Adding a bohlender graebener ribbon to gen v or vi

RLRB

New Member
Mar 7, 2013
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Hi,

is possible to add a mid ribbon to Gen V or Vi without modding the crossover? i mean apart, they dont fit in the cabinet.
what do you think?
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
No. Unfortunately, changing a driver out is not a trivial process. Even if you can mount the driver in the cabinet, a ribbon driver behaves completely different from a dynamic driver.

If you have a problem with the midrange, we do have new re-manufactured ones for replacement.
 

flez007

Member Sponsor
Aug 31, 2010
2,915
36
435
Mexico City
No. Unfortunately, changing a driver out is not a trivial process. Even if you can mount the driver in the cabinet, a ribbon driver behaves completely different from a dynamic driver.

If you have a problem with the midrange, we do have new re-manufactured ones for replacement.

That's what I call customer care!
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
That's what I call customer care!

We do try our best. Unfortunately, some materials are almost impossible to re-create. On some products, the replacement parts have been obsolete for so many years that they are impossible to get even NOS. Some complain because we have to ask for 2013 prices for a replacement part for a 1993 loudspeaker.... but there's no way that we can turn the clock back 20 years on prices, try as we might.
 

RLRB

New Member
Mar 7, 2013
4
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0
Hi,

ok, i asked because it seems the xover in gen 300 is almost equal or identical to gen vi xover, at least the big board, the board with tone controls seems a bit different...

i have no broken driver, it was just an idea. i was thinking that becuase with bass unit from 85 to 400hz the mid ribbon would work in optimun frequency besides it is also cut with tweeters.

thanks
 

ca1ore

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2010
72
8
353
I did something similar a few years ago. I chopped up an older 501 to turn it into a center channel speaker, including a DIY cabinet that better matched the appearance of my R/L 201's. I did replace the cone midrange with a BG ribbon driver (the now discontinued 28.1 driver, which was only 24 inches long) which has worked pretty well to my ear.
 

RLRB

New Member
Mar 7, 2013
4
0
0
Hi calore
Did you mofify the crossover? Do you have schematics?
Pleas tell me whar you did
 

ca1ore

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2010
72
8
353
No, I just plopped the 28.1 in place of the cone. Not ideal, I am sure, and Gary will cringe, but sounds OK to me. Sorry for taking six months almost to answer.

Unfortunately the bass amp in the speaker is shot, so thinking about buying the replacement module that Gary now makes.
 

ca1ore

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2010
72
8
353

See ......

FWIW all moot because you cannot get the BG 28.1 driver anymore; they stopped making it a few years ago. Tho, if memory serves, Gary, didn't you design a speaker around it at one point?
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
The 28-inch driver is no longer made - Arnie designed the 450XS around it, but I didn't carry that model forward because there were a few problems with obtaining parts for it, principally the 28-inch ribbon.

In 2005, we launched a Genesis 3 using a new 26-inch midrange. Unfortunately, two companies that were critical to making this speaker folded before we even got to production - the company that made the 26-inch ribbon midrange, and the company that did the CNC design and machining of the egg-shaped body. Here's the prototype we showed at CES. If you thought that the Apogee Stage was an amp-buster - the prototype had an impedance of 0.6 ohm at 180Hz and 0.8 ohm at 390Hz. It smoked three power amplifiers before I modified a quartet of my M60 tube amplifiers to drive it during CES.

G3 orange.jpg
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
... Here's the prototype we showed at CES. If you thought that the Apogee Stage was an amp-buster - the prototype had an impedance of 0.6 ohm at 180Hz and 0.8 ohm at 390Hz. It smoked three power amplifiers before I modified a quartet of my M60 tube amplifiers to drive it during CES.

View attachment 12102

That is playing with extreme "fire" Gary!
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
Pretty speaker wasn't it? One day I'll tell you all about the inspiration for the shape.

The design (visual appearance) looks like a bowling 'quille' (pin) cut in half, to form the two speakers. I kind of like it.
What I like less is the impedance, ouch!

* It could also be a cello, cut right in the middle. ...Or a suitcase for an acoustic bass. ...A piano cut in half and standing up on its keyboard?
 

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