toups
Well-Known Member
Recently acquired a pair (2 speakers worth) of Wharfedale Unit 5 kits. These were on the auction site recently and the drivers have never been out of their boxes except for inspection as far as I can tell.
The drivers appear to be the same 12" woofers as used in the W60D series, similarly the mid-range (except maybe coated?) is the same as the W60D. However the tweeter is the smaller tweeter similar to that used in the W60E.
The baffling (pun intended) part of the instructions says:
I almost understand 4, it is easy to burn out a tweeter by pumping it with lots of power from an oscillator or to hit the resonant frequency of a woofer and over drive it.
Regarding 2 and 3, I assume the issue is with the woofer in that it may be a very high compliance driver and that the driver is counting on the sealed air volume to supply the required restoring force. So without a sealed box, they are susceptible to being over driven with a small amount of power.
Evidently the woofer is not a candidate for an open baffle system. This is not a problem for me since these are destined for a (potentially modified) W60E cabinet that needs drivers.
I'll have to measure the TS parameters, but that may be a project for a different time. Has anyone measured the TS parameters for similar Wharfedale drivers?
Did the Wharfedale woofers used for ported versus sealed units have different compliance and Qs? Or were the TS parameters similar, just different box alignments?
Also does anyone have a copy of G.A. Briggs "The Cabinet Handbook"? The assembly instructions reference cabinet sizes shown on P. 1 (I assume page 1) The paper does have a size range that is probably the same as that referenced, but I am curious if there is any additional info on that page of the book.
The drivers appear to be the same 12" woofers as used in the W60D series, similarly the mid-range (except maybe coated?) is the same as the W60D. However the tweeter is the smaller tweeter similar to that used in the W60E.
The baffling (pun intended) part of the instructions says:
WARNINGS
...
2) Under no circumstances should the speakers be played in other than an airtight cabinet.
3) Do not use these units in cabinets larger than the largest recommended as this will also cause damage.
4) Do not test the system with an oscillator
...
I almost understand 4, it is easy to burn out a tweeter by pumping it with lots of power from an oscillator or to hit the resonant frequency of a woofer and over drive it.
Regarding 2 and 3, I assume the issue is with the woofer in that it may be a very high compliance driver and that the driver is counting on the sealed air volume to supply the required restoring force. So without a sealed box, they are susceptible to being over driven with a small amount of power.
Evidently the woofer is not a candidate for an open baffle system. This is not a problem for me since these are destined for a (potentially modified) W60E cabinet that needs drivers.
I'll have to measure the TS parameters, but that may be a project for a different time. Has anyone measured the TS parameters for similar Wharfedale drivers?
Did the Wharfedale woofers used for ported versus sealed units have different compliance and Qs? Or were the TS parameters similar, just different box alignments?
Also does anyone have a copy of G.A. Briggs "The Cabinet Handbook"? The assembly instructions reference cabinet sizes shown on P. 1 (I assume page 1) The paper does have a size range that is probably the same as that referenced, but I am curious if there is any additional info on that page of the book.