AudioCircle
The Commercial Zone => Industry Introductions => Topic started by: Creative Sound Solutions on 6 Oct 2017, 03:56 pm
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Hello all,
My name is Kerry Armes. I'm one of the new owners of Creative Sound Solutions (www.css-audio.com). My business partner, Dan Poinsett, and I recently took over ownership of CSS when Bob Reimer announced he was getting out of the business. We bought the rights to the CSS name and drivers along with all his inventory. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of inventory left, so we out of stock of the SDX10, SDX12, and their matching passive radiators. We have a new order of all of those placed and expect completion sometime mid to late November, so we are estimating an in stock date of mid December right now.
In the meantime, we are actively working on some new kits. We just released a new kit, the Model P215 using the 5" Satori woofer and our LD22 tweeter a few weeks ago and will be release a new (and in our opinion, greatly improved) version of the Criton kit using the LDW7 woofer and LD22 tweeter. We are also working on getting flat packs in stock for these kits and are sourcing a cabinet maker to provide some very nicely finished cabinets.
Our end goal at CSS is to provide offerings to all levels of audio enthusiasts, whether you want to build from scratch, build from a kit, or just get a high end speaker for a reasonable price.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=171426)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=171427)
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Welcome Kerry :thumb:
I glad you came, I love full ranbge drivers :D
This is great new CSS will carryon serve the audiophiles.
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I glad you came, I love full ranbge drivers :D
Although I previously owned several speakers with both full-range (CSS FR125) and wide-range (CSS WR125) CSS drivers, there is yet no mention of full-range drivers either in Kerry's post or listed on the new CSS website. ?
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Although I previously owned several speakers with both full-range (CSS FR125) and wide-range (CSS WR125) CSS drivers, there is yet no mention of full-range drivers either in Kerry's post or listed on the new CSS website. ?
We are working on getting the subwoofers back first. Once we have stock of that and our new kits up, we are going to try to bring back some of the other great drivers CSS used to sell along with a couple of new ideas we are working on.
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We just released the new Criton kit this week. I think it’s a significant upgrade over the old version. We’ll be offering upgraded crossovers on there own for anyone who had the old version.
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...with a couple of new ideas we are working on.
There is a lack of Hemp cone Alnico magnet FR drivers on the market currently imo. Would be great if CSS bring it avaliable again as raw drivers, it even would be a dual set, a woofer and FR driver to 1.5way as this>
https://omegaloudspeakers.com/collections/tower-speakers/products/super-alnico-high-output?variant=32197537356
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Welcome!
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We've just released our own high quality speaker cables at affordable prices: www.css-audio.com/cables
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We are starting a new demo tour of the Criton 1TD v2.0 kit. If you'd like to sign up for a free in-home demo, see our website for more information:
https://www.css-audio.com/single-post/2017/11/06/New-Criton-1TD-Customer-Demo-Program
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Our first fully finished commercial offering is almost ready for release. More styles and a matching design for the Criton 1TD coming soon. Contact us to reserve your spot on the waiting list.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=172324)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=172325)
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Congrats on picking up the CSS torch and keeping a CDN option alive!
I have built a number of speakers with items from CSS over the years.
Great to see it active! :thumb:
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Congrats on picking up the CSS torch and keeping a CDN option alive!
I have built a number of speakers with items from CSS over the years.
Great to see it active! :thumb:
Well, we aren't actually in Canada anymore. When we bought the company, we moved it to Michigan.
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When we bought the company, we moved it to Michigan.
...aka Southern Ontario. :P
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Yippee! This is awesome. I always thought that the CSS woofers were a great addition to enhancing <50Hz! Thanks for bringing them back and I look forward to your future drivers...
Best,
Anand.
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Kerry is a good guy and I wish him well with the new business. Any update on how Bob Reimer is doing?
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Kerry is a good guy and I wish him well with the new business. Any update on how Bob Reimer is doing?
Thanks Rick!
Last we spoke to Bob he said that unfortunately the treatment wasn't going as well as they had hoped. He was supposed to start some new regimens but I haven't heard from him since. That was a couple months ago.
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Sorry to hear Bob isn't doing so well. I bought five JX92s off him way back when, and still listen to three of them almost daily (HT fronts).
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Well, we aren't actually in Canada anymore. When we bought the company, we moved it to Michigan.
