Old speakers died, time for some new

TK)956 · « **on:** 3 Mar 2010, 02:37 pm »

Hello all,

I am new to this site and have a few questions that I hope you can help me with. A few weeks ago while moving a friend that was helping kicked over one of my speakers and stepped through the woofer. Yes, he's still my friend.... They were old Advent Graduate IIIs anyway. Enough wallowing.

I've been looking at speakers since and have not been pleased with the usual suspects in a decent price range so I've decided to go DIY. I've read a lot and have been thinking of the GR series, specifically the NEO3. I would like advice from readers and posters who have built or heard some GR speakers. I'm not sure which kit to get since I've never heard any of the GR speakers or done any DIY speaker building.

I will be powering the speakers with a Creek 4330 and my listening room is a 15' x 30' living room dining room combo with vaulted ceilings. I listen to all types of music, but mostly rock and R&B, so I would like good bass response and clean highs.

If anyone has some advice on which models would be good for me it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ty

soewhatman · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 03:39 pm »

I have had the av-3 (dome tweeter version of the neo3) in 2 large rooms and have been very impressed with the price/performance ratio. They have good bass response, don't need a subwoofer for most music, are reasonably efficient, and sound great. They are an easy build, too.

The only catch is they need to be at least a couple of feet off the rear wall since the transmission line terminates in the back. They can, however, be built with the transmission line terminating in the front to eliminate that concern. That said, I have built a pair each way and listened to them in the same space, and I much prefer the rear termination with the speakers off the wall. I think this has to do with superior imaging more than anything else.

Danny's kit is really comprehensive, so all you would need in addition is a sheet of 3/4" mdf and finish materials. It would be very reasonable to build these complete for a budget of $500. If that fits your budget I would do it without hesitation.

Rick.

Ron · « **Reply #2 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 04:27 pm »

I too have built a pair of the AV-3's as well as the AV-1's plus a number of pairs of Neo 2X's. The AV-1's and the AV-3's both use a dome tweeter and the Neo 2X uses the magnetic planar tweeter They are all excellent sounding speakers, but I prefer the sound of the Neo 3 PDR tweeter over the dome tweeter. Very clean, transparent, and detailed. If you decide to build your own, I highly recommend going with at least the Sonicap capacitors, Mills resistors and No-Rez sound damping performance upgrades. Well worth the extra cost.

Since your listening room is fairly large, I would recommend either the Neo 3 or the Neo 2X with a single or possibly a pair of Servo Subwoofers.

S Clark · « **Reply #3 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 04:44 pm »

I've built the AV1, AV3, Neo2X, and am currently working on a pair of LS-9's.
Probably the Neo3 may be the most versatile and great bang for the buck. I agree that for most music, no sub is needed.
However, there are lots of fans of the open baffle series (OB5 &OB7).

TK)956 · « **Reply #4 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 05:26 pm »

Thanks for all the input guys. It is really appreciated. Ron, the speakers that you built are beautiful. The color is really sharp! What veneer did you use?

The thing that has me worried is the 30wpc that my Creek is putting out. I think that the high sensitivity of the Neo3 would probably be a good match (actually it's one reason I've been considering them). Should I be concerned?

S Clark, the open baffle OB5's are intriguing. I've never heard an open baffle speaker before or actually know what the benefit or detriment of an open baffle is. Of course the wife has already nixed the size and price of the OB5s so it's not even an issue with me. Maybe in the future....

Ty

Ron · « **Reply #5 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 05:58 pm »

Ty,

Thanks for the compliment. The speakers are finished in natural cherry veneer ( no stain) with a semi- gloss polyurethane topcoat. The thing I like about cherry is that it gets darker and more attractive with age.

The Neo 3's are fairly sensitivity speakers (90.5 db/1M/1W), so your 30 wpc amp should work very well with them. The Neo 2X's have a fairly low sensitivity (85 db/1M/1W), so 30 wpc may not be enough, especially in a large listening room. If you want good bass response, but don't want to use a subwoofer, then the Neo 3 would be the best choice in my opinion.

Ron

corndog71 · « **Reply #6 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 06:56 pm »

Quote from: TK)956 on 3 Mar 2010, 05:26 pm

S Clark, the open baffle OB5's are intriguing. I've never heard an open baffle speaker before or actually know what the benefit or detriment of an open baffle is. Of course the wife has already nixed the size and price of the OB5s so it's not even an issue with me. Maybe in the future....

Ty

The OB speakers are really something special. Have you ever heard electrostatic speakers like Martin Logans? The OBs are very similar. Compared to regular box speakers the OBs just sound bigger and more lifelike. If you can build them yourself I believe they are well worth the money and effort. Maybe if you can find a finish that your wife likes she might be more open-minded. AV123 also sells their version called the X-Statik which Danny designed. It's a bargain for the money in my opinion. One of these days I'm gonna get me a pair.

eclein · « **Reply #7 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 07:22 pm »

Ron you built those speakers in the photos?? WOW!!!!

Hank · « **Reply #8 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 08:16 pm »

Ty, here's what A/V-3's look like in rosewood veneer (love that veneer).
Unfinished right after I built them:

Finished in my Danish oil finish:

[/img]

Ron · « **Reply #9 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 08:38 pm »

Eclein - Yes. I built the speakers shown in the photographs.

