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Thread: Phase Plug Fun

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    Phase Plug Fun

    I bought these wooden easter eggs and bases at a local crafts store and with some glue, paint and steel washers turned them into phase plugs for my Beta 12LTA's.


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    Here I carefully circumcise the dust caps on the Beta with an exacto blade. I used a lazy susan to spin the driver while scoring the dust cap.


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    After a few turns on the lazy susan the dust cap is cut away and lifted out.


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    The steel washer glued on the rear of the phase plug is magnetically held in place.


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    Phase plugs stop "oil can resonance" which is caused by air trapped behind the dust cap. The high frequency dispersion is greatly improved as it reduces any beaming and broadens the sweet spot.

    My highs are so much smoother than before I can hardly believe it's the same driver. I would think any driver with a whizzer/dust cap like the Beta's could benefit from phase plug implants.

    The Betas have unseated the Tang Bands so into the closet they go.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    Phase plugs stop "oil can resonance" which is caused by air trapped behind the dust cap. The high frequency dispersion is greatly improved as it reduces any beaming and broadens the sweet spot.

    My highs are so much smoother than before I can hardly believe it's the same driver. I would believe any speaker with a whizzer/dust cap like the Beta's could benefit from a phase plug implants.

    The Betas have unseated the Tang Bands so into the closet they go.
    You got cajones!

  7. #7
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    Phase plugs are audio viagra.

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    I made some new phase plugs today which are much smaller and lighter but the sound is the same. Instead of a steel washer I used small countersunk wood screws which magnetically hold the plugs in place.


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    Hope I'm not wasting anyone's time with what may have limited appeal here.

  10. #10
    Music Junkie E-Stat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    Hope I'm not wasting anyone's time with what may have limited appeal here.
    Well, no one has to read any post. Keep reporting what you'd like to share. On the other hand...

    Do you really think that gluing a solid wooden easter egg to a driver is going to improve its HF dispersion in any consistent way - especially with whizzer cone in the way? You certainly have increased its moving mass by a significant factor which is contrary to good HF performance.
    Last edited by E-Stat; 05-27-2012 at 08:42 AM.

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    I know what I hear and that's enough for me. Moving mass? The plugs are not glued but held in place magnetically. They do not contact the cones or voice coil. The higher end full rangers like the whizzer cone Lowthers use huge wooden phase plugs.

    Phase Plugs

  12. #12
    Music Junkie E-Stat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    Moving mass?
    Yes, that is a pretty important metric.

    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    The plugs are not glued but held in place magnetically.
    My mistake,. It is the steel washer that is glued to the wooden easter eggs.

    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    They do not contact the cones or voice coil. The higher end full rangers like the whizzer cone Lowthers use huge wooden phase plugs.
    "They do not contact the cones"? To what do they contact magnetically?

    Sorry to hear about the Lowthers.

  13. #13
    Music Junkie E-Stat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    My Easter eggs look puny compared to these Lowther door knobs.
    Some folks just don't understand the role of moving mass in transient response.

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    My Easter eggs look puny compared to these Lowther door knobs.

    http://www.quarter-wave.com/Gallery/ML_TL_Plug.jpg

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    Music Junkie E-Stat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    E-Stat, would you believe there's something at the rear of a speaker called a magnet?
    Sure. That's the fixed motor which has to wrestle with the moving mass of the driver. High mass tweeter is a contradiction in terms.

    Is there any part of moving mass don't you understand? That would be the cone, spider, voice coil and any other easter egg attached to that which moves. You really don't want adding a pile of metal and wood here.
    Last edited by E-Stat; 05-27-2012 at 04:25 PM.

  16. #16
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    E-Stat, would you believe there's something at the rear of a speaker called a magnet?

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    Shostakovich fan Feanor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    I know what I hear and that's enough for me. Moving mass? The plugs are not glued but held in place magnetically. They do not contact the cones or voice coil. The higher end full rangers like the whizzer cone Lowthers use huge wooden phase plugs.

    Phase Plugs
    Are you saying that your phase plugs are not attached to any moving part of the driver? I can imaging that this might be the case but you aren't making it clear.

    With the dust cap, which is usually attached to the cone, removed you might expose what I believe is called the "pole piece". The latter is a fixed part of the driver; if your phase plug is attached to the pole piece, then it won't move with the cone or whizzer.

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    Feanor you get it.

    All drivers I've encountered have an open throat which extends through the voice coil to the rear of the speaker. From inside the throat folks may not realize that the voice coil area appears open and cylindrical and not like a flat coil.

    The large permanent ring magnet at the rear magnitzes the screen plate further down the throat which holds the phase plug's metal washer ( or counter sunk screws ) in place. There is zero cone mass or moving mass as the phase plug makes zero contact with any moving parts. You can place your fingers on these solid wood phase plugs while playing and feel no vibration.

    I think E-Stat has my phase plugs confused with some pointy Dagmar dust caps. I'd recommend sacrificing an old driver for some speaker 101.

  19. #19
    Music Junkie E-Stat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    FYou can place your fingers on these solid wood phase plugs while playing and feel no vibration...I think E-Stat has my phase plugs confused with some pointy Dagmar dust caps
    Only because of the claim that it improves HF dispersion. How is dispersion of the cone "improved" when the plug plays no role in radiation? I can see how diffraction might be reduced.

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    With phase plugs the cone separates into two halves which reduces wave cancellation at HF and lobbing as well as reducing hot spots which some FR drivers are notorious far.

    I don't need to argue the merits of full range driver phase plugs which is a featured component among the best of the high end. It's why you won't find a Lowther or $20,000 Feastrex Field Coil without one.

  21. #21
    Music Junkie E-Stat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    I don't need to argue the merits of full range driver phase plugs .
    Thanks for the explanation. Why not just start with a driver that was engineered from the start with one? Parts Express sells quite a few.

  22. #22
    _ Luvin Da Blues's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by E-Stat View Post
    Thanks for the explanation. Why not just start with a driver that was engineered from the start with one? Parts Express sells quite a few.
    Not sure if you 'mericans get this show but it's in the Red Green Manual of speaker design.
    Back in my day, we had nine planets.

  23. #23
    Shostakovich fan Feanor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luvin Da Blues View Post
    Not sure if you 'mericans get this show but it's in the Red Green Manual of speaker design.
    Well I get it: good one.

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    Parts Express doesn't sell a 98 db, high Qts, 12 inch full range driver with phase plugs. A.N. sells one but with low Qts which is not good for OB. That's why I have to modify what's available.

    Of course if I could find one it would take the fun out of DIY.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    Parts Express doesn't sell a 98 db, high Qts, 12 inch full range driver with phase plugs.
    Does anyone? Just curious. Why such an unusually large full ranger?

    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    Of course if I could find one it would take the fun out of DIY.

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