Where in Michigan (I'm from Michigan too)?
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Where in Michigan (I'm from Michigan too)?
We’re in the Ann Arbor area. If you’d like to come by for a listen sometime, PM me.
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More new developments on the way. Our all new crossover boards make assembling a crossover a breeze and basically eliminate any chance of error. Now shipping with both the Criton 1TD and P215 kits.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=173747)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=173748)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=173749)
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Flat packs for our P215 have just been released. These are incredibly easy to assemble with all rabbitted edges and panels that only fit together one way. Flat packs for the SDX10, SDX12 and Criton 1TD will be here by the end of the month!
https://www.css-audio.com/product-page/css-model-p215
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=174315)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=174316)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=174317)
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Thank you for the update. I have a couple questions for you.
What is the sensitivity of this speaker (I'm assuming it's 87-ish).
How heavy is the flat pack?
Regards,
Michael
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Thank you for the update. I have a couple questions for you.
What is the sensitivity of this speaker (I'm assuming it's 87-ish).
How heavy is the flat pack?
Regards,
Michael
Yes, approximately.
The flat pack is about 5 kg each or around 10 kg per pair.
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Great pics/flat packs. Any suggestions (links) for finishing the cabinets (from veneering, to automotive paint, to roughened texture)?
I'm not one who wants to spend more on finish than the working parts, but if there's good advice out there I'm sure we'd all like to have it.
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Are you doing the flat packs in house?
Do you have a show room where your products can be heard?
Thanks,
Bob
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Great pics/flat packs. Any suggestions (links) for finishing the cabinets (from veneering, to automotive paint, to roughened texture)?
I'm not one who wants to spend more on finish than the working parts, but if there's good advice out there I'm sure we'd all like to have it.
These cabinets would be very easy to veneer. In my earlier days when I was still in an apartment, I used to do it on my kitchen table and cut with a razor blade since I couldn't run a router in the house or really even find storage for one. But a lot of it might come down to how comfortable you feel with different finish options. I would say that in order of what is easiest, it would be:
Duratex: https://www.parts-express.com/brand/acry-tech-coatings/608
- This can be rolled on very easily and they even make a white version that you can tint with other colors. The finish is tough and you can go from very rough with a high nap roller, to a fine texture with a foam pad. However, this is my least favorite visually.
Veneer: www.veneersupplies.com
- I would say veneer is the easiest to get a good looking finish with. Paper backed veneer is the easiest to work with but your options for figured veneer are more limited if that’s what you are looking for. I like using Heat Lock glue from the linked website for paper-backed. You can find some decent options on eBay for the veneer itself if you want something a little more unique. However, the quality can be a bit spotty. Again, you can use an Exacto knife to trim by going slow and steady, but it’s definitely better to use a spriral up-cut flush trim bit and router. The up-cut helps prevent tearout. The driver cutouts can problematic because there is not enough depth for the bearing so a lot of people use a laminate trim flush trim bit (https://www.infinitytools.com/routing/router-bits/carbide/flush-trim-router-bits/solid-carbide-flush-trim-router-bits-for-laminates) in those spots. Don’t use it on the regular panels though. The lack of a bearing will cause it to scorch your veneer where it rides on the side. You can finish with standard brush-on or wipe-on poly for an easy finish or you can get fancier. There are a number of woodworking sites out there with finishing tips.
Paint:
- Paint is by far the hardest finishing option, especially if you want to go for high gloss. Every little imperfection will show in the finish. The other issue you have is that the cabinet material expands and contracts with temperature and humidity changes. What tends to happen is you get ghosting of the seams at the joints. The only ways I’ve seen to prevent this are to either cover the cabinet with a thin laminate (or something like melamine) first to put all the seams at the corners, route out the joint and fill with body filler, or use mitered cabinet edges. After that, you still have to make sure your cabinet is perfectly prepped or you will end up with flaws in the finish.
