[aevans]

Been a few years in the making, but finally put together a semi-formal review of what is the best stereo I've heard.

http://noaudiophile.com/Selah_Mejor/

Note to Rick - if you see anything I got wrong let me know.

[mresseguie]

I like it! 

I often poke around Rick's website trying to decide which speaker best fits my needs.

Michael

[Carl V]

nice write up.
Glad to see Rick's speakers have found a nice home.
Next you need to do a write up of Your Galena project.

[aevans]

Next you need to do a write up of Your Galena project.

I'm afraid I have a pile of really bad speakers that need to be reviewed first... also my Galena's are still embarrassingly naked in raw MDF form. I use them for my bedroom setup, and I'll get around to making them pretty at some point. It's already been 8 years, but who is counting.

[Carl V]

I'm afraid I have a pile of really bad speakers that need to be reviewed first
Not to be critical...but why review really bad speakers?
if you are trying to save someone the agony of a bad purchase, great but don't
spend too much time & energy. imho

... also my Galena's are still embarrassingly naked in raw MDF form. I use them for my bedroom setup, and I'll get around to making them pretty at some point. It's already been 8 years, but who is counting.

It's the sound that matters...many of us have endured the MDF stage.
You seem well organized, you correlate your data with what you hear.
You offer an independent opinion. you aren't selling anything.
You seem level headed. You are in a
unique position to compare & contrast two Midwoofers by the same mfg.
and two differing ribbons...as well as a decent 10" bass driver as opposed to____.
Just saying.  Good legacy products are more enlightening than bad legacy products.

[Tomy2Tone]

That was excellent!

Favorite line..."Holding a big RAAL in hand you feel the weight of about 5 pounds of neodymium, transforming the holder into Magneto." 

[jonbee]

Nice write up. Indeed, the design is superb and I've no doubt the sound is killer. The DEQX is really a breakthrough; using it properly with this system should be SOTA.
I've owned 3 Selah stand mount speakers, 2 w/ smaller RAALs, and they all trounced every similar competitive commercial speaker I've used. Yesterday, after upgrading the amp in my office system, I spent the day marveling at the sound from the Selah Revelator/RAAL 2 ways I've been using there for a couple of years. Rick has been quietly turning out wonderful work for a long time; I wish more owners would speak up about his work.

[mresseguie]

Jonbee,

"I've owned 3 Selah stand mount speakers, 2 w/ smaller RAALs, and they all trounced every similar competitive commercial speaker I've used. Yesterday, after upgrading the amp in my office system, I spent the day marveling at the sound from the Selah Revelator/RAAL 2 ways I've been using there for a couple of years. Rick has been quietly turning out wonderful work for a long time; I wish more owners would speak up about his work."

Good morning. There is a picture of a two-way 'custom Selah' in your gallery. By any chance is this the speaker in your office system? I've looked at this picture before and wondered if the cabinet walls were made of granite...are they?

I've heard the Revelator mid in a two-way before (I loved it!). Can you describe the differences between the Revelator and the Illuminator? I've never had the opportunity to compare the two.

[I do not mean to hijack this thread. I can delete this post later.]

P.S. I wish more folks would talk about his work, too. 

[jonbee]

Good morning. There is a picture of a two-way 'custom Selah' in your gallery. By any chance is this the speaker in your office system? I've looked at this picture before and wondered if the cabinet walls were made of granite...are they?
I've heard the Revelator mid in a two-way before (I loved it!). Can you describe the differences between the Revelator and the Illuminator? I've never had the opportunity to compare the two.

Yes, that's the speaker.

The cabinet is about 1/2 cu. ft., 3/4 in. mdf with a transverse brace. It has maple veneer and edge inserts that have been stained with silver stain or paint with a urethane top coat. It's a very unusual look; my wife doesn't like it but I think it is ok. I would prefer a natural look for the maple.
This pair has heavily damped cabinets- the former owner applied 1/4" of modelling clay to all internal walls- they are DEAD! This added a lot of weight; each weighs close to 40 lbs. I think Sonic Barrier or No-rez would have been a better way to go.
I had the 7 " aluminum cone Illuminator in my Tempestas, and the 6" uncoated Revelator in this current pair. I've had Revelators in ~3 other speakers as well, and I've always noted the "musical", easy quality of the mids where that driver is used.
If I would hazard an opinion, it is the Revelator has a smooth, slightly warm sound, well behave on its' top end, with notable ease of the sound, whereas the Illuminator is dead neutral- more "monitor-like", and faster sounding, a bit more transparent. The Revelator adds a little body to the mids; in this 2 way it counterbalances the high degree of literal accuracy that the RAAL has and thus sidesteps any sterility. I've not heard the Verita (or the Mejor), which use the Illuminator with the RAAL in a two way, but I suspect it may actually blend a little better than the Revelator, but that would be conjecture.
Rick is the master on using them, so his opinion is worth more than mine. 

