[Jdstrong]

Folks,

I am considering a speaker upgrade, and I’d welcome any input and suggestions.

Use profile: 70 % home theater. For the 30% when I do  have a chance for 2 channel listening, I am looking for a project to significantly improve my system.

My starting point: LCR are Adire kits from many years ago. They work fine, but are clearly not audiophile quality. Single 15” ported sub. AVR 1s for rear speakers - installed position is not optimal, but best I can  do for now subject to decor criteria. All driven by a relatively current Denton AVR . I do occasionally play my old vinyl, but mostly for nostalgic reasons. Mostly enjoy CDs or Apple Music (great selection of high quality streaming, and so convenient….)

My constraints:  Room treatments are highly unlikely due to decor constraints. The sub is eventually intended to be in a down-firing end table, and when I complete that, I perhaps could relocate it. But the current location does not seem to be a problem. Budget, let’s say $1,500 for parts for LCR. 

My objective: Find a speaker building project that will significantly boost my system quality for my occasional 2 channel listening, and will still work well for HT.

 My questions: Maybe NX Studio? What, if anything would I do for a center Chanel? Can’t move LR mains too much, is the current location OK for NX Studios? Single sub workable?

Maybe XSLS for mains? Or X MTM? For a center, a single XLS Encore? or X-CS  ? Any thoughts on how much of an upgrade this would be?


Maybe another ribbon design such as Paul Carmody Speedster or Speedster TMM? Or Philharmonic BMR? For these, what to do for a center?

Maybe a newer stand mount design similar to Reval M105 with a tweeter wavegiuide?  I don’t see complete kits for this option, so I would have to rely on DIY community, and I would be concerned about the risk of  not getting it right.

Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[corndog71]

For the ultimate performance, I would suggest a pair of NX-Studios.  Forget the center channel.

For a still great system consider 3 X-CS for LCR.  These are sealed and still have decent bass.

[Tyson]

X-Static and X-Voce would fit the budget.  Once you hear what good OB speakers can do in a HT, you won't ever go back:

https://gr-research.com/product/x-statik-kit/

https://gr-research.com/product/x-voce-kit/

[Jdstrong]

Thanks,

Space is a bit constrained. How far out into the room should the X-static be?  The NX studio might fit better?

[Hafgrim]

Nxstudio only if you can remove the lows from them with your receiver. Beyond near field you can easily overdrive them with a movie's low frequency information.

[mick wolfe]

I agree. The NX Studio's would not be a great choice for HT use.  Now for 2 channel music only in a small to medium sized room, absolutely stunning. One of GR's multiple driver open baffle designs would be a better choice if you're trying to satisfy both music and HT. In the end, best to have a conversation with Danny or one of the guys at GR.

[Jdstrong]

Thanks for pointing that out! My AVR does allow me to select different crossover points (40 hz on up in 20 hz increments) for the fronts. That should work, shouldn’t it? The issue may be whether or not my single sub will be sufficient. Maybe improved bottom end could be a latter upgrade?

[mick wolfe]

I'm afraid I have to stick with the previous statement. If you view a lot of "action" type movies, you really want larger or multiple drivers to handle or better distribute the impact of these soundtracks. Throwing everything in the lap of a single 5.5" driver and companion tweeter is asking for trouble IMHO. And this issue can go above the bass regions in regard to impact and strain on a smaller driver and tweeter. This all said, the NX Studio Monitor can certainly play sufficiently loud in a reasonable setting. But that would be in a small to medium sized room using "music" sources.( vinyl, CD's, streaming, etc.) This would also best include fairly high level source components and amplification.

[Jdstrong]

Thanks Mick. You bring up points I had not really considered. I must say, the prospect of getting some OB performance from a smallish box that could be set not too far from the wall is very appealing. I’m not in a rush. Mainly just working on a plan for next steps. The listening space is not large, about 14 x 14, and open on one side as can be seen in the photo. I very much appreciate the thoughtful input. More work to do……

[Tyson]

Thanks,

Space is a bit constrained. How far out into the room should the X-static be?  The NX studio might fit better?

Remember with OB speakers you measure from the front of the cabinet, not from the rear.  Measured from the front of the speaker - 3 feet is ideal but 2 feet is doable.

[WGH]

Single 15” ported sub.
Single sub workable?

Nope.

When I think of a single homemade sub with a 15" driver, I think slooow. You will never get the NX Studio's to integrate seamlessly.

The idea of using the NX Studio with a 15" sub reminds me of Corey Greenberg's review of the NHT SuperZero loudspeaker & SW2 subwoofer.

NHT SuperZero loudspeaker & SW2 subwoofer review
https://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/804/index.html

I heard the Super Zero/SW2 sub combo at a local stereo store. The salesman was thrilled with the setup but to me it sounded like two different speakers trying to play the same song, the music couldn't figure out where it wanted to come from depending on the frequency.

How high up does the sub play? 130 Hz? If you want to give it a try then the review has directions how to make a high-pass filter for the NX Studio.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/nht-superzero-loudspeaker-sw2-subwoofer-page-7

[Jdstrong]

Not sure how high the sub will play, but what you say about integrating it with the NX Stiudio makes sense. From another thread, it sounded like a NX base module is a possibility to create a 3 way configuration. Maybe I should think in that direction? Relegate the sub to HT.

[Rocket_Ronny]

If you are going to put the speakers that close to the wall I would not go open baffle. Blurry imaging.

Rocket Ronny

[Rocket]

Hi,

Would a front ported speaker project work better for that room?

Cheers Rod

[Jdstrong]

Thanks for all the input! It is my understanding that the NX Studios are suitable to be close to the wall. Since in my case, the speakers are somewhat in a recess, that may well complicate things. I suppose I should check with Danny/ the GR team on this as suggested above.

And it seems I need a full range solution. I see there is discussion in another thread about a floor standing version and/or a bass module. That looks like it could be a possibility for me. I’ll be interested to see how that develops.

[mick wolfe]

Yep, your best option at this point is to consult with the guys over at GR Research.

[Tyson]

If the X-Statics are not an option then I'd go with a front-ported version of the X-MTM Encore:

[VinceT]

Any of the Encores are a great all rounder

I use my XLS Encores for both HT and 2 channel.