- The other issue with paint is spraying the finish. You can do it with a rattle can, but the paint in these is much thinner and it usually takes more coats and doesn’t go on as well as a gun. There are some online tutorials if you Google it demonstrating how to do this. I’ve done it a few times and it is really difficult to not sand through somewhere, even with a lot of coats of clear. Dupli-Color has the best spray tips to spray evenly, but it goes on very thin. Rustoleum’s spray tips kind of suck but it’s easier to get a thicker coat. Rustoleum is a different kind of paint though, and can take longer to cure. Whatever you do, don’t mix the two or you will end up with something that looks like crocodile skin. If you’ve got a spray gun, it can be much easier. You can usually pick up automotive paint at your local auto parts store for use in a gun.
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Are you doing the flat packs in house?
Do you have a show room where your products can be heard?
Thanks,
Bob
Hi Bob,
we are using a local CNC shop to produce them for us. We don't have a show room, but I can make arrangements to demo them for you. PM me and we can discuss. We are located in the Ann Arbor, MI area.
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Welcome, a vibrant company.
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If you don't feel up to finishing your own cabinet, our first finished speaker arrived this week. Beautifully hand-crafted in the U.S.A. Contact us to get yours built or come by for a listen at AXPONA, where we will be exhibiting April 13-15 in room 578.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=175177)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=175178)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=175179)
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Wow, those are REALLY beautifully finished. What is the price for a set like that?
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Wow, those are REALLY beautifully finished. What is the price for a set like that?
We don't have a final build price yet from our cabinet maker but it looks like it's going to be somewhere around $1500-$1700 for a completely finished and assembled pair.
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On February 3rd three of my friends and I from one of my audio clubs visited Kerry Armes (new co-owner of CSS) at his nice home to audition some CSS offerings. His living room is roughly 16ft x 24ft with 9ft ceilings with connecting kitchen/dining room and a double door opening to a front office (in total about 7,000 cubic feet). The space is untreated. Speakers were centered on the long wall and placed on the corners of his A/V credenza. Associated gear included MacBook Pro equipped with iTunes, wirelessly fed to a Marantz SR5003 receiver.
We first listened to his P215 speakers (the white ones pictured above in replies #9 and 28 with raised wood veneer side panels and aluminum trim). They use in-house LD22 soft dome tweeter and Satori MW 13P-8 (5 inch) woofers in a 0.3 cubic foot ported cabinet. This pair had the standard crossover. Performance specifications are: 87 dB/w/m, 8 ohms (reportedly benign), F3 = 52 Hz, crossover roughly at 2,100 Hz (different order crossovers used for each driver to improve integration).
Overall impression was a detailed presentation with very good depth of soundstage, but output was limited in that large space. Note that these speakers were estimated to 30 hours of use on them. Based on modest cabinet size and woofer size I’d recommend them for small rooms or desktop use. Obviously a subwoofer would help. Pricing shown on the website is per pair for drivers and crossover. CNC flat packs add $100. Plan on $40 more for stuffing and binding posts.
Next we listened to the Criton 1TD, another 2-way monitor that uses the same tweeter but with an in house 7 inch LDW7 woofer in a 0.5 cubic foot ported cabinet. This pair had an upgraded crossover. Specifications: 87 dB/w/m, 8 ohms (again benign), F3=39Hz, crossing over around 1,600 Hz (again different order crossovers for each driver). This pair were deemed to be fully broken in. These speakers were much more comfortable at filling the large space (felt more at ease), were much more musical, more mid-bass body, of course more/deeper bass, and again wonderful soundstage depth.
Kerry then pulled out examples of CNC flat packs and crossover back plate. Pre-rabbited, holes cut for binding posts/drivers, perfect workmanship in HDF panels (see reply #20 above). The back plate (pictured in reply #19 above) was a wonderful example of “why didn’t we think of this before”, made of heavy inert plastic, pre-formed/drilled (including zip tie holes), all wiring holes and component positions labeled.
He also brought out a massive 46 pound in-house SDX12 (XBL^2) 12-inch subwoofer driver before we listened to a sci-fi movie with a sub using this driver with (2) in-house APR12 passive radiators. The sub delivered lots of clean, deep bass. Note that Dan Wiggins owns the royalty to the XBL^2 technology which basically is a mechanical servo (deemed superior to electrical servo found in many subwoofer amps). I happen to own the 10-inch version with matching plate amp in a 14-inch cubic sealed cabinet and love it in my audio system.
In summary CSS caters to high-end audio/HT customers with their current offerings, and especially the timid DIYer who seek quality components and high value content. Thanks so much to Kerry for inviting us into his home and hope to see CSS around for years to come.
