FaitalPro 10FE200-4 with Eminence PSD2002 + SST1

FaitalPro 10FE200-4 with Eminence PSD2002 + SST1
Active Bi-amped

Now that I’ve tested the drivers, it’s time to see how they perform in a 2-way. To speed up the development, I’m using a 24dB/oct Linkwitz Riley active crossover. If I don’t face any serious issues, I can then proceed to build a proper box and work on the passive crossover.

The first step is to equalize the PSD2002+SST1 combo. I chose the Eminence SST1 for the horn’s constant directivity because there are times in commercial applications where the high frequencies need to be dispersed as wide as possible, for example in a church. This is where constant directivity horns are essential.

Fig 1 – Black plot=RAW | Red plot=CDEQ activated

The Black plot in Fig 1 is the RAW response of the PSD2002/SST1 with my crossover set at 2kHz. The Red plot is with the CDEQ in my crossover activated. It came out exactly as I hoped. The response is now flat.

Fig 2 – Blue plot=10FE200-4 | Red plot=PSD2002/SST1 CDEQ

Fig 2 shows the acoustic crossover of the FaitalPro 10FE200-4 and the Eminence PSD2002/SST1. It appears that they are crossing at 1.8kHz. 

Fig 3 – Summed Response

The summed response of the FaitalPro 10FE200-4 with the PSD2002/SST1 combo is in Fig 3. For a pro speaker, it is remarkably flat. There is a slight dip at about 800Hz which I have no issues with. In fact, I prefer a dip to a peak because that is where the honking is. As for the peak at 1.3kHz, I can always EQ it away if it’s objectionable. I’m surprised that the PSD2002 compression driver extends to 15kHz. I won’t need a super tweeter for sure.

Fig 4 – Toneburst Energy Storage

The toneburst energy storage plot in Fig 4 shows some stored energy from 5kHz upwards. They occur at -20dB below the fundamental. It’s likely they are reflections within the horn.

Fig 5 – Spectrogram

The spectrogram in Fig 5 shows that these reflections don’t last more than 1 msec. As far as I’m concerned, they are as good as inaudible. 

Fig 6 – Waterfall

The waterfall plot in Fig 6 gives us a 3-D view of the spectrogram. Note the time span is only 1.5 msec. At this high magnification, the horn reflections are clearly recorded from 9kHz upwards. They correlate with the 9kHz peak in the response seen in Fig 3. 

Fig 7 – Step Response

Fig 7 is the step response of the 10FE200-4 with the PSD2002/SST1. The Eminence combo is behind the woofer by 200 microsec. This is quite acceptable. Their acoustic centers are quite close.

Fig 8 – Violer plot=Null response

The Violet plot in Fig 8 is with the PSD2002 wired in reversed phase. It did not register a deep null but nonetheless, the phase alignment is not far off. 

Fig 9 – Delay added to FaitalPro 10FE200-4

To get the null (Violet plot) in Fig 9, I delayed the FaitalPro 10FE200-4. Not much was needed. This resulted in the Blue plot. Note there’s only a couple of dBs increase compared to without delay (Black plot). This indicates the speaker can be used without adding delay.

Auditioning the FaitalPro 10FE200-4 with Eminence PSD2002/SST1

As we are all well aware, some pro speakers can sound awful playing music. Not with this speaker though. Believe it or not, this guy is at Hi-Fi level. I threw all sorts of music at it, vocals, pop, orchestral, hoping to trip this speaker. It just delivered. Delivery was effortless. No screeching. No honking. No harshness. Just wonderful music.

For Hi-Fi, I would extend the bass by supplementing the speaker with a subwoofer. I do not anticipate any issues because the FaitalPro does a splendid job with the upper bass. I can cross a sub at 80Hz-100Hz and the music will still have detail in the upper bass.

With this speaker’s high sensitivity, tube lovers will find it appealing. Not much amplifier power is needed for it to be loud. Headroom is also far greater than with Hi-Fi drivers. This will be a bonus for home theater as movies are known for their demanding dynamic range.

I am so pleased with the results that I will be building a proper box followed by a passive crossover. Stay tuned.

Note: All measurements were made with the mic at 1m, tweeter axis. Impulse Window=5ms. No smoothing applied.