EAW versus Radian Microwedge 12

Radian and EAW MicroWedge 12 Versions

I have been asked quite a few times "what are the differences between the discontinued Radian MicroWedge and the new EAW MicroWedges.

The EAW MicroWedge is a complete redesign with only the external shape remaining. The first things I addressed were the issue we were having with the Radian version followed by several improvements:

There were significant issues with tangential cracks forming in the speaker surround. The EAW Micro's have a new 12" coax component that improves HF response and LF reliability. I have discussed the cracking issue with Radian and they were working on resolving the problem, not sure if they got it figured out on the newer wedge they make.
The Radian crossovers have been a recurring issue. The originals x-overs burned out easily while the newer versions were harder to burn up but the components were not mounted well enough to withstand the rigors of the road. In the EAW redesign, we were able to address this and make a new dual passive crossover with dramatically improved power handling and solve the "resistors and chokes falling off the circuit board" issue.
Another complaint I was getting on the older Micro's was that it was tough to get your hand in the port to connect the NL4 cables. On the new ones I increased vertical port height to ease connecting the NL4 cables.
Rubber feet added to reduce abrasion to cabinet and damage to floors.
Reflection damping foam was added to the side panels to reduce off-axis peaks and improve feedback stability.
Steel mesh was added to protect wires and coax when mic stand leg is inserted into port.
The new handle design improves the box tuning and noticeably increases the low frequency response.
Improved internal damping material even further reduces internal reflections.
Greatly improved moisture resistance by implementing a specially treated speaker cone.
Increased the minimum impedance in passive mode to reduce amp stress.
Fly track added to the bottom that allows the attachment of MicroLeg tilt feet and utility fly plate to be mounted. The upcoming utility fly plate will allow a wide variety of overhead attachment options.
Reduced the weight by nearly 15%
Dramatic improvement in "un EQ' ed gain before feedback" in both passive and processed modes.
Solved the issue with the grill cloth adhesive failure by replacing cloth with more acoustically transparent foam behind the 12 gauge steel grill while maintaining critical liquid tolerance.
Fully refined and matured color coded processor settings. "White" is maximum flat, "Gray" is a bit darker sounding and compensates for real world HF build up common with louder stages, ""Blue" is a custom tailored setting that was developed to compensate for anomalies in the most popular vocal mics. The "Blue" is a plug and play, pre EQ' ed, Hi-Fi, high volume setting that is unique to the MicroWedge series.
Gunness Focusing optional. When using the EAW UX8800 processor, our measurements show that Gunness Focusing adds approximately 2db additional gain before feedback regardless of all ather settings. This is on top of already being more feedback stable.
The passive/active switch is now in the port and the off center name plate has been eliminated from the bottom of the cabinet.
A reduced reflectivity textured finish.

EAW

Radian

Here you can see the redesigned handle couples all port energy to the floor

The pass through handle slightly de-tuned the enclosure reducing LF response

The left side is the HF passive and the right side is the LF passive. The switch completely bypasses the passive x-over for biamp operation. Due to the differences in coax, the EAW passive is not backward compatible with the Radian coax.

The HF and LF are combined. The large chokes often fall off in transports as well as the resistors overheat. Below is a Radian MicroWedge x-over and the commonly burned resistor.

Below is the recommended retrofit for a Radian MicroWedge 15. Replace the two 25 watt 12 ohm resistors with 50watt versions mounted on a separate aluminum plate. You can buy these resistors at any electronic parts store or, Rat Sound Sales will be stocking a limited amount of Radian MicroWedge 12 and 15 upgrade kits.

The new Micro's are 86% of the weight

Here is a Radian MicroWedge 15 (left), an EAW MicroWedge 15 prototype and an EAW MicroWedge 12.

Notice the new EAW Micro15 is closer in size to the 12 than the older 15 and it has more low end! Also you can see the side damping foam.

On the left is the Radian, on the right is the EAW. You can see the added feet, fly track and that the switch has been moved.

Here you can see the MicroLeg prototypes. The final black versions will be available by the end of June 2008.

If left un repaired, the tangential cone cracks spread. The cracks can be reduced a bit by coating the surround with speaker glue. Though this does change the sound a bit.

These are the new Radian wedges that replace the MicroWedge's in their product line. If you are deep into the old Micro's and need a sonic match with similar cones and crossovers, these should be right down that line.

As people who own them know, the older versions of the MicroWedge are quite unique and superior in many ways to just about any other wedge out there. As far as supporting the older ones, though it is primarily the task of Radian to support, warranty and resolve issues with the products they manufacture, myself and Rat Sound will do what we can to take care of the people and companies that put trust in the products we helped design.

I have been asked whether it is advisable to upgrade to the newer Micro's and can honestly say that there is no comparison between the two products and the new Micro's are a whole new deal. I just wish I had the access to the, engineers, test tools, and knowledge I have now way back 8 years ago when the first Micro's were being released. But hey, everything evolves. So here is what I recommend:

If you have old Micro's and you use them passive, inspect the crossovers heat damage and cones for cracks. Get them fixed if they are messed up. If you fix the crossovers, upgrade the power handling of the resistors. Improve or repair the mounting of the chokes. If the surrounds have minor cracks, a thinned MEK based speaker glue painted on the surround will seal them up and slow formation. Also raise the high pass on the wedges to 60 hz or higher.

If you need more wedges and can't afford to upgrade them all to the new ones, then take a look used and then tune them up. The old wedges are a good solid wedge that will beat out most wedges at twice the price.

If you can upgrade, I highly recommend it. Listen to the new ones, they make just about every wedge we compared them to sound "broken." If you really want to try something interesting, do an A/B comparison between an EAW MicroWedge 12 in passive mode compared to any other fully processed 15" biamped wedge out there. If it does not beat it, it will get so close to beating it that it is almost scary.

Check out a You Tube Video of the EAW MicroWedge:

Would love to hear any comments you have, issues or results from testing these MicroWedge critters. If you post on the Rat Message board I am sure to see it:

And most of all, Rock On!

Dave Rat

Comparison Between the

Radian and EAW MicroWedge 12 Versions