EV ELX 118 Driver Replacement

[sir.codrin]

Hi, I am looking to replace the driver from my ELX118 with a more powerful one as from what I read EV is putting one of the cheapest ones in these boxes. The dimensions of the box are 661mm x 507mm x 574mm

The scope of the sound system is mainly for electronic outdoor parties so I am mainly looking for something to move a lot of air with a decent budget.

I am currently looking at B&C 18RBX100 8 and LaVoce SAF184.01.

I see there are other alternatives like LaVoce SAN/SAF 184.03 with a slightly bigger price but I can't tell if that would be more suitable.

What do you think about the drivers I'm considering and what are the alternatives? Currently the amplifier we are using for the subs is a Behringer NX6000 so it should be able to handle a decent amount of power.
Thanks

 

[chrapladm]

15mm plywood ends up about 160 liter cabinet before ports. Looks like maybe a pair of 4" ports. I'm guessing cabinet is tuned high around maybe 40-45hz or possibly higher.

Have you tried simulating any drivers to compare?

I dont have simulation software on my new computer yet but can simulate some tomorrow if you havent yet. The BC 18RBX100 would be a huge step up from the EV. Most likely you will run into port noises when pushing the limits of the BC driver or other similar 18".

 

[sir.codrin]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

The ports are 6'' actually, for the simulation.

I haven't done any simulation until now. If it's not too big of a deal can you please run a test?

Also can you please recommend the program you are using for simulations? I'm kind of the beginning of the road and could use a few tips and tricks.

 

[chrapladm]

I will be using Hornresp. I have recently gotten a new computer so I am slowly migrating files over. Sorry for the delay. how long are the ports?

You can use a tape measure on the inside of the port. Two 6" ports sounds like the cabinet IS tuned pretty high then. Either way there are many other 18s that cab work. Just a matter of budget and SPL wanted/needed.

 

[sir.codrin]

The ports are 364 mm length.

 

[chrapladm]

I believe that would be a about a 35/6hz tune. Didnt think they were that long but I have been wrong be for. That is roughly 360cm square by 36.4 cm length in a 155l enclosure. I dont have the specs for the EV yet. I will try and find them. 18 Sound 2400 looks pretty good response shape wise in that size of enclosure. BC 18TBW100 about the same response shape. Even the budget friendly 18PS100 looks good.

I will upload the three that I mentioned soon. Is there a budget in mind or which drivers are you wanting to buy?

Looks like the TBW100 can go a few DB louder when pushed to Xmax.

Below is the BC 18TBW100 with 950watts compared to the BC 18RBX100 with 650watts. That amount of power was used to push the drivers to their Xmax rating.

 

[sir.codrin]

We are looking to get the best bang for the buck xD. Basically trying to get the the best speaker for the SPL/price ratio. You mentioned that 18PS100 looks similar to 18RBX100 so if there is not a significant SPL improvement there, then we would go for the cheaper version as it's 25% more cheap (e.g 210 vs 290 usd).

Can you please share the rest of the results, especially for the 18PS100, as we couldn't find the 18 Sound one around.

 

[chrapladm]

The 18PS100 will work but the TBW has more Xmax. I would say the TBW100 is the best "value," 18 from BC.

Below is the simulation of the 18PS100 in black and the TBW100 in gray. TBW is double the spl. The 18SW115 offers another 2.5db near tuning about 1db overall every where else. BUT for value its hard to beat the TBW.

There are many other manufacturers though to choose from. 18 Sound, Faital Pro, SB Audience, RCF ect ect. Where are you located? TLHP sells most brands in Europe if that helps.

Your Lavoice option has 6.8mm Xmax compared to 8mm PS100 and 12mm TBW100.. So the Lavoice would have even less SPL than the PS100.

 

[sir.codrin]

Hi. So I tried doing some simulations myself using Basta!. Would you be able to help me understand why is there such big difference between our graphs? For me it shows that the best option is an RBX100 with a very close call from the PS76, while the TBW is really underperformig.

Driver Specs:


Box Vents Response
.

 

[chrapladm]

I am not familiar with your simulating software. I have simulated the RBX vs TBW and both will get you the same spl at tuning if using only 650watts roughly. BUT the TBW is not at Xmax yet. The RBX also would like a larger box for that tuning. Even in your simulation the RBX is falling off in response shape before the port tuning, where as the PS76 and TBW100 do not.

The TBW100 needs about 1000watts to hit Xmax. Again teh TBW in Black and the RBX in gray. The RBX as a lower Le which is why it extends higher in the response but the higher Bl and lower Vas of the TBW allows for the speaker to behave better in a smaller box for the tuning.