Peavey Pro Rider Specifications

00494100
1508-8 alcp
00494080
1508-8 cucp

INTRODUCTION

The Pro Rider®driver series represents a
new level of power and performance for
Black Widow®loudspeakers. These
outstanding drivers have a power
handling rating of 1,200 Watts program,
along with high efficiency, reduced
distortion and excellent overall sound
quality.

The series includes two 15" models in
8Ohm impedance, suitable for both
subwoofer and woofer applications.

DESIGN

The Pro Rider series uses a new cone
that is a variation on the existing Kevlar®­impregnated cones used on all Black
Widows. The new cone is stronger and
tougher, highly water-resistant and has a
specially designed deep-roll accordion
surround. The dustcap is also made of
the same extremely strong material.

Voice coil assemblies on the new drivers
use thermoset-insulated aluminum or
copper ribbon wire, edge-wound and
bonded onto an incredibly durable, heat­resistant polyimide composite former. The
coil wires are solderless diffusion-welded
to high conductivity OFHC copper foil
leads, which are embedded inside the
former assembly and attached to the
tinsel leads with high temperature silver
solder. The solder joint is then coated
with a special thermally conductive
silicone adhesive for encapsulation and
heat dissipation.

The voice coil assembly is bonded to the
Kevlar cone and new super-tough nylon
composite spider using a thermoset
epoxy originally developed for attaching
nose cones on ICBM missiles – truly an
aerospace-grade adhesive. The spider
and surround are bonded to the frame
with a high strength, toughened

cyanoacrylate adhesive, which is also
used to bond the dustcap to the cone.

The magnet structure includes subtle
changes to its geometry that improve
power handling. While it appears the
same as the standard structure, and the
replacement baskets from the Pro Rider
series will fit on standard BW magnet
structures, the improved power handling
will be compromised if the standard
structure is used.

The vent plate assembly used on Low
Rider

®

drivers to increase power handling
is included in the Pro Rider series. This
results in a significant improvement in
power handling capabilities and long-term
power compression.

These new drivers also adhere to the
familiar features of Black Widow
products: Cast aluminum frames,
replaceable basket assemblies, Rubatex

®

gaskets and highly reliable, spring-loaded
terminals are all used.

APPLICATIONS

The Pro Rider drivers are superior
choices for a wide range of sound
reinforcement, high level playback,
subwoofer and monitor applications.

The 1508-8 alcp driver is an excellent
choice for general purpose sound
reinforcement. The enclosure size is
reasonable and its performance from sub­bass to upper mid-range is strong. Its
versatility includes vented and bandpass
enclosure designs.

The 1508-8 cucp is specifically optimized
for amazing bass performance in very
small vented enclosures, along with flat
mid-bass and mid-range response for an
accurate, clean sound quality. It is an
excellent choice for compact enclosures,
multi-driver subwoofers and monitors
where enclosure size is limited.

Pro Riders can work with crossover
points as high as 2.0 kHz, but work best
below 1.5 kHz. They deliver excellent
performance in both woofer and
subwoofer applications.

ENCLOSURES

To assist with the growing interest in
home-built enclosure designs, Peavey
provides complete parameter data on

SPECS

PEAVEY ELECTRONICS

ENCLOSURES Net Volume Vent diameter Vent length V

b

box tuning F3, -3 dB

cubic feet/liters (qty) inches/mm inches/mm frequency in Hz point in H

1508-8 alcp

Small vented box 3.0 / 84.9 (2) 4" / 102 6-7/8" / 175 45 51

Medium vented box 4.0 / 113.3 (2) 4" / 102 5" / 127 43 45

Large vented box 5.0 / 141.6 (2) 4" / 102 4-3/8" / 111 40 41

Single-reflex bandpass Sealed: 2.25 / 63.7

Vented: 1.75 / 49.6 (2) 6" / 152 8" / 203 83 48 - 138

1508-8cucp

Small vented box 1.5 / 56.6 (2) 4" / 102 11-3/8" / 289 53 61

Medium vented box 2.25 / 84.9 (2) 4" / 102 7-1/4" / 184 51 50

Large vented box 3.0 / 113.3 (2) 6" / 152 5-1/4" / 133 49 45

Features and specifications subject to change without notice.

Peavey Electronics Corporation • 711 AStreet • Meridian • MS • 39301

[phone] • FAX [phone] • www.peavey.com

©2003 Printed in the U.S.A. 4/03

80304925

ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

NOTE: For details, refer to the warranty statement. Copies of this

statement may be obtained by contacting Peavey Electronics

Corporation, P.O. Box 2989, Meridian, MS 39335

Suggested enclosures

For those who want to build their own enclosures but don’t want to go through the design process using driver
parameters, Peavey provides the following optimized designs:

FOR 1508-8 alcp:

1. Small vented enclosure

Excellent performance for compact, general purpose use. Warm mid-bass response. F3is 50 Hz.

