[Wind Chaser]

Even though it still has the "chineseum" inside (bad insulation...

I don’t believe they have any insulation inside them at all. Mine sure didn’t. Anything would be better than nothing at all. But don’t overdo it either, that can be just as bad and even worse than none at all.

[AverageNiceGuy]

I don’t believe they have any insulation inside them at all. Mine sure didn’t. Anything would be better than nothing at all. But don’t overdo it either, that can be just as bad and even worse than none at all.

Thanks again for the advice Wind Chaser,
Hopefully the second CST-1 and the upgrade kit will arrive by the weekend.
I will follow the diagram provided by GR-Research for the installation of the No-Rez.
It will be fun for me to compare the CST-1's to my other speakers, as I step by step, install the No-Rez, then the upgraded parts and soldered wiring.

[AverageNiceGuy]

The second CST-1 arrived by UPS a few hours after the first....
Stereo is a wonderful thing!
Even though these still have "chinesium" inside (upgrade kits and No-Rez, not yet received), I am surprised that they are definitely contenders to give the SVS Ultra Bookshelves "a run for their money".
These tweeters do have magic in them. Surprisingly smooth.
I had heard "ribbon type" tweeters in the past, and they sounded a bit harsh, and they left a bad impression on me for years.
I ran Marantz Audessy, and the auto-setup was near flat. Unlike the bumpy road setup needed for the "soon to be gone" Pioneer SP-FS52's.

[Captainhemo]

I've heard of these arriving both ways,  either over  stuffed/wrong place  or  none at all.   Just  wait till you     set them   up the way they are supposed to be and   then   move to the Soniccap/Mils   upgrade.  Did you  happen to get  some of the MiFlex coppers  for bypassing the   tweeter high pass cap ?

Betting  you're  gfoing to be  more than happy withthese

jay

[Wind Chaser]

Hopefully the second CST-1 and the upgrade kit will arrive by the weekend.

Then I wouldn’t bother putting anything else in the meantime. As Jay said these are pretty damn special speakers, especially when you complete the upgrades. You are very lucky to be among the few get in on this deal. 

[Caliaudioguy]

Hello,

I just got my CST-1's in today along with the NoRez and the upgraded caps. 

Does anyone have good pictures of their crossover upgrades that I could take a look at for reference?

Thanks guys!

[AverageNiceGuy]

I've heard of these arriving both ways,  either over  stuffed/wrong place  or  none at all.   Just  wait till you     set them   up the way they are supposed to be and   then   move to the Soniccap/Mils   upgrade.  Did you  happen to get  some of the MiFlex coppers  for bypassing the   tweeter high pass cap ?
Betting  you're  gfoing to be  more than happy withthese
jay

Thanks Captainhemo,
I haven't opened them yet, and I don't yet have the upgrade parts.
I pretty much ordered all the upgrade parts that Danny at GR-Research recommended.
When I inquired of what more that I should do for upgrade, he indicated that it was not needed.
I got a chance to listen to them for about 1 hour so far, and even though they still contain whatever "chinesium" they were manufactured with, I am very impressed their sound.
I have them positioned decently in the room, and I will do more work with that.

[AverageNiceGuy]

Then I wouldn’t bother putting anything else in the meantime. As Jay said these are pretty damn special speakers, especially when you complete the upgrades. You are very lucky to be among the few get in on this deal. 

I agree on the luck, I think Danny with GR-Research sold out the day after I ordered mine.

[AverageNiceGuy]

What really sets the CST-1's apart is the planar magnetic tweeter.  You won't get any fatigue issues with these.  They are detailed and yet super smooth.  As Danny said in the video, the woofers are well made.  These will be a revelation compared to the Pioneer speakers.  Add some better amplification and maybe a servo sub kit and you will have a system you can live with for a long time.

corndog71,
Perfect advice. Thanks.
I've been able to listen to the CST-1's for about 4 hours now.
I am VERY impressed with the tweeters. I had heard ribbon tweeters in the past, and they seemed harsh. That left a dark spot in my memory.
The Pioneers will soon be donated to the in-laws, to never be thought of again.
I am VERY impressed with the detail and smoothness of the CST's, and I have not yet installed the No-Rez / Sonic-
Caps....

