Cutting Down RTi150s

mlistens03

mdaudioguy wrote: »

Then, pics or it didn't happen.

If you do go through with this, then definitely.

rooftop59

Basically the top sealed portion is an RTi38, so just purchase a pair of those or rt35i or rt55i and a decent sub and you have a much cleaner solution that you know will work!

mijotu

mdaudioguy wrote: »

First thought when I read the title and initial post - that's a dumb idea! Of course, I have no empirical evidence to support that thought; just my normally exceedingly good intuition. Plus, I didn't feel like thinking too hard about it either.
So, go ahead and cut them, if you think you can make it work. Then, pics or it didn't happen.

Hey MD,

I’m not sure how interesting your “process” is for not applying any discernible rigor to your conclusions, but thanks for confessing as much. You obviously feel safe here expressing how little you have to contribute, as well as the meaningless bases for it.

As you may also be aware, intuition was deleted from science in the early 20th century, especially as the field of psychology began moving away from phenomenology. Though, I’m sure the spirits of the period’s phrenologists are happy that you continue to carry the torch.

And, while I appreciate that you had an inkling that it wouldn’t work: Well, I did, too. Funny how great minds work. The only difference is I was curious about the reasoning behind it, while you seem content to not challenge your assumptions as quickly as you are to parade them around as something more than an uninformed opinion.

Of course, I jest.

FestYboy

Do you? I suspect that if you had put in half as much effort into answering your initial question as you had your replies to other members posts, you would have come to the same conclusion on your own.

mdaudioguy

FestYboy wrote: »

Do you? I suspect that if you had put in half as much effort into answering your initial question as you had your replies to other members posts, you would have come to the same conclusion on your own.

LOL, this is a representation of all my emotions whilst reading this thread.

(Not really.)

mijotu

FestYboy wrote: »

Do you? I suspect that if you had put in half as much effort into answering your initial question as you had your replies to other members posts, you would have come to the same conclusion on your own.

Frankly, I haven’t come to any conclusion. I simply have found nothing to support that this hypothetical is yet worth pursuing.

So far, my only crimes are a) not cutting my speakers in half, b) asking a question in respectful and coherent manner, and c) responding to various forms of tripe that have lofted toward me. What’s the penalty for these crimes, and is it equivalent to the one your username might deserve?

I came here with the impression that I would be met with serious individuals who might offer useful feedback with humor and criticism befitting the question. Let me ask you what it took to arrive there, and then reassess your critique.

F1nut

BOZO listed

mijotu

F1nut wrote: »

BOZO listed

Thank the gods, old and new: The forum narcissist is here. There’s one rampant in every caravanning bunch.

I can only imagine your desolate den of delusion, your inability to interact with potential mates, and who pays your bills.

mijotu

I don’t know whether to laugh, or cry! This forum is the living embodiment of Lord of the Flies.

New forum rules:

“Ask your question, but be prepared to be lambasted by an insular group of a dozen man-children who will either celebrate or deride your query, all to their collective self-satisfaction. A circle of criticism will begin if you show any contempt toward the Overlords. One we call The Special will determine when enough is enough, implementing his trademarked “Bozo listed” to inform the others that the feeding may begin in earnest. Another, not so special but still among the more capable here, has a meme handy to then inform you of your village idiot status; the humor of this move is amplified by the fact that he took time away from making “baba booey” phone calls in order to honor his pledge of providing the ultimate zinger.”

mlistens03

mijotu wrote: »

F1nut wrote: »

BOZO listed

Thank the gods, old and new: The forum narcissist is here. There’s one rampant in every caravanning bunch.

I can only imagine your desolate den of delusion, your inability to interact with potential mates, and who pays your bills.

Don’t worry about F1, he has ignored a ton of people for no reason. He put me and viking64 and clipdat on ignore, for no good reason (me and viking it was having a sense of humor, clipdat it was the way he posts). Otherwise, I do think that the other guys should treat new members better. I do apologize for that. I think if you stick around you will get more respect, maybe the reason for that lack of respect is how few new members actually stick around.
Micah.

FestYboy

I read that response to @mdaudioguy several times before responding. I saw no light heartedness in it whatsoever.

As for an answer to your serious question: I think the biggest thing here is you didn't ask the right question. @rooftop59 got to the gist of it with his suggestion. What you should be asking is: how can I utilize the lower half of the enclosure once the top is removed. I would suggest going with a plate amp with DSPto account for the changes that have now been made to the mass and resonance of the enclosure.

mijotu

FestYboy wrote: »

What you should be asking is: how can I utilize the lower half of the enclosure once the top is removed. I would suggest going with a plate amp with DSPto account for the changes that have now been made to the mass and resonance of the enclosure.

