Redboy's Barzilays and I have some history here on AK:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=104697
Duffinator found a pair of similar, perhaps the same, actually, here locally, and he did the PT waveguide/LE14A thing with them. I believe everyone who has heard them has been stunned by their performance:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=136160
In the end, Duff's components were all upgrades from the entry-level EconoWave design (he just upgraded the woofers today, in fact,) but they clearly illustrate a successful approach to Barzilay cabs for due consideration.
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Recall that EconoWave grew out of previous intense work Jack and I did with Altec Valencias and 811B horns, some of that documented here on AK. Needless to say, our findings were not well received by Altec enthusiasts, but once they got over the bad news, many realized that we had clearly defined an upgrade path which a group of AKers pursued, ultimately with considerable satisfaction.
From this we learned that, while 811B and 511A horns have their pluses, more modern waveguides easily outperform them in many respects, particularly as relate to practical two-way loudspeaker design. Several E'Wavers have now done direct A/B comparisions with vintage Altecs, and while EconoWave may look out of place substituting for 811B in Valencia, or simply stupid sitting atop A7, sonically, it's a worthy challenger. There are other larger and more expensive modern horns and waveguides that will easily stomp these vintage Altecs, performance-wise; I've shown a couple of them in other threads here on AK.
We should all be thankful that there are still plenty of Altec fans out there willing to work with them and who love the sound. I think it will be a VERY long time before Jack's Valencias go on the block, for example, but that doesn't deter him from also enjoying the pleasure of DIYing with these newer design concepts.
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I believe the Dayton woofer you have selected may not be an optimum choice for building EconoWave, subject to verification that it actually plays well up through the region of 1.6 kHz, nominal. That's a "push" for many 15" drivers optimized for low-frequency extension. I'd say "Go for it and see" if it weren't for their cost, which is not insubstantial. If Gordon says they'll work, then fine; otherwise, rethink the choice.
A second major issue is whether or not the Barzilay baffle can accommodate both a 15" woofer and the EconoWaveguide. There may be a way to get both of them in there, but it doesn't seem worth it if the performance is compromised from the outset. You don't have to use a 15" woofer to get great bass from those cabs. Remember also that even LE14As earned a well-deserved reputation for "muddy midrange" when they were crossed with tweeters at 2 kHz in vintage JBL products such as S99 Athena. They seem to work satisfactorily with E'Wave, however, both by measurement and listening evaluation.
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Notes:
Vb is the NET box volume.
Lv is the length of the vent; Dv is the diameter.
Don't stuff vented alignments unless you have a specific and verified purpose for doing so.