2. Medium vented enclosure

Terrific compromise of bass performance and enclosure size. Warm mid-bass response. F3is 44 Hz.

3. Large vented enclosure

Big box, big bass! Great as a subwoofer or the bottom end of a large multi-way enclosure design. F

3

is 40 Hz.

4. Single-reflex bandpass enclosure

Special enclosure design that uses the enclosure as an acoustic filter for shaped response. Great
choice for a compact subwoofer system. Response is 47 Hz – 135 Hz.

FOR 1508-8cucp:

1. Small vented enclosure

A small enclosure with outstanding bass performance for its size an F3is 61 Hz.

2. Medium vented enclosure

Small box with powerful bass and predictable, flat response down to an F3of 50 Hz.

3. Large vented enclosure

Strong, flat reponse with bass extension to an F3of 45 Hz. Deep, predictable bass quality for great

subwoofer and multi-way system performance.

Kapton®is a registered trademark of DuPont.

Kevlar

®

is a registered trademark of DuPont.

Nomex

®

is a registered trademark of DuPont.

Rubatex

®

is a registered trademark of Rubatex Corporation.

REPLACEMENT OF SPEAKER BASKET ASSEMBLY

1. Prior to replacement procedure, clean work area of all metal objects and other debris.

2. With speaker lying face down, remove the three screws on back of magnet structure with 7/16"

nut driver.

3.. After screws are removed, lift the magnet structure off the basket frame.

4. Clean the voice coil “gap” before magnet structure is put on new replacement basket. (See

illustration.) Fold a piece of masking tape over on itself several times, sticky side out, and insert it
into the voice coil “gap.” Run it all the way around the “gap” several times to remove all particles of
metal and other trash before magnet structure is put on new replacement basket.

5. Holding magnet structure in slanted position, gently lower the structure down into the basket so
that it rests inside the magnet structure counter bore, being sure to align the screw holes, and
lower the structure down into place. Insert screws and tighten.

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

these drivers, as well as several
recommended enclosures for each
model. This information and much more
can be found at www.peavey.com.

Enclosures should be built of best quality
marine or other high grade plywood.
Particle board and MDF enclosures can
be easily damaged and are not
recommended for portable applications,
but may be acceptable for permanent
installations. If construction plywood must
be used, inspect each sheet thoroughly
and use at least BC grade.

Use a quality wood glue, fit joints tightly
and add internal bracing to stiffen the
panels of the enclosure. Look at
commercially designed enclosures for
ideas on good brace placement. Use
wood screws or a pneumatic nailer to
assemble the enclosure during gluing to
maximize joint strength.

The strength of the completed enclosure
has a great effect on the bass
performance of the finished system. Box
panels that aren’t stiff enough will vibrate,
canceling bass produced by the woofer
and creating undesired sounds of their
own. If your box vibrates or you don’t
think the box panels are stiff enough, add
more bracing.

Vents used in the examples require
standard Schedule 40 PVC pipe for vent
construction. The pipe should be dadoed
tightly into the back of the baffle and
glued firmly in place with high quality
epoxy or high strength, industrial-grade
hot glue. Rough up the outside of the
pipe to improve the glue bond.

Be sure to account for the displacement
of the vent, bracing, horn (if used) and
woofer or your enclosure before building
it, or it will be smaller than its intended
volume. This can reduce bass output and
mis-tune the enclosure.

Line the inside of the enclosure with
polyester fiber batting such as quilt
stuffing. The batting material should
conform to California bedding fire codes.
Attach the batting with spray adhesive or
staples, and keep it away from the end of
the vent tube where it could be pulled in
by air flow. Handles, protective corners,
cabinet covering, grille materials and
crossovers are available through Peavey
Accessories.

When building a bandpass enclosure,
design a panel or door to be removable
for access to the woofer. Use foam
weatherstrip to seal the panel along with
enough screws and bracing to prevent
leaks and buzzes. Fill the sealed volume
loosely with polyester fiber, but leave the
vented volume empty. Place the magnet
of the woofer in the vented side for
improved cooling.

Peavey does not supply hardware
required for the manufacturing of flying
systems, and recommends that builders
should not suspend or fly any enclosure
not certified for such applications.

These instructions are a general
guideline for design. Proper construction
techniques, good planning and common
sense will result in a reliable, high quality,
high performance system.

Peavey in no way accepts liability for any
damage, accidents or injury that may
result from construction or use of
enclosures using this information.

