help finding a speaker kit (1 Viewer)

[Ryan T]

Hi,

I'm having trouble finding a speaker kit. I realy like the Adire kit 281S. But i'm worried because there 4 Ohms. I just got a new receiver (H/K AVR120) and it is rated for 8 ohm speakers. Will this be a prblem? If you have any suggetions for good kits I would like to hear them. My use will be 70%Music/30%HT. They will not need a bunch of bass because they will be crossed over at 100 Hz. My sub will be a Sealed Tempest. Thanks

Ryan

 

[jeff lam]

What's your budget? There was a thread on 2-way kits about a week ago that had some good info. You may want to check it out. Do you need a complete kit with cabinets and everythin, or can you build the cabs yourself?

I would recommend GR-Research AV1 kit for you. I built these speakers and they are excellent for the price. In fact, they are one of the best bookshelf speakers avalible at any price but them being so cheap is an added bonus.

GR-Research.com

Lots of people also recommend the ACI Emeralds.

Speakerpage has quality kits at an unreal low price. Hank is the expert on these I believe.

There are tons of kits out there, you just need to decide which is best suited for you.

 

[Jeffrey Noel]

Ryan, how about trying the Adire HE0.1 kit? They're extremely efficient, 95dB I think. Here is a link to a thread about them from Hometheatertalk.com:
Adire HE0.1 Thread
I'm actually thinking about building them for myself!
Actually, instead of buying the kit from Adire, you could get all of the specs, including crossover schematics, to build them from Adire and buy the parts for Partexpress.com. Here is a link to the actual speaker used in this kit, the Eminence Beta-10CX. They're selling them for $57.61 a piece. Pretty good deal!
Eminence Beta-10CX
Here's the link to the Adire HE10.1 specs:
http://www.adireaudio.com/Files/HE10-1Plans.PDF

 

[Ryan T]

wow thanks for the speedy replys. My budget is pretty crappy, about $150 per speaker. I'm not sure about the

HE0.1's I looked at them but i'm a bit worried about the tweeter in the middle of the woofer. I can build the cabinets when I build my sub so that is no problem. How do the GR-Research AV1 kit's sound with music? Thanks.

Ryan

 

[jeff lam]

Ryan,

Just to give you an idea of how good the GR kits are, I and most everyone that has them prefer them over the likes of B&W, Paradigm studio, Def Tech, etc... The midrange clarity really shines from these speakers. The imaging is absolutely superb. They drop off in the low end rather quickly but that's a good thing. I would rather have no bass than have a speaker that mucks it up. Besides, with you running the sub with them, you don't have to worry about the lower octave.

If you are looking to get the cabinets too for $150, you may be out of luck. These will cost roughly $130/ea if you build them yourself, depending on the finish you choose and how efficient you are with the MDF.

BTW, how many monitors do you need?

 

[Ryan T]

Jeff

I would need Two speakers at first, If I like the sound I will buy two more for rear speakers. I have Pardigm Titans right now, I like there sound but the tweeter is a bit Zippy for my taste. I would Build the cabinets If I go with the GR's. I really like the price of the AR1's.

 

[jeff lam]

What about the center channel? I would recommend getting another for the center channel for sure if you plan to watch movies with them.
However, that sounds like a good idea. Get a pair, if you like them get 3 more. If you don't like them you can always sell them on Audioasylum message boards. Everyone is going nuts for GR kits there right now, especially the paradox 1's. If you want to read a little about GR and what other people think of them look at the audioasylum.
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/speakers/bbs.html
Do a search for GR or Paradox and you'll find tons of glowing reviews and recommendations.

 

[Ryan T]

Jeff

Do you know if the paradox or AR1's are made more for music? How do you think they will blend in with a 230L sealed Tempest? Also are the crossovers allready made or do I have to assemble them?

 

[jeff lam]

Both are Excellent for music and will blend perfectly with a sub.

The Paradox1's are very similar to the AV1's except they use a focal tweeter which is very sharp in the high end. The Paradox series was designed for use with tube amps(warm sounding) due to the shrill highs although most of the users of the Paradox1 on audioasylum use them with solid state(normal receiver or seperates amp) and enjoy them very much. The AV1 on the other hand uses a soft silk dome tweeter which is IMO one of the best tweeters for under $25. The AV1 and paradox1 use the same mid driver and crossover topology(series network). Both are of audiophile quality.

The AV series was designed more for HT use than the paradox series and is more forgiving to room acoustics, placement, and the shrill high end. That's why I recommended the AV1's due to your HT need and since you said the titan tweeter was zippy, I think the silk tweeter will be a good fit for you.

If I was going for a 2-ch music only set up, I would probably try the paradox1's but since I can't afford a seperate music system, I had to combine both and I am quite pleased with the result. The AV1's excell in music as well as HT. I just can't stop raving about these speakers. And for this price, they are a fantastic bargin.

