So I built the LGK 2.1's to replace the LGK 2.0's that I had built previously. Since a lot of people haven't heard both of these speakers and might be interested in how the 2.1 does in various applications, I thought I'd do a review on my pair.
Here's the build thread for the 2.1 that I did with my son, if anyone wants to see how easy it is to build them (spoiler alert, they were pretty easy):
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=188150.0Use Case - regular bookshelf speaker in a high end system
I actually pulled the speakers very far forward so they could actually breath in my setup. I'd just bunched them in the middle for the sake of getting a good picture. All listening tests were conducted with the speakers pulled out.
Let me talk about their limitations before I get to their strengths. In a big space and pulled out from the walls, they need a subwoofer. Without a sub, the bass is clean and quick, but not nearly enough punch. Also you need to sit in the sweet spot for the magic to happen. That's pretty much it for weaknesses.
Imaging and soundstage. Really just incredible how big they sound and how much of the room the fill up. Normally I am not a fan of 'full range' drivers because very often they are way too beamy and have a crazy small sweet spot. Not here. The 2.1's have relatively good off axis dispersion and a decently sized sweet spot. When you are in that sweet spot, the imaging and soundstage is among the best I've ever heard.
Tonality. Spot on. Even better than the 2.0. In fact IME the 2.0 is a bit dark sounding and the 2.1 is pretty much spot on, tone wise. This makes listening to a wide variety of recordings very enjoyable.
Midrange. Going from the 2.0 to the 2.1 really freed up the midrange. The 2.1's play cleaner and louder than the 2.0's could. Normally I am not a big fan of box speakers but the 2.1's are an exception. Really good clean/pure midrange that really shined on difficult material like female vocals.
Bass. The 2.0 and the 2.1 both extend to about the same place in my room (70hz) but the 2.1 is way cleaner and more musical. Having a dedicate 5 inch woofer for the bass makes all the difference.
Comparisons to a regular bookshelf speaker (like the NX-Studios).. The Studio's (based on memory) have much stronger bass and beat the 2.1's in every area I can think of. But that's not the surprising part. The surprising part is just how close the 2.1's get, and for a lot less money.
Use Case - As a desktop monitor
In our use case, there's no sub and the speakers are jammed up against the wall by the computer monitor.
There were 2 really surprising things in this setup.
First, the bass was much punchier. You can use them like this without a sub and you're fine.
Second, even sitting VERY CLOSE and having the overall space being VERY CRAMPED, the soundstage still expanded way beyond the walls by the desk. I had a friend come over to listen just to do a sanity check (because I'd made the speakers myself there's always the chance of 'proud papa syndrome' coloring your experience). My friend was just as astonished as I was.
Conclusion? If you are looking for a pair of small-ish speakers for use in a cramped space, the 2.1's are a no brainer. Easy to build and sound GREAT.
