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DIY - Two kits using similar tweeter to Tekton

Hi Everyone,

There is a lot more to a speaker quality and sound than the brand of tweeter, but I wanted to get you excited about the idea of making your own. I try to post nice DIY projects or kits I find around the web every now and then. Every audiophile should build at least 1 pair of speakers in their lifetime!

Madisound in the US is now carrying a pair of kits, a 2-way and a 2.5 way from SB Acoustics. A very find Danish designer/Indonesian manufacturer trying to give ScanSpeak a run for their money for less.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/speaker-kits/satori-ara-2-way-speaker-kit-pair/

The normal markup on drivers in the store is 10:1. If you buy the complete kit you pay 4:1, so a big savings. These are very well liked parts, and the tweeter is uber smooth. This is not the kit to buy if you are enamored of Golden Ear or B&W or Dynaudio.

One big advantage of buying a kit like this is part rolling. You can buy it as is, and then try your hands with any exotic capacitor you like.

Also introduced recently is the 2.5 way design, with cabinets:

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/2.5-way-speaker-kits/satori-rinjani-2.5-way-speaker-kit-pair/

Best,


E
erik_squires
ericteh's avatar
ericteh
29 posts
 
I actually happen to have both the LS50 (passive) and the SB Acoustics Ara at home at the moment. The KEF is my personal pair, while the SB Acoustics is on loan at the moment.

My $0.02 worth is that the SB Acoustics is the better of the two to my ears, with better dimensionality and detail overall. The KEF has pinsharp imaging, and a softer top end. Both speakers fall into the warm and smooth category.

The KEF has a tendency to only come alive at higher volumes, while the Ara is happy to chug along at lower volumes. That being said, both speakers are not particularly sensitive and you need quite a lot of power. Let me know if you need more details.

I did speak to the local rep about Beryllium tweeters (they are a drop in replacement for the soft domes used in the Ara). He didn't think that they were a guaranteed improvement as he felt that they were so darn good, that they made the mid / woofer driver pale in comparison. Hmm, kind of reminded me of my ownership experience with the Focal Diablo Utopia when I had them. 

Regards

Eric
ericteh's avatar
ericteh
29 posts
 
I actually happen to have both the LS50 (passive) and the SB Acoustics Ara at home at the moment. The KEF is my personal pair, while the SB Acoustics is on loan at the moment.

My $0.02 worth is that the SB Acoustics is the better of the two to my ears, with better dimensionality and detail overall. The KEF has pinsharp imaging, and a softer top end. Both speakers fall into the warm and smooth category.

The KEF has a tendency to only come alive at higher volumes, while the Ara is happy to chug along at lower volumes. That being said, both speakers are not particularly sensitive and you need quite a lot of power. Let me know if you need more details.

I did speak to the local rep about Beryllium tweeters (they are a drop in replacement for the soft domes used in the Ara). He didn't think that they were a guaranteed improvement as he felt that they were so darn good, that they made the mid / woofer driver pale in comparison. Hmm, kind of reminded me of my ownership experience with the Focal Diablo Utopia when I had them. 

Regards

Eric
jmaculan
1 posts
 
I know this is an old thread... But there’s not much feedback on the Satori kits out there.

I recently built the Ara Be and it is an excellent speaker. The best I had in my system since I’ve started my quest 25 years ago... Still not fully broken in, but extremely resolving with holographic imaging.

Note: the beryllium tweeter has different specs than the soft done one and requires a different crossover. It is not a drop in upgrade if you started with the regular Ara.

I highly recommend these speakers.


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