4x FaitalPRO 18HP1060 build thread

AVS is kinda weak lately, so I figured a few of you guys would dig this one!




I am building 4 single 18" cabinets, 8 ft3 internal with a 23.7hz tune.

They will be loaded with 1ea FaitalPRO 18HP1060 neodymium subwoofers.
http://www.faitalpro.com/products/schede/hps.php?id=201070125



Each driver is 4ohm, and pairs will be running parallel creating a 2ohm stereo load on an Ashly KLR-3200 delivering 1600w per pair and 800w per driver. As such, all simulations are done at 800w.


Response no filters:

Response with filters:



Excursion no filters (21mm Xmech):

Excursion with filters:



Port velocity no filters:

Port velocity with filters:




Fun build stuff!!

Getting the wood, I <3 my Blazer. 11 sheets .5 and one sheet of .75 Birch, some scrap .75 ply from the tapered pipe experiment for bracing:


Birch cut up:


Everything rough cut:


Glue and clamp the finish cut portions:


Another side:


Bracing installed, and driver holes cut, with a very dusty Wi:



From head to toe:




I'll be finishing them up with shop time tomorrow. A pair of drivers is coming tomorrow, another pair on Thursday. All the speakons, dishes, and feet will be arriving Thursday as well. I hope to measure the cabinets Friday weather depending. There will be more pics tomorrow evening, I hope to have all 4 running by Thursday night. Friday is the big Gridlok show, I'm not completely sure what configuration I'll be using yet. All depends on what these do.





I was originally going to build these around the Ciare 18.00SW, but this happened:


With a perfectly clean coil:


Needless to say, I don't like a 14mm Xmax claim with no stated Xmech. The rubber surround looks cool, but you clank it WAY too easily.


I have had my eye on the Faital product for a while, and have one of the mid line drivers in the tapered pipe outdoors and it humps. We'll shortly see what the HP line has to offer. If they don't work out, I'll probably just put Zv3 18s in there or do a LF/ULF split.

More progress today, got all 4 assembled and ready for some finishing tomorrow. 2 drivers showed up, the other 2 are due tomorrow. I was impressed by the 18HP1060, looks like a fine bit of engineering went into the driver. I'll be able to light one or all up tomorrow hopefully. On to the pics!


Adding port braces:


2 Sides added:


2 other sides added, actually looks like a box now:


Adding bracing for the back:


A look down the insides:


Backs are on, all done!:


Business end of all 4 stacked:


Drivers atop their homes:


New 18s with an old 21 next to it for size comparison:


18HP1060 mounted temporarily:






FaitalPRO 18HP1060 on the left, Ciare 18.00SW on the right:







We'll see how far I get with finishing tomorrow, if I get REALLY lucky I might be able to take a measurement or 2. I want to sweep the Zv3 18 in it while I have the gear out as well. If I can get all 4 running by tomorrow night I'll be super happy. I have alot of stuff to get ready for this show tomorrow and Friday.


This is where I started today. Some sanding, flush trimming, and roundovers:




Result:



Then to layout and cut the terminal jack holes:





Now to layout and drill the driver mounting holes:






I can finally use these screws that came with the TC drivers:



A blast from the backpack blower to get all the dust out:



Then on to building and installing the wiring:












Check for shorts:



Install the feet:




Time to install the drivers:



This came in handy to speed the process of screwing down the drivers:



And done:



Polarity on all speakons checked, life is good. Learned this one the hard way with the THTs.

Design Monday, build Tues and Weds, working tonight.

I'm going to bed, long day tomorrow.






So I loaded up, and then this is what happened:



But then this happened:




And then this happened from 10-2:30:

http://youtu.be/6ki5EP-r8OY





I set up the limiters to just tap the clip lights on the KLR-3200 and held on tight and let them run free. At the end of the night the dustcaps were barely even warm to the touch. The amp and subs ran trouble free the entire show.

Gobs of bass. Gobs and gobs of it. Clean, deep, nasty basslines. For the first time in 10 years I don't want to revise a bin, or build something different, I want to build 4 more.

However, I will wait until measurements to make final judgment. Even with no hard data, subjectively these are the best cabs I have built yet. And I wasn't the only one there that thought so.

 

Standard measuring setup I have used before:

KLR-2000
PreSonus Firebox
Lappy
ECM8000
REW 5








Graph parameters:

2db step 20-80hz
5db step, 15-150hz
Waterfall 5db step, 15-150hz
Impulse 5db step, 15-150hz




RCF 21 in WiSub:









18FH510 in WiSub:









18HP1060 in WiSub:









All 3 drivers in the WiSub:








Zv3 18 in new 18:









18FH510 in new 18:









Best for last, 18HP1060 in new 18:











All 3 drivers in the new 18:

 

I really like the form factor, driver availability, and performance of the new 18s. I can run 8 of them off of a 20a circuit, I think 4 more is the play going forward.

 

I'd say around 100. The response starts to get a little weird above that. I run kicks from 75 up anyway so upper bandwidth response wasn't a design goal.

 

I'm redesigning my kickbins around a 15" Faital driver as we speak. I only ask 70-300 out of them. Once I build a pair I'll be measuring them and comparing to the existing 18" ones I have now. I'll be better able to answer that question once I have some measurements.

 

RCF dropped a ferrite 21, these 4 18s are for sale:

http://rochester.craigslist.org/ele/3389567637.html