 2way for a first install, and as always on a budget. This is looking promising!
thx chad
WAY, WAY, WAY cheaper, way better sounding from the get-go IN MY APPLICATION. The seas MAY make more 63-100 if pushed but are were also problematic there in my install. I hate audiophile terminology but they are very "fresh" sounding. Drums sound awesome, stick on skin, whereas the seas were a tad "darker" and required more EQ. Like I said, I am using NO filters of EQ currently and I may need ONE SLIGHT notch in the 2K5 to 4K area. I have yet to come across something so damn cheap (even cheap feeling) that just works so well...
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikinpunk
Mark's an up late kinda dude. His neighbor has a horse.
WAY, WAY, WAY cheaper, way better sounding from the get-go IN MY APPLICATION. The seas MAY make more 63-100 if pushed but are were also problematic there in my install. I hate audiophile terminology but they are very "fresh" sounding. Drums sound awesome, stick on skin, whereas the seas were a tad "darker" and required more EQ. Like I said, I am using NO filters of EQ currently and I may need ONE SLIGHT notch in the 2K5 to 4K area. I have yet to come across something so damn cheap (even cheap feeling) that just works so well...
exactly how I felt when I picked up a pair of MR62's, for under a hunnerd off the bay...
no tuning needed, everything just settles in right, and you can crank them up for hours, and if the MR series is any indication, the "squish" factor, where the distortion tells you to cut the power back, is nice and broad, no sudden pop goes the weasel's....
I fell in love with that neo-radial sound, for out of the box, no-tune greatness, I don't really think they have an equal in that middle ground, 100-105 db range...
the "squish" factor, where the distortion tells you to cut the power back, is nice and broad, no sudden pop goes the weasel's....
EXACTLY!
I did, however, nuke one on the bench but I was playing VERY dynamic material and the driver was seeing in excess of 250W at the moment it "popped" merely knocked the bottom coil off the VC and it made a ratting sound wen it rubbed int he gap, still worked. Pics in a bit of that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikinpunk
Mark's an up late kinda dude. His neighbor has a horse.
After reading around for months to find a good budget midbass this might just be the ticket then. Everyone focus on the importance of the lower mid bass performance on 7"s because most people are 3-way active here, and most 6.5" raved about here need a large format tweet to cross low if its used in a 2way. And if I really want a good 6.5" that can play well in the mids as well as midbass, then I'd have to pay w18nx prices (no way!)
I have a DIYMA R12 sub so I can cross high, and don't mind doing so. And my old school Vifa D26NC55 is probably fine considering how high these Aura can play. ME LIKES!
If these Auras are really that great then maybe they're the new best value setup to date? Cheaper than a set of dayton rs180! which, can't play high. The only thing is, out of all the drivers I have looked at, these Auras have the lowest power handling. But specs are specs, and you say they can play loud so thats cool. Whats the xmax? Can't see it on the pdf?
After reading around for months to find a good budget midbass this might just be the ticket then. Everyone focus on the importance of the lower mid bass performance on 7"s because most people are 3-way active here, and most 6.5" raved about here need a large format tweet to cross low if its used in a 2way. And if I really want a good 6.5" that can play well in the mids as well as midbass, then I'd have to pay w18nx prices (no way!)
I have a DIYMA R12 sub so I can cross high, and don't mind doing so. And my old school Vifa D26NC55 is probably fine considering how high these Aura can play. ME LIKES!
If these Auras are really that great then maybe they're the new best value setup to date? Cheaper than a set of dayton rs180! which, can't play high. The only thing is, out of all the drivers I have looked at, these Auras have the lowest power handling. But specs are specs, and you say they can play loud so thats cool. Whats the xmax? Can't see it on the pdf?
Actually they are more of a 6"! if you can cross high then go nuts, you can hammer them hard at 80/12 I can say that, 63/12 is pushing it for high volume playback. They can take some power but may and will go into power compression, the coil is small. it's NOT an SPL driver but still has the snap and impact for me to say that I can make them sound like one of my live rigs. AND, AND! I have no door treatment, none, nada.
The paper gasket...... dilute white glue in a small amount of water and paint it all over the paper, this will prevent it from de-laminating and buzzing. You will see that in the guts pics coming up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikinpunk
Mark's an up late kinda dude. His neighbor has a horse.
" if you can cross high then go nuts, you can hammer them hard at 80/12 I can say that, 63/12 is pushing it for high volume playback"
interesting that you say that, I was just looking into the rainbow profi kickbass and they fueled a bit of a debate here because of their recommended 80/12 cross point which people deemed high - yet those who use it claim thats the perfect point to cross and have good results as that relieves the midbass from hard low freq duty.
And the rainbows are $200 used, shouldn't even be compared here.......or CAN IT!?
So I'm down to:
$200 range: Usher 8945p, ER18rnx, rainbow profi kick
$100 range: Aura NS6-255-8A, ID OEM,
even the Vifa BC18SG69-08
Looks like the higher priced options only yield improvements in the sub 100Hz area, which my sub can take care of. GOGO AURA NS6!
"I have no door treatment, none, nada."
LOL how can u say that out loud and not get flamed over here?
interesting that you say that, I was just looking into the rainbow profi kickbass and they fueled a bit of a debate here because of their recommended 80/12 cross point which people deemed high - yet those who use it claim thats the perfect point to cross and have good results as that relieves the midbass from hard low freq duty.
probably because they are capable of taking more power thus yielding more output
Quote:
Originally Posted by blamus
And the rainbows are $200 used, shouldn't even be compared here.......or CAN IT!?