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On February 3rd three of my friends and I from one of my audio clubs visited Kerry Armes (new co-owner of CSS) at his nice home to audition some CSS offerings. His living room is roughly 16ft x 24ft with 9ft ceilings with connecting kitchen/dining room and a double door opening to a front office (in total about 7,000 cubic feet). The space is untreated. Speakers were centered on the long wall and placed on the corners of his A/V credenza. Associated gear included MacBook Pro equipped with iTunes, wirelessly fed to a Marantz SR5003 receiver.
We first listened to his P215 speakers (the white ones pictured above in replies #9 and 28 with raised wood veneer side panels and aluminum trim). They use in-house LD22 soft dome tweeter and Satori MW 13P-8 (5 inch) woofers in a 0.3 cubic foot ported cabinet. This pair had the standard crossover. Performance specifications are: 87 dB/w/m, 8 ohms (reportedly benign), F3 = 52 Hz, crossover roughly at 2,100 Hz (different order crossovers used for each driver to improve integration).
Overall impression was a detailed presentation with very good depth of soundstage, but output was limited in that large space. Note that these speakers were estimated to 30 hours of use on them. Based on modest cabinet size and woofer size I’d recommend them for small rooms or desktop use. Obviously a subwoofer would help. Pricing shown on the website is per pair for drivers and crossover. CNC flat packs add $100. Plan on $40 more for stuffing and binding posts.
Next we listened to the Criton 1TD, another 2-way monitor that uses the same tweeter but with an in house 7 inch LDW7 woofer in a 0.5 cubic foot ported cabinet. This pair had an upgraded crossover. Specifications: 87 dB/w/m, 8 ohms (again benign), F3=39Hz, crossing over around 1,600 Hz (again different order crossovers for each driver). This pair were deemed to be fully broken in. These speakers were much more comfortable at filling the large space (felt more at ease), were much more musical, more mid-bass body, of course more/deeper bass, and again wonderful soundstage depth.
Kerry then pulled out examples of CNC flat packs and crossover back plate. Pre-rabbited, holes cut for binding posts/drivers, perfect workmanship in HDF panels (see reply #20 above). The back plate (pictured in reply #19 above) was a wonderful example of “why didn’t we think of this before”, made of heavy inert plastic, pre-formed/drilled (including zip tie holes), all wiring holes and component positions labeled.
He also brought out a massive 46 pound in-house SDX12 (XBL^2) 12-inch subwoofer driver before we listened to a sci-fi movie with a sub using this driver with (2) in-house APR12 passive radiators. The sub delivered lots of clean, deep bass. Note that Dan Wiggins owns the royalty to the XBL^2 technology which basically is a mechanical servo (deemed superior to electrical servo found in many subwoofer amps). I happen to own the 10-inch version with matching plate amp in a 14-inch cubic sealed cabinet and love it in my audio system.
In summary CSS caters to high-end audio/HT customers with their current offerings, and especially the timid DIYer who seek quality components and high value content. Thanks so much to Kerry for inviting us into his home and hope to see CSS around for years to come.
Glad you guys could make it out. It’s always a fun day for me when I get to sit around and talk speakers and listen to music with people who are as excited about audio as I am.
I just wanted to clarify a couple things. First, the XBL^2 motor isn’t really a mechanical servo. We’ve got a description of the technology on our website here https://www.css-audio.com/technology, but in short, it is a motor structure that flattens and extends the Bl curve to allow the driver to produce lower distortion at higher excursion.
Second, just so everyone knows what is in the upgraded crossover, it uses the same values as the standard, but has 14 gauge Erse Perfect Lay on the woofer and tweeter coils and Jantzen Superior caps on the tweeter circuit. The upgrade would cost about $180 for the parts and if anyone wanted it, they would need to contact us directly.
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I bought a number of things from the prior iteration of CSS when it was (like me) in Canada.
I am still using the LDW7 woofers in a DIY speaker. I had purchased a 1TR kit (in house developed ribbon tweet based off Aurum Cantus I believe) and enjoyed it, but ultimately went DIY for a 2nd set of speakers.
In my experience, all the products from CSS were always excellent!
Glad to see the new US owners up and running around here. Best of luck with the venture.
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I bought a number of things from the prior iteration of CSS when it was (like me) in Canada.
