[FredT300B]

These are the first speakers I have owned that are definitely "keepers". Every other speaker that has been in my system has had some characteristic I didn't like, such as a lack of dynamics and bass impact with Maggie 3.6's, laid back character with Vandersteens, tubby bass and a lack of treble resolution with Klipsch Cornwalls, etc. These are the first for which I can find nothing of any substance to criticize. The bass is simultaneously tight and dynamic, so that the bass drum in the Holst Suite # 1 for symphonic winds is absloutely startling, and the organ pedals in the Delos "Pictures at an Exhibition" organ transcription are earth-shaking. These are the ported version of the XT-8, so the in-room bass respone is flat down to 40 hz - a sub isn't needed. What's really important to consider here is not the 40 hz bottom limit but the fact that sixteen 7" woofers will play 40 hz REALLY LOUD and clear. The speakers' character is tilted toward the warm side rather than the analytical side and the treble is crystal clear - very comparable to the Maggie 3.6's ribbons but about 10dB more sensitive. There is no audible transition from the cone woofers to the ribbon tweeters. The soundstage is HUGE, yet little miss Norah breathes seductively in my ear as she whispers "come away with me" from an intimate spot on an imaginary bearskin rug dead center between the speakers.

I have tried various amps and found the XT-8's are happier with tubes than solid state (sold my DK amp yesterday) and happiest with single ended triodes. Forty to fifty watts seems about right. They will play with a 3.5 watt pair of Bottlehead Paramours, just as a Ferrari will go down the highway with a 1.8 liter Honda Civic engine. A 300B is better but it still doesn't do them justice. I'm currently using a pair of ASL 845 monoblocks which sound great and will play loud enough for almost anyone else, but double their 22 watts would be about right to exploit all these speakers' capabilities.

Picture at http://fredt300b.smugmug.com/gallery/132721/2/27073926

[NealH]

Nice comments and, nice looking speakers.  Them are some big boys.  How far are you sitting from the speaker plane on these?

[FredT300B]

How far are you sitting from the speaker plane on these?

The listening position is 13 ft from the front plane of the speakers, and the distance to the back wall behind the listener is another 14'. I have listened to the Linus 2 arrays in a smaller upstairs room, where the distance to the speakers is only 9 ft. That worked ok, but 8 or 9 ft is about the closest I would want to sit to a large pair of line arrays. The big compromise with the XT-8's is their 38" distance from the wall to the front plane. Four or five ft would probably be better, but the room wasn't designed for audio and that's the most I can pull them out. The other problem is the fact that every corner in the room really is a doorway to an adjacent room, which minimizes bass reinforcement. Many other smaller speakers have sounded anemic in this room.

[goon-heaven]

Thanks for the helpful review - just makes waiting all the harder.

I reckon only another 6 crossovers and 6 monoblocks might fill your hunger for power. Each monblock would feed series pairs of woofers/tweeters.

[FredT300B]

I reckon only another 6 crossovers and 6 monoblocks might fill your hunger for power. Each monblock would feed series pairs of woofers/tweeters.

Yep, that would do it. The problem with 22 watt SET amps like mine is that they really don't produce 22 clean watts. I recently sent them over to the SET experts at Audio Mirror in Houston http://www.audiomirror.com/ to have the coupling caps upgraded, and they tested them afterward. They really will do 22 watts - at 40% distorition!  So the first 7 watts are great, the next 7 watts are nice, and the final 7 watts have a high level of even order harmonic distortion. I have listened to them with a 55 watt KT-88 push-pull Ella amp, and its undistorted 55 watts will drive them to the highest levels anyone would ever want to listen to. But I'm SET in my ways (pun intended) so I'll stick with the 845's for now.

[LAL]

Fred,

How do the Selahs  compare to the Pi speakers you have?

Larry

[gme109]

These are the first speakers I have owned that are definitely "keepers". Every other speaker that has been in my system has had some characteristic I didn't like, such as a lack of dynamics and bass impact with Maggie 3.6's, laid back character with Vandersteens, tubby bass and a lack of treble resolution with Klipsch Cornwalls, etc. These are the first for which I can find nothing of any substance to criticize. The bass is simultaneously tight and dynamic, so that the bass drum in the Holst Suite # 1 for s ...

Linearray's Rule! Once you hear them, well, everything else  just Sucks.

Happy listening

[FredT300B]

How do the Selahs compare to the Pi speakers you have?
Larry

The XT-8's are better in every way except sensitivity, but don't forget you are comparing a kit that's priced in the high $3,000's to one that's less than $500 for the pair (and are much easier to build).

Two things these kits do have in common is that both are high sensitivity speakers that can be used with low power amps, and both have the power handling capacity to be used with higher power amps too. This separates them from Fostex and Lowther based speakers that have good sensitivity but not much power handling capacity. Their greatest dissimalarity lies in the fact that the Vifa XT-8 woofers are better in almost every way than the Eminence Delta LF woofer and the Fountek ribbons are more revealing than the Eminence compression horn tweeter.

This raises an interesting question that hasn't been asked: If my budget were $500 maximum would the Pi Speakers 3 Pi or the Selah Audio SA-1 be a better choice? I have not heard the SA-1, but I'm very familiar with the drivers that are used in it. Here's the answer: If I were buying the speakers for use with a flea powered amp the 3 Pi would be the only choice (98dB efficiency for the 3 Pi versus 86dB for the SA-1). But if I were buying them for use with a 30 watt or greater amp I would expect better midrange and treble clarity plus better imaging from the SA-1. I also expect the SA-1 bass would be tighter and better defined. I would buy the SA-1.

[doug s.]