Due to Peavey’s continuing efforts to
improve its products, features and
specifications are subject to change
without notice.

PARAMETERS

Thiele-Small parameters for Pro Rider
drivers follow. This data is for use in
designing enclosures. Numerous
software packages are available that use
this data to simulate the response of the
driver and enclosure together for
optimum performance in any application.

PARAMETER DEFINITIONS

Znom: The nominal impedance of the

driver in ohms.

Revc: DC resistance of the driver in
ohms Also known as Re.

Sd: The functional radiating surface
area of the cone assembly, in meters

2

.

BL: Efficiency of the voice coil and
magnet system in Telsa Meters.

Fo: Also known as Fs, the free air
resonance of the driver.

Vas: Volume of air having the same
compliance (springiness) as the driver’s
suspension.

Cms: Restorative force of the driver ’s
suspension in micrometers/Newton.

Mms: The total mass of the moving
parts of the loudspeaker, including the air
load, in grams.

Qms: Resonance characteristics of the
mechanical factors of the loudspeaker.

Qes: Resonance characteristics of
electrical factors of the loudspeaker.

Qts: Resonance characteristics of the
electrical and mechanical factors
combined together.

Xmax: Distance the cone can move in
one direction before the coil begins to
leave the magnetic gap.

Le: Inductance of the voice coil in
millihenries.

SPL: Typical sound pressure level at
1 Watt, 1 meter.

no: Electrical-to-acoustical
conversion efficiency in percent

Vd: Air displacement of the driver
from negative Xmax to positive Xmax, in
milliliters.

Pmax: Maximum continuous program
power in watts.

Disp: Volume displaced by the driver
inside the cabinet when mounted on its
rear flange, in inches

3

.

SPECIFICATIONS 1508-8 alcp 1508-8 cucp

Part # 00452850 00452860

Size: inches / mm 15" / 380 mm nomial 15" / 380 mm nominal

Frame OD Frame OD

15-1/4: / 387 mm 15- 1/4: / 387 mm

Bolt circle Bolt circle

14-9/16" / 370 mm, 8 holes 14-9/16" / 370 mm, 8 holes

Cutout diameter Cutout diameter

14" / 356 mm 14" / 356 mm

Depth Depth

5-1/4" / 133 mm 5-1/4" / 133 mm

Impedance: 8 Ohms 8 Ohms

Power Capacity: 2,400 Watts peak 2,400 Watts peak

1,200 Watts program 1,200 Watts program

600 W continuous per AES 2-1984, 600 W continuous per AES 2-1984,

50 Hz – 500 Hz 50 Hz – 500 Hz

Sensitivity: 96.3 dB / 1 Watt, 1 Meter 97.5 dB / 1 Watt, 1 Meter

Usable frequency range: 35 Hz ~ 2 kHz 35 Hz ~ 2 kHz

Cone: Kevlar impregnated cellulose Kevlar impregnated cellulose

Voice coil dia: 4.0" / 100 mm 4.0" / 100 mm

Voice coil material: Polyimide-impregnated fiberglass former Polyimide-impregnated fiberglass former

Nomex

®

stiffener Nomex®stiffener

Edge wound aluminum Edge wound copper

ribbon wire ribbon wire

Net weight: 17 lbs. / 7.7 kg 17 lb. / 7.7 kg

Z

nom

(Ohms) 8 8

R

evc

(Ohms) 5.8 5.7

Sd(M2) 0.084 0.084

BL (T/M) 16.5 22.7

Vas(liters) 188.2 208.0

Fo,(Hz) 40.4 34.8

Cms(uM/N 187.8 207.6

Mms(gm) 82.5 100.5

Q

ms

8.726 8.782

Q

es

0.450 0.241

Q

ts

0.428 0.235

Le(mH) 0.41 0.50

SPL (1 WATT1 M) 96.3 97.5

No(%) 2.7 3.5

Vd(milliliters) 773 773

P

max

(Watts pgm.) 1,200 1,200

Disp (inches3) / milliliters 209 / 3426 209 / 3426

10 Frequency, Hz 50 100 Hz 500 1K

SPL, dB

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

65

60

Pro Rider 15 cucp: Small vented 1.5cf Fb53
Pro Rider 15 cucp: Medium vented 2.25cf Fb51
Pro Rider 15 cucp: Large vented 3.0cf Fb49

10 Frequency, Hz 50 100 Hz 500 1K

SPL, dB

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

65

60

Pro Rider 15 alcp: Small vented 3.0cf Fb45
Pro Rider 15 alcp: Medium vented 4.0cf Fb43
Pro Rider 15 alcp: Large vented 5.0cf Fb40
Pro Rider 15 alcp: Single reflex bandpass4.0cf