Brian Bunge just ordered an AV1 kit last week and should be working on it this weekend. Wait for him to finish and post some results. Although I expect his reaction to be the same as mine. Especially when he sees the quality of the crossover components used.

BTW Brian, make sure you get some good pics of those components and construction of your cabinets when you work on them.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Jeff,

You rang? HOLY CRAP! I just received my kit today and those inductors are HUGE!!! I imagine saturation will not be an issue! At first I looked at the crossover and was totally confused. Not used to looking at series crossovers!

I can't wait to get them up and running! I don't know if they'll be done this weekend or not. I have this and another project to work on. I wonder if these will be replacing my Emeralds?!

Brian

 

[Bob Bartlett]

If you like the 281's , how about the 81's. They are 8 ohm and are 260 for the pair without cabinets.

 

[Ryan T]

Bob
I thought about the Kit81's but in the end I decided no. There is not enough info on then, Like what there SPL is or how many ohms they are. And the tweeter is a titanium dome and I think I want something with a silk dome tweeter. I've been looking over the AV1 and it looks like a winner for me. Does anyone know if the crossover in the AV1 comes assembled or do I have to solder it together? Unfortunately I just spent all my money on a new receiver so I have to wait a couple of months to get a speaker kit:frowning:.
Ryan

 

[Brian Bunge]

Ryan,

My AV1 kit arrived yesterday. The crossovers are not assembled. Maybe you should contact Danny about him providing them prebuilt for you.

Brian

 

[jeff lam]

Brian,

I told you you would flip out when you saw those inductors. These are pure foil inductors, not the usual wire-wound stuff. You just know the speakers are going to sound good when you see the quality of the components used in this kit.

BTW, did all the parts/drivers arive in good shape? I had a problem when danny sent me my drivers for the MB1's. Two of them were broken. The polymer frame was cracked on two of the mid drivers. Danny gladly replaced them. Now I'm a happy camper, but I can't beleive the luck I have been having with getting things shipped to me lately.

BTW, I asked Danny why the frames are plastic(polymer) and he said that they are better for isolating the woofer from the cabinet. Much better(less vibration/ringing into the cab) than a metal frame driver. He said they are just as strong too.

 

[Brian Bunge]

As far as I can tell everything was fine. I'll have to double check the mids tonight and look at the second tweeter. I've had tons of stuff shipped to me lately and haven't had a problem with anything...yet!

The mids are apparently made by Axon as Parts Express is selling a shielded Axon 6.5" driver that looks exactly the same as Danny's drivers except the ones from PE don't have the phase plug. I'm sure the plastic frames are better than the el cheapo metal ones you see but I wonder if they are better than the magnesium frames/baskets that most of the Vifa/Scan-Speak drivers have.

Brian

 

[jeff lam]

I heard that the GR drivers are made by Peerless. At least I'm pretty sure they are. There is a huge long story on these drivers and the changes they made to them compared to the old ones(SPCA special I believe) and all that. Danny knows the whole story behind these drivers and so does Dennis Murphy. I guess the MB1's used the old ones and were so cheap at the time Dennis sold like 50 pairs in less than a week. Anyway, I guess the GR drivers are much better than the SPCA ones. At least thats what I hear at the madisound board and the guys there.

BTW, what is a phase plug? It never occured to me to ask this before.

 

[Patrick Sun]

It's that pointy thing in the middle of the dust cover of the driver.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Jeff,
OK, maybe they are Peerless. The Axon's just seem to have the same frame:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...ID=15901&DID=7
The phase plug is the little cone sticking out of the center of the woofer where the dust cap usually is. I believe one of the benefits is it extends the high frequency response of the driver.
Brian

 

[AjayM]

Hmmm, a few things;

First the Kit81 uses a silk dome tweeter. Also, the specs are listed at Adire's website, they are 8Ohm speakers not sure of the sensitivity, but I would imagine you'll find it around 85-87db. As to the choice between it and the GR Research, that would be a tough call, there are a few good reviews of the Kit81's around, ditto for the GR Research kit, so that one may be a wash.

The HE10.1 has been getting lots of good reviews, it's very effecient, and an easy load. The tweeter in the center is about as close to ideal as you can get in some regards as all of the sound is coming from the same spot. The link to the Emminence driver at Parts Express is good, but you also have to buy the tweeter and adapter to make it work and then buy all the x-over parts and other misc stuff that Adire would sell with it, and I bet that any savings would be minimal if at all.

Regards

Andrew

 

[jeff lam]

So the phase plug is just a pointy dust cap? Doesn't sound like anything special. One of them actually had fallen off of one of the drivers danny sent me. He told me to just glue it back on. So what's the difference between a phase plug and a dust cap? Does it really make a difference if its a point or a dome?