Tifa 8
The largest of the paper-cone kits: two eight-inch woofers, a dedicated five-inch midrange and a 25.4 mm textile dome in each cabinet.
About the Tifa 8
Four drivers per cabinet and three ways: a pair of eight-inch woofers, a five-inch midrange of its own, and a 25.4 mm textile dome. Giving the midrange its own driver is the point of a three-way: the band that carries voices goes to a cone dedicated to it alone.
Per cabinet: two 8″ SB20PFCR30-4 woofers, one 5″ SB13PFCR25-8 midrange and one SB26ST-C000-5 textile dome. Together the woofers put 432 cm² of piston area into the room. The two-way Tifa 6 shares its tweeter.
The Tifa 8 is the three-way: two 8-inch woofers anchoring the bottom, a dedicated midrange in its own sealed chamber, and the same 26 mm fine-weave fabric dome on top. Crossed at 400 Hz and 2600 Hz, so the whole vocal band runs through one driver.
The cabinet leans back on a splayed plinth for the same reason the Tifa 6 leans forward — driver time alignment — and SB specify bracing to keep the panels quiet. At 8 Ω and 87.5 dB it is a markedly easier load than the Tifa 6.
In the kit
- Drive units per cabinet
- 2 × 8″ SB20PFCR30-4 woofers, 1 × 5″ SB13PFCR25-8 midrange, 1 × SB26ST-C000-5 tweeter
- Cabinets
- two, finished
- Cabinet finishes
- agreed at the time of order
- Crossover
- one crossover set per pair
- Supplied as
- components for a pair
Specifications
SB Acoustics’ published figures for the finished Tifa 8.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Speaker type | Three-way floorstander |
| Frequency range | 38 – 26,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity (2.83 V / 1 m) | 87.5 dB |
| Nominal impedance | 8 Ω |
| Maximum SPL | 108 dB |
| Recommended amplifier | 50 – 200 W |
| Crossover frequencies | 400 Hz and 2600 Hz |
| Enclosure type | Bass reflex (woofers), sealed (midrange) |
| Port tuning frequency | 40 Hz |
SB Acoustics publish the Tifa 8 as an open-source design: the cabinet drawings and the crossover schematic are free to download and free to use. It is not boxed as a single part number, so we supply it the way it is actually made — the cabinet set, the crossover set and the drivers, quoted together. Ask and we will price the lot.
Tweeter — One SB26ST-C000-5 per cabinet
A 25.4 mm textile dome on a ferrite motor behind an injection-moulded faceplate, at a nominal 5 Ω. A textile dome breaks up gently, which is what makes it forgiving to cross.
| Parameter | Value | Parameter | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal impedance | 5 Ω | Force factor, Bl | 2.2 Tm |
| Free air resonance, Fs | 870 Hz | Voice coil diameter | 25.4 mm |
| Sensitivity (2.83 V / 1 m) | 91 dB | Voice coil height | 1.8 mm |
| Total Q-factor, Qts | 1.24 | Air gap height | 3 mm |
| Mechanical Q-factor, Qms | 5.0 | Linear coil travel (p-p) | 1.2 mm |
| Electrical Q-factor, Qes | 1.64 | Magnetic flux density | 1.23 T |
| Effective piston area, Sd | 6.2 cm² | Magnet weight | 0.22 kg |
| DC resistance, Re | 4.4 Ω | Rated power handling | 80 W |
| Voice coil inductance, Le | 0.07 mH | Net weight | 0.51 kg |
| Moving mass incl. air, Mms | 0.33 g |
91 dB with a free air resonance of 870 Hz and 80 W rated power handling, on a moving mass of 0.33 g.
Midrange — One 5″ SB13PFCR25-8 per cabinet
A 25.4 mm voice coil under a paper cone, on a rubber surround, a ferrite motor and a round injection-moulded chassis — the same family as the woofers below it, handed the band that carries voices as its only job.
| Parameter | Value | Parameter | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal impedance | 8 Ω | Equivalent volume, Vas | 13.4 L |
| Free air resonance, Fs | 45 Hz | Moving mass incl. air, Mms | 10 g |
| Sensitivity (2.83 V / 1 m) | 87 dB | Force factor, Bl | 6.2 Tm |
| Total Q-factor, Qts | 0.33 | Compliance, Cms | 1.25 mm/N |
| Mechanical Q-factor, Qms | 2.2 | Mechanical resistance, Rms | 1.4 kg/s |
| Electrical Q-factor, Qes | 0.39 | Rated power handling | 40 W |
Fs 45 Hz at a Qts of 0.33, 13.4 litres of Vas and 40 W rated, on a 10 g moving mass.
Woofers — Two 8″ SB20PFCR30-4 per cabinet
A 30.5 mm voice coil under a paper cone, on a rubber surround, a ferrite motor and a round injection-moulded chassis. An eight-inch paper cone is the direct way to move air, and the Tifa 8 uses two of them per cabinet.
| Parameter | Value | Parameter | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal impedance | 4 Ω | Force factor, Bl | 6.6 Tm |
| Free air resonance, Fs | 34 Hz | Compliance, Cms | 1.0 mm/N |
| Sensitivity (2.83 V / 1 m) | 92.5 dB | Mechanical resistance, Rms | 1.7 kg/s |
| Total Q-factor, Qts | 0.33 | Voice coil diameter | 30.5 mm |
| Mechanical Q-factor, Qms | 2.78 | Voice coil height | 16.5 mm |
| Electrical Q-factor, Qes | 0.37 | Air gap height | 5 mm |
| Equivalent volume, Vas | 66.2 L | Linear coil travel (p-p) | 11.5 mm |
| Effective piston area, Sd | 216 cm² | Magnetic flux density | 1.2 T |
| DC resistance, Re | 3.4 Ω | Magnet weight | 0.54 kg |
| Voice coil inductance, Le | 0.71 mH | Rated power handling | 50 W |
| Moving mass incl. air, Mms | 22.4 g | Net weight | 1.42 kg |
92.5 dB at a Qts of 0.33, Fs 34 Hz, 66.2 litres of Vas and 216 cm² of piston area each — so a pair presents 432 cm² to the room.
The cabinets arrive finished
The cabinet set arrives cut, assembled and finished at the same works that makes the drivers, on the same machines, to the same tolerances — so the job in front of you is the acoustics: mount the drivers, wire the crossover, fit the damping.
The factory lists one cabinet specification for the Tifa 8: a set covering two cabinets, supplied without grilles, with the finish agreed when the order is placed.
Tell us which finish you want when you enquire and we will confirm it against the current factory list before anything is ordered.
Come and listen.
Bring your favourite tracks. Leave with something you'll keep for decades. No pressure, no commission-chasing.