It think that’s very telling: It seems the lower section would be more affected than the MT section, perhaps? That hadn’t crossed my mind originally; frankly, none of the baffle issues had.

In all honesty, I likely wouldn’t go through the means necessary to make this work, so I’m not going to continue to lead this down that road. But, it was interesting learning how necessary such means would be.

I agree that this could have been more painless. It was an innocent curiosity; however, going forward would indeed seem inadvisable.

As far as their proximity to the wall: I’d be curious to know whether it would be best to use another speaker (with less bass output), or whether I’m worrying about something—as it pertains to boundary interference—that likely isn’t going to adversely affect their use as HT speakers THAT much, or whether we are done with me at the moment...

mijotu

FestYboy wrote: »

I read that response to @mdaudioguy several times before responding. I saw no light heartedness in it whatsoever.

Yes, I will agree that I was a little harsh toward @mdaudioguy — it was late, and I was a bit grumpy. My wit failed where perhaps my heart would have won.

rooftop59

they are front and down firing ports, correct? While almost all speakers are designed to be placed out from the wall to get proper stage and imaging qualities, I think that if your main focus is HT then you won't suffer too much in that arrangement if you have a good center, since that's where most of the dialogue comes from anyway. Anchor them to the wall, worst thing that happens if that if you hate it you can move 'em back. Can't do that if you saw them in half, however...

mijotu

rooftop59 wrote: »

they are front and down firing ports, correct?

Yes: Three active 6” woofers, vertically inline and forward facing, along with a downward firing PowerPort.

rooftop59

mijotu wrote: »

rooftop59 wrote: »

they are front and down firing ports, correct?

Yes: Three active 6” woofers, vertically inline and forward facing, along with a downward firing PowerPort.

But there is no amp built in, correct? So they would all be passive speakers?

In any case, as long is there is not rear firing port I think its worth giving a shot. Just push em right up against the wall and see how they sound!

mijotu

rooftop59 wrote: »

mijotu wrote: »

rooftop59 wrote: »

they are front and down firing ports, correct?

Yes: Three active 6” woofers, vertically inline and forward facing, along with a downward firing PowerPort.

But there is no amp built in, correct? So they would all be passive speakers?

It’s my understanding that an active woofer refers to a “standard” driver, as opposed to a passive radiator. I wanted to be sure to indicate the absence of the latter, in case that was of any import.

In the case of active vs passive subwoofers, the location of the amplifier is indeed the differentiator.

rooftop59 wrote: »

In any case, as long is there is not rear firing port I think its worth giving a shot. Just push em right up against the wall and see how they sound!

Yes! I’ve been reading up on boundary interference, and remedies including placement and acoustic treatment—rather than replying to other posts—and it seems the best option would be to place it as close to the front wall as possible, perhaps with some bass trap material behind it.

Thanks again to you and others who have taken the time to contribute to my request for help. You’re welcome in my home theater—located about an hour outside Austin, just past Bastrop—anytime, should you happen to be in my neck of the woods; I would, however, recommend waiting until I have constructed my LilWrecker folded horn sub, though...coming soon.

mijotu

rooftop59 wrote: »

mijotu wrote: »

rooftop59 wrote: »

they are front and down firing ports, correct?

Yes: Three active 6” woofers, vertically inline and forward facing, along with a downward firing PowerPort.

But there is no amp built in, correct? So they would all be passive speakers?

It’s my understanding that an active woofer refers to a “standard” driver, as opposed to a passive radiator. I wanted to be sure to indicate the absence of the latter, in case that was of any import.

In the case of active vs passive subwoofers, the location of the amplifier is indeed the differentiator.

rooftop59 wrote: »

In any case, as long is there is not rear firing port I think its worth giving a shot. Just push em right up against the wall and see how they sound!

Yes! I’ve been reading up on boundary interference, and remedies including placement and acoustic treatment—rather than replying to other posts—and it seems the best option would indeed be to place it as close to the front wall as possible, perhaps with some bass trap material behind it.

Thanks again to you and others who have taken the time to contribute to my request for help. You’re welcome in my home theater—located about an hour outside Austin, just past Bastrop—anytime; I would, however, recommend waiting until I have constructed my LilWrecker folder horn sub, though...coming soon.