[mresseguie]

Jon,

Thank you! Modeling clay!?! I hadn't thought of this possibility. I'd be concerned it might disengage from the MDF, but I guess it's not a problem??? I will pose this question to Rick. Actually, I will make it a three way question (Revelator, Illuminator,Satori). [Edit: made it a 4-part question.]

Michael

[jonbee]

Jon,

Thank you! Modeling clay!?! I hadn't thought of this possibility. I'd be concerned it might disengage from the MDF, but I guess it's not a problem??? I will pose this question to Rick. Actually, I will make it a three way question (Revelator, Illuminator,Satori).

Michael

Me, neither. A former owner did it. It adheres to the mdf quite well (didn't come loose during shipping), but I do think no-rez or the less $ Sonic Barrier is a better way to go.

[aevans]

Not to be critical...but why review really bad speakers?
if you are trying to save someone the agony of a bad purchase, great but don't
spend too much time & energy. imho

Internet direct purchases are a big problem. No one wants to think that they have made a bad decision, and many people with limited experience can't tell up from down when it comes to sound. Look at the amazon reviews for cheap speakers, or even professional reviews from people like Steve Guttenberg. I have to prove my opinion of the sound quality of the bad speakers to fight against a sea of misinformation, by publishing measurements of the problems and making the DSP corrections for the speakers to let people catch a glimpse of what they are missing before they believe.

As for comparing the Galena to the Mejor to listen for driver differences, I have no idea what the Mejor drivers sound like, they have been beaten into submission by the DEQX and all that is really left is dispersion pattern and whatever distortion they inherently have (not much). It would be more of a comparison between the DEQX and the Galena's. I will say that the midrange is warmer from the revelator, but that could be from any number of factors.

[pawsman]

"Rick has been quietly turning out wonderful work for a long time; I wish more owners would speak up about his work"

I absolutely agree 100%, Jonbee. I've had a pair of ported Veritas for almost 4 years and couldn't be happier with my purchase.
The Scanspeak Iluminator 7" aluminum cone mated with the RAAL 70/20 XR is a match made in heaven; The high frequency extension
and air, midrange detail, and overall dynamics and SPL capability make this a World Class Monitor.
I've said it before; the ported Veritas compare with the best 2-way monitors I've heard (i.e. Joseph Audio Pulsars and Sonus
Faber Extremas) for a fraction of the price. 

pawsman

OPPO 103/Schiit Bifrost w/Uber/NAD 326BEE Preamp/Emotiva XPA-1L Monoblocs/2 Emotiva DSP 10 Subs/Selah Audio Ported Veritas

[Rick Craig]

Been a few years in the making, but finally put together a semi-formal review of what is the best stereo I've heard.

http://noaudiophile.com/Selah_Mejor/

Note to Rick - if you see anything I got wrong let me know.

Thanks for the review. I'll add that we can do a Hypex or MiniDSP variation as well.

[Rick Craig]

Jonbee,

"I've owned 3 Selah stand mount speakers, 2 w/ smaller RAALs, and they all trounced every similar competitive commercial speaker I've used. Yesterday, after upgrading the amp in my office system, I spent the day marveling at the sound from the Selah Revelator/RAAL 2 ways I've been using there for a couple of years. Rick has been quietly turning out wonderful work for a long time; I wish more owners would speak up about his work."

Good morning. There is a picture of a two-way 'custom Selah' in your gallery. By any chance is this the speaker in your office system? I've looked at this picture before and wondered if the cabinet walls were made of granite...are they?

I've heard the Revelator mid in a two-way before (I loved it!). Can you describe the differences between the Revelator and the Illuminator? I've never had the opportunity to compare the two.

[I do not mean to hijack this thread. I can delete this post later.]

P.S. I wish more folks would talk about his work, too. 

It's basically a "graphite" type finish where a dye is sprayed over the veneer before the final clear coats are applied. It's more of a modern look that's suitable to a contemporary home. The cabinet had to be shallow to fit on the owner's desktop and isn't the dimensions that I would prefer because it tends to add coloration (thus the addition of the modeling clay).