I am still using the LDW7 woofers in a DIY speaker. I had purchased a 1TR kit (in house developed ribbon tweet based off Aurum Cantus I believe) and enjoyed it, but ultimately went DIY for a 2nd set of speakers.
In my experience, all the products from CSS were always excellent!
Glad to see the new US owners up and running around here. Best of luck with the venture.
Thanks!
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Flat packs are now available for the Criton 1TD (0.5 cu ft ported), SDX12 (1 cu ft sealed), and SDX10 (1 cu ft sealed) on our website. Check out www.css-audio.com for more info.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=175983)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=175984)
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MDF?
dave
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Yes
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Any plans to provide them in quality plywood -- particularily for subwoofers it is so much better.
dave
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Are SDX10 shipping? I have a client in Ontario i am encouraging to buy 4.
dave
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Any plans to provide them in quality plywood -- particularily for subwoofers it is so much better.
dave
We're looking into possibly providing Baltic birch options.
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Are SDX10 shipping? I have a client in Ontario i am encouraging to buy 4.
dave
They'll be in Detroit today so we should have a final delivery date either later today or tomorrow. I believe we'll be able to start shipping next week.
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Two big updates today. First, all the subwoofers and passive radiators will be here on Thursday (Feb 22) and we'll try and get all the pre-orders out the same day. This also means pre-order pricing will end on Feb 22.
Second, we have our first published review by Noaudiophile. Check it out here: http://noaudiophile.com/CSS_Audio_1TD_v2/
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Working on getting a few things ready for AXPONA. First up is a pair of our SDX12 subs in our 1 cubic foot sealed flat pack cabinet. I'm not what I would consider a skilled woodworker, especially when it comes to the finish, but I'm doing these myself in rosewood veneer using the iron on method to show how easy it is to put together one of our cabinets and get a very high quality look for not a lot of cost and minimal effort. Finish is 3 coats of wiped on Watco Teak Oil Finish with 400 grit between coats followed by General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Satin wiped on after the teak oil has dried. I'll add more pictures once I get all the finish coats on.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=177795)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=177796) (http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=177797)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=177800)
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SuhWEEEEEEEEET! :thumb:
Best,
Anand.
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Very nice woodwork :thumb:
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Welcome best of luck. Your products look very interesting. Nice.
charles
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Upgraded crossovers for our P215. Too big to fit in the cabinets but who would want to hide them when they look this good!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=178131)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=178132)
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Very nice CSS! :thumb:
Smart to cover up the values while making it look aesthetic as well.
Best,
Anand.
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Very nice CSS! :thumb:
Smart to cover up the values while making it look aesthetic as well.
Best,
Anand.
We freely share all the crossover information on our website. You can build them yourself if you have the parts, but the tweeter in the P215 and both the tweeter and woofer in the Criton line are in house parts so you can only get them through us.
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First class work, this xover looks a piece or art
never have seen this beautiful :thumb:
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Upgraded crossovers for our P215. Too big to fit in the cabinets but who would want to hide them when they look this good!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=178131)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=178132)
Geez. Shouldn't you add an option to bolt those XOs down. They look as though they might fly away. In other words....Damn, but those are beautiful looking XOs!
Michael
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We were just rated top 5 under $20K at AXPONA by The Absolute Sound
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2018-axpona-show-report-loudspeakers-under-20k/
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Our customer demo list is filling up quick and we are basically booked out to August now. If you’d like to get on the list, email us at info@css-audio.com
4/28 – 5/13 - Murray S. – 92020
5/17 – 6/1 – Keith V. – 98033
6/4 – 6/19 – Brad V. - 60031
6/21 – 7/6 – Brian T. – 60506
7/9 – 7/24 – Tawaun W. - 30905
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It's been a while since we have posted but we have a few updates. We did a little bit of redesign on our site to reorganize things. Our Criton 2TD kit is now available, as well as passive radiator flat pack kits for both our SDX10 and SDX12. They can all be found here: https://www.css-audio.com/online-store/Kits-c29751664
In addition, we are running a Labor Day weekend sale for free shipping in the lower 48 states on all orders from Friday until Monday. Use code LABOR18 to receive the discount.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=183869)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=183870)
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Very nice! :thumb:
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We just had our P215 speaker reviewed at Audio Bacon and were named best in class. You can read the full review here:
https://audiobacon.net/2018/11/08/css-model-p215-bookshelf-speaker-kit-high-end-sound-for-under-1000/
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A good friend of mine (Hans) finally caught the audio bug after watching me buy equipment (and listening to my system) for the last 4 years. He wanted to save money and wanted as easy a kit as possible. I showed him a good 6 or 7 different kits from different websites, and he chose the CSS Criton 1TD kit because of the recent great reviews and the easy to assemble flat pack. [It turns out he's all thumbs and wanted my help (7 or so thumbs) to put them together for him. He agreed to ply me with fresh roasted coffee beans (YES!), his wife's delicious cooking, and multiple servings of apple cake. How could I say no?]
