Randy is completely divorced from realty (ignore the stuffed ‘ugly’ cat).
https://youtu.be/_qt94hyrkHg?si=wtqrQQVXiPdHvXxB
This video blows it open ⬇️
How good is the crossover in your loudspeakers?
I just watched a Danny Richie YouTube video from three weeks ago (linked below). Danny is the owner/designer of GR Research, a company that caters to the DIY loudspeaker community. He designs and sells kits that contain the drivers and crossover schematics to his loudspeakers, to hi-fi enthusiasts who are willing and able to build their own enclosures (though he also has a few cabinet makers who will do it for you if you are willing to pay them to do so).
Danny has also designed crossovers for loudspeaker companies who lack his crossover design knowledge. In addition, he offers a service to consumers who, while liking some aspects of the sound of their loudspeakers, find some degree of fault in those loudspeakers, faults Danny offers to try to eliminate. Send Danny one of your loudspeakers, and he will free of charge do a complete evaluation of it's design. If his evaluation reveals design faults (almost always crossover related) he is able to cure, he offers a crossover upgrade kit as a product.
Some make the case that Danny will of course find fault in the designs of others, in an attempt to sell you one of his loudspeaker kits. A reasonable accusation, were it not for the fact that---for instance---in this particular video (an examination of an Eggleston model) Danny makes Eggleston an offer to drop into the company headquarters and help them correct the glaring faults he found in the crossover design of the Eggleston loudspeaker a customer sent him.
Even if you are skeptical---ESPECIALLY if you are---why not give the video a viewing? Like the loudspeaker evaluation, it's free.
https://youtu.be/1wF-DEEXv64?si=tmd6JI3DFBq8GAjK&t=1
And for owners of other loudspeakers, there are a number of other GR Research videos in which other models are evaluated.
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Being one who has "hot rodded" speakers for several decades (including earning a patent for my own design): It is impossible to describe the before/after results of "upgrades" unless you strap yourself down in front of the speakers and actually listened to them. Even those with excellent command of vocabulary, and engineering degrees can't fully encapsulate the sonic benefits of "doing it better." My goal is never to "paint a mustache on the Mona Lisa", but rather respect the intent of the original designer who, perhaps, would have benefited from being free from production considerations, ease of in field service, time and budget constraints. And, of course, newer materials and newer "thinking" that were not around when the speaker was developed in many cases. Not long ago, I saw a promotional video of a well-respected high-end manufacturer introducing their new "flagship" model, highlighting the assembly process. A pair of good $30 side cutters and a roll of silver solder would have immediately improved the focus and detail, while reducing the harshness of the upper midrange As I stated before: "production efficiency, and ease of service in the field." Price: over $40k/pair. We perform mods on speakers in various price ranges, including vintage speakers. I am still surprised (often stunned) just how much music you can get out of these boxes via cheap and/or vintage drivers when you get things out of way that make them sound worse -- or just open them up, and let them play. |
As pertains to the desirability of attaining flat freq. response the videos @lalitk refers to are informative. So, guy designs his speakers to measure exactly to his liking, result is nothing close to flat freq. response, the chances that others will find pleasant sound quality with these in great doubt. While subjectivity certainly plays a role in speaker design, one needs to start with good objective engineering. Flat freq. response, proper phase, impedance curves, etc. Dannie finds fault with subjectively designed speakers, applies objectively determined optimizations. I presume some like their subjectively designed speakers since their preferences align exactly with designer. Still, for most, having properly engineered speakers should be foundational, you can tune to your heart's delight with sympathetic component matching, room treatments, etc.
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@waytoomuchstuff Wrote:
JBL measured the frequency response of my speakers @ 1 watt @ 10 watts and @ 100 watts and they have <1 dB compression of SPL output. See speaker specifications here last page. Mike |
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