[Captainhemo]

My wife walked by, I called her in to sit in my chair, she resisted, she has no interest in this stuff.  She relented, I played the same track, she started grinning, by the end she had a big smile on her face, I asked her where the music was coming from, she said, everywhere. 

Sounds  like another listening chair might be in order   , 

I have never heard anything quite like this.  It is still very early in the breakin of these speakers but they are really impressing me so far. 

Good stuff   
Gota love the "Mercury Blues",  I love crankin' that one up

-jay

[mlundy57]

Jon, thank you for your efforts leading to this speaker, they paid off, Danny has a winner.....  I was listening to Steve Miller Fly Like an Eagle, total immersion in the music, it was as if the music was coming from nothing, difficult to explain.  My wife walked by, I called her in to sit in my chair, she resisted, she has no interest in this stuff.  She relented, I played the same track, she started grinning, by the end she had a big smile on her face, I asked her where the music was coming from, she said, everywhere.  When I finally got my chair back  I moved from Steve Miller to Steely Dan Deacon Blues, same thing, amazing soundstage, enveloped by the music.


I have never heard anything quite like this.  It is still very early in the breakin of these speakers but they are really impressing me so far. 


With regard to volume, I am driving them with 3.5 watts of Bottlehead 2A3 goodness high passed at about 150 Hz.  In my small room they effortlessly go louder than I would listen typically and as loud I would go when really jamming.  I am looking forward to more listening.


I hope this doesn't come off as over the top, it is what I am hearing.

Ed,

I agree, hat's off to everybody involved in the development of these speakers Danny, Ben and anybody else I forgot to mention.

I know what you mean about the sound. It is hard to describe but really easy to listen to and enjoy.

While a lot of folks jump to the "how loud can they play" end of the spectrum. For me, how they perform at moderate to low volume is the primary concern.  A lot of my listening is later at night so loud is out of the question. I am happy to report that the Wedges handle low volume levels very well also.

Mike

[ebag4]

While a lot of folks jump to the "how loud can they play" end of the spectrum.

The primary reason I mention this was that a few had questioned the dynamics of the LGK drivers and their ability to go loud.  In my space this is definitely not a concern.

Best,
Ed

[LTCase]

Ed,
Thanks so much for your efforts putting those together and sharing your impressions with the rest of us humble folk. I for one am also very interested in how these compare to the upper range of your V1's. I've got the Super V's and am strongly considering pairing these with servo's for future audio bliss (and easier WAF and moving factor). From your initial impressions it sounds like these are giving you more detail in the world of open baffle goodness than the V's?

Cheers,
Brandon

[Danny Richie]

I am really working on the ideal bottom end solution for these. Hold tight, this might get really good.

[mlundy57]

I am really working on the ideal bottom end solution for these. Hold tight, this might get really good.

OK, holding

[bdp24]

Ed,

I agree, hat's off to everybody involved in the development of these speakers Danny, Ben and anybody else I forgot to mention.

I know what you mean about the sound. It is hard to describe but really easy to listen to and enjoy.

While a lot of folks jump to the "how loud can they play" end of the spectrum. For me, how they perform at moderate to low volume is the primary concern.  A lot of my listening is later at night so loud is out of the question. I am happy to report that the Wedges handle low volume levels very well also.

Mike

There are some "advanced" audiophiles who argue that the quieter a speaker will play without losing any of the music---in other words, a lower resolution floor---the better the speaker is. Dynamic drivers (cones) have poorer mass to motor ratios than ESL's, for instance, and have a harder time "keeping up" with the music. Magnetic-Planars, though sharing some of the panel-design advantages with them, also have much higher mass than ESL's (and are also VERY inefficient). Electrostatics have always had that advantage over dynamics and M-P. But with advances in dynamic driver and cross-over design, that gap has narrowed considerably. Then there are those who find that in the same way, more-efficient speakers provide higher-resolution sound than less-efficient speakers. But there are always trade-offs; highly-efficient speakers have traditionally been horns (and also single-cone full-ways), and to get that efficiency you had to accept their common failing, high vowel-coloration. Cup your hands in front of your mouth and talk; presto, horn loudspeaker sound! Along comes a new generation of designers (Danny Richie at the forefront) who have managed to create high-resolution, high-efficiency speakers with low-coloration. You youngins are lucky---you have the rest of your long lives to enjoy the fruits of their labors!

[Keithh]

I had posted that I built a stand that mounted directly to my 15" Hawthorne Augies for the Wedgies.
The Wedgies didn't like the vibration and went back to the floor stands. All of the Herbies products I have
tried are well worth it, so I bought some  Fat Dots and received them yesterday.  The Wedgies are now back
sitting directly on the Augies and they sound incredible! Granted the flat panel  Augies may be more of a
vibration extreme than a H-frame, I now would have no reservations about using a sub for a stand with the Wedgies.

[Captainhemo]

Ed,

I agree, hat's off to everybody involved in the development of these speakers Danny, Ben and anybody else I forgot to mention.

I know what you mean about the sound. It is hard to describe but really easy to listen to and enjoy.

While a lot of folks jump to the "how loud can they play" end of the spectrum. For me, how they perform at moderate to low volume is the primary concern.  A lot of my listening is later at night so loud is out of the question. I am happy to report that the Wedges handle low volume levels very well also.