K_M

mijotu wrote: »

I'm currently using a pair of RTi150s as mains for my home theater. However, given that I'll have kids in and out of there, I'm limited in their placement.

I'd like to wall mount them, but, given their mass and their being so close to the wall, I feel that isn't ideal. Tethering to the wall also presents the latter issue.

What if I cut the speaker into their two "halves," mounting the upper two-way section to the wall and standing the lower woofer section away from the wall? I would have to add another panel to the affected section and play with the wiring, but it seems like it could be feasible.

Of course, I'd like to get some feedback on this before I begin loading up the Sawzall...thanks to all in advance!

—Michael

Welcome to the forum!
Your idea will present many logistical/physical problems as many have pointed out.

And as a few have alluded you would be better off with a powered sub and smaller bookshelf speakers for the mids and highs, then they could be mounted where is more ideal for you.

It is of course all feasible, but the benefits are out weighed by the work it will take to do it properly, and the potential lack of value of the entire speaker system.

mijotu

K_M wrote: »

Welcome to the forum!
Your idea will present many logistical/physical problems as many have pointed out.

And as a few have alluded you would be better off with a powered sub and smaller bookshelf speakers for the mids and highs, then they could be mounted where is more ideal for you.

It is of course all feasible, but the benefits are out weighed by the work it will take to do it properly, and the potential lack of value of the entire speaker system.

Thanks, K_M.

I should mention that my theater room is ~5500ft³, so the 150s are particularly well suited for the volume, no pun intended. (I used to have them, along with the matching center, in a 10'x13' room, which was fairly overkill but great for GoT Season 7 battle scenes!) I'm using two small subs robbed from other applications until I build my folded horn unit. I don't have any close neighbors—this is a rural property—so I won't encounter any issues with noise.

As you may have seen, I'm going with moving them against the wall; I don't have enough room to move them to the ideal location anyway—I'm projecting across the 16' width of a 30' long room, equipped with two rows of reclining theater seats—hence my hope of beheading the RTi's to free up a more ideal placement of the woofer sections while maintaining the MT sections close to the screen. If I were to replace them, I'd probably grab some 8" offerings from DIY Audio; however, for now I like having the available low end extension for when it comes time to blend with my LilWrecker sub.

ps I'm attaching some early sketchups of the room, to give an idea of what I've been playing with.

Viking64

mijotu wrote: »

ps I'm attaching some early sketchups of the room, to give an idea of what I've been playing with.

You know Spiderman?

nooshinjohn

If you have that kind of room, I would be moving on from the RT’s... are you talking total room volume, or square footage?

BlueBirdMusic

Another option: mijotu, you could mount them as this SDA owner did.

K_M

mijotu wrote: »

K_M wrote: »

Welcome to the forum!
Your idea will present many logistical/physical problems as many have pointed out.

And as a few have alluded you would be better off with a powered sub and smaller bookshelf speakers for the mids and highs, then they could be mounted where is more ideal for you.

It is of course all feasible, but the benefits are out weighed by the work it will take to do it properly, and the potential lack of value of the entire speaker system.

Thanks, K_M.

I should mention that my theater room is ~5500ft³, so the 150s are particularly well suited for the volume, no pun intended. (I used to have them, along with the matching center, in a 10'x13' room, which was fairly overkill but great for GoT Season 7 battle scenes!) I'm using two small subs robbed from other applications until I build my folded horn unit. I don't have any close neighbors—this is a rural property—so I won't encounter any issues with noise.

As you may have seen, I'm going with moving them against the wall; I don't have enough room to move them to the ideal location anyway—I'm projecting across the 16' width of a 30' long room, equipped with two rows of reclining theater seats—hence my hope of beheading the RTi's to free up a more ideal placement of the woofer sections while maintaining the MT sections close to the screen. If I were to replace them, I'd probably grab some 8" offerings from DIY Audio; however, for now I like having the available low end extension for when it comes time to blend with my LilWrecker sub.

ps I'm attaching some early sketchups of the room, to give an idea of what I've been playing with.

Maybe, give it a go. Other than physically separating the boxes, and closing off the one box that will remain open on one end, the wiring should be fairly straight forward.

Assuming you are not all that concerned with the potential value loss (although they are not all that expensive to begin with) it might be interesting to see it done, only if you post pics of the project!

Airplay355

Can you use a bracket to tie them to the wall so they can't tip? IIRC, they weigh 80lbs or so each. With carpet spikes and a bracket holding the top to a stud in the wall, I'd bet they'd be pretty tough for a munchkin to tip over.

rooftop59

Any decision on this???