Review of the Exodus Audio 2641 kit.
My first foray into the DIY world is the 2641 speaker kit. What drew me to this kit was the extremis drivers, they seemed very unique. I also wanted good bang for the buck. I knew there was a risk involved without hearing speakers first hand, but it worked out as I had hoped.
I built the crossovers on peg board, cut to 3.5x5 inches and zip tied the components. Point to point wiring was done, and then soldered. All wires from the x-over were soldered in place as well. Only the ends going to the drivers were push on connectors. I elected to have the cabinets built for me, since I don’t have all the tools and experience necessary to complete these well. Brian Bunge did a great job on my cherry cabinets. They were widened by ½ inch to accommodate a round over. The midrange chamber has acoustic foam & poly-fill in it. Then the woofer chambers have poly-fill stuffing as well.
The sound? Clean and clear, across the whole spectrum. The lack of distortion and artifacts is impressive to say the least. This clarity gives the extra detail & dynamics I was looking for. The 2641’s have a quietness that is hard to describe. The music starts and stops very quickly, no mush here. I hear the silence between the notes much more, since there is no audible grunge or distortion. It sounds like the noise floor dropped, but I think it is a result of them not straining/breaking up while playing. I imagine the high quality cross-overs contribute to this quietness and detail as well. The music comes out smooth and effortless.
Highs; Full and extended highs from the Usher tweeter. My previous speakers had titanium dome tweeter which was overly bright at the very top end, but these have more detail and fullness without the negatives. Human voice, cymbals and flute sound right, without tizzyness or other oddities.
Midrange; Rich and vibrant. Full sound with a clarity that belies its cost. Just a natural sound that does not smear, compress or distort. Lots of details here as well, good recordings sound spectacular. The WR-125 midrange strikes a nice balance between detail and naturalness; detail without sounding analytical or dry.
Bass; The extremis do an impressive job here, putting out lots of low and mid bass in a controlled way. It is tight and musical, not loose. The extension goes low. The speed of the woofers is most welcome, I didn’t want bass with boom, or lack of control. They deliver in a complete and satisfying way. I had a 10” 100watt subwoofer, but after getting these together, I sold it. No longer needed. Tight and tuneful bass was one of my goals, and I’m a happy camper.
Imaging; the 2641’s image well. Separation is clear and even; center fill is outstanding. I have the speakers positioned with almost no toe in, and the soundstage is all there with no gaps. In addition, the instruments remain fixed in space and do not wonder. Kevin’s work on getting the off-axis response right really paid off.
Music used to evaluate;
Diana Krall: The Girl in the Other Room
One of my favorites, this sounded natural and full. Her voice and piano are portrayed accurately and musical. Track 8 where she is banging hard on the piano keys used to congest or distort slightly (previous speakers) now it’s clean and focused.
Caribbean Jazz Project: Paraiso
I use this to judge mids and highs. Vibraphone, marimba and flute have a nice tone on the 2641’s. Good metallic sound with harmonics intact. No over-ringing or other oddities. Smooth and detailed without strain. The bass keeps up with the rest of the music, which can be fast. No slowdown.
Pink Martini: Hang on Little Tomato
The 2641’s nail this too. Vocals, piano, guitar sound great. Just smooth & natural. Room ambience is readily apparent, be it the room reflections, creaking and bow resin of the upright bass, and guitar phrasing. No matter how loud the vocals or guitar get, they don’t sound harsh.
Eva Cassidy: Songbird
The 2641’s portray this cd with a startling sense of realism. Her voice sounds like; well you are there in person. There is a glow and immediacy with her singing. I don’t think there is embellishment or over-cooking to the sound, simply neutral. Not to say the 2641’s sound dry, far from that. On the contrary, this music sounds alive, literally. Put another way, what you put in is what you get out.
Beethoven; Symphony #5, Carlos Kleiber
This recording sounds fast, furious and dynamic on the 2641’s. It’s a treat, largely because of the full range response from these speakers. Different instrument groups occupy their place in the sound field or stage. Not smeared together. When the horns blare and the kettle drum hits, it’s not compressed or distorted, but full. This all lends to the naturalness or “liveliness” of the music. Truly wonderful.
Although most of my listening is with two channel music, I do watch movies through these speakers. It is very good. I don’t have a center channel or subwoofer, but I am real content with the sound. The extremis 6.8 reach low, and with four of them in my room (21x18), I am not wanting with DVD movies.
In the end, I’m very happy with these speakers. They deliver in every way I had hoped for, and then some. I did my research, and watched the development of the Exodus speaker kits for some time. The 2641 seemed best suited for my room (front port). Kevin was pleasant & professional to deal with, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Exodus 2641 kit, highly recommended.
