MY NEW 281s (1 Viewer)

[Kerry Hackney]

Take a look at what arrived at my HT Saterday morning... http://hometown.aol.com/ipoweret/PA281Main.html
I couldn't be happier...

 

[Tony Richardson]

Beautiful Kerry, how do they sound? I've heard they are a great buy and sound excellent, what are thoughts?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Love the matching decor of the whole system from speakers to entertainment center. Color me envious.
Still waiting for you to "push" me towards the 281's since you've heard my ol' faithfuls at my place.
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PatCave ; HT Pix ; Gear ; Sunosub I + III ; DVDs ; Link Removed

 

[Geoff L]

Just a class act!
My morning eye candy. Clean and class all the way. Im sure it sounds as fantastic as it looks.
Few pics excite me, always cluttered and pushy. Junk all over wires exposed seems many forget part of the job. Good sound regaurdless of budget is our first step, incorperating it into the room and thinking of our finished look is something many seem never to finish or possibley care to. To each his own, but for me a clean uncluttered and balanced finished look adds to the experience.
Junk is junk but it could be attractive junk!
So please post impresions of the 281s sound now that their finished and locked into your room?
Again very very nice.
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Smoothe

 

[Kerry Hackney]

Geoff,
Thanks for your very kind words. Sometimes necessity really is the mother of invention. My wife should really get the credit for decor. She helps me keep things in perspective. Otherwise, I might run welding cables for speaker wire.
Pat,
My impression so far is that these are a little less forward than your speakers. They have a great soundstage. I remember another tread where a builder complained that his 281s were very forward sounding, I haven't had that with mine. I can crank up the volume in two channel stereo and they really sound great, no strain is evident at all. In DTS they have great dynamics. I was playing around with the sampler disc last night and they can scare you with the intensity of the impact on Private Ryan. My poor sub just can't keep up. A friend of mine is bringing an LMS system over to do some measurements. That will provide some more unbiased information. In my room they don't have "Oh my god" levels of bass. HOWEVER, my room is 1000 square feet with acoustic tile ceilings. I didn't expect chest pounding bass. I plan to play around a little with the stuffing and see if I can optimize them for my environment. FWIW, I have $560 total in the pair. For the investment, all I can say is WOW. Electronics are clearly my limiting factor at this point. I may also take them over to Doug "Lexman" from HTG and try them on his electronics. He had a chance to come over for a listen on Sunday. Obviously, he already has GREAT speaker with his Sonus Faber - Grand Pianos. He didn't run from the room screaming at my houses so I took that as a good sign. They have changed a little since I first played them over the weekend and seem to be getting a little smoother and more open. They started out WAY more open and detailed sounding than the little LX5 Pros that I had. BTW, many reviewers in the magazines thought they were great. Sorry for the rambling post. I hope you will see a more coherent version in one of the enthusiast magazines in the near future. I'll let you know more about that as time goes on...

 

[Patrick Sun]

Kerry, I agree that the room will play a role in the overall sound (I wish I had a larger room). I will sit tight for now (and probably until I get an even larger room) before upgrading, but I know the 281s will most probably be my future, just not immediate future (still toying with the no-seam construction/45 degree mitre-cuts I mentioned earlier). Thanks and keep the reviews rolling, I do hope you get on with the receiver upgrade soon (don't we all) and really get your 281s to sing. Looking forward to the upcoming testing.
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PatCave ; HT Pix ; Gear ; Sunosub I + III ; DVDs ; Link Removed

 

[Kerry Hackney]

FWIW, I don't want anyone, especially Pat, to think that I believe his speakers to be too bright. They aren't. They are just different in sound than my 281s. I have been impressed with Pat's sound when I've visited. To my ears, my 281s have a little less "sizzle" if you will. In some ways they remind me of my brothers DCM Time Windows. Sound perception is a very personal thing. Kind of like tasting food, what I like you may not.
In general however, I think most anyone would be happy to live with the sound of my system for a long time. I will have to spend a lot more money to upgrade my mains at this point...

 

[Paul_C]

Very professional looking speakers.
You have an extremely clean setup. You are making me jealous.
I was very interested in your comment about the DCM's. I have a pair of Timeframes and I am thinking of building a full set of 281's and hopefully the matching center. It's good to know that someone with a similar ear likes these DIY spkeakers. I feel a little more comfortable buying a set to build sometime next year.
Paul.

 

[Philip Hamm]

WOW! That is some beautiful work! Thanks for sharing, and for taking all the time to make that great web page!
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Philip Hamm
AIM: PhilBiker

 

[Kerry Hackney]

As with many things in HT/Audio one improvement only serves to highlight some other weakness. In my case the 281s really put the heat on my reciever, both figuratively and literally. SOOOOOO.. I solved the problem today with a deal I just couldn't pass up. On another thread I found a company in PA called Stereo Trading Outlet. Following the thread out of curiousity I found a certified Marantz dealer who, while they can't mail-order sell new Marantz equipment also has "B" stock, used and discontinued models. As some may know from my other posts or my site, I currently use a Sony STRDR715 "digital ready" reciever from the low end of the Sony line. Not terrible but truely not for critical listening/viewing. To handle DD and DTS I got a Panasonic RV80U DVD player with both processors onboard the player. So, I really don't need a DD reciever. Well to make this long story short, the PA dealer had a SR96 Merantz reciever left over new and in the box with full warranty. In 1996 this was the "flagship" of the Marantz line. It sold new for $1600. I just ordered the one they had left for .... $600. Yes, I saved 1000. Color me HAPPY Now, we'll see what the 281s are really capable of. I am also now convinced that I have some leakage problems in my cabinets which will be fixed ASAP. I did some test tone sweeps and confirmed that I don't really have the bass extension that I should. I was suspect of the terminal cups all along. In my haste to listen at the end of the project I lost my normally patient disposition in favor of the "Christmas morning" rush to finish. Now, I'll do what I should have done, pay attention to the fine details and do it right. I knew better. You may wonder why I hadn't complained of the problem..., because I have a sub that hid the situation. Only after I did extended listening with no sub did I become suspicious. The response above 100 seems unaffected.
I'll let you know how the system changes sometime next week... As good as the 281s are now, I can only imagine what it will be...