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Imperial versatility (Read 5692 times)
JimP
Ex Member



Imperial versatility
01/18/06 at 16:53:39
 
Hi all,

Just thought I'd relate this story.  Our Open Jam club did a gig the other day and we used the 2 half-Imperials for our PA.  Most of the music was acoustic but the bass was through a small practice amp.  It sounded terrible in our very large Media Center - all mids and no bass.   Just to see what would happen, I set the bass amp in front of one of the imperials right in the opening of the horn.  It transformed the that little amp, boosting the low end and increasing its overall (audible) output.  Passive amplification!  Better sound quality too.

Jim P
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Valiant_ap6
Ex Member



Re: Imperial versatility
Reply #1 - 01/18/06 at 22:43:45
 
Hi Jim, when it comes to the Imperials, I wouldn't question your observation. From my limited experience with them, I find they are 'freaky', in a nice way and defy ordinary logic.

Waiting for Jake to get himself together and get down here and help finish Imperial Number 2. He's not travelling too well at the moment, life in turmoil, poor lad. But we've all been there, one way or another. The Imperial's are a good way to unwind and set the mind on higher things!

Tried getting my young son, 'Little Gaz' (he's six feet tall), to help screw some braces together, but he lacks the weight and strength to hold things together. Besides which he'd be no help if we managed to get the speaker together and then had to shift it. My friends all seem to have bad backs, poor sods and my Dad has been hit with his first bad back ever.

Is this starting to sound like a tale of woe? Sorry Jim for hacking your topic. But I'm hanging out to hear more of the Imperials wonderful freakiness myself.

I can't think how placing the amp in the mouth of the Imperial could affect the sound quality (that is - amp output), but I'd bet the Imperial, because it adds energy to large volumes of air, is more sensitive to air temp/humidity/density variations than your average speaker, and objects placed in the horn could alter its response in an audible way.

Cheers,

Gary
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stvcmty
Ex Member



Re: Imperial versatility
Reply #2 - 01/19/06 at 00:03:33
 
Was the amp an open back, or was it sealed?
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JimP
Ex Member



Re: Imperial versatility
Reply #3 - 01/19/06 at 17:07:23
 
Stv,

I think it was an open back amp.  The rear radiation of the woofer was firing into the horn of the Imperial.  The air volume in the horn and the horns natural resonances helped boost the amp's low output.  Also I suspect that just having a surface behind the little amp helped (like putting it next to a wall).  I have placed raw drivers with no enclosure into the opening of the Imperial horn (just for fun) and gotten significant increases in low frequency response out of them.  No magic just some sympathetic resonance.

Jim

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DirtDawg
Ex Member



Re: Imperial versatility
Reply #4 - 01/19/06 at 17:18:40
 
[quote author=JimP  link=1137606819/0#3 date=1137690443]Stv,

I think it was an open back amp.   [/quote]

OK, that makes sense. Before, I was trying to come up with an eighth space as opposed to half space theory.
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