sealed kit281's for heavy music duty/light theater duty?

A few thoughts: (from a guy who's built both and currently uses the little brother 81's and dual Subs as mains.)

You may want to go with the sealed versions if space is an issue especially since you'll have a good sub...

On the other hand the 281towers are an excellent speaker that handle full range music with ease...

I honestly don't think one being "tighter" over the other is an issue.

-EJ

 

Drew i'm also starting to build the 281 sealed version.I have a 120L sub with an old svs driver.I'v heard nothing but things about the 281's.I'm looking forward to them.I'm also going to be using a 281 for a center. I was wondering what difference there will be if i put the 281 sealed on it's side for center?thanks

 

I've got four 281s en route for my fronts and surrounds. I'm going to build them all sealed to keep enclosure size down, maintain placement flexibility, and maximize SAF.
We are about a 50/50 household... I'm a movie freak, and my wife has about 500+ CDs that get a LOT of play... So, I'm matching the 281s with a 214L vented Tempest.
Though I considered using a 281s on its side as the center channel speaker, I would suspect that the 281 baffle is designed for vertical play...
I'm just going to order an Adire LCC at the end of the month (or whenever they become available)... From what I've been told, the 4 - 281s, LCC, Tempest combo should do a fine job for HT or music.

 

I have a vented set of 281s. Back when I built mine I also talked to DanW about going sealed for music. In reality, the vented version is a very "tight" sounding speaker. IIRC, his advice was to go sealed "if" space was an issue or in a misic ONLY situation with a good sub. However, the vented allignment gives up very, very little to the sealed version in terms of musicality.
As for using a 281 for center duty, I would say go for it if you already have the drivers... A lot of people pooh-pooh MTMs layed on their side... BUT, there are thousands of speakers designed just that way. Is it the ultimate? No, but remember when you start with a 281 you are already way ahead of most commercial speakers at anywhere near a reasonable price. I sure can't see anyone sitting down in front of such a setup and saying "Well this sucks..." It just won't happen.
In 99% of all rooms there are compromises that have to be made for appearance, SAF, space, shape, you name it. Laying an MTM over for CC duty is one that for the majority of people will be an entirely acceptable option once they hear it. I think there are far worse problems to have.

 

If space is an issue then take Eric's advice and go with the 81's or sealed 281's. If space isnt an issue I would go with the vented 281's for the mains. The bass isnt boomy or bloated at all and is very natural sounding.

 

?? how does space make a diffrence in choosing what version to build ?

a 281 on a stand takes up the same floor space as a vented/tl 281, or an 81. ('cept the 81 would be a bit shorter...)

...AND a vented 281 IMO would be easier to build than a sealed 281 and a proper stand. (you werent planning on putting these fine speakers on a bookshelf, were you?)

id say unless you had an EXCEPTIONAL sub, there would be no reason to build the sealed version.

my .04c

 

First, let me say that I LIKE the vented cabinet design... And IF I had a larger room for my HT, I would definitely go with the vented cabs for at least my mains, if not the surrounds as well... But my room is smaller than I would like, so...
As far as spcae consumed by speakers goes... It is NOT just a footprint thing... It is also a perceived space consumption thing too... especially as it applies to SAF...
A smaller sealed box on a properly designed stand will APPEAR to take up less space... and in fact does take up less VOLUME... In both instances, it makes them much more palatable to the "boss" in the sealed version...
In addition, I contend that a smaller sealed cab has more flexibility in placement... especially on a propery designed stand...
Also... I don't necessarily plan to use conventional stands. I have designed a damped suspension system that will allow me to suspend the speakers from the ceiling, adjust them in all three axis to direct them as needed, and reclaim all of the floor space normally consumed.
And according to Dan W., the Tempest in a 214L vented cab meets the criteria for an "exceptional sub".

 

I will be going with the sealed because i built an E center

around my widescreen and have opening's in it for my mains that are only 30" high.The reason I did this was because I only had a 6' wall to work with.All my gear is above the TV.

 

not to steer ot here, but i was looking at running 281's for mains, w/ shiva's...would running the shiva's ported make the towers too big? i dont really want my towers to go over about 4' or 4'6" max. if that isnt possible without some insane depth/width, then ill probably end up running sealed...btw, im gonna get a custom x-over so that the x-over will interface with an hs200 for each shiva (1 per tower, side-firing). any thoughts on how that should sound for music/and or ht? btw, it will be matched with a 281 cc, and bipole/dipole (dual kit 81's/per side) in rear.
eric

 

Wait you want to build a shiva sub into each tower? That would require you to make a pretty big tower especially if you wanted the subs ported. It would be easier with the Kit 81s, Eric Jones built sealed Shivas as stands for them.

 

i would probably do the kit 81's, but the problem is that i want my impedances of all my speakers to match...meaning i need 4 ohm nominal per speaker.

eric

 

To be honest I wouldn't worry about having the impedances match. But you could just wire a huge 8 ohm power resistor in parallel with a Kit81 to make it a 4 ohm load if you really wanted.