Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery

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zieglj01

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Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« on: 30 Mar 2015, 03:42 pm »
As my adventure for quality budget friendly speakers continue - these caught my
eyes on Amazon. They look generic and there was that used auto salesman pitch.
However, they caught my attention and after eating the fish and spitting out the
bones, I ordered them - they were on sale for $69 shipped and sold and shipped
by AV-Express - you can also buy them from AV-Express direct.

The speakers do present a good sense of music that sounds more realistic and less
artificial, compared to the more average cheapy speakers. It looks like that they did
put some thought and engineering into them - and they say, that they do go through
quality control checks. I believe they have been out since the fall of 2014. And based
on their Youtube video, they had some speakers in mind to compete against - and did
present some measurements on the video (do not know all the details of how they
did or were measured).

When you pull out the speakers you notice the budget feel and look - however, they
look better than Dayton and Monoprice speakers and look better than the Pioneer ones.
They are lighter than Pioneer as they weigh around 6.1 lbs - however they have a 6.5"
woofer and 1" tweeter. The grill is removable, however it is hard to pull off - need to
be careful so it will not back fire against the drivers. My main gripe is that they do have
push pin connectors - since they sound nice, I can live with it as they do/will easily out
perform the Bose 201 speakers. They claim a 12 db octave crossover, so I decided that
I would check that - the woofers and tweeters are tight (which is good). After I removed
the screws - I had to knock gently on the back panel to break them loose. The crossover
is 12 db octave on the tweeter, and the woofer runs full-range. The cabinet is 1/2 inch
and may be less on the back panel, as it sounded a little more hollow. I did not want to
push out the terminal cup to check it. The cabinet uses corner block bracing on the baffle
and back panel (good for the regular $79 shipped price) - and they did damp the inside
with thin egg-crate foam. They sounded decent/nice with the foam - however after the
first test run I did pull it out and replaced it with Parts Express 1/2 inch Sonic Barrier to
damp the inside - while not a head and shoulders difference, it did make a meaningful
and noticeable difference.

Now the sound - while not perfect, they are musical and do not really irritate and annoy
me - that is a sign that they put some work in the design.

They to me, do decent with the octave to octave balance for the price. The bass for this
price is tight, articulate and musical - the slot port seems to work well, and Dr. Mushy and
Dr Boom were not invited to the design team. The midrange is open and detailed and clear,
the tweeter is nice and smooth without the added spice for detail, and has no excess ssszzz.
It seems to be rolled off some - and begins to drop after 15 khz - however for me and most
people it is not a big deal. I would rather have it than a hard cheap plastic $1.50 half inch dome
tweeter.

Overall for the price they are nice/decent - more expensive speakers will be more defined and
refined and full. The Sound Appeal due to the price will lack some tonal depth with voices and
music. They are somewhat lively and vivid in the midrange due to a lack of depth, However they
do image nicely and have a good central presence. Compared to more expensive good speakers,
the overall soundstage will be somewhat limited (due to price). At extreme volume levels, they
can get somewhat forward - however, they do not dance on my head or slap my ears and push 
me away. They can sound slightly boxy due to the light cabinet - However they performed better
with the Sonic Barrier - worth the $15 with shipping and still keeps the price under $100.

They also held up well for Movies and TV and can take some power. They would benefit well for one
who is looking for some budget friendly surround speakers.

http://www.av-express.com/Bookshelf-Speaker-IMG-6.jpg

srb

Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #1 on: 30 Mar 2015, 04:54 pm »
Sound Appeal SA-VF6.5S Bookshelf Speakers

Could you verify whether the rear speaker connectors are binding posts or spring clips?

I couldn't find a photo or description, but the owner's manual says "Strip off 1/2” of insulation from the ends of the cable, twist the bare strands and insert into the binding post" while the generic line drawing appears to show a spring clip.

 

Steve

zieglj01

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Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #2 on: 30 Mar 2015, 05:58 pm »
Sound Appeal SA-VF6.5S Bookshelf Speakers

Could you verify whether the rear speaker connectors are binding posts or spring clips?

I couldn't find a photo or description, but the owner's manual says "Strip off 1/2” of insulation from the ends of the cable, twist the bare strands and insert into the binding post" while the generic line drawing appears to show a spring clip.

