[scooter]

I am considering using the Alpha LS in a home theater but had a few questions I was hoping that Danny could answer. I was hoping to build the speakers into cabinetry and here are my questions.

1. Is it possible to make the enclosures larger and use front ports instead of the rear ports so that they can be built into cabinets, without sacrificing the sound integrity.
2. I intended to use another LS for the center channel behind a THX screen that would be just under 5 feet high. I was considering building three cabintes. The first for the woofers mounted horizontally across the screen. The other two for the Neo's angled down to the listening area. Would this type of setup yield excellent results or does the line source have to be in one single line due to the vertical bandwidth of the NEO's.

As I was going to use the system for multi-channel audio I was also going to make the rears LS's.

My other questions relate to power handling and also SPL ratings, what are the maximums for both ?

Looking forward to the answers.

[Danny Richie]

1. Is it possible to make the enclosures larger and use front ports instead of the rear ports so that they can be built into cabinets, without sacrificing the sound integrity.

In short, No.

But, ports could be relocated to the sides firing outward.

As for number 2: It does need to maintain the same front baffle design whether you lay it on its side or not.

The limitation to laying it on its side is that you are then limited to a horizontal coverage area that is equal to the length of the array.

Ideally, a curved array would be ideal.

As I was going to use the system for multi-channel audio I was also going to make the rears LS's.

Great idea.

My other questions relate to power handling and also SPL ratings, what are the maximums for both ?

Power handling is really high. 1000 watt peaks can be handled pretty easy.

High SPL's are pretty easy to hit too, and very cleanly. With just one pair you could hit clean peaks in the 120db plus range.

[scooter]

Thanks fro the reply.

I have another idea. I build a fake wall about four feet from the actual real wall. I put a door on the right hand side that goes to the equipment area. I build the LS's into the cabinet work all 3 all upright. The THX screen would also be built into the false wall. This would mean that there would be some space at the rear for the ports to work properly but they are completely hidden in the cabinets. The only down side to this strategy is the center channel which would have about 1 foot of framework covering part of the speakers and the fact that I will not be able to tow them in much if that is required. It would however give me a perfect sound field across the front.

I was also considering bi-amping them, are they suitable for doing this or should I simply run them with one large amp say 500watts rms.

Let me know what you think. I would be listening at theater reference levels in most cases and would run at least 2 subs for the LFE.

What attracts me most to the LS's is that it is rare to find a speaker that can reproduce bass and lower midrange detail with weight, impact and speed. Even though I haven't heard it I can see the potential for it producing some of the best bass and lower midrange possible.

[Danny Richie]

I have another idea. I build a fake wall about four feet from the actual real wall. I put a door on the right hand side that goes to the equipment area. I build the LS's into the cabinet work all 3 all upright. The THX screen would also be built into the false wall. This would mean that there would be some space at the rear for the ports to work properly but they are completely hidden in the cabinets. The only down side to this strategy is the center channel which would have about 1 foot of framework covering part of the speakers and the fact that I will not be able to tow them in much if that is required. It would however give me a perfect sound field across the front.

All that sounds fine, but you will also need to dampen the rear wall area behind the Alphas with some good sized tube traps and or damping material to minimize low end gain.

I was also considering bi-amping them, are they suitable for doing this or should I simply run them with one large amp say 500watts rms.

You get little gain from bi-amping this type of speaker. I single amp will work just fine.

What attracts me most to the LS's is that it is rare to find a speaker that can reproduce bass and lower midrange detail with weight, impact and speed. Even though I haven't heard it I can see the potential for it producing some of the best bass and lower midrange possible.

You are correct.

[scooter]

Thanks Danny.

Will be buying in around April this year. By the way do you actually need a sub with the Alpha's for home theater. I like refernce level listening and had intended to build a couple of IB bass units for the theater to accompany the alpha's (4 15" drivers a piece). So the question is, is it necessary and if it is a preferred option what is the best cross-over point for the Alpha's.

[scooter]

By the way the reason I was considering bi-amping is because I was going to build a few of the Aspen 100watt amps to drive the Alpha's and thought I would need at least 200 watts to reach reference levels. Would 100 Watts be enough to get around the 110db level from the Alpha's?

[GaryW]

The Alphas are 93db/W/M. At 3db for ea. doubling in power, I figure 64W for 110db @ 1M. Since the drop-off is linear with a line source, it would be 128W for 110db @ 2M... 100W should make your ears bleed in most rooms.

[Danny Richie]

Gary is right.

100 watts of good clean power goes a long way with these.

[Q]

Why if the Neo 8's can drop in flat response as rated to 500Hz, why is the Alpha LS crossing over at more than double that frequency?  I mean, Ideally, you'd like the neo's to go down to subwoofer levels to avoid crossover phase, level, and integration problems.