My biggest surprise is that I was very happy with my SVS-Ultra bookshelves.
I haven't done a direct side by side comparison between CST's and SVS's yet, as I have connected the CST-1's in a different room.
I was thinking the CST-1's would be a livable replacement while I send the SVS's to GR-Research for an upgrade, to then use the CST's to replace the Pioneers, but now I am worried that the the CST's will relegate my beautiful SVS's to the back burner.
Down the rabbit hole I go.... 
Maybe the SVS's will be contenders for a second fight after GR-Upgrade.

[Tyson]

corndog71,
Perfect advice. Thanks.
I've been able to listen to the CST-1's for about 4 hours now.
I am VERY impressed with the tweeters. I had heard ribbon tweeters in the past, and they seemed harsh. That left a dark spot in my memory.
The Pioneers will soon be donated to the in-laws, to never be thought of again.
I am VERY impressed with the detail and smoothness of the CST's, and I have not yet installed the No-Rez / Sonic-
Caps....

My biggest surprise is that I was very happy with my SVS-Ultra bookshelves.
I haven't done a direct side by side comparison between CST's and SVS's yet, as I have connected the CST-1's in a different room.
I was thinking the CST-1's would be a livable replacement while I send the SVS's to GR-Research for an upgrade, to then use the CST's to replace the Pioneers, but now I am worried that the the CST's will relegate my beautiful SVS's to the back burner.
Down the rabbit hole I go.... 
Maybe the SVS's will be contenders for a second fight after GR-Upgrade.

The SVS speakers are good speakers but they will never be able to match what the planar tweet in the CST-1 can do.  It's a simple matter of better technology.

[AverageNiceGuy]

The SVS speakers are good speakers but they will never be able to match what the planar tweet in the CST-1 can do.  It's a simple matter of better technology.

Thanks Tyson,
I certainly wasn't expecting the planar's to be this good, but they are certainly convincing me that my expectations were wrong... minute after minute of listening, they are continuing to convince me my presumptions were wrong about "flat tweeters".

And, I haven't done the Sonicap upgrade yet, or resistor upgrade, or whatever Danny with GR-Research is sending me in the upgrades for these CST-1's,

And I'm embarrassed to admit, I'm still running them on "hardware store zip-cable", and worse, I currently have the zip-cable folded over and shoved into the speaker's tube-connectors... it's been a busy week. 

I plan to change cable to Belden 5000UP 12 AWG 2C Cable Hi-Flex In-Wall Speaker Wire, and install the proper male tube connectors on that cable this weekend 5/9/20.
https://www.parts-express.com/belden-5000up-12-awg-2c-cable-hi-flex-in-wall-speaker-wire-cl3-500-ft-usa--102-1176?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhtT1BRCiARIsAGlY51KTDKwOha8ilp7hd4-ZP5aZQaQWIbprGSl54ECnGc4mb8XvK07X_xIaAle6EALw_wcB

I'm not ready yet to spend larger amounts of money on cable.
Perhaps I should be convinced to try cable better than the Belden 5000UP?
I was a little embarrassed when Danny with GR-Research mentioned that my "Blue Jeans, Belden Cable" was "economy cable".
Anyway, it's kinda fun to experience the improvements in steps.

[corndog71]

Yeah, what you bought is essentially a thicker version of what you were already using.  While you may get some improved bass, I've found thick zip cord to kind of dull the high frequencies.  It's a small difference though.  For better speaker wire I usually recommend Kimber 4VS.  At least for anyone who is curious about getting a little more resolution from their rig.  If you're happy with what you have don't sweat it.

