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Replacement woofer suggestions for Cerwin Vega U 123 ?

SubwayRocket

SubwayRocket

New Member
I've got a set of HED (High Energy Design) cerwin vega U 123 speakers , I don't have the woofers. Can anyone suggest a replacement 12" for these ? I'm not concerned with keeping them original , these will be used just for out in my workshop. I'm using a set of bose 301's that a buddy gave me , they are decent for out here in the shop but they don't have a lot of bottom, they're only bookshelf speakers and I can't push them too hard. My amp is a Yaqin MS-30L . I do like to turn it up a bit while working on projects or my bike . Shop is 25'x25' , I don't have any neighbor problems here. I listen basically every genre from all era's including EDM , Hip hop, metal, 70's fusion. I'm thinking anything will be a step up from these 301's . The mids and tweeters look ok but i'd take any suggestions on those as well.

I was looking at this budget speaker , comments/suggestions appreciated and thanks in advance !
http://amzn.com/B00026BMBS
 
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I'd go to ebay and buy cerwin 12's. Love my cerwins and would never dream of using different parts.
 
You should start by measuring the internal volume of your enclosure. Then choose a driver with an impedance that matces the original woofer and is designed to work in an enclosure of a similar size and box design (sealed or ported).
 
Whatever 12'' you have laying around would be my recommendation since it's for a workshop. I used a pair of Rectilinear 12's in mine and they seemed to work ok in a similar situation. Changing out that nasty sounding phenolic horn tweeter with a quality dome tweeter helped mine out a lot to. The 123's certainly aren't one of CV's better efforts. They're similar to the Infinity SM lineup imo where almost anything you do to them is going to be an upgrade.
 
If you want to push them I'd say stay with CV parts, but with only 50wpc not sure it matters so much
 
Thanks guys. I got a set of these http://amzn.com/B00026BMBS . If they're no good, i'll return them for a better set. I'm thinking that for out in my shop they're gona be decent...we'll see.


motorstereo said:
Whatever 12'' you have laying around would be my recommendation since it's for a workshop.
Changing out that nasty sounding phenolic horn tweeter with a quality dome tweeter helped mine out a lot to.
.
Click to expand...

Yes I thought the same thing, i'm going to change that tweeter. I was looking around my house and found a whole box of NIB speakers in the walk in closet I forgot about...
I had all these from when I built some clones of reference monitors for my studio...whole box of new in the box speakers...lol
I found these dome tweeters in the box and i'm going to try them http://www.parts-express.com/pioneer-add64-56f-3-4-cloth-dome-tweeter--270-045

I have four of these I wish I could use but they are 4 ohm http://www.parts-express.com/alesis-1-shielded-soft-dome-tweeter--279-140
I've got 4 , new in the box ...shame because they were supposed to be a pretty good tweeter...not sure why I even bought 4 ohm tweeters

One of the mids in the Cerwin vega cabinet has a small rip , i'm going to swap in a new pair of these from that box I found
http://www.parts-express.com/alesis-5-1-4-poly-cone-woofer--299-160

I've also got 2 of these http://www.parts-express.com/pioneer-a11ec80-02f-4-1-2-full-range-driver--290-010
and 2 of these http://www.parts-express.com/pioneer-b20fu20-51fw-8-full-range-driver--290-045
Two Pioneer 8" full range B20FU20
 
Sounds like you're well on your way to making those 123's listenable. FWIW I used a nice 4ohm dome tweeter very similar to what you have on my 123's with good results. The reason being it's what I had in my spare tweeter pile that fit the hole the best. It still sounded better than that torture device that CV calls a tweeter.
 
Yeah I wish I could use the Alesis tweeters , they must weigh a pound each , the pioneers seem a bit chincey but... I have them. I think if I used the 4 ohm in there they might draw more current than the other 8 ohm speakers in there and be too loud . idk
 
I just saw this thread and you already pulled the trigger. The CV U-123 is a high efficiency design putting out 97dB total, but has the advantage of having L-Pads for mids and highs, so you may be able to get away with a woofer in the low 90's. Which it probably is anyways. Assuming the enclosure has no sealed compartments and it is just one "empty" box with a rear vent, it's volume is 2.52 cu.ft. According to specs regarding the Pyle PPA12, it is not a proper replacement, the specs simply don't measure up to you speakers specs.. I would say these Dayton's are a perfect fit, with the right specs for your application. Other woofers, especially Pro, might work, like:

+ Tymphany FSL
+ PRV Audio 12W (will benefit from stuffing with Polyfill or similar)
+ Celestion TF1220

The Dayton's are your best bet.
 
PR Audio said:
I just saw this thread and you already pulled the trigger. The CV U-123 is a high efficiency design putting out 97dB total, but has the advantage of having L-Pads for mids and highs, so you may be able to get away with a woofer in the low 90's. Which it probably is anyways. Assuming the enclosure has no sealed compartments and it is just one "empty" box with a rear vent, it's volume is 2.52 cu.ft. According to specs regarding the Pyle PPA12, it is not a proper replacement, the specs simply don't measure up to you speakers specs.. I would say these Dayton's are a perfect fit, with the right specs for your application. Other woofers, especially Pro, might work, like:

+ Tymphany FSL
+ PRV Audio 12W (will benefit from stuffing with Polyfill or similar)
+ Celestion TF1220

The Dayton's are your best bet.
Click to expand...
where were you 3 days ago ...haha those Tynphany have really good specs and a good price. I'll just have to see how the Pyle does
 
SubwayRocket said:
where were you 3 days ago ...haha those Tynphany have really good specs and a good price. I'll just have to see how the Pyle does
Click to expand...

