288c 311-90 horns

[bfish]

Hi, A7fan,
Your problem's likely not as bad as it seems. You've basically got the right components for an A5, so when you get your A7 cabs built, the problem should go away, unless your 515s need remagged. If your 515s are up to par, you're just experiencing a sensitivity mismatch, which is being exagerrated by the efficiency loss of having the 515 in a BR box instead of a horn. With a 1 watt input, the 515B should produce 98dB at 4 feet (IB rating, BR similar). That same one watt will drive your 288C to 115dB at 4 feet, or if you configure the N500C for its' max attenuation of 4dB, you still have a 12dB difference in HF and LF output. As numbers go, that doesn't sound like much, but it's a HUGE difference in SPL. Increasing the efficiency of the 515 by horn-loading them in your future A7 cabs will go a long way toward closing that gap. To balance your current setup, you'd need to pad down the 288 with a non-inductive, series power resistor or L-pad with a 20W or greater rating.

[A7fan]

I am planning on building a a pair of A7 cabs. I have 515B, 288C, and 311-90 horns, and N-500-C dividing networks. I found a bass reflex cab for free on craigslist and thought this be would a quick way to try out one set of speakers until the A7 cabs are built. I was not happy with the result. No matter what I did to try and bring out the bass and reduce the treble, the large format horn overwelmed the bass output. In fact, the output from the horns is just to bright and piercing. Now I know the dividing networks will have to go,I was only going to use them until, I bought crossovers. Now I am unsure if the crossovers will tame the large format 288's. Not going to biamp. At this point I need some input from you. Can the 288's be tamed or should I go with the small format hf drivers and horns. Thanks for any and all help.