[Tyson]

Cables only get you that last 10%, the big 90% gains are the speakers themselves (and the room).  For good speaker cable that's pretty cheap, I like these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-12TC-24-Strands-PTFE-OCC-Copper-Home-Theater-HIFI-Audio-Speaker-Cable/392779347600?hash=item5b73793690:g:cLcAAOSwz5hbsHzr

Note it's sold in 1m increments, so if you need an 9 foot run, you need to order 3 meters, times 2.  Or 6m total.

[corndog71]

Cables only get you that last 10%, the big 90% gains are the speakers themselves (and the room).  For good speaker cable that's pretty cheap, I like these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-12TC-24-Strands-PTFE-OCC-Copper-Home-Theater-HIFI-Audio-Speaker-Cable/392779347600?hash=item5b73793690:g:cLcAAOSwz5hbsHzr

Note it's sold in 1m increments, so if you need an 9 foot run, you need to order 3 meters, times 2.  Or 6m total.

I'm pretty sure that's Kounterfeit Kable.

[WGH]

For better speaker wire I usually recommend Kimber 4VS.  At least for anyone who is curious about getting a little more resolution from their rig.  If you're happy with what you have don't sweat it.

I have been using Kimber 4VS forever, for me they just work and I don't have any anxiety about changing. Over the years I have had different brands of loaners and the different sound is always a shrug, a little better, a little worse and always more expensive.

Kimber Kable 4VS has an aggregate wire size of 2-13 AWG, a double run has an aggregate wire size of 2-10 AWG. 10 AWG is the sweet spot for me, any less and the very low bass is attenuated. The test recording was "Temple Caves" from Mickey Hart's Planet Drum. A single run of Kimber has pretty good bass, a double run made the old, single pane glazed windows rattle. [Salk HT2-TL +/- 3dB 34Hz]

If your speakers don't have strong output below 40 Hz then the wire gauge may not make any difference at all and 13 AWG may work just fine.

[AverageNiceGuy]

I have been using Kimber 4VS forever, for me they just work and I don't have any anxiety about changing. Over the years I have had different brands of loaners and the different sound is always a shrug, a little better, a little worse and always more expensive.
Kimber Kable 4VS has an aggregate wire size of 2-13 AWG, a double run has an aggregate wire size of 2-10 AWG. 10 AWG is the sweet spot for me, any less and the very low bass is attenuated. The test recording was "Temple Caves" from Mickey Hart's Planet Drum. A single run of Kimber has pretty good bass, a double run made the old, single pane glazed windows rattle. [Salk HT2-TL +/- 3dB 34Hz]
If your speakers don't have strong output below 40 Hz then the wire gauge may not make any difference at all and 13 AWG may work just fine.

Cool info, thanks for sharing your experience and advice.
I'll look into the 4VS.
Thanks

[lincolnmat]

I have used Kimber products for years. I started with 8VS when I had Magneplanar III speakers and when I bought Apogee Stages I switched to internal bi-wired 12TC (because my speakers were missing jumpers for the bass and upper jacks) and moved the 8VS to my surround speakers. Both the VS and TC lines come in 4, 8, or 12 conductor pairs. Their new Carbon I think even comes in 16.

[Groovin]

Where can i get banana ends to fit #2 ? I have the cable

[AverageNiceGuy]

I have used Kimber products for years. I started with 8VS when I had Magneplanar III speakers and when I bought Apogee Stages I switched to internal bi-wired 12TC (because my speakers were missing jumpers for the bass and upper jacks) and moved the 8VS to my surround speakers. Both the VS and TC lines come in 4, 8, or 12 conductor pairs. Their new Carbon I think even comes in 16.

Thanks for the info lincolnmat,
It looks like better cables will be part of my future upgrade.
I am planning to do a bit of listening between upgrade stages, as it will be entertaining for me to experience the changes.

[lincolnmat]

I only am saying what I have experience with. The TC was a bit of a change from the VS. It is the same wire, but with a different dielectric which also allows the TC to be braided in a more tight weave. The capacitance and reluctance specs are quite different between the two cables. It really changes the sound profile. The TC has much more prominent highs. I thought it almost too bright to begin with, but it became more neutral after a while.

I have never heard the speaker cable that Danny sells.