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Driver TS Inconsistency
so I bought a pair to Tang Band W3 1797s. But there is a significant discrepancy between the two drivers and the published TS parameters. This is from DATS except for the VAS, which i couldn't calculate due to the grill. The published TS are also attached. Should I send them back, both of them one of them? I am planning to use them full range.
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Did you have them flat when tested, or verticle?
Though it seems to far off for those things to fix.
Im uprised, usually TB hasnt been too bad.
I have a pair of those big W5 drivers - nowhere near advertised and different enough from each other to be annoying.
All of these manufacturers should take note of what Dayton Audio is doing, at least from a QC standpoint. Like their products or not, it is a safe bet you are getting what you expect to get from them.
so, are these usable at all? Definitely not as full range (whatever little hope of bass was there is gone), but what about a regular midrange, crossed higher say 300 or so?
I am going to let them play low music over the weekend and measure once more before returning them.
It should be fine for midrange use - provided there is not a significant difference in sensitivity.
Over the years, I have seen a lot of people point out that modeled F3 is similar despite varying T/S parameters, but Hoffman demands a sacrifice if that is true - and that sacrifice would be sensitivity. It can be very much an issue in the midrange and will affect imaging dramatically if they are more than, say, 1/2db apart across several octaves.
These are pretty expensive little drivers - I think you can do better, Ani. You can try breaking them in further - sometimes that helps.
I would suggest if further break-in does not reduce parameters to within 10-20% of advertised and unit-to-unit, and PE does not take them back as being essentially the wrong drivers, then posting your findings in a more public forum or trying to sell them is your best bet.
For the money they are charging for these, I would expect nothing less than spot-on. If $30 and $40 MCM and Dayton drivers can come in almost perfectly on-spec, there is no reason to accept this level of shit QC from a driver that costs $25 an inch.
I love PE, but it seems they are becoming judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to their customers and a lot of what they sell is losing its reputation for quality.
It should not he assumed that anything out if China is junk, and the responsibilty for the quality is less on the devloping contry and more the greed that companies are willing to sacrifice their own reputation and blind customers with low prices that are because their products are junk. As long as it keeps getting bought, it will be made.
What is the real cost? I recieve anything frim PE that required electricity and I test it thouroughly before proceeding. What is my time worth? Well, I would pay at least $0.33 on the dollar most times if I could rely on what graces my doorstep.
Who knows, maybe I am just being a curmudgeon.
so since I need to send these back and get two unknown drivers, which may or may not have similar haorrible specs.... I decided to throw more good money after the bad (in fact a bit more than what I paid for these drivers, as I has used the holiday coupon on these).
So long story short, I ordered for two more TB W3 1797S, and now have 4 of these drivers. I am going to send two of these back and retain the two which have closer specs.
The initial two drivers have around 70 hrs of break in. The two new ones have only around 16 hrs of break in. This is how they stack up. Which ones stay???
First the two later serial numbers (369 and 482) these have the FS at 115 and 114. Seems like they are a close match:
Next the earlier two serial numbers 182 and 164 with FS of 164 and 155: These two also seems to be a close match to each other
The problem is, I got 182 and 482 together and then 164 and 369 together, so both batches of drivers were horribly mis-matched. See below. This is for 482 and 182. I think there is a 0.5 to 1 db difference and the difference in the TS parameters.
So based on this I am inclined to go with the 482 and 369. What do you think???
This is 482 (blue), 164(red) and 182(Green) 2HD followed by 3HD
This is 369(blue), 164(red) and 182(green) 2HD followed by 3HD.
This is the distortion of 369 and 482 together, 2HD followed by 3HD.
I have the Holm Impulse measurements saved, so if you want to see something else, please let me know. Please let me know if you want me to measure anything else and how. these were measured face up on the carpet surrounded by stuffed toy ring with the microphone about 8 inched up at a pretty high level for these small divers.
Also, the specs did not change drastically after long period of break in.
I will try with ARTA today / tomorrow, in case I get better reading with it, though I have not tried ARTA before this.
Keep the ones without the shitty distortion centered at 800Hz, return the other two with measurements printed off and placed inside the boxes, and try and sell he two you keep.
There are way better options within this price range and size/form factor to consider.