It absolutely can if you need the level, from what I have heard those things can really belt it out!
Quote:
Originally Posted by blamus
So I'm down to:
$200 range: Usher 8945p, ER18rnx, rainbow profi kick
Certainly a good group of drivers, all of them, you would not go wrong as long as the rainbow will play high enough for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blamus
$100 range: Aura NS6-255-8A, ID OEM,
even the Vifa BC18SG69-08
The IDOEM is a more substantial driver, it can handle more power, i don't doubt that, but I don't know how it sounds, some have said that it makes a great mid-bass in a 3-way because it can be a bit hairy to integrate to the tweet. My auras don't sound like they are in the lower door, they sound like they are coming from up much higher. FWIW the seas also did this but the auras disappear MORE. This was basically an experiment to see how dirt cheap I could go and the sensitivity number really turned me on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blamus
Looks like the higher priced options only yield improvements in the sub 100Hz area, which my sub can take care of. GOGO AURA NS6!
Yes and as stated above power handling. I'm not saying it's the perfect driver, but it's certainly kickass for the price if someone wanted an inexpensive rig that sounds great and does not have to satisfy Tommy Lee in level.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blamus
LOL how can u say that out loud and not get flamed over here?
they know better
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikinpunk
Mark's an up late kinda dude. His neighbor has a horse.
Well hell, what kind of review can you have without a dead soldier?
Here's the basket under 2 different lighting conditions....
You can see the 8 magnets around the outside of the gap, there is little magnetic field outside this, in fact if I remove it (the magnet assembly) from the frame it will make a VERY shitty fridge magnet.
I put the frame face down on the concrete floor... and jumped up and down on it and it still appears to be straight, I'm around 200#.. The mag assembly is epoxied to the frame as seen in the earlier pics then they crimped the hell out of it, I've seen much worse.
2 layer VC, one up, one down (lead wires attach at the top of the coil on both ends) kapton former I would guess. Again the cone and most of the surround is quite light in weight!
And this is the issue. Now, I was holding it in my hand when i did this free-air and it was receiving well over 200W, it smacked something hard because it was LOUD. Knocked part of the coil off the bottom I guess that's part of "testing" a driver
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikinpunk
Mark's an up late kinda dude. His neighbor has a horse.
It's less than the cone area of 1X12" driver, it's only 12" one way
it would be very feasible especially if you rolled one off as to only play lower while the other played up to the tweet (to avoid lobing/combing of high freqs) it would also yield a 4 ohm final impedance in the passband where both are playing since they are 8 ohm drivers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikinpunk
Mark's an up late kinda dude. His neighbor has a horse.
alright, you have me sold. They are cheap enough to even just 'try'. I'll just wait for your sexy pics
This is my plan, I'll grab these auras for $60. I am confident that they will sound good enough for my application - based on what you are saying. The only thing that concerns me is the power handling - I do want to play things loud, but we will see.
If it turns out they can't play loud enough for me, I exile them to the rear for my passengers, and get myself the ER18nx - which I think I can get for $100 used. (But this make me wonder if I should just pay the $40 extra and get the ER18 in the first place...)
I just don't think I have the money to just 'play' with the usher or the rainbows right now...they are double to triple the price to the above, and I doubt they are even 20% 'better'
You should grab a pair of Mach 5 MLI-65 woofers and play with those too. As for bargain woofers, it's one I really liked. I do kind of wish they were as cheap as they were when new though. I would be curious to see a comparison.
No lawn darts in the fairway! This is a golf course damn it!
You should grab a pair of Mach 5 MLI-65 woofers and play with those too. As for bargain woofers, it's one I really liked. I do kind of wish they were as cheap as they were when new though. I would be curious to see a comparison.
They may just have to go on the list, have to be under 35 bucks each as a personal goal, will they hit that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikinpunk
Mark's an up late kinda dude. His neighbor has a horse.
"those are good looking speakers but I'd be more apt to use them in a quieter seting. the aura's are so much more efficient and handle 20W more"
yeah that makes sense.
Quote:
"You should grab a pair of Mach 5 MLI-65"
Super suggestion. I just did a search and read a load, I'll have to include these in my decision. Looks like you can get them for $50 used. How you got yours for $19(!?) each is beyond me. I'll keep an eye out for them in the FS section. The only thing I'm not sure about is its mid range clarity as described by most people being rounded and laid back. Again, if I don't like them I can exile them to the rear So its ER18nx@$100(used), AuraNS6@$70(new), or MLI-65@$60(used) shipped.
Quote:
it would be very feasible especially if you rolled one off as to only play lower while the other played up to the tweet (to avoid lobing/combing of high freqs) it would also yield a 4 ohm final impedance in the passband where both are playing since they are 8 ohm drivers.
I actually had a similar idea but then got shot down very quickly due to all the mentioned lobing/combing effects. Didn't occur to me at the time to limit one driver to be rolled off early though, makes perfect sense, kind of like a 2.5way setup. I'd have to build my own passive crossover for that don't I? And the resultant 4ohms will be perfect. At what frequency would you cut the second driver? And what if I pair up different drivers but have them play the same freq, yet have the second one roll off early to play only the lows? So, e.g. instead of 2 Auras, I can have 1 Aura next to a Mach5, I'd then have the mach5 rolled off to play the lows only i guess.
Thank you so much for these golden suggestions, all this might worth me starting a new thread to investigate, I feel guilty for diverting this thread a little. But it has helped me out alot. sorry! I will certainly add my own thoughts once I get my hands on them.
A different direction... Aura NS6-255-8A
I would be curious to see a comparison.
Linear Mode