Mike

Mike, thought I'd  pass this along
I too listen a lot  late nigh at pretty quiet listening volumes.  One of the things I've really come to like about  my OB7's is  how great thsy perform at low volumes, I love  that somehow they still seem  to  provide  great dynamics and imaging at these lower SPL's.
What I thought you  might be interrested in is since I have added the H-frame ,  I haven't   had any "comlaints" from   my sister or neice who live upstairs. The OB servo subs also seem to work great at low volumes, the bass is well defined and even  punchy  at low volumes but  for some reason it doesn't seem to effect the rest of the house. Quite often  I'd have to turn my old sub off when listening late night,  with the H-frame I keep waiting for someone to say something but   nada 
I would have actually thought that being OB,    that  I may have gotten the  reverse effect in the house  but  that doesn't seem  to be the case.  I don't  know if others have noticed the same  thing , but it has really worked out well here

Keith, that is good info  regarding the  Herbies Fat Dots, I'm sure it  relieves some questions after your  first attempt at placing the Wedgies on the sub 

-jay

[Folsom]

While I'm a ways off building my own LGKOB, I had been looking at the Peerless SLS 830667 used as a subwoofer. It sounds to be of an accuracy that isn't paralleled by much that's remotely near it's price point. It would require mild slope at around 150hz inline. Then a Crown class D to power it would probably be as good as you can get without breaking the bank for something silly expensive that has the same amount of feedback. Well, of course, four of the subs might be necessary, but maybe only two. I don't know about matching.

In order to add it to the system I would have some small wires coming off the main speaker output of the amplifier to a couple of resistors that are inline with them, that then go into RCA plugs. Those go into the Crown. I've done this multiple times and it's been one of the better sounding options. What you don't get is any sort of attenuation on the LGKOB, which you may or may not need?

[ntell411]

I am really working on the ideal bottom end solution for these. Hold tight, this might get really good.

Excellent project! Is it feasible to use one 8, 10 or 12 inch driver to provide midbass slam and use 2 more drivers all in the same cabinet (H-open baffle all three powered by servo amp)? This way, you would have
a true full range system with the ultimate in imaging, soundstaging, detail and impact in a relatively small footprint! 

[Danny Richie]

Excellent project! Is it feasible to use one 8, 10 or 12 inch driver to provide midbass slam and use 2 more drivers all in the same cabinet (H-open baffle all three powered by servo amp)? This way, you would have
a true full range system with the ultimate in imaging, soundstaging, detail and impact in a relatively small footprint!

Welcome to AC.

No need for an in between driver. I am working on a matching wedge to sit right under it that will have three 8" servo subs. It will have plenty of slam and be full range.

[jparkhur]

[nickd]

Ntell411

ultimate in imaging, sound-staging, detail and impact

"IMPACT" with out it I am bored in a couple of weeks.

Danny Richie

I am working on a matching wedge to sit right under it that will have three 8" servo subs. It will have plenty of slam and be full range.

I've been holding back, waiting for the bass solution. Ed, Keith, Mike and the guys are pioneers. you guys rock for getting the jump on this build. 

I can't wait to see the full range version. I just wonder if it will push back Danny's "X-Otica" development?  I was thinking that might be my next build? I am still impressed at my long term enjoyment with the X-Series OB loudspeakers at my Son's house. I really enjoy the mid / upper bass "dynamic" of six inch drivers.

[Danny Richie]

"IMPACT" with out it I am bored in a couple of weeks.

You won't be bored.

I just wonder if it will push back Danny's "X-Otica" development?

Nope, I'm just waiting on a test cabinet from Ben, and then it moves to the next phase. 

[Danny Richie]

Completed crossovers going out with a kit today...







The boards are coated with the DuraTex that we now offer.

[gregfisk]

Those look really good Danny, nice layout.

[Danny Richie]

To Chuck that just called about this kit... I tried calling you right back but could not get through to you on the number you gave me. Maybe I jotted it down wrong. And you didn't pop up on my caller ID because I was on the other line. Call me back and I'll get you fixed up man.

[MarvinTheMartian]

Excellent project! Is it feasible to use one 8, 10 or 12 inch driver to provide midbass slam and use 2 more drivers all in the same cabinet (H-open baffle all three powered by servo amp)? This way, you would have
a true full range system with the ultimate in imaging, soundstaging, detail and impact in a relatively small footprint!

Nope.
The servo feedback circuit puts some simple restrictions on woofer hookup.
- drive side - woofers must be the matched and connected in parallel. This puts a practical limit of 3 drivers per amp.
- servo side - woofers must be matched and connected in series.

Even with the new compact stereo amp, the woofers must be matched between the two channels.
To maximize efficiency the amps shared power supply uses the positive rail to drive one amp and the negative rail to drive the other. An 8" on one channel and a 12" on the other would unbalance and stress the common power supply. Same unmatched situation for an OB and sealed combination.

Shawn

[NachoTime]

This new design looks incredibly intriguing.  I'm currently enjoying a pair of N3 towers with a 12" sand-box servo sub.  It sounds great to my ears but I'm definitely intrigued by a box-less, high-efficiency alternative which can hopefully be placed closer to the walls than the OB7s.

A couple of questions which I couldn't find covered elsewhere...

* What are the minimum and ideal distances from the front/side walls?
* Would it be very detrimental to the sound if I covered the open sides with grill cloth?  (WAF bargaining strategy)

Thanks to everyone who has collaborated on this thread and shared your build process and impressions.  It's been a pleasure to watch this design evolve.

I think I may have found my next project