Altec 15 inch 3154, or 416 in open baffle any good idea

[Panomaniac]

Yeah, different goals. While I appreciate the lowest octave if I can have it, the range of ~60-300Hz is much more important to me. And so hard to get right.
FWIW, as much as I like open baffles, I run an Altec A5 system because I like the efficiency it gives me. Major work to get as clean bass as OB, tho.

[Old Guy]

Some fine sounding systems have limited bandwidth. Better to do a given range well than a wide range badly.

[valhallax]

Some fine sounding systems have limited bandwidth. Better to do a given range well than a wide range badly.

balanced.. same on both ends. not many folks can hear much of the top octive, and the lower octive is sooo hard to get

[gvasale]

I've heard the limited bandwith arguments before, and there may be some merit to it, but since I don't claim to be able to hear much higher than 10KHz today I really don't worry about it. At the other end of the spectrum I still prefer to get well below 50Hz if possible. Not because there's always some program material there, but when it is there the results are extremely rewarding.

[Panomaniac]

They are, and can be unexpected. Like room tone and even a sense of the HVAC in the venue. Gives a great sense of being there. But hey, you gotta pick your battles. Mine are higher up.

[MerlinVSM]

I agree that the X-max of the 416 could be a problem. You don't get much bass efficiency out of an OB (that's why they put woofers in boxes) so you have to push the cone farther. That said, I've run across a number of 416s that had a Qts of 0.4 to 0.6 and that means more of a bass bump than factory specs would indicate. But less efficient, so it's a trade off.

Another thing hard to get right is the crossover. Mating an open baffle woofer and a horn is no easy task - I speak from experience! It can be done, but won't look anything like a textbook crossover.
See attached my Selenium 15" + Altec 811 Obee. It later had wings to help the bass.

I bought the Acoustic Elelgance 15 inch Dipole 15. Now I have to figure out how to crossover between the units (altec 511B horn) ?
Any information how to arrange the crossover settings ? Using an active Behringer DCX 2496 crossover.

Any information appreciated.

[Altec Best]

It's probably the best reason I enjoy Altec so much.What they do in their bandwidth they do very well.I too am partial to the low end of the bandwidth.I agree with Pano though, there is not much to hear down near 20 Hz. Mostly rumble that you can feel, but can't necessarily hear to well.But I also enjoy the high end too.Example, cymbals that hang in the air so to speak, with great clarity is what I look for in my speakers.With open baffles as Pano noted they can be very hard to get right and is probably why so many folks steer away from them. YMMV !

[VolvoHeretic]

Mostly rumble that you can feel, but can't necessarily hear to well.YMMV !

The only rumble I hear is the walls, windows, and cupboards rattling. Don't really care for it. No known instrument gets that close except for a church organ, and being a disbeliever, don't listen to too much of that.

[gvasale]

Sure: pipe organs, large bass drums, hall characteristics when previously mention instruments are active... It really all depends on what instrumentation was written into the music, and how up to date the recording is. Admittedly if I haven't said it before, you never know. But when it comes, it can be spectacular. Fortunately, I don't really have noise problems where I live, at least none that are extremely obnoxious for too long...unless I'm making them...I remember many years ago, I did a live recording at the factory so I could write something about it for the company quarterly. This was a sheet metal factory, made their own product. Big punch presses and things. When I reviewed the tape, I heard the low thud of one of the punch presses on the tape. Most of the HF energy of the machine had dissapated through the walls, corridors etc. leading to the conference room. But the pounding low frequency came through and actually recorded pretty well. I almost said WTF when I listened.

[Panomaniac]

I bought the Acoustic Elelgance 15 inch Dipole 15. Now I have to figure out how to crossover between the units (altec 511B horn) ?
Any information how to arrange the crossover settings ? Using an active Behringer DCX 2496 crossover.

Start with an 800Hz, 2nd order hi-pass on the 511B. Use a 150Hz, 1st order low-pass on the 15" (yes, you read that right). That's your starting point. You'll want to add a HP shelf to the horn, maybe above 7K, I can't remember.

If you don't have a lot of experience tuning crossovers by ear, this can be very frustrating. Some measurement equipment will greatly speed the project and lessen the frustration.