Monitors suffer more from dispersion issues than any other
speaker,
as the distance to the listener is usually on the order of only six feet.
Move even a foot to one side or another of the 'sweet spot' and you can't
hear it. High end commercial monitors with twelve
inch woofers and narrow dispersion high frequency horns are big, heavy and
expensive, but you still can't hear yourself though them.
Wedgehorn is different. The Wedgehorn is optimized for maximum output in the
midrange to cut though high stage levels, while the six-tweeter Melded Array
delivers dispersion unequaled by any
commercial wedge.
.
The 17x16x15 inch 23 pound Wedgehorn's average sensitivity of
102/1watt/1meter from 90 Hz to 12.5 kHz beats
commercial monitors using a twelve inch woofer. The 45 degree
off-axis response never drops by more than 6dB, averaging an exceptional
3dB. Even at a range of six feet the 'sweet spot' of this monitor
is huge. Here's a review from builder Leland Crooks:
I have now built 4 of these for a rock band. Loud, clean, small. I
extended one in size and used a plate amp from Parts Express to make the
system self powered. They punch right through stage clutter and give
strong performance for vocals. Every band who's used them at multi band
shows (from rappers to metal screamers) have commented on how well they
could hear the mons.
The dual angles of the box rear allow you to place it on the floor in a
shallow or a steep angle. One caution: Unless you have separate EQs, sends
and amplifiers for each monitor in your system they must all be identical.
Otherwise you won't be able to get them all to sound the same, and notching
out feedback will be almost impossible. Luckily, using the Eminence Beta 8
woofer the Wedgehorn can be constructed for about $100,
so having identical monitors is an affordable luxury. Need more power? Loaded
with the Eminence LA8-CNMB woofer the Wedgehorn can deliver 130dB in the critical
midrange vocal frquencies, plenty to cut through highest stage levels.
Need a monitor that will handle bass
and kick? Sorry, that's one thing the Wedgehorn won't do. (But the Wedgehorn 10 will. Check it out!)
Construction Degree of Difficulty: 5
Performance Quotient: 8
Equivalent Retail Value: $ 399
Plans are $14.95, delivered within 24 hours as email attachment in MS Word format. 17 pages, 12 photos, 24 diagrams. PDF available on request. Also includes an active 3D program so that you can view the cabinet in any orientation with X-Ray vision!
