DIY PA horn (XLS 12)

[Ilkka]

Manufacturer: DIY
Provided by: Johannes Vuorinen and Timo Sormunen
Manufacturer link: -
Price: 500 EUR (materials), 2000 EUR if someone wants to buy it

Manufacturer specs:
• Enclosure: Horn
• Woofer: Peerless XLS 12" (yes, only one)
• Amplifier: Thomann T.Amp TA2400
• Dimensions: 63 cm (W) x 96.5 cm (H) x 65.2 cm (D)
• Weight: ~50 kg
• Used as a bass speaker in their band
• Design process took around a year (design of the LabSub and the Punisher Horn were carefully examined)
• Design was made so that one unit could play efficiently down to 45 Hz (not like LabSub, which needs several units)

Configuration as tested:
Orientation: Mouth of the horn facing the mic, 8 m distance to mic

[Ilkka]

+/- 3 dB points: 40 Hz - 130 Hz

[Ilkka]

[Ilkka]

This was one of the subwoofers that I was the most excited to see and hear. The subwoofer itself was very nicely built and the design process was done without cutting any corners. As the pictures show, the enclosure was quite huge, although containing only a single 12" driver. Frequency response is of course different than with more conventional subwoofers. It could be flatter in 100-200 Hz range but even now it's pretty good for the purpose it was made. Clean output in 40-150 Hz range is where this sub excels. It was the only sub that could produce some tactile sensations to the test group - and we were sitting 20 meters away! We actually tried to push it a little bit further (2 dB) than the results show. Meaning the sub hit just over 130 dB @ 1m in 60-100 Hz range. That's some serious performance out of a single 12" driver! THD is staying extremely low at 115 dB and below. Naturally the THD will jump below 40 Hz, but the subwoofer doesn't even have to produce them in the use it was meant to. Group delay stays low enough above 40 Hz and the spectral decay shows only little overhang. Spectral contamination test shows clearly the highest and cleanest maximum output capability I have ever measured. This sub is capable of extremely high and clean sound pressure levels above 40 Hz. If only one could have that performance down to 20 Hz.

+ Pretty good frequency for a horn subwoofer
+ Extremely high maximum output capability above 40 Hz
+ Low distortion above 40 Hz

- Weak extension for anything else than PA use
- Somewhat uneven frequency response in 100 Hz – 200 Hz range