They are push-pin spring clip connectors - they will take heavy gauge wire or pin connectors.

zieglj01

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Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #3 on: 1 Apr 2015, 12:41 am »
Well, for the 1 out of 6,000 who are interested.:)

I tweaked the cabinet a little more - I added some poly-batten with the Sonic Barrier.
This helped to clean up the mids and voices a little more. Put the grill back on, and
gave them another round. For $79 shipped these are really nice, and will hold their on
against some more expensive speakers out there.

One thing for sure, the bass is nice and tight for a budget speaker.
_______________________________________ ___
« Last Edit: 1 Apr 2015, 02:51 am by zieglj01 »

Markvdv

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Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #4 on: 5 Apr 2015, 08:11 pm »
Did your tweeter have 8 screws ?


mresseguie

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Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #5 on: 5 Apr 2015, 08:44 pm »
Hi, Zieglj.

(2 of 6000)  :wink: 

I'm always interested in speakers. Unfortunately, I already have a surplus of old inexpensive speakers (of which my wife is all too aware). One of these days I'll try my own shot at improving a pair to see what results can be achieved.

Michael

zieglj01

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Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #6 on: 6 Apr 2015, 03:49 am »
Did your tweeter have 8 screws ?


Yes they did - every thing was in place. :)

The ones in the picture, must have been for their display demonstration. :green:

zieglj01

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Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #7 on: 6 Apr 2015, 03:53 am »
Hi, Zieglj.

(2 of 6000)  :wink: 

I'm always interested in speakers. Unfortunately, I already have a surplus of old inexpensive speakers (of which my wife is all too aware). One of these days I'll try my own shot at improving a pair to see what results can be achieved.
That would be cool. I pulled them out again today - I still like them, as they still surprise me for the price.

For a speaker to survive for me, they need to handle voices like Sade, Patricia Barber, Jackie Evancho,
Diana Krall, Sting, Joan Osbourne, and Willie Nelson (Willie for testing only, not a big fan) - If the voices
and instruments come across rough, then the speaker is fired. On instruments I will test with trumpet,
saxophone, piano, drums, guitar, violin and some organ notes - violin will be the stress test for my ears.

zieglj01

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Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #8 on: 8 Apr 2015, 08:09 am »
OK, things are starting to get a little wild with the Sound Appeal over tech and marketing.
And I should have paid more attention and gone into more detail about the box size, when
I wrote this up.

So I took a measuring tape, well make that 2 tapes and measured the front baffle. I measured
from the top where the vinyl wrap is to the bottom side of the front baffle, as the drivers are
counter-sunk. The front baffle is 1/2 inch - however, the sides and back panel are 3/8 inches.
So, marketing is stretching (over-rating) that some in their pitch.

Now this gets interesting - there is a debate about the tweeter size. Well I measured that also, and
it has cost me one tweeter. I took it apart and the dome measures 1 inch - however, the voice
coil measures 3/4 inch. So call it what you want - as it is a one inch dome with a 3/4 inch voice coil.

However, all in all these speakers do sound nice to my ears - and not all will agree, as some expect
high-end sound for the lower budget friendly price.

Sorry if I caused any mix-up - I will be more focused about specs next time. Now I need a new tweeter.

zieglj01

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Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #9 on: 8 Apr 2015, 09:33 pm »
Now this gets interesting - there is a debate about the tweeter size. Well I measured that also, and
it has cost me one tweeter. I took it apart and the dome measures 1 inch - however, the voice
coil measures 3/4 inch. So call it what you want - as it is a one inch dome with a 3/4 inch voice coil.
Well this is cool - I contacted AV-Express, and they said if I pay shipping
that they would send a whole new speaker to replace the tweeter. I will
communicate with them more tomorrow.

mresseguie

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Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #10 on: 8 Apr 2015, 10:28 pm »
Saved!

That's pretty cool considering it's a budget speaker.


zieglj01

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Re: Sound Appeal Bookshelf speaker - A nice mystery
« Reply #11 on: 17 Apr 2015, 09:00 pm »
They kept their word and sent 1 brand new speaker to replace the tweeter.
Was somewhat of a challenge to un-hook and place in my modded cabinet
box. Tested it out and works fine.

In checking the 12 db high pass crossover on the tweeter - the cap is 100
volts, and not 50 volts like you get with some cheap or cheaper ones. How
ever, I can not tell the specs on the coil.

Just like before the box is 1/2 inch front baffle, and 3/8 inch for the rest of
the box with light-weight wood.

They do not need to play up the build, when the speakers sound as nice as
these do for the price.

Customer service and Email communication has been good with AV-Express.