General Speaker Advice and Recommendations

Discussion in 'Speakers' started by shotgunshane, Mar 7, 2017.

  1. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    For folks that might want something a little less DIY, but basically what ASC uses for tube traps:

    https://www.mcmaster.com/5556k85

    or similar - find a local industrial/building supply house and ask for compressed fiberglass pipe insulation in 8" or 10" or 12" inner diameter, and wrap in whatever breathable fabric matches the curtains.

    edit: link to the DIY plans.
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2019
  2. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    I'm looking for suggestions for doing speaker positioning using measurements. Is it possible to use a cardioid condenser mic or will I need something that is omnidirectional? What type of software is used for this?

    I'll be setting up my first real 2-channel rig soon and I want to get off to a good start.
     
  3. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    I've got a Dayton OmniMic you're welcome to borrow (aside, WTF happened to these being just $40?), just PM me off thread. Take some measurements with REQW, generate some convolution filters and, depending on what playback chain you're running it can be as easy as importing the filters into Roon's convolution DSP (what I'm doing, and totally brainless, easy-peasy). Or, just use the REQW measurements to manually parametrically EQ your setup using either a DSP-based system or get close-enough-to-good with an analog EQ. Adjust by ear/season to taste.
     
  4. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    Thanks! I won't need it till the middle/end of March so I'll be hitting you up then for sure!
     
  5. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    https://www.diysoundgroup.com/site-updates.html

     
  6. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    Does speaker wire size matter after a certain point? I have a ton of 16 awg ofc from Mediabridge and I'm wondering if that will be sufficient to run 4 Ohm KEFs. Runs should be around 12ft. I run my Klipsch speakers with it but they are 8 ohm and much less demanding of power.

    I was considering getting some 12 awg ofc from Mediabridge to run the KEF's, but not sure if that is necessary.
     
  7. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    12AWG is definitely overkill but I can't see it being a problem. Gauge is all about length and amps (well mostly).
     
  8. Jalsar

    Jalsar Facebook Friend

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    At 4 Ohms you will only be good for 10’ with 16 awg. I would go to 14 awg and that will be good until 20ft.
    I’m running 2 meters of 12 awg to my RP-280Fs becaue I decided to go with over kill. Plus I got them for a steal.
     
  9. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/choosing-right-wire-gauge/
     
  10. Jalsar

    Jalsar Facebook Friend

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  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    18g or 16g lamp cord at Home Depot. Don't get big cables. Hard to handle, difficult to terminate, dumb stuff happens like the cable falling off the speaker because it's too heavy, or the cable's weight in the back providing enough torque to lift the front of your power amp up a bit, or the weight to the cables causing one end to fall off the speaker terminal and accidently touch the other terminal, thus causing a short.

    https://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwi...tranded-CU-SPT-1-Lamp-Wire-49909503/304781532

    My high-quality cables are CAT5 plenum rated teflon jacket ethernet cables. This takes a bit of work because you have to strip off and separate the ends of the four twisted pairs.

    I have a ton of thick audiophile cables at home. I don't use them. Some, if they were sold, would be $5000 cables. I need to get rid of them. Cables shouldn't be a pain in the ass.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2019
  12. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    Thanks for the advice Marv. I'll try this 16 awg wire since I have about 100 extra ft.
     
  13. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    Another stop in at the dealer today with my Freya preamp to see how it would play with SCM40A. The midrange timbre of these speakers is insanely beautiful, and everything is very, very tight. Diana Krall's Case of You had me there, and I can't say that about much I've heard thus far. But it's almost too tight, as if they almost are a bit congested. They also did imagine well but very constrained in between the speakers, and spatially felt a bit restricted. Overall I found them impressively accurate and sounded "right" but in the end I just couldn't even smile when listening to them, like they were too damped. There was no boogey-factory and I like a speaker that has some flow, or fluidity, if you know what I mean. The dealer said they have been playing for 4-5 days non-stop so he didn't really think they'd get much better or open, that they were where they're probably going to be for awhile. This really gave me a 'hmm what to do' moment.

