p audio vs b&c HF drivers

[S&L]

I have a pair of adlib 15" plus horn cabs, I have had them for 3 or 4 years and they are probably 12 years or so old - loaded with B&C main drivers and HF drivers.

each HF driver is 1" bolt on to a B&C horn.

 

I replaced one hf diaphragm when I bought these cabs and the other has remained in there - seeing duty every other week doing smaller bar gigs.

the remaining original diaphragm has now died and I need to source a replacement

(DE16-8 or DE160)

the problem is no one seems to have any and despite having dealt with Proel (b&c dealer in the UK) they have been hard work dealing with this time and I can't get them to return phone calls much less tell me what they have in stock. blue aran appear to be having a similar problem and not many are listing the diaphragm - no one inside the EU is showing stock.

 

So I am thinking about swapping for a p-audio driver (bm-d450) which is probably only £15 more than a b&c diaphragm. both are industry standard bolt on 1" and both are rated at 60w, 8 ohm.

the p-audio appears to be fitted in some of turbosound boxes (as b&c have been in the past) and the turbosounds are a comparable quality to the adlibs.

 

My thinking is that:

1. I can pick up the driver off the shelf and get on with replacement

2. the p-audio appear to be widely stocked for spares in the future

3. their diaphragms are cheap enough to buy in for spares

 

obviously this gives me un-matched boxes but I can always offset any audible difference with a geq in the short term and would look to swap the second one to match at a later date.

 

I just wanted to check with wiser heads that I hadn't missed anything and wasn't being monumentally stupid or that it turns out that the replacements are considered to be lousy.

[noiseman]

Not sure if you've looked here but based on your part numbers, Google throws up the following supplier that seem to have stock of the DE160 :Link

 

And this one that has the diaphragm de16-8 : link

 

Good luck, hope this helps

[Doug Siddons]

Try JHS HK use a lot of B&C Hf kit

[DaleBoy74]

Why not just speak to dave Fletcher at adlib, he is very helpful?

[S&L]

Why not just speak to dave Fletcher at adlib, he is very helpful?

 

thanks Dale - already been there with the previous hf driver when I bought the boxes a few years ago. However, since the drivers are b&c, All Dave can do is point me in the direction of B&C's distributor, proel. which is what he did last time (nice chap, as helpful as he could be).