Leslie Speakers: Difference between revisions

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The stock Leslie Bass Driver is a 15-inch O.E.M. speaker capable of handling about 50 watts. Supply it with 40 watts of a 30 Hz pedal tone and it shakes a lot. You may also be getting dangerously close to the driver<nowiki>’</nowiki>s excursion limit, but it seems to be pretty sturdy. I<nowiki>’</nowiki>ve certainly heard of them breaking with "stock" use. If only a keyboard is used through the system - one without a lot of deep bass - and you protect the driver by filtering out the low-end, the unit may handle lots more as you approach its "thermal limit". If you want to avoid running the risk of breaking the bass driver, the easiest solution is to replace it with another unit capable of handling higher loads. Speaker choice is left up to the individual; since it<nowiki>’</nowiki>s a matter of taste I can<nowiki>’</nowiki>t really recommend any. An 18-inch speaker will fit with the following modifications: a spacer ring has to be added between the speaker and the Leslie baffle (so that the cone doesn<nowiki>’</nowiki>t hit it), and part of the back panel may have to be whittled out for certain larger 18-inch speaker frames.

== Crossover Modification == The stock Leslie crossover is a 12 dB per octave, 800 Hz unit requiring both 16-ohm high- and low-frequency drivers for correct performance. Most "mondo-power" 15-inch woofers have an impedance of 8 ohms, which tends to extend the reponse a bit higher than 800 Hz. Although this shouldn<nowiki>’</nowiki>t cause any difficulties, it will make an 8-ohm high-frequency driver extend a bit lower, which will definitely cause excursion problems. The answer is to either buy a 16-ohm replacement driver, or perform the following modifications.

== Crossover Modification ==

The stock Leslie crossover is a 12 dB per octave, 800 Hz unit requiring both 16-ohm high- and low-frequency drivers for correct performance. Most "mondo-power" 15-inch woofers have an impedance of 8 ohms, which tends to extend the reponse a bit higher than 800 Hz. Although this shouldn<nowiki>’</nowiki>t cause any difficulties, it will make an 8-ohm high-frequency driver extend a bit lower, which will definitely cause excursion problems. The answer is to either buy a 16-ohm replacement driver, or perform the following modifications.

If the Leslie is fitted with both 8-ohm high- and low-frequency components, a stock 800 Hz crossover can be obtained from JBL, Altec, and other manufacturers. Community Light & Sound makes a very good crossover, which requires an 8-ohm bass speaker and a 16-ohm treble speaker (if you use it without its attenuation pad). The crossover handles well over 200 watts RMS, and is made from aircore coils and Mylar capacitors. Besides being a true "hi-fi" crossover, it would make an excellent choice for a super-power system. It is also possible to design and build your own crossover network from drawings and circuits published in any of the audio textbooks and cook books.

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[[Image:Leslie_Speakers_05.png|framed|none]]

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== Tandem Rotors ==

Slower acceleration of the lower rotor is occasionally undesirable - certainly, a matter of personal preference only. To give a more dramatic Leslie sound, the top and bottom rotors can be mechanically linked so that both will turn in sync, and the pair of horns face in the same direction. Silver Sound Systems (337 South Morris Avenue, Crum Lynn, Pennsylvania) built the little screamer with tandem rotors shown in Figure 11, which is an example of a well-prepared custom Leslie unit. It enhances the Leslie action by putting full range sound into the bass unit and only high frequencies to the treble unit. This customized unit was designed for use with electric guitars.

@@ Line 109: / Line 109: @@
 The stock Leslie Bass Driver is a 15-inch O.E.M. speaker capable of handling about 50 watts. Supply it with 40 watts of a 30 Hz pedal tone and it shakes a lot. You may also be getting dangerously close to the driver<nowiki>’</nowiki>s excursion limit, but it seems to be pretty sturdy. I<nowiki>’</nowiki>ve certainly heard of them breaking with "stock" use. If only a keyboard is used through the system - one without a lot of deep bass - and you protect the driver by filtering out the low-end, the unit may handle lots more as you approach its "thermal limit". If you want to avoid running the risk of breaking the bass driver, the easiest solution is to replace it with another unit capable of handling higher loads. Speaker choice is left up to the individual; since it<nowiki>’</nowiki>s a matter of taste I can<nowiki>’</nowiki>t really recommend any. An 18-inch speaker will fit with the following modifications: a spacer ring has to be added between the speaker and the Leslie baffle (so that the cone doesn<nowiki>’</nowiki>t hit it), and part of the back panel may have to be whittled out for certain larger 18-inch speaker frames.
-== Crossover Modification == The stock Leslie crossover is a 12 dB per octave, 800 Hz unit requiring both 16-ohm high- and low-frequency drivers for correct performance. Most "mondo-power" 15-inch woofers have an impedance of 8 ohms, which tends to extend the reponse a bit higher than 800 Hz. Although this shouldn<nowiki>’</nowiki>t cause any difficulties, it will make an 8-ohm high-frequency driver extend a bit lower, which will definitely cause excursion problems. The answer is to either buy a 16-ohm replacement driver, or perform the following modifications.
+== Crossover Modification ==
+The stock Leslie crossover is a 12 dB per octave, 800 Hz unit requiring both 16-ohm high- and low-frequency drivers for correct performance. Most "mondo-power" 15-inch woofers have an impedance of 8 ohms, which tends to extend the reponse a bit higher than 800 Hz. Although this shouldn<nowiki>’</nowiki>t cause any difficulties, it will make an 8-ohm high-frequency driver extend a bit lower, which will definitely cause excursion problems. The answer is to either buy a 16-ohm replacement driver, or perform the following modifications.
 If the Leslie is fitted with both 8-ohm high- and low-frequency components, a stock 800 Hz crossover can be obtained from JBL, Altec, and other manufacturers. Community Light & Sound makes a very good crossover, which requires an 8-ohm bass speaker and a 16-ohm treble speaker (if you use it without its attenuation pad). The crossover handles well over 200 watts RMS, and is made from aircore coils and Mylar capacitors. Besides being a true "hi-fi" crossover, it would make an excellent choice for a super-power system. It is also possible to design and build your own crossover network from drawings and circuits published in any of the audio textbooks and cook books.
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 [[Image:Leslie_Speakers_05.png|framed|none]]
 -->
 == Tandem Rotors ==
 Slower acceleration of the lower rotor is occasionally undesirable - certainly, a matter of personal preference only. To give a more dramatic Leslie sound, the top and bottom rotors can be mechanically linked so that both will turn in sync, and the pair of horns face in the same direction. Silver Sound Systems (337 South Morris Avenue, Crum Lynn, Pennsylvania) built the little screamer with tandem rotors shown in Figure 11, which is an example of a well-prepared custom Leslie unit. It enhances the Leslie action by putting full range sound into the bass unit and only high frequencies to the treble unit. This customized unit was designed for use with electric guitars.