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This SIG180-4 is a 6-1/2″ version of Dayton’s Signature Series woofers. I’ve never worked on it so this is a first. Keeping in line with the Flycatcher series, I’m only evaluating the bass performance. If I’m satisfied with it, I will probably look into designing a 2-way, that is with a tweeter. As of now, I’m only listening to the bass using the HiVi C3N-III full range to fill up the mids and highs.
The SIG180-4 fits into one of my 15 liters test boxes with a 2″ diameter PVC tube cut to a length of 6-1/4″. The closest bass alignment is in Fig 1 above. I may have to use a slightly larger 18 liters if the upper bass sounds a bit too bloated for my liking. That was what I dislike with the smaller SIG150-4.
After a few days of breaking-in, I started with some critical listening. The SIG180-4 sonic signature is similar to the smaller SIG150-4 though her bass is not as pronounced. Bass is still slightly bloated and there’s a distinct bump at the upper bass around 100Hz.
After 5 days, there’s not much else I can do with this Dayton SIG180-4. She is not my favorite woofer for bass in a 3-way for I find her reproduction unnatural. She sounds more like a woofer with a high Q alignment than a Q of 0.6. Does that mean this SIG180-4 is useless? Well, it depends on how you want to voice your speakers. I would use the SIG series in a 2-way as in a conventional woofer and tweeter configuration. Even though the bass sounds unnatural, the amplified bass do have their fans. Presently, I’m listening to the SIG180-4 with a BSC network only, a 1.3mH in parallel with a 10 ohm resistor. The tonal balance between her mids and bass are about right with these values. All I need to do is to decide on the tweeter, after which I can work on the crossover. However, I do not expect outstanding performance. It’s more like above average at best. No where close to a Seas U18 design. Unless otherwise stated, all measurements were made in Full Space (4pi). Mic at 36 ins, tweeter axis. Impulse Window=5ms. No smoothing applied. |
April 6, 2024HIFI DRIVERS, Projects
Fig 1 – Manufacturer’s T/S