[youonlylivetwice]

 I know this is a horribly broad question, but hoping someone is willing to opine on the various DIY kit series.

I am novice all the way, but enjoy music and building and would like to tackle a couple kits. 

my question really comes down to :
 >are any of the series sort of a budget type build and it is better to step up?
> are any of them so high end it isnt worth it for a guy like me to tackle?

what is the sweet spot where you're getting a nice kit, not too much and not too little?

I've tried to piece together comments from other posts but I didnt see one general thread on the entire line of kit series.

All I have right now is a pair of the a/v-2's that I built some years ago.

In total I'd like:

living room
small left and rights, plus maybe a center channel.

family room
left, right, center, and rear L/R plus a sub (which I already have too)


thanks all for helping out someone who is a novice in far too many hobbies!

YOLT

 

[Danny Richie]

The X-Series kits are really inexpensive for a reason not relating to cost to produce. Read the whole story here: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=90911.0

They can be upgraded to various levels and the performance is such that they can complete with pretty much anything. This is a good example of that: http://www.stereomojo.com/Small%20Speaker%20Shootout%202007/SmallSpeakerShootout2007Part1.htm

And because the X-Series kits have pre-assembled crossovers, they are the easiest kits to build. They are beginner level.

The A/V Series has been my longest running and best selling kits. They have been hugely popular for music and home theater applications. They too can be purchased with various upgrades. They would be beginner to novice level in difficulty.

Up from that are the N Series kits. The planar magnetic Neo tweeter is a step up in performance. These easily complete with anything and are know for being top level performers. These are also beginner to novice level builds.

The OB Series is like the N Series but adds an element of being open baffle. This takes it up a notch. But like any open baffle design then need a little more room space. The OB Series designs are novice level builds.

That's a brief summery of the kits seen on the GR Research website.

[wushuliu]

The X-Series kits are really inexpensive for a reason not relating to cost to produce. Read the whole story here: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=90911.0

They can be upgraded to various levels and the performance is such that they can complete with pretty much anything. This is a good example of that: http://www.stereomojo.com/Small%20Speaker%20Shootout%202007/SmallSpeakerShootout2007Part1.htm

And because the X-Series kits have pre-assembled crossovers, they are the easiest kits to build. They are beginner level.

The A/V Series has been my longest running and best selling kits. They have been hugely popular for music and home theater applications. They too can be purchased with various upgrades. They would be beginner to novice level in difficulty.

Up from that are the N Series kits. The planar magnetic Neo tweeter is a step up in performance. These easily complete with anything and are know for being top level performers. These are also beginner to novice level builds.

The OB Series is like the N Series but adds an element of being open baffle. This takes it up a notch. But like any open baffle design then need a little more room space. The OB Series designs are novice level builds.

That's a brief summery of the kits seen on the GR Research website.

Hi Danny, I ask this in total seriousness - what do you mean by 'easily compete with anything'. Speaker prices get astronomical as we all know, not to mention there's talk elsewhere about newer tweeter like Raal, etc. etc. So when you say anything do you have a real range? And does that infer the quality of the crossover (and XO parts) being the defining factor in taking them to the anything level?

[Hank]

youonlylivetwice, what Danny wrote about the X-series.  I recommend them - a bargain price and excellent performance, AND you'd be doing a good deed to boot.

[Jonathon Janusz]

Hi Danny, I ask this in total seriousness - what do you mean by 'easily compete with anything'. Speaker prices get astronomical as we all know, not to mention there's talk elsewhere about newer tweeter like Raal, etc. etc. So when you say anything do you have a real range? And does that infer the quality of the crossover (and XO parts) being the defining factor in taking them to the anything level?

I'm not Danny, but two points of note based on your question:

1) Danny has (had?) available a demo pair of built fully upgraded N2X for folks to try out.  Hearing them for yourself on the cheap would be a good way for you to know exactly where they place competitively to you.

2) Regarding crossover parts, interesting enough, Danny has a demo set up for that too.  He has a pair of speakers you can demo set up with two sets of crossovers that can quickly be switched between them, so you can A-B the difference for yourself the crossover parts makes.  Again, if I remember correctly, just for the cost of shipping them out to you for demo.

Hope this helps.

[Danny Richie]

Hi Danny, I ask this in total seriousness - what do you mean by 'easily compete with anything'. Speaker prices get astronomical as we all know, not to mention there's talk elsewhere about newer tweeter like Raal, etc. etc. So when you say anything do you have a real range? And does that infer the quality of the crossover (and XO parts) being the defining factor in taking them to the anything level?

Okay, please allow me to use some examples. Let's start at the bottom of the scale for the N series models. A small two way design called the N2X.

Have you heard of the Usher BE-718 mini monitor? It was a really top level mini monitor that was highly requested by many reviewers. It won awards at just about every magazine out there. Product of the year awards, editors choice award, Stereophile's Class A recommended list, Blue moon award, etc. They were known for also being a great value beating up on mini monitors that sell for up to $10,000 while still being only $2,695 a pair.

The N2X is right there with the BE-718. It is a close comparison and a little give and take. And the N2X does have an edge in several areas. And I do feel like I am qualified to make such a comparison. I did designed the network for the Usher BE-718.

And I do have some experience with the top level RAAL tweeter. http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=91187.msg973317#msg973317  It is a really nice tweeter, but I don't favor it over the Neo 3.

There have been some comparisons of the N2X to other designs that use the RAAL tweeter as well: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=67863.msg1121854#msg1121854  The politically correct and "being nice to everyone response" to the comparisons was "The main lesson I learned with the N2X is the fact , that spending more money doesn't always equate to better sound + performance."  I'd love to tell you what the real comparison feedback that only went to me via e-mail was like, but I am a nice guy too. 

Then there are the bigger N Series models and OB series models that take things to another level...

Yeah, you can compare them to anything.