    Across the store a pair of JBL 4367 behemoths paired to some equally expensive components. Almost right away I could tell these were more what I was going for. Soundstage was like nothing I've ever heard before, stunningly 3D. There is a test track I use called "Bubbles" and was the first time I hear things coming towards me, normally it's left or right. Bass was much more hefty, impactful and body felt fuller. Definitely more lively and engaging overall and so part of me worries about things in the long-term becoming strident. I don't think they touched the timbre of the ATC though, which is tough. That and well, the 4367 is well out of my price range. Though the smaller bookshelf 4429 and really stretching for the S3900 might be possible.

    And interesting turn of events and I suppose closer to figuring out "my sound" but still a little bit confused haha.
     
  14. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    The ATCs, at least that series (which is all I’ve heard) are all very fast and tight and damped sounding. I’m a bit surprised the actives were still that prominent in their tightness, as I assumed the amps they put in them would open them up somewhat. The three passives I’ve heard (and the ones I own) aren’t flowy/euphonic speakers. And yeah, they have pretty precise imaging, but definitely a small stage between the speakers. They also don’t have a ton of depth either, everything tends to be upfront on the ones I’ve heard at least.

    I do find them to be very well balanced however, and the mids are very good - the ones with dome mid especially. I actually like the tightness and quickness of them in many cases, they definitely avoid the bloated, sluggish, blurry sound of many other speakers I’ve heard.
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2019
  15. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    The passives have the great virtue of being some of the only bookshelf speakers that sound good in an actual bookshelf, by virtue of being sealed.

    Even front-ported boxes have issues, the SCM boxens just get bassier, which is not really a bad thing since they're kinda lean.

    For like, every single use-case I have here they win by default just thanks to that.
     
  16. Mystic

    Mystic Mystique's Spiritual Advisor

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    Looking for some help picking out some speakers. I had my heart set on a pair of BMRs but Philharmonic is shut down for now (perhaps indefinitely). Will keep an eye out for a used pair but I'm not holding my breath.

    Looking for something under $1600 USD. Trying to find alternatives to the BMR at a similar price range is proving difficult. Dennis' profit margins were extremely slim.

    Will be powered by a Vidar with my ZDS or a Saga as a preamp. Looking for useable bass response down to 34hz, same as the BMR. I don't want to buy a sub.

    Some contenders I hear getting mentioned a lot on AVS:
    -Emotiva T2
    https://emotiva.com/products/airmotiv-t2

    -HDT level 3 floorstanders
    https://www.htd.com/Level-THREE-Tower-Speakers

    -Klipsch RP8000F
    https://www.klipsch.com/products/rp-8000f-floorstanding-speaker

    I have my doubts any of these could stand up to the BMR though.

    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2019
  17. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    I think you should get the T2's and only play the Imperial March from Star Wars over and over again.
     
  18. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    Kind of different beasts here, you can be much close to the Klipsch since they're 2way.

    Ive only heard the t2s. They're OK for cheap 3way fstandanders? I'm not a huge lover of ribbons so that might be coloring my memory.
     
  19. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    Good learning experience you had. A three-way, passive crossover floorstander with only a 6.5” bass woofer to fill the room with sound is gonna be way too rolled off, thin, and constricted in the lows at reasonable volumes. Certain 6.5” or 7” woofers can be nice and punchy in two-way active monitors 4 feet from your face like Adam A7X or KRK V6 but hell to the no in a tower. You might like the bigger ATCs but they’re probably out out of your price range and the SCM40 is audiofoolery for old farts with exactly that amount of money to spend who have heard of ATC. The actives are just better too.

    Modern JBLs except for the LSR 30whatever are way overpriced for what you get. The bigger ones hit hard and that waveguide is cool though.

    ATC is great but obviously more pro than hifi. They don’t use tweeter waveguides to blow out the sound like JBL but rather to maintain treble frequency linearity on the horizontal axis while limiting it vertically. Thus selling worse passive versions of their speakers to be placed on fixed wooden stands is just secondary business.
     
  20. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    I'm not sure I follow you. But in any regard, both ATC and JBL are expensive brands and one's POV of value is a whole other can of worms. The SCM40 is a fantastic speaker but for me just wasn't as exciting as I was hoping for after break-in. Especially at the SCM40A pricepoint, I should be smiling ear-to-ear and loving everything about it, which I wasn't.
     

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