[mlundy57]

The X-LS & X-CS Encores that were my first build ( http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=117653.80 ) have found a new home  . 

The last time my wife's son was here for a visit I let him take my X-LS Encores, Klipsch RB81 - II's and PSB Image B6 speakers back home to audition.   He said he kinda liked the Encores a little better but couldn't tell any real difference between them. I set the LS & CS Encores up in my living room, popped in the movie Battleship and he gained a new appreciation for the Encores. The bottom end was filled in by a Rythmik F12 setting directly behind the sofa. That settled it for him, the LS & CS Encores were now his.

The next day we listened to music in my upstairs system. First up was the X-Omni's I just finished. He loved these, said he felt like he was there, especially with acoustical Jazz. These are now his also, as soon as I put a finish on them.

Next up was the coup de grace ... the Wedgies (yeah, I know that was mean  ). These blew him away. His comment was something to the effect of after hearing these, how could you be satisfied with regular speakers. He still likes his Encores and Omni's but is an OB convert. He also got to listen to HD files (24/96, 24/192, DSD) through a high resolution DAC and realized just how diminished his MP3's played through a laptop soundcard are. So I also gave him my old Dragonfly DAC. 

The downside is that now I am Encoreless. I do have my N1X's, which have taken the Encore's place in my bedroom system, and I do like the added clarity they have over the Encores but there is something about the Encores that kept drawing me back to them. Less clarity and definition but a smoother, warmer more seductive nature.  Oh well, I can always build another pair ......

Mike

[Folsom]

What the hell, you could have married my mother. I want to try the omni, the more people comment on them.

[Captainhemo]

Hey Mike, glad to hear your wife's son has made up his mnind and will soon be enjoying his new system.

Think of all the room  he has  made for yo  for  more builds   

Just out of curiosity,  hae you tried your N1X's  with the tube setup ?
-jay

[mlundy57]

What the hell, you could have married my mother. I want to try the omni, the more people comment on them.

With the Omnis you get a much more expansive soundstage and openness compared to the Encores but you lose some weight/robustness/fullness. Especially in the mid and upper bass. However, adding an X-Sub (8" non-servo driver) to the Omnis and crossing it over at 200Hz restores the weight of the mid and upper bass.

I don't have a mic and room correction software to quantify this, only my ears but adding the sub with the high crossover point makes the Omnis much more satisfying.

Mike

[mlundy57]

Hey Mike, glad to hear your wife's son has made up his mnind and will soon be enjoying his new system.

Think of all the room  he has  made for yo  for  more builds   

Just out of curiosity,  hae you tried your N1X's  with the tube setup ?
-jay

Jay,

Yes I have. I now have tube amps in both of my upstairs systems. The Jolida is in the listening/movie room and an ODDWATT is in the bedroom system with the N1X's. The N1X's were paired with the Jolida until I finished the Wedgies.

As for extra room, once I finished the Wedgies I had an extra pair of speakers (the N1X's) with no place to use them. Plus I still have an LGK 1.0 kit and one of Ben's flatpacks for it in boxes.

Mike

[Captainhemo]

As for extra room, once I finished the Wedgies I had an extra pair of speakers (the N1X's) with no place to use them. Plus I still have an LGK 1.0 kit and one of Ben's flatpacks for it in boxes.
Mike

Well geeze man,   you'd better get busy   

Speaking of which,   how are the Encore MTM's coming

-jay

[mlundy57]

Well geeze man,   you'd better get busy   

Speaking of which,   how are the Encore MTM's coming

-jay

Jay,

The three CS-Encores are veneered and inlaid, Ambrosia Maple veneer with turquoise inlay in the worm holes, ready for the French polish finish. It's going to be a few base coats of amber shellack for a slightly aged look then blonde shellack for the rest of the finish.

Three of the MTM Encores are veneered in flat cut ash and the fourth will be veneered tomorrow. Then they all get stained black and finished. I haven't decided if I am going to French polish them also or use a wipe on poly. I have never used the poly before so not sure if I want to try something new at this late date (shooting to get at least the MTM's done before Christmas). All of the crossovers are built so once I get the finishes done it won't take that long to complete them.

