[Adamay]

I'm very intrigued with this OB thing, and the DIY Silver Iris + Augie seems to be an easy entry.  I am looking for comparisons with other speakers, not necessarily other OB designs. I'm a bit concerned about some descriptions saying the SI lacks detail in comparison to other speakers, but the references are very vague and non-specific. I am having trouble finding careful comparisons to specific speakers, so any info would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Hello Adamay,
Although I've not done a direct A/B comparo in the same room/same day, with the Hawthorne vs. XXXX brand/model, I've heard many different speakers ranging from inexpensive to very expensive. I couldn't be happier with my drivers. The price/value ratio is over the top.
The Silver Iris drivers seemed to have impressed everyone that's heard them.I firmly believe OB is the way to go. 100%.
Regarding the the lack of detail ...  ... I've heard these drivers emanate content that I've MISSED when listening on other drivers. I couldn't imagine anyone thinking they lacked detail (I'd like to hear what they're being compared to that has greater detail!!)

Check your PM. (in a few minutes)

Bob

[gooberdude]

I think the statement that the SI's have an issue with detail retrieval is bunch of bologna     

But because these speakers will 'tell' on any garbage & bad equipment in front of it, its easy to see how people can have difft opinions on these.   they are extremely transparent in that they sound only as good as the rest of your gear.  Now in comparison to ultra-uber kinder OB drivers these may be lacking, but i would have no clue...  they sure seem a LOT easier to integrate into a room than some OB drivers i've looked into & read about.

i just switched from an updated pair of Thiel CS2 speakers, these are a 3 way design with an 8" Vifa woofer.    There's simply no contest, the SI's are much more enjoyable and the detail retrieval is the best i've heard from any speaker.  the pin-point imaging is an attribute i didn't think OB pulled off, these do in a big way.  seems like very day the stage gets wider and deeper, wider & deeper.  My drivers are a month old...     I've also had a cool pair of A/D/S 710/2 monitors and some Merlin monitor knock-offs.  I still prefer the SI's, though the A/D/S are quite amazing.

being a newbie, i haven't heard every design and can't even compare these to other OB drivers....but as a complete newbie to OB i'd recomend these in a big, big way to someone who is interested in the jump.  $30 worth of felt, 2 - 2'x2' pieces of 3/4" thick Birch ply & 4 - $1 shelf supports you buy at Home Depot is all that's needed to get you goin'.  Get some gasket material, damp & isolate the shelf supports & felt away....

If you've heard the large magnepans, the SI's are similar.  they are lightning fast but still have deep bass.

Issues that people may have stated with the SI's might be due to a # of variables: gear, baffles, room acoustics, AC delivery, vibration control, etc, etc...     again, 96db sens OB speakers are gonna tell on all bad things up the chain.  that's not to say you need $10K in gear to run $300 speakers, but being careful about cabling & sources goes a long way toward SI satisfaction.

the SI's themselves are a lot of fun and i can't believe how much my enjoyment of this hobby has increased since the purchase.

now i'm gonna tag Bob back in the ring!!

no affiliation, just an elated customer.

lots of good info on hawthorne's forum too.  the proprietors of HA are a lot of fun too.


matt

[doorman]

The Visaton B200's in OB sound very nice indeed! (and no crossover!)
                                                                            Don

                                                       

[nodiak]

