Dual AE TD18H+ Mains and TD15M center channel by Lukeamdman

Lukeamdman has put together an incredibly powerful system featuring TD18H+ mains and TD15M center channel.

“The goal of this project was to combine the best attributes of all the high quality speakers I’ve heard over the years and see if I could make something even better.  I also wanted a speaker that I wouldn’t feel the need to upgrade from after only a few years, so I needed a combination of tremendous output, ultra-low distortion, and ‘full range’ playback capabilities well beyond reference levels.  These needed to handle music solo without the need of subwoofers to augment the low end, and my standards for bass are incredibly high!”

“Based on my personal listening experiences with many speakers over the years, high sensitivity components were the key that separated the good speakers from the great ones.  At SPL levels where a soft-dome tweeter is beginning to distort, these modern and incredibly efficient compression drivers aren’t even receiving a single watt yet!  However, high sensitivity drivers combined with active equalization and a minimal passive crossover introduced its own set of hurdles.  I quickly found out that the noise floor of my previous DSP was too high for 118db sensitive compression drivers, which is why I ended up with the Lab Gruppen IPD and its powerful built-in DSP.”

“The TD18H+ has a great combination of very low moving mass and a powerful motor structure, not to mention excellent heat dissipation and 28mm of peak-to-peak linear cone travel.  I had my eyes on this driver for years before pulling the trigger and they didn’t disappoint!”

“The 4594ND has a minimal passive crossover that pads both the mid and HF drivers by 6db and provides the 6,500khz crossover between them.  All EQ is actively provided.I had heard similar BMS coaxial compression drivers in several JTR Speaker products, and its effortless detailed playback and amazing frequency range made it perfect for my application.  Paired with the SEOS-24, I’m able to cross the BMS 4594ND at 450hz with a BW2 HPF.  Considering the TD18H+ can easily extend over 1khz, this crossover point doesn’t put any strain on either set of drivers.”

“Because of the final size and weight of the speakers, I took a modular approach so each L/R speaker is actually three separate boxes that are stacked.”

“The result is an incredible speaker that can extend down to 20hz and can reach levels as high as 130db from 25-20,000hz at the seats if called upon.  The clarity and imaging are simply stunning.  The TD18H+ drivers were definitely worth the wait, and they made a speaker that I love to demo for both 2 channel critical listening, and also just having some fun by cranking out some bass heavy dubstep.  Many listeners, if not all, that have auditioned these speakers are in disbelief when I tell them that my quad tapped horn subwoofer setup with over 23,000 watts on tap aren’t powered on!”

Drivers Used:

Left/Right Specifications

• Loudspeaker Type:
  2 Way active with DSP
  Passive Xover for BMS coax compression driver
• Frequency Response Range:
  20Hz-20KHz
• Bass/mid-bass:
  (4) TD18H+ (8ohm)
  each woofer in dedicated 9.5cu.ft vented – 25hz tuning
• High frequency:
  (2) BMS 4594ND coaxial compression driver
  Denovo SEOS-24 wave guide
• Amplification/DSP:
  Crest ProLite 7.5 for the (4) TD18H+
  MiniDSP 10x10HD provides crossovers and EQ
  Lab Gruppen IPD 2400 for the (2) BMS 4594ND

 

Center Channel Specifications

• Loudspeaker Type:
  2 Way active with DSP
  Frequency Response Range:
• 40Hz-20KHz
• Bass/mid-bass:
  TD15M (8ohm)
  4.5cu.ft vented – 45hz tuning
• High frequency:
  SEOS-12 w/Denovo DNA-360
• Amplification/DSP:
  Crest CC4000
  MiniDSP 10x10HD provides crossover and EQ

More Details

• Speaker Build Thread:
  SEOS-24, BMS 4594ND, Dual AE TD18H+
• Theater Construction Thread:
  Lukeamdman’s Dedicated Theater Construction

 

Build Gallery