Pictures of the newest DIY speaker project (Usher 2-ways) (1 Viewer)

How does the Usher 2-way compare to your set of Egos?

Hey, they may be for different purposes but they can easily be compared by a chump like me.

The egos are brighter, more artificial sounding in the highs than the Ushers. The Egos have a soundstage that sounds crisper than the Ushers but the sounds of the highs like cymbals just arn't as convincing. With his setup, the Egos sounded like someone turned up the treble and didn't sound as full as the Ushers. When A/B comparing voices, the Egos had an amplified signature to them as if you can tell there was a microphone involved while the Ushers had a more convincing illusion and realism.

Vocals sound accurate with the Ushers, though the sound-stage is slightly broad (not pinpoint) with the midrange, even if set to nearfield and aimed at the ears. Cymbals and sibilants (S & Sh noises) were more focused than the mids. Fast percussion and electric guitars sounded more accurate than on GR Research speakers, as if the Ushers are meant for playing rock music. It was just that sometimes, I thought I could hear the Onkyo receiver holding back on the sound of them.

The Ushers are very close to sounding natural like the GR-Research AV speakers which means they are probably friendly with most electronics. It's a pretty close comparison, but if you prefer a speaker that's a bit more accurate and clear at louder volumes then go with the Ushers. If you want a speaker that has a smooth and pleasing midrange, go with the GRs.

A difference I noticed was the "left to right" sound-stage is very linear, something that's different than the GR AVs where their L/R soundstage has somewhat of an arc shape with the center image slightly behind the speakers. This could be due to room acoustics as both of our rooms are treated with absorbent panels with bass traps/resonators, only my listening room is more controlled and dead.

The first song I auditioned was an unmarked test CD I accidentally grabbed that had Avril Lavigne "I'm with you" as track 1. During the part when she says

"It's a damn* cold* night*,"
"trying to figure out* this* life*..."

They repeat 3 bass notes at each word with a "*". What was funny is Anthony's room had a huge bass reinforcement on the middle notes and bass suck-outs (nulls) on the last notes.

This had me believing the speaker was unable to play the last note because it was too deep, and that the speakers were designed to boom at one note. After moving the listening position a few feet we found that the volume of those 3 notes changed drastically and they were much closer in volume behind the seat.

That just shows you how much the room has an effect on bass, even if you have treatments.

I should also mention that the Egos definitely are not voice matched but they are close in sensitivity with the ushers. I just don't think it will affect Tony's HT surround sound experience. hehe

Your Ushers look a lot better in person Anthony, those pictures really don't due them justice due to the bad lighting. The craftsmanship is much improved over your egos , I just noticed that they are pretty big and the drivers look like they were made with paper-mache. What's funny is when ppl come over and you tell them you made the speakers yourself... They will look at the woofer and say "I believe you".

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