Well, it was my first time assembling kit speakers for someone other than myself, so I took it slow and easy lest I screw it up. However, the flat packs were very easy to glue together, the upgraded - already assembled - XOs were a snap, and everything fit as designed. Let's just say this is one easy pair of speakers to put together. I burned the speakers in for a solid 250 hours before I was satisfied that the caps were in that happy place. There were several times during burn in where they sounded pretty goofy and I didn't want to turn the speakers over to my friend only for him to think there was something wrong with what I had done.
Anyway, once they had burned in, they sounded excellent. I used four different amps on them to test how they sounded (D Sachs Kootenay 120, IceEdge 1200as2 amp, Folsom's little chip amp, and Nuprime IDA-8). They sounded great with all four. Yes. There were differences, but I could happily listen each time. My friend had bought a Nuprime IDA-8 because he really liked the one I own, so it was important that his new speakers sound good on that amp - and they do.
His speakers are not yet finished as they haven't been veneered or painted. Hans and I will tackle this some time next year.
It's not all wonderful as I do have a criticism or two. The included instructions were pretty limited. If I hadn't already assembled two speaker kits, I would have been in trouble on a couple points. [If Hans had tried to build the kit, he would have been lost.] The braces are triangular rather than the more common rectangular shapes (not sure I like the triangles). The included foam sheets must be cut up and glued to the MDF. I would have preferred to use NoRes or similar product.
The price with upgraded XOs and flat packs was just under $1000. There is no way you can walk into a store with a thousand dollars and buy a pair of two-way monitors that sound this good. My friend and his wife are delighted with how great these speakers sound.
All in all, you've created a great pair of speakers, Kerry. I'm impressed, and my friends are very happy with their new system. :thumb:
Michael
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Hi mresseguie,
I know you mentioned the instructions to us in an email and we are working on putting together more detailed instructions. It's often easy for us (my partner and I) to overlook how unclear something might seem since we have built so many speakers over our life.
Would you mind giving us a little more feedback on what specific parts you found confusing or lacking so as we write the more detailed version we can be sure to include that?
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Kerry,
Imagine yourself as a first-time speaker assembler. You've got a whole bunch of egg-crate foam pads that came with your kit - mostly they appear to be padding for kit components against shipping damage. Do you throw them away? [I'm not being facetious. Someone with zero experience won't know that the foam is supposed to be glued to the internal walls of the cabinets.] Hans has zero experience with kit speakers. He doesn't spend hours every week pouring over audiophile forums nor does he seek out 'how to' videos on YouTube. He had no idea why there were so many foam pads included in the kit - and there was no explanation. A few sentences explaining the importance of the foam sheets, and correct dimensions of the cut sheets would have saved me time and effort.
I personally don't care for the triangular braces. I wasted time tapping them into correct place because I was worried they'd throw off the fit if one extended even a millimeter out of its correct placement. Do all four (per cabinet) braces face the same way? I knew the bottom braces faced the back (as in the photo) and guessed that the top braces faced the front. However, there was no explanation; no direction. Two sentences could have explained their correct orientation.
Many kit speakers come with polyfil. This one did not, so I assumed that it's not needed(?).
The different sized screws are intended for different drivers and the crossovers. What do you think of the idea of placing the smaller screws in one ziplock bag labeled "tweeter" and the longer screws in a second ziplock labeled "woofer"? [I've already forgotten which screws were used to secure the XO.]
There were no instructions telling the novice how to assemble the input terminals. It's not immediately obvious to the novice.