Mike

[Odal3]

Hi Mike, I'm looking to start my first build. I considering one of the GR research kits you have already done so I'm hoping that you could help point me in the right direction. It looks like you like the wedgies the best? Is this right and how do they compare to the N1X or the other speakers you have?

My majority of my listening is on low to medium volume music but once in a while I'd like to crank up to music to some rock. Would the wedgies still do OK with that if matched with some good subs?

Jonas

[Captainhemo]

I haven't decided if I am going to French polish them also or use a wipe on poly. I have never used the poly before so not sure if I want to try something new at this late date (shooting to get at least the MTM's done before Christmas).

Mike

Mikje, 
Really anxious to see  those  cabinets with the inlays  all finished up, should look great

I've started applying the wipe on poly to the  Encore cabinets.  I've never used it before but it is   very simple.  Like the name says,  just wipe it on  in  thin coasts and  lightly sand between coats.  It is very thin and pretty much completely levels.  Doesn't get much easier.  I just posted a couple pics over in my thread after the 3 rd coat

-jay

[mlundy57]

Hi Mike, I'm looking to start my first build. I considering one of the GR research kits you have already done so I'm hoping that you could help point me in the right direction. It looks like you like the wedgies the best? Is this right and how do they compare to the N1X or the other speakers you have?

My majority of my listening is on low to medium volume music but once in a while I'd like to crank up to music to some rock. Would the wedgies still do OK with that if matched with some good subs?

Jonas

Jonas,

You are correct about the Wedgies being my favorite however, I have not built a GR Research kit I didn't like. It has been more a matter of which one do I like better in a particular application. The Wedgies are an open baffle (OB) design and have some unique characteristics (read all about the Wedgies in this thread http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=126112.560 ) and placement requirements compared to boxed speakers. For placement, the Wedgies (and Omni) need to be at least 3 feet from the wall whereas a sealed box like the X-CS and N3S can be placed up against the wall. Ported boxes like the N3, N1X, and X-LS need about 18" or so behind them. Some folks like Jay (Captainhemo) have built their N3's with the port opening to the front so the speakers could be placed closer to the wall.   

If you can pull the speakers far enough away from the wall you can use an OB or Omni design. If not you will want to use a sealed or ported design. For example, the way my living room is arranged if I pulled the speakers 3 feet in from the wall the right speaker would be in the opening from the front foyer. That means the Wedgies won't work here so I have N3's in this system. I could rearrange the living room and be able to use the Wedgies except for one tiny little problem, my wife likes the living room as it is.

Something else to remember about the Wedgies, they cannot be played by themselves. They must have some type of bass unit(s) that can play up to 200Hz or you will not have any mid or upper bass. Ideally you would want both speakers to have their own bass sections to preserve the stereo imaging of the mid and upper bass and they would also be open baffle so the sound has the same characteristics across the whole frequency range. However, if resources are a little strapped but you know you want to go with the Wedgies you can start with one or two subs that can crossover at 200Hz (provided you already have the sub(s)). If you are going to have to buy a sub that will crossover that high you would be better off to build one OB bass section then add the second later on when resources permit. I already have a small sub that can cross at 200Hz so I am using it until I can afford to build the OB bass sections.  The bass doesn't blend well with the Wedgies but it is OK for the time being.

For music the N3's or MTM's (Classic or Encore) don't really need a sub. The X-LS, X-CS, and N1X will benefit from a sub but it only needs to play up to 60-80Hz.

All of these speakers perform very well at low volumes but can definitely make your ears bleed if you are so inclined (me, I want to keep what hearing I have). 

