How I came to Conclude that the Ellis 1801s were for me:Let me first preface my impressions by stating that I have been researching DIY speaker designs for some time and made a decision to purchase the Ellis 1801 kit approximately 5 years ago based on my personal preference for what I wanted out of a speaker: a clear, open sound with electrostatic type quickness, good dynamics and a wide dispersion pattern. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented me from purchasing the Ellis 1801 kit until this past summer when I purchased a "used" kit from someone who did not have the time to build cabinets but had all of the parts which included the tweeters, woofers and 1801 "a" crossovers. It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder and I would have to agree because after waiting 5 years for the 1801 speakers to become a reality, I am thrilled with how they sound, and this is with the original "a" crossover version that can sound slightly bass shy when the speakers are placed into the room.
The Sound with Caveats:As I mentioned, I am thrilled with the speakers but they are neither final nor optimized yet. My ultimate goal is to mate the Ellis 1801 with a 10" bass woofer in a 3-way configuration. The theory is that this should provide additional bass capability and free the Seas Excel woofer from performing bass duties, which should theoretically improve the midrange further. I mention the word "theoretically" because after listening to the Ellis 1801 through the "a" crossover without the bass woofer, the speaker sounds just like (better than?) I had hoped. The Ellis 1801 is airy, open, quick and, to my ears, accurate in the mid range. My biggest surprise was the bass output with the speakers, which was much stronger than I had anticipated given the previous feedback on the “a” crossover.
The Ellis 1801 speaker sounds transparent and lifts veils from between the listener and the recording artist from what I had been listening to before (old top-of-the-line Mission floor standing speakers). This was most apparent when listening to unamplified instruments where the ambiance of the setting was readily apparent. The ambiance and decay of notes was very natural and provided me with a better illusion of hearing live music. Listening to pop music was better through the Ellis 1801s but didn’t provide the same jump in performance than listening to “natural” type recordings.
The bass on some songs did not have the same slam through the Ellis 1801s that I had experienced with my previous speakers, which had two 8” woofers per speaker. I guess that there is no getting around the laws of physics when it comes to moving air, however, the bass quality was better with the Ellis 1801s. The bass limitations on the 1801 were only apparent on certain songs and are likely adequately addressed with the “b” crossover.
Modifications to My Ellis 1801s:As I mentioned previously, my Ellis1801s are designed to be mated with 10 inch woofer bass cabinets and, therefore, my 1801 cabinets are sealed 16 liter cabinets. The surprising thing, at least to me, is that the sound quality experienced is without any stuffing in the cabinets! I hope that further improvements will be gained when the 1801 cabinets are stuffed.
The other modifications that I made to the specified Ellis 1801 cabinets are angled cabinet sides to sit atop the wider bass cabinet and a horizontally centered tweeter over the woofer for aesthetic reasons. Having not heard a “properly” designed Ellis 1801, I cannot tell you whether my modifications have hindered their performance but from my perspective, I seriously doubt that my modifications had any negative audible impact. Attached is a picture of the unfinished Ellis 1801 cabinets atop the bass cabinet without its woofer.
Kudos:I would like to personally thank Mr. Dave Ellis and Dr. Dennis Murphy (crossover designer) for designing such a world class speaker and providing it to DIYers like myself. Your expertise and generosity are truly appreciated not only by me but also by my family and by everyone who hears the speakers. Great job gentlemen!
