Considering GR AV3s, here come the questions. (1 Viewer)

[Scott Sabin]

Thanks for the pics, Dan. I'm looking forward to your listening review after they've had a chance to break in.

Would you consider these speakers easy, moderate, or difficult to make for a first-timer? How did you end up lining your cabinets (sorry if that is posted already).

They look good!

 

[Daniel Metcalf]

Scott, I would consider them moderate to slightly difficult for your first DIY, unless you're an accomplished woodworker. The AV-1's would be a great way to get your feet wet and would also be great surrounds if you built the AV-3's later. I used 1" foam from a fabric store and polyfil per Danny's instructions. They already sound pretty good, smooth yet detailed, open midrange, articulate bass. I'll start doing some serious listening tomorrow and when I can get them painted post some more pics.

 

[Scott Sabin]

I hope to do (7) of these babies, so the difficulty factor is important to me. The center will be the most interesting for me - I think I'll convert the A/V-3 to a ported design with 1.1 cu ft internal volume. That way I can make my cabinet a little shorter to keep it below my screen without sacrificing much bass response. I figure that I'll build the rear 4 first, so that by the time I get to the front 3, I'll be able to do my best work.

Happy listening, and thanks for the info.

 

[Daniel Metcalf]

Wow, that's gonna sound incredible, I wish I had the room for that kind of setup. Just take your time, you'll need about 1 sheet of MDF per pair, what kind of shop do you have? My AV-3's are starting to really open up, incredible imaging/soundstage, very detailed yet smooth and non-fatiguing, good bass extension and definition, smooth accurate mid-range........I'm VERY impressed. In fact they sound errily similar to my Sennheiser headphones, which is no small feat. BTW, these replaced some Dynaudio DIY's and are a step up in every regard. I'm sure alot of that has to do with Danny's excellent design, but I suspect the crossover components are also better than what Madisound provided for my MDY-4's, especially the Sonicaps, I highly recommend them.

 

[Scott Sabin]

My personal shop is quite limited. I have a cheap table saw in the garage, and will borrow my brother's router when I get to making sawdust. However, my next door neighbor has an awesome shop in his basement, complete with hood and dust collector, table saw, radial arm saw, drill press, and some other pieces I haven't heard him talk about. He has volunteered to help me with the cuts for these things, and loves DIY projects in general (you should see his storage system he built in his garage). He's making a birch cabinet for his family room right now - he's a great resource to help me build these cabinets.

The basement rec room is open, so I have the room for the speakers, which will be nice. I can't wait to hear SACD, DVD-A, and Pro Logic IIx with these speakers!

 

[Daniel Metcalf]

Hi-rez multi-channel will sound awesome on that system. My room is small enough that I don't feel I'm losing anything by running all my speakers as large in the 563a menu. That way I'm avoiding that players inadequate bass management and SACD conversion to PCM. BTW, I'm getting in room response down to 28hz from the AV-3's! It sounds like you have the woodshop covered, keep us posted on your progress.

 

[GuyS]

I received the AV/3 kit a couple days ago and will start building the enclosures soon. I was thinking of making the base a little smaller than what the specs call for because of a door that when opened, would hit the base. I am concerned that the speakers might be a little top heavy since the speakers and crossover is located near the top of the enclosure and with a smaller base it would be prone to tipping. Daniel, I’ve seen the photos you posted and it kind of looks like you might have made the base a little smaller than the specs but I really can’t tell for sure just by looking at the pictures. Has anyone adjusted the base size and had stability problems?

 

[Daniel Metcalf]

I actually did two seperate pieces front and back about 11" by 2" with a nice chamfer across the front and mitered corners. As long as the floor spikes are firmly anchored through the carpet you should have no problems. After I get them painted, I'll take some better close-ups. Did you get the Sonicaps?

 

[GuyS]

Daniel
Thanks for the info. I did not get the Sonicaps and one of the reasons is that I don’t consider myself an audiophile plus my ears have quit a few years on them and probably couldn’t tell the difference. You might ask why do I bother building speakers at all. I guess the answer to that is I just like doing it and it sort of keeps an old retired person busy. One reason I considered getting the Sonicaps is that some day I might give the speakers to my son or son in law and they probably would appreciate the difference they would make.

 

[JohanD]

Any pictures?

 

[Daniel Metcalf]

Well, I've painted the mains, but my pictures didn't turn out that great. BTW, they have my highest recommendation, I'm very impressed. Thanks Danny!

 

[JohanD]

Daniel,

So how do you like the sound?? What are you using to power them?

 

[Michael__M]

Daniel-

Those look great. I love the look of those feet. How stable are the mains with that design? I have a little girl and I am afraid she might push them over. Think that design will hold up to the task?

Michael

 

[Daniel Metcalf]

JohanD, I LOVE these speakers. They simply do everything well. I'm not saying they're the be all end all of speakers, that would be absurd, but even at the full completed price of 1450.00 from GR I would consider them a bargain. When evaluating them as a kit for less than 400.00, they are simply unmatched. I would describe the sound as accurate to the source while being slightly on the lush side, never harsh (unless the recording is etched) yet extremely detailed. The midrange is smooth and pleasent and the bass is excellent, posessing impeccable articulation and extension to 28-30 hz in my room. The imaging/sounatage is really impressive, holographic and enveloping with precise lateral and front to back image placement. I'm using a Marantz sr7000 reciever and Pioneer 563a for now (certainly budget mid-fi), I might upgrade in a while, we'll see.
Michael_M, I havn't tried the child push-over test, but they seem pretty darn stable with the feet. I didn't glue them to the bottom in case I wanted to change them, you might try something like that and see.
OK, I've run out of adjectives. Thanks for the compliments.

 

[JohanD]

Any updates after a few months use?

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Mine still sound great - as I've said, best dual-purpose (music/HT) speakers I've heard, value taken into consideration.

 

[Daniel Metcalf]

I agree completely with Hank, I've since added an IB sub using a single BP-1804 and Rythmik 350-SE to fill out the bottom end. I don't think you NEED a sub with these speakers for most listening, but having that last octave (or two!) is nice and an IB blends very well with the AV-3 TL design.

 

[PaulDF]

I'm very happy with mine. I am now used to the clarity I hear from them and haven't heard that same sound anywhere else.

The bass is quite strong and has a good punch to it if its in the recording. Still, a good sub definitely adds a certain presence to the music, and is a must for Bassheads.

Until the AV3s, I didn't often give much thought to the quality of a recording. Now a lot of my older albums aren't all that enjoyable because I notice the limitations of the recordings. DVD Audio or SACD is the way to go with these speakers.