Yep, that would do it. The problem with 22 watt SET amps like mine is that they really don't produce 22 clean watts. I recently sent them over to the SET experts at Audio Mirror in Houston http://www.audiomirror.com/ to have the coupling caps upgraded, and they tested them afterward. They really will do 22 watts - at 40% distorition! So the first 7 watts are great, the next 7 watts are nice, and the final 7 watts have a high level of even order harmonic distortion. I have listened to them with a 55 watt KT-88 push-pull Ella amp, and its undistorted 55 watts will drive them to the highest levels anyone would ever want to listen to. But I'm SET in my ways (pun intended) so I'll stick with the 845's for now.

since yure in houston, why not get vlad of audio mirror to loan ya a pair of 40w 6c33c set monoblocks for audition?  i have a pair of these, & they're really nice amps.

doug s.

[FredT300B]

since yure in houston, why not get vlad of audio mirror to loan ya a pair of 40w 6c33c set monoblocks for audition?  i have a pair of these, & they're really nice amps.
doug s.

Good suggestion. I have heard the Audio Mirror preamp but not the Audio Mirror amps. Vlad demoed one of his preamps at a Hous Audio Society meeting and two members ordered them the next week. One other member who has a magabuck system told me he borrowed an Audio Mirror pre and preferred it to the $13K solid state pre that's now in his system. So the amps must be ok too. If Vlad is at the HAS meeting Saturday I'll ask him about it.

[doug s.]

Good suggestion. I have heard the Audio Mirror preamp but not the Audio Mirror amps. Vlad demoed one of his preamps at a Hous Audio Society meeting and two members ordered them the next week. One other member who has a magabuck system told me he borrowed an Audio Mirror pre and preferred it to the $13K solid state pre that's now in his system. So the amps must be ok too. If Vlad is at the HAS meeting Saturday I'll ask him about it.

well of *course* someone would prefer vlad's pre over a solid-state pre - it's got *tubes* in it!    i've never heard his pre, but, fwiw, he yust adwertized one on agon.  $649 ain't bad for a tubed pre w/remote:

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1125810361



doug s.

[gme109]

well of *course* someone would prefer vlad's pre over a solid-state pre - it's got *tubes* in it!    i've never heard his pre, but, fwiw, he yust adwertized one on agon.  $649 ain't bad for a tubed pre w/remote:

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1125810361



doug s.

Well $699. But regardless, if this thing sounds as good as it looks, this is a smoking deal.

[doug s.]

...Well $699. But regardless, if this thing sounds as good as it looks, this is a smoking deal.

oops, sorry about the misquote on the price.  

in my dealings w/vlad, he seems to be quite the reasonable guy.  i auditioned his non-os dac (which is alse wery reasonably priced) - he yust shipped it to me, no questions asked.  tho i still preferred my modded art di/o, i don't think this speaks badly at all about the audiomirror dac; i think it speaks more to those who prefer sampled dacs vs those who prefer non-os dacs.  my feelings about these two dacs pretty-much mirror (no pun intended!   ) the opinions of folks who have compared other non-os dacs to os dacs...  if yure at all interested in (or awreddy like) non-os dacs, i would certainly recommend auditioning the audiomirror dac.

doug s.

[Rocket]

Hi Doug,

Gee, there seems to be so many hifi products available in the us, it is hard to keep up with what is available.

Are the kav products made in the us? or are they assemble in china?  they seem awfully inexpensive if they are made in the states.

Regards

Rod

[NealH]

Doug, can you give us a couple comments on the sound character of mirror dac.  I have not heard one, or any non-os dac for that matter,  but the descriptive comments which seem to consistently appear are very smooth (perhaps  overly so) and natural, with limited extension and dynamics.  Would you say this roughly applies for this non-os dac?

[FredT300B]

Members of the Houston Audio Society heard the XT8's for the first time today driven by various single ended triode amplifiers ranging from 22 watt 845 monoblocks to a 5 watt KT88 stereo amp. At the end of the first demo disk, the Telarc label Holst Suite in E-flat for symphonic winds by the Cleveland Symphonic Winds, there was a standing applause, which means quite a bit from this group of experienced listeners.  

[Rick Craig]

Members of the Houston Audio Society heard the XT8's for the first time today driven by various single ended triode amplifiers ranging from 22 watt 845 monoblocks to a 5 watt KT88 stereo amp. At the end of the first demo disk, the Telarc label Holst Suite in E-flat for symphonic winds by the Cleveland Symphonic Winds, there was a standing applause, which means quite a bit from this group of experienced listeners.  

Did they realize that it wasn't a live concert?  

That's the first time I've had that kind of reaction to my speakers  

[FredT300B]

[quote="Rick Craig
Did they realize that it wasn't a live concert?  
That's the first time I've had that kind of reaction to my speakers  [/quote]

I believe most of them were aware that it was not a live concert, but only because most have seen and heard the Houston symphony and realize 100 players could not fit into my listening room. But just to be sure I will ask the member who was here and owns a pair of Alpha LS arrays  

[Bingenito]

Rick's arrays are the real deal. The comments above do not surprise me one bit

[gme109]

Members of the Houston Audio Society heard the XT8's for the first time today driven by various single ended triode amplifiers ranging from 22 watt 845 monoblocks to a 5 watt KT88 stereo amp. At the end of the first demo disk, the Telarc label Holst Suite in E-flat for symphonic winds by the Cleveland Symphonic Winds, there was a standing applause, which means quite a bit from this group of experienced listeners.  

Did they realize that it wasn't a live concert?  

That's the first time I've had that kind of reaction to my speakers  

No it's not. Although no one bared witness to my reactions, I've stood and applauded for the Excelarray's plenty of times.