Hi Adamay, Big question, but I'll blab about some experience, since I'm waiting for the laundry to dry  .
I've had the original SI's with the factory xo and recently a new pair with the HGD xo's. The new ones are better in that they allow more detail. I've also had the Hawthorne Augies and used them with several widerange drivers on ob - Fostex FE108ez, Hemp 8, B200 were the standouts. Also have used Fostex FE107 and FE167 on ob with boxed bass system using 8" Vifa's and 12" subdrivers.
It (of course) comes down to taste and room and gear. I'm not a cheeleader for any one speaker as I enjoyed aspects of several of these.
The Augie's with FE108's was great as they each excelled in their range xo ~ 300hz. 108's have the best treble of any widerange I've tried imo. But I can't afford the high $ drivers to put them to the test. Several people use the 108's in mltl systems, maybe you've seen these at diyaudio. Adding a sub would make a nice system. The Augies are very dynamic, with a low placement the can really thunder.
B200's were my first ob love, good bass in my smaller room, aggressive mids that I liked at the time. The bsc circuits discussed on it's threads would make them more linear. Mr. C on Decware has really dialed in his B200's over the years, worth looking there for info.
Hemp 8's were my pick over the B200's because of a sweeter midrange. When removing the dustcap to add phase plugs the whizzer came off with it so I ran with that. Now I use them as a midwoofer crossed over to a Scanspeak tweeter.
There's alot of cabinets I haven't tried that are discussed at diyaudio. Especially the BIB variations intrigue me. I hope to try that with the Hemps at some point. It's also worth checking out Planet10, alot of experience goes into the designs there.
I'm also very intrigued by Danny's designs at GR Research. I hope to scare up some more audio $ to try one later this year.
I'm using the SI's now as they allow bass to ~50hz, then I bring in a sub for bottom octaves. Using a tube amp on the SI's I can find a wide range of satisfying (usually  ) tones via tube rolling. They have decent treble so are complete from 50ish hz on up. That's a big attraction if you aren't into tinkering. Works great, I actually find these big drivers to be pretty clear, and definitely relaxing at the same time. Easy to set up, just takes a simple baffle. They fill up the soundstage very well which is great. The hemps couldn't go low enough on ob, and after adding the tweeter I didn't want to get any more complicated. They also sounded great in an aperiodic cab, not transparent as ob's can get, but not overly boxy either, just more body to them.
What speakers have you had and liked? If you can come up with specific issues for your room, gear, and tastes it would help you get replies and be able to choose. But really it's a wide open issue. You might spend several years trying different ideas.
Don't be bummed if there's limited responses, these issues have been discussed and battled over for a long time, lots of us are a bit leary of stirring the pot.
Don

[Adamay]

Thanks, everybody for your responses.  Nodiak suggested that I summarize my system/room/music preferences, and I think that makes sense.  My system is below.  I'm pretty happy with my current speakers but am very curious about the OB designs, especially as everybody is raving about how good many sound.  My music leans toward jazz, blues, traditional folk, and quirky rock, with some classical thrown in.  Room is 12 x 24.  I don't have the resources to run through a bunch of OB designs.  Thanks again for your advice!

System:  Vecteur D-2 transport --> Altmann Attraction dac --> Don Allen custom tube pre --> Nuforce Ref 8.02 mono's (input impedance modded to mate well with the tube pre) --> DIY GR-Research Paradox 3 speakers (upgraded internal wiring, upgraded cross-over), with VH-Audio Chela speaker cables & DIY cottoned silver IC's.  Vinyl system is Heybrook TT-2, with modded RB-250 arm & Grado Sonata cart, Grado phono pre, but I listen mostly to the digital system since getting the Altmann dac (it's that good). 

[nodiak]

The SI's are a good choice imo as you have a tube pre for tone control, which to me gives any speaker/system multiple personalites. If you aren't going to experiment alot and want ob's then they are a safe bet for a one shot approach. 

[gooberdude]

Thanks, everybody for your responses.  Nodiak suggested that I summarize my system/room/music preferences, and I think that makes sense.  My system is below.  I'm pretty happy with my current speakers but am very curious about the OB designs, especially as everybody is raving about how good many sound.  My music leans toward jazz, blues, traditional folk, and quirky rock, with some classical thrown in.  Room is 12 x 24.  I don't have the resources to run through a bunch of OB designs.  Thanks again for your advice!

System:  Vecteur D-2 transport --> Altmann Attraction dac --> Don Allen custom tube pre --> Nuforce Ref 8.02 mono's (input impedance modded to mate well with the tube pre) --> DIY GR-Research Paradox 3 speakers (upgraded internal wiring, upgraded cross-over), with VH-Audio Chela speaker cables & DIY cottoned silver IC's.  Vinyl system is Heybrook TT-2, with modded RB-250 arm & Grado Sonata cart, Grado phono pre, but I listen mostly to the digital system since getting the Altmann dac (it's that good). 

WOW~~~~   the SI's would be a lot of fun given what you'd mate it with...


what do you think of CheLa?   Its the only cable besides Anti-cable that i'm interested in.   

[Adamay]

Hey, Gooberdude.  The CheLa cables are outstanding!  They easily bested my previous cables, a set of DIY braided teflon-dialectric CAT-5 copper (and I had thought those cables were outstanding).  The CheLa cables have more extension at both ends, and are more transparent & musical throughout.  They take a little work to terminate, but they're really not that tough to do (took me about a couple of hours total).

[Bob in St. Louis]

Adamay, nice toys you got there. aa
Does your room have any treatments? Do you have any pics?
(We love pics )

Bob

[gooberdude]

That's good to hear about CheLa, CV sais its a 'weekend' project.    My fingers still have bloody blisters from all the CAT5 recipes i tried way back when.


Glad to hear you like them, its quite a different design.  Most reports i've heard from people express the same sentiments...     So far, all the Chris Venhaus cabling i've used/owned has been outrageously musical.