At the doctor's with allergic asthma...Anyways, if you can return the Pyle, return them. To give you an idea, for the Pyle to perform well in a vented enclosure, you need a 12 cu.ft. enclosure, that is almost 5 times the size your CV enclosure. You will be disappointed with those. Return them, and go for one of the ones I suggested, all of them will work in your enclosure, and have the SPL needed. As mentioned, the Dayton's are a perfect fit.

When buying replacement woofers, without knowing the T/S Parameters of the original woofer. Check for diameter of the original woofer (easy), factory specs of the speaker (look on the internet if you don't have them), SPL of your speakers, Impedance of the speaker, and enclosure dimensions. Manufacturers will give you outside dimensions, which include the thickness of the wood. So, to be on the safe side, take a measuring tape and measure width, height, and depth of the space where the woofer goes. In most cases the inside of the complete enclosure is for the woofer's volume, in other cases, inside the enclosure there is a separate compartment for the woofer. If so, just measure the inside dims. of the compartment where the replacement woofer goes, and determine volume. With the information at hand, check which replacement woofers have the right specs for your speakers. Also, with your speaker model # you can call PE, Meniscus, Madisound, or someone that sells speaker parts. Sometimes they have provided a replacement for that speaker and know exactly what fits.
 
SubwayRocket said:
Looking at two of http://www.parts-express.com/tymphany-fsl-1225r02-08-professional-12-woofer-driver-8-ohm--264-1412

Although these seem very good, and half the price---> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IK6SZFI/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awd_oNU7wb27CNHTC

...maybe I'll have to send the other back
Click to expand...

The Rockville from Amazon might be good, but might not; there is not sufficient info (TS Parameters) as to know if they will work well in your enclosure. Might have the proper specs, or might be the same as the Pyle. Go with the Tymphany FSL-1220, rather than the 1225. It is less expensive, and if needed you can always stuff your enclosure as to make the woofer "believe" it is a larger enclosure; it might not be necessary. They also will go lower.
 
PR Audio said:
The Rockville from Amazon might be good, but might not; there is not sufficient info (TS Parameters) as to know if they will work well in your enclosure. Go with the Tymphany FSL-1220, rather than the 1225They also will go lower.
Click to expand...
Thanks PR for the suggestions, I appreciate it.
I see the FSL1220 says 53 hz in a vented box , which is what the U123 is . It's inside dimensions are 14" x 14" x 24" tall , the port is a 4" pipe and it goes 9" inside the cabinet .
What do you think about the mids and dome tweeters i'm considering , I listed them above in post # 8 , I found them (new in a box) in my closet, bought around 2010-2011. Thanks again !
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tymphany FSL 1220
  • Power Handling (RMS)250 Watts Impedance8 ohms
  • Frequency Response 60-3,000 Hz Sensitivity96.1 dB 1W/1
  • Nominal Diameter 12" Voice Coil Diameter2"
Thiele-Small Parameters
  • Resonant Frequency (Fs)67 Hz DC Resistance (Re)5.8 ohms
  • Voice Coil Inductance (Le)0.66 mH Mechanical Q (Qms)4.8
  • Electromagnetic Q (Qes)0.58 Total Q (Qts)0.51
  • Compliance Equivalent Volume (Vas)1.81 ft.³
  • Mechanical Compliance of Suspension (Cms)0.123 mm/N
  • BL Product (BL)13.96 Tm Diaphragm Mass Inc. Airload (Mms)46g
  • Maximum Linear Excursion (Xmax)2.4 mm Surface Area of Cone (Sd)543.3 cm²
Materials of Construction
  • Cone Material Paper Surround Material Cloth
  • Basket / Frame Material Steel Magnet MaterialFerrite

Optimum Cabinet Size (determined using BassBox 6 Pro High Fidelity suggestion)
  • Sealed Volume 1.34 ft.³ Sealed F3 103 Hz
  • Vented Volume 3 ft.³ Vented F3 53 Hz
 
The tweeter is nice, but only 91dB in a high efficiency speaker, it should be at least 93dB. But, since the speaker has L-Pads for Tweeter and Mid, you might get away with using the ones you have. Is there a sealed box inside the enclosure for the mid? If so, what is the volume for the mid enclosure?

If the mid has no independent enclosure, you could use the Pioneer mid and behind it put a PVC 40 DWV 8" Dia. Cap, as to make an enclosure for the mid. Attach it to the inside of the cabinet with Liquid Nails LN-2000 or other Heavy Duty construction adhesive. Line the inside and outside of the cap with damping material. Or use one of these foam baffles, and make it easy. You will only loose 0.1 cu.ft. of space inside the speaker enclosure, which is not a big deal in this case.
 
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That's right. The rest is OK, but someone back in post 5 and 9 says the tweeter is no too good...I've got a box of what I listed above so I may as well use them if they're better. I got these enclosures for $25 . I mentioned in the OP that I'm not concerned with keeping them original. I ordered those 92 dB Dayton's you listed. There is no mid chamber, it's all open.
 
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