Hank - Your AV-3's in Rosewood veneer look great. Nice job.

ebag4 · « **Reply #10 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 08:43 pm »

Ty,
I built a pair of the N3s for my sister. You space is a little larger than hers but I don't believe you will have any trouble filling your space with great sounds using the N3s. Depending on your listening habits you may or may not need a sub, my sister doesn't need one in her space. She is driving them with an old Sherwood 100wpc AVR and getting good sounds, your amp should do a really nice job.

Here is a pic:

I have used the same drivers (except the NEO was not the deep cup version) in a modified version of Danny's OB5. I ran these for a couple of years and they were excellent speakers. The thing with OBs is that you need to place them off the front wall a minimum of 3' and 4-5' is better. Here is a pic of my OBs:

I am currently waiting on the bass sections of my V-1 OBs. Every one of Danny's designs I have built have punched waaay above their weight (cost/value

), I would say you can't go wrong with any of his designs assuming your space is appropriate for the type of speaker you build.

Best,
Ed

Nick77 · « **Reply #11 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 08:50 pm »

The OB's rock but better count on 50-60 watts of power. Another vote for the N3's as best bang for the buck.

ebag4 · « **Reply #12 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 08:53 pm »

Quote from: Nick77 on 3 Mar 2010, 08:50 pm

The OB's rock but better count on 50-60 watts of power. Another vote for the N3's as best bang for the buck.

Good point Nick. I ran the MTM with a 25wpc tube amp but the 15" Augies each had their own plate amp.

Best,
Ed

Ron · « **Reply #13 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 09:07 pm »

Ebag4

Your N3's look great! What type of veneer did you use? You did a really nice job building them. I agree that you can't go wrong with any of Danny's designs. They all offer incredible value and performance.

Nick77 - Your OB7's look great too!

ebag4 · « **Reply #14 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 09:15 pm »

Quote from: Ron on 3 Mar 2010, 09:07 pm

Ebag4

Your N3's look great! What type of veneer did you use? You did a really nice job building them. I agree that you can't go wrong with any of Danny's designs. They all offer incredible value and performance.

Nick77 - Your OB7's look great too!

Thanks Ron, I have seen the various speakers you have built as well, very nice.

The veneer is a Sapele Pomelle, raw. Here is the thread I started after they were completed:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=75552.msg710604#msg710604

Best,
Ed

NeilT · « **Reply #15 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 10:22 pm »

Everyone, your speakers are beautiful. I am also new to this, and I am thinking about buying the OB-7 kit.
Nick77, are you happy with yours and do you or anyone else have any advise or thoughts for a new guy?

Thanks
Neil

persisting1 · « **Reply #16 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 10:55 pm »

If I were to build a pair of Danny's speakers today, I'd pick the OB-7s as well.

Good luck

Don't forget about a OB servo sub to match with the OB-7.

Quote from: NeilT on 3 Mar 2010, 10:22 pm

Everyone, your speakers are beautiful. I am also new to this, and I am thinking about buying the OB-7 kit.
Nick77, are you happy with yours and do you or anyone else have any advise or thoughts for a new guy?

Thanks
Neil

ebag4 · « **Reply #17 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 11:40 pm »

Quote from: NeilT on 3 Mar 2010, 10:22 pm

Everyone, your speakers are beautiful. I am also new to this, and I am thinking about buying the OB-7 kit.
Nick77, are you happy with yours and do you or anyone else have any advise or thoughts for a new guy?

Thanks
Neil

I am currently working on a pair of V-1s. If I wanted to go OB and didn't want to build one of the V series I would seriously consider taking the MTM section of the OB5 and put it on top of the OB servo subs, should be a killer combo!

Best,
Ed

NeilT · « **Reply #18 on:** 3 Mar 2010, 11:56 pm »

I just built a Rythmic Audio 15 inch servo sub and I am totally amazed by it's performance. I am hoping that it will blend well with the OB-7's.
It is the reason that I am even thinking about a DIY speaker kit. Brian Ding referred me to Danny.
If the outcome is anyway near to what I experienced with Brian's sub, I think that I am going to be a happy man. The bang for buck factor seems to be off the charts, from what I am reading on these posts.
Persisting1, what speakers do you have, and have you or anyone else heard the OB-7's?
or compared them to Danny's other stuff?

Thanks all for the replies.
Neil

persisting1 · « **Reply #19 on:** 4 Mar 2010, 02:15 am »

Quote from: NeilT on 3 Mar 2010, 11:56 pm

I just built a Rythmic Audio 15 inch servo sub and I am totally amazed by it's performance. I am hoping that it will blend well with the OB-7's.
It is the reason that I am even thinking about a DIY speaker kit. Brian Ding referred me to Danny.
If the outcome is anyway near to what I experienced with Brian's sub, I think that I am going to be a happy man. The bang for buck factor seems to be off the charts, from what I am reading on these posts.
Persisting1, what speakers do you have, and have you or anyone else heard the OB-7's?
or compared them to Danny's other stuff?

Thanks all for the replies.
Neil

Neil,

I've had a few speakers Danny that has been involved with. I owned the Usher Be-718s and loved them! I really wanted to try a pair of OB speakers from Danny, but didn't have the skills to build them myself.
I picked up a pair of x-statiks at a price I couldn't say no to. I also upgraded the crossovers. I've been so impressed with these speakers that I'm seriously thinking of having a pair of OB-7s made. If I could do it all over again, I'd build the OB-7 and get the driver/No Rez upgrades.
A pair of OB-7s will pair nicely with your Rythmik sub.