Could you include a couple sentences about how the speaker will sound better after 200+ hours of playing because the capacitors need time to burn in?
This is all I can remember.
The speakers sound very nice. They kick out more bass than I had anticipated. I enjoyed listening to them once they had burned in properly. I couldn't help but wonder what a 3-way speaker from you might sound like... :thumb:
Michael
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Kerry,
Imagine yourself as a first-time speaker assembler. You've got a whole bunch of egg-crate foam pads that came with your kit - mostly they appear to be padding for kit components against shipping damage. Do you throw them away? [I'm not being facetious. Someone with zero experience won't know that the foam is supposed to be glued to the internal walls of the cabinets.] Hans has zero experience with kit speakers. He doesn't spend hours every week pouring over audiophile forums nor does he seek out 'how to' videos on YouTube. He had no idea why there were so many foam pads included in the kit - and there was no explanation. A few sentences explaining the importance of the foam sheets, and correct dimensions of the cut sheets would have saved me time and effort.
I personally don't care for the triangular braces. I wasted time tapping them into correct place because I was worried they'd throw off the fit if one extended even a millimeter out of its correct placement. Do all four (per cabinet) braces face the same way? I knew the bottom braces faced the back (as in the photo) and guessed that the top braces faced the front. However, there was no explanation; no direction. Two sentences could have explained their correct orientation.
Many kit speakers come with polyfil. This one did not, so I assumed that it's not needed(?).
The different sized screws are intended for different drivers and the crossovers. What do you think of the idea of placing the smaller screws in one ziplock bag labeled "tweeter" and the longer screws in a second ziplock labeled "woofer"? [I've already forgotten which screws were used to secure the XO.]
There were no instructions telling the novice how to assemble the input terminals. It's not immediately obvious to the novice.
Could you include a couple sentences about how the speaker will sound better after 200+ hours of playing because the capacitors need time to burn in?
This is all I can remember.
The speakers sound very nice. They kick out more bass than I had anticipated. I enjoyed listening to them once they had burned in properly. I couldn't help but wonder what a 3-way speaker from you might sound like... :thumb:
Michael
Thanks again for the feedback. We will likely redesign the triangle braces to a shelf style brace when we replenish the stock of cabinets. We’ll try and add your feedback into our updated instructions as we develop them.
I’m glad you both enjoyed them. We are actually working on a massive 3-way using 4 of our SDX10 woofers as the base. It might be making an appearance at AXPONA next year if you plan on attending.
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Kerry,
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
A couple requests...
If you don't mind uploading the Klippel measurements of the SDX 10 and SDX 12, they would be terribly useful to illustrate the advantages of the XBL2 motor especially with regards to flatter BL product over Xmax, non varying inductance values, as well as lower IMD levels. All the Pro audio companies that I know of and do business with have their own Klippel analyzers and some will submit their drivers to be independently measured and tested by the likes of Vance Dickason (Voice Coil) or Josh Ricci (Databass). As such if you were to do the same, it would be a nice platform for diy'ers, OEMs and other hobbyists to have for objective comparisons.
In addition, there are some of us who will happily accommodate 15 inch and larger drivers in our arsenal (for a multitude of objective reasons, as well as irrational ones :icon_twisted:), therefore, as your company flourishes, please do consider these larger sized options.
Thank you kindly,
Anand.
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Yes, more Sd, please! :green:
15s or even 18s. XBL2 is awesome.
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Kerry,
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
A couple requests...
If you don't mind uploading the Klippel measurements of the SDX 10 and SDX 12, they would be terribly useful to illustrate the advantages of the XBL2 motor especially with regards to flatter BL product over Xmax, non varying inductance values, as well as lower IMD levels. All the Pro audio companies that I know of and do business with have their own Klippel analyzers and some will submit their drivers to be independently measured and tested by the likes of Vance Dickason (Voice Coil) or Josh Ricci (Databass). As such if you were to do the same, it would be a nice platform for diy'ers, OEMs and other hobbyists to have for objective comparisons.
In addition, there are some of us who will happily accommodate 15 inch and larger drivers in our arsenal (for a multitude of objective reasons, as well as irrational ones :icon_twisted:), therefore, as your company flourishes, please do consider these larger sized options.
Thank you kindly,
Anand.
Hi Anand,
Both of these are on our to-do list.