Which one is best for you? That really depends on the amount of space you have, your personal tastes and your budget. My preferences are: for a larger area - Wedgies if I have the room, N3's if I don't; for bookshelf applications - either the N1X or the X-LS Encore (I'm not sure which one I like better, it depends more on my mood and what I am listening to than anything else); for nearfield (desktop) applications - the LGK 1.0 is killer. It would also be good in a bedroom where you have your speakers placed on the headboard rather than across the room.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have never built a stock kit. I have always upgraded to Sonicaps, Mills resistors, and added by-pass caps (sometimes Gen II and other times Platinum). Also, with all the X-Series Encore kits I have never used the stock circuit board. In addition to the capacitor and resistor upgrades I also upgraded the inductors to Erse XQ and point-to-point wired the networks just like all the other GR kits. This means my impressions are all based on upgraded kits so I cannot make any comparisons to stock kits.

Hope this helps,

Mike

[mlundy57]

Mikje, 
Really anxious to see  those  cabinets with the inlays  all finished up, should look great

I've started applying the wipe on poly to the  Encore cabinets.  I've never used it before but it is   very simple.  Like the name says,  just wipe it on  in  thin coasts and  lightly sand between coats.  It is very thin and pretty much completely levels.  Doesn't get much easier.  I just posted a couple pics over in my thread after the 3 rd coat

-jay

Jay,

Thanks  I have a pair of boxes for experimenting veneered and ready for me to try the poly so I will try it and see how I like it before putting it on the MTM's

Mike

[Odal3]

Many thanks for taking the time to write such a helpful answer. The tricky thing is to buy without having a chance to listen first so your advice is much appreciated. I think I may be able to pull off the wedgie in my living room but I may try out one of the lgk kits first for the desktop to see how it goes. Will definitely let you know what I end up with.

[Captainhemo]

Odal3,
Where are you located ?  There are lots of folks out there with  GR Research speakers  who'll give you an audioition,
Check out the   Owners Audions thread here : http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=99243.0

If that doesn't help,  maybe  post a  thread saying you'd be interested in audiontioning some of Danny's speakers , you may get lucky  and find someone near by.

-jay

[Odal3]

Thats a good idea. I'm in Indianapolis, IN

[lacro]

Many thanks for taking the time to write such a helpful answer. The tricky thing is to buy without having a chance to listen first so your advice is much appreciated. I think I may be able to pull off the wedgie in my living room but I may try out one of the lgk kits first for the desktop to see how it goes. Will definitely let you know what I end up with.

Mike and Jay have given you some good info, but I will chime in a little too. Even though I have only completed the X-LS Encores, I have to say that I think it's by far the best choice for a FIRST TIME speaker builder. The boxes are a manageable size that don't require much MDF or monster clamps for gluing.

Your idea to do the LGK first is valid if you need a small desktop set-up, but to get a better idea of the lines capabilities, the X-LS Encores are the sweet spot in value. Because you are just buying kits and have to supply the cabinets, it's easy to think of then at their low price point as entry level speakers. However, in reality they are actually mid-level speakers at an entry level price

There are many detailed build threads showing step by step assembly of the Encores, and many many builders to answer questions along the way. I think a lot of your choice of what to build should depend on your wood working tools and skill level. If your a competent cabinet maker, then any of Danny's kits should not be too difficult. However, If your just an average wood worker, the Encores are a perfect first build that will probably stay with you no matter how many more speakers you build.

I could go on and on as I really like my Encores - I am listening to them right now in my 'man cave' driven by a cheap 3 tube (China) pre-amp and a heavily modded TPA 3116 class D amp, powered with 13.8 v Astron PS which is probably not giving me more than 20 WPC. The sound is amazing...... 

[Odal3]

I'm listening and learning a lot from this forum and everything I have tried so far from the Cheap and cheerful section has been beyond expectation. You, PG and the others on the TPA thread made me get the TPA3116 audiobah board with an Astron but I haven't had a chance (and confidence in my skills) to mod it yet. I was floored of the improvement of the Astron which I didn't believe until I heard it myself. I actually ordered one of the 6n3 preamp two days ago and I'm counting the days until I get it! The ugly bucket sub I made because I was curious keeps amazing me every time I turn it on. Which brings me to the speakers since and I'm  looking for something better than my Klipsch RB3 bookshelf speakers and the sound is a bit fatiguing. My woodworking skills and tools are beginner level, but want to do one of these builds as a learning experience. The build threads that you all have done are very inspiring.