[poseidonsvoice]

Hi Danny,

Barring the differences in low end response, and sensitivity, what would be differences in sound quality with these two loudspeaker kits? The finished cost for both of these speakers are rather close. Paying close attention to the in room 'power response' of both of these speakers should give us a clue, but I would rather get advice from the designer himself! Bear in mind I also have a pair of Adire Audio Koda 10 inch sealed subwoofers with 4th order L/R crossover as well as parametric equalization so I can set the crossover as low as 50 Hz and as high as 150 Hz and therefore, low bass is really not an issue  .  I'm rather surprised by the lack of commotion about the O-3 loudspeaker. I believe this to be a fantastic design similar to Linkwitz' Pluto. Open Baffle sound for low cost!  aa

Thanks,
Anand.

[Danny Richie]

I'm rather surprised by the lack of commotion about the O-3 loudspeaker. I believe this to be a fantastic design similar to Linkwitz' Pluto. Open Baffle sound for low cost!

You are correct. However the O-3 uses much better drivers.

Barring the differences in low end response, and sensitivity, what would be differences in sound quality with these two loudspeaker kits?

The O-3 works best well out into a room and away from boundaries. It provides the best imaging and sound stage and sounds more like a big speaker than a small one.

The low end output of the O-3 is adjustable giving it greater flexibility.

The highs form the Neo 3 pdr are up a notch as well over the A/V-3. Detail levels, resolution, all favor the O-3.

The O-3 is more transparent as well and does not have any hints of coloration or boxiness from the enclosure.

The A/V-3 has it beat in power handling and higher output levels. It also plays a little lower.

[poseidonsvoice]

The O-3 works best well out into a room and away from boundaries. It provides the best imaging and sound stage and sounds more like a big speaker than a small one

Okay, so how does 2 feet distance from each wall sound like? Too close for comfort?

The A/V-3 has it beat in power handling and higher output levels. It also plays a little lower.

I agree. However with a pair of 10 inch Adire Koda sealed subwoofers (18 mm Xmax one way  ) I think I'll be okay in the power handling department and low end department as well. My room isn't huge (12 feet wide by 20 feet deep X 10 foot ceiling), I figure the O-3's should be able to play pretty well in here.

Sounds like the O-3 is the better speaker especially for us 2 channel audiophiles 

Anand.

[Danny Richie]

Okay, so how does 2 feet distance from each wall sound like? Too close for comfort?

The closer you get to the walls the more the walls will need to be treated to minimize reflections. 2 feet is pretty close.

Sounds like the O-3 is the better speaker especially for us 2 channel audiophiles

That little speaker is the real deal.

[Milehighguy]

I heard the O-3 at RMAF and was very impressed. I said at the time that it was the best bang-for -buck at the show. It sounds very much like the OB-7, with less low end extention of course. If you have the space and a good sub, it's a no-brainer. Gotta love that tweeter!

[Danny Richie]

For some music I had several guys at the show that actually preferred them over the OB-7's. They worked really well in the room at the show (13' by 19').

[poseidonsvoice]

The closer you get to the walls the more the walls will need to be treated to minimize reflections. 2 feet is pretty close.

Okay. Well, my room is 12 feet wide by 20 feet. So I can set them up on the other side, so that they have plenty of room from the side walls and pull them out about 3-4 feet and fire them straight out (since they were meant to be listened to off axis!).  Did you have the speakers set up on the 13 foot side or the 19 foot side at the show?

Anand.

[Danny Richie]

We had them on the 13' wall and pretty much aimed straight into the room.

[nodiak]

Danny, do you have a magic wand to make the O-3's ~90db so my 20 watt amp will drive them? 
Don

[poseidonsvoice]

Danny, do you have a magic wand to make the O-3's ~90db so my 20 watt amp will drive them? 
Don

Don,

You kind of nailed it on the head! The A/V-3's are more sensitive than the O-3's because the GR woofers are wired in parallel hence a 6dB sensitivity increase (which drops a little with the baffle compensation). However, the O-3's are effectively a 3 way. The 2nd woofer is rolled off with a 1st order crossover at a low frequency which helps with the baffle compensation. I figure that's just under 200 Hz judging by the impedance curve that Danny posted elsewhere. However, front woofer (on top) and the tweeter have a crossover ~ 1800 Hz between them. So you lose some efficiency. Hence 86dB.

Correct me if I'm wrong Danny...

Anand.

[Danny Richie]

You're pretty close. It is actually a true three way as there is a low pass only filter on the rear woofer and there is an adjustable high pass filter on the front woofer. They cross at a little less than 200Hz and they do overlap each other quite a bit.

Danny, do you have a magic wand to make the O-3's ~90db so my 20 watt amp will drive them?

They work well with my 50 watt mono-blocks in a large room. 20 watts will still work well with them in a smaller room.

You could always build out the OB-5's. They're 91db.

[poseidonsvoice]

Others who are reading this thread...

Notice how Danny crosses this little 5.25 inch driver low at 1800 Hz. He crosses it over while the driver is still in piston and not beaming all over the place. These are little details that show up in how beautiful his power response curves are. It also makes for a much better, 'easier' to listen to speaker. My North Creek Okara's are dialed in at about 1800 Hz as well. Never ever sounds forward. Of course the BG ribbon can go pretty low.I've seen other designers push a 5 inch driver up to 4 khz just to crossover to a tweeter that can't go low enough. Ever heard of the Proac Response 2.5 designed by Stewart Tyler? The SS 8545 was never meant to be crossed over that high and the SS 8513 tweeter is a little 3/4 inch dome that is meant for 3Khz and beyond.

I gotta stop monologueing  ...

Anand.

[nodiak]

I've been following the designs -esp. A/V3, OB-5,and the upfiring ones. Have had 2 upfiring designs (Decware Radial 1.5's, and diy John C0ckcroft 4" tl's) and like the way they fill a room without any frontal assault or strict sweet spot. Danny's look sweet and I believe the reports. Nice and simple towers too. My room is 11.5'w x 26.5' long. Speakers can be up to 7' out, but under 3' to side walls, 1st reflection treatment makes it ok.
Think 20 watts could work? I will consider the O-3's, same with the A/V-0's?
Don  

[Danny Richie]

The A/V-O is a killer little speaker, but not quite the level of the O-3.

In a room the size of yours the 20 watts will be fine for a lot of music. Female vocals, piano, acoustic instruments, blue grass, jazz, and even soft rock, but if you plan on dropping in some Metallica and cranking it up then you are likely going to run out of juice before you hit and solid levels.

[nodiak]

Yah, I need the head room. What about the Neo 3S (A/V-3 with neo3 pdr) - does it inch closer to the O-3's clarity/transparency?

[Danny Richie]

Yah, I need the head room. What about the Neo 3S (A/V-3 with neo3 pdr) - does it inch closer to the O-3's clarity/transparency?

It has the clarity and detail (great sound), and it has good sensitivity (91db range), but it doesn't quite have the transparency of the omni-direction models.

[nodiak]

That helps. Cool, think I'm getting them in order now. Take care.