We don't have any original Klippel data that was turned over to us from the previous owner for either subwoofer, so we can't just upload it. However, we are looking at getting things tested in the future.
We've had several requests for the SDX15 and might order some new stock the next time we place an order for more SDX12s. Unfortunately everything is moving slower than we had hoped as we basically had to build the company almost from the ground up again. There really was almost nothing left but the name when we took over so even getting customers back has taken a bit of time.
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We have LD25X prototypes on the way. Our plan is to test for consistency and performance, and if they meet our expectations, place a larger order for inventory. We'll be running a pre-order special on these at the price from several years ago before going to the regular retail price once they arrive.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=187884)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=187885)
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Any time frame for when the LD25X will be incorporated into your Criton speaker kits, assuming a happy path?
Happy Holidays.
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Hi Sparks,
We've got the prototype in hand and are testing it now. If everything tests how we want it, we will place an order and then it will be probably 3 months before they are in stock. We can design the Criton with the LD25X prototypes, so the kit would be ready and available as soon as the stock comes in. So realistically you are probably looking at 3-4 months out.
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Just last week, I paid for a pair of the new 25mm tweeters - an impulse buy for sure. Seems to me the first fifty pairs are being offered at a discount. Kerry suggested they may not ship until the end of October.
Now I need to figure out what sort of speaker I'm going to build around these tweeters. {muses to self} Do I want two-way or three-way speakers? Just how much low-end do I want? How much $$$ am I willing to spend on midwoofers or mid-range drivers? Perhaps most importantly: How do I sneak them into the house without my wife killing me? :o
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Just last week, I paid for a pair of the new 25mm tweeters - an impulse buy for sure. Seems to me the first fifty pairs are being offered at a discount. Kerry suggested they may not ship until the end of October.
Now I need to figure out what sort of speaker I'm going to build around these tweeters. {muses to self} Do I want two-way or three-way speakers? Just how much low-end do I want? How much $$$ am I willing to spend on midwoofers or mid-range drivers? Perhaps most importantly: How do I sneak them into the house without my wife killing me? :o
I'm researching for my next speaker build for next year and I've settled on doing an mmtmm with 5" or 6" drivers. Allows a narrow baffle, lower distortion, high sensitivity, and the symmetry will be more spouse friendly and eye catching. Trade-off is spending more on a tweeter that can cross really low.
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Hm, would also be nice to see some basic measurements for the LD25, especially given the pricing.
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I've located some measurements. Kerry told me the new LD25 tweeters measure the same, but have a bit less distortion thanks to the redesigned shorting(?) ring.
Link: file:///Users/mresseguie/Downloads/LD25FEB15.pdf
Also, I located a nice review written by Jeff Bagby in 2012 that ought to remain true for the new tweeters.
https://app.box.com/s/sooaxdil8sjjvcl1d61p
Michael
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This is a very detailed and thorough review by Matthew Poes. Of note, not only does he have a PhD in Acoustics, he is also a regular writer for Audioholics and AudiNirvana. His focus on both measurements, ie objective and the subjective is refreshing and should be educational for even the most seasoned of audiophiles:
https://www.audioholics.com/subwoofer-reviews/css-sdx12
Please, please, please also read this and digest it(!):
https://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/10-nonsense-myths
Best,
Anand.
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Anand,
Thanks for the link.
I haven't read the review yet, but I did glance at the pros and cons. This con is a bit odd: "Driver can go from 0 to ugly without warning." :scratch:
I suppose he explains this in the review?
Michael
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Yes, that’s true of any driver, in the sense that a limiter is important to have so as to not exceed Xmax (it’s something that is in the DSP portion of a plate amp), etc...but honestly read the review. It was hard to do anything to destroy this driver, so from an SPL compression standpoint it did very well.
Remember he reviewed the driver on its own in a sealed enclosure.
If an OEM sold you a fully built and tested sub, they would make sure all that is taken care of. Either way, CSS can advise for DIY builds.
Best,
Anand.
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"Driver can go from 0 to ugly without warning."
That may be the same phenominum as in the FR/WR 125s. The motor is very linear but you get no warning of impending running out of room and hitting the back plate.
That is why i started recommending sealed or aperiodic for those drivers and use my SDX10 in a sealed box. An outstanding woofer.
dave