PRO Speakers

Pro Loudspeakers

This new category is dedicated to Professional Loudspeakers. These speakers are primarily for use in sound reinforcement, often in “live” applications where microphones are used. My objective is to examine the drivers, horns, compression drivers and woofers to gain a better understanding of why some PA speakers in the market are somewhat disappointing and what can be done to improve them.

Regarding the horns, I place them on top of the cabinet as shown in the photo above. Those speakers are used in cinemas and manufactured by the big boys like JBL and others. I adopted this approach simply because it’s easier for me to swap the horn/compression driver instead of cutting a new front panel every time I want to test another horn combo. For builders that prefer to mount the horn on the front panel, the crossover is still valid as long as the gap between the bottom flange of the horn and the top of the woofer rim is the same as in the horn resting on top of the cab.

I should mention at this juncture that Pro Speakers are different from HiFi types. Most 10″ and 12″ 2-way speakers are meant for voice reinforcement. Bass is rolled-off at 80Hz for microphone use and often their frequency responses are jagged. Therefore, do not compare them to HiFi speakers.