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Interesting experience with two very different speaker designs

I wanted to relay my experience with two different sets of speakers in hopes that it might prove interesting and/or help some folks.

My current speakers are Tekton Electron SE with a Pass XA30.5 and a MicroZOTL2 Preamp.  I was absolutely loving the sound but I started getting into the DIY open baffle thing.  I started with a very simple JE labs design with a single driver and after a few prototypes, I ended up with a 2-way using an Emminence Alpha 15 and a Tang Band W8 2145.

After breaking the DIY speakers in a bit, I was really blown away.  The soundstage was huge and very 3D.  The bass was big and warm but still pretty fast and articulate.  Also, the speed of the speakers was very apparent.  I loved them especially on big orchestral works where the soundstage really comes to life.

I lived with them for about 4 months and then I put the Electrons back.  Very interesting.  Timbrally, the Electrons were just better.  The OBs upper midrange sounded kind of flat and beamy in comparison.  The bass on the Electrons, though not as extended, was better controlled.  In some ways I found the OBs to be more transparent in that they really pointed out the flaws in some recordings.  Well recorded stuff sounded amazing but they gave no love to mediocre recordings.  The Electrons just make everything sound good. Much more forgiving.  

Going from the OBs to the Electrons, I lost some of that soundstage magic.  The Electrons, though they have some depth, lack that completely open 3D thing that the OBs were giving me.  However, from top to bottom, they just sound right.  Instruments sound like how they are supposed to sound.  That all-important midrange really shines.

Though I like both these speakers, I'm going to stick with the Tektons.  However, if what you value is speed, transparency and soundstage over timbre, I think open baffle is a good way to go.  I'll say this with the caveat that I'm not a speaker designer and there may be OB speakers out there that really get the timbre thing right too.  I'd love to hear some!
adam8179

Showing 2 responses by adam8179

adam8179 OP
72 posts
 
@pfiche

Yes, that was my general assessment of the W8 Eminence 15 combo!  Great for drums guitar and vocals.  Bass energy could get a bit boomy even after I put them on spikes.  I agree about the dryness.  Its not the meatiest of midranges though it is incredibly fast and detailed.  Piano and saxophones are not as rich sounding as they are on my Tektons 

I was toying with the idea or adding a super tweeter aimed up at the ceiling.  Maybe I'll try that down the road.  These DIY speakers are keepers even if they might live most of their lives in the shed!

One of the reasons I was interested in OB designs is exactly what you pointed out pfiche.  The cancelation of the frequencies at 90 degrees lessens room interaction.  That being said, I have diffusors on the back wall and bass traps in the corners to deal with that energy.  I think the dipole design adds to that sense of a wide open and 3D soundstage in a room


adam8179 OP
72 posts
 
@pfiche and @arafiq 

I think you are both right.  arafiq, I am definitely a beginner hobbyist and I was genuinely shocked that the speakers I made sounded as good as they do.  The other OB designs I made, though promising, had serious flaws.  I would never be so conceited as to think I could out-do serious speaker designers and teams of engineers.  My soldering is sloppy, my woodworking is just passable and I always make mistakes.  Plus I don't have the necessary equipment to actually test the frequency response besides my ears!

That being said, I did my research and found designs from reputable sources who are very good at what they do and just copied them.  I will be the first one to say, I don't really know what I'm doing, but I try to find people who do and then copy what they do.  That's how I'm learning.

A more even comparison between speaker designs might be between the Tektons and say Spatial Audio or Pure Audio Project.  I'm sure they are better built and have less mistakes than what I did.

I just find it to be extremely fun to build speakers.  I learn so much.  I think there is a lot of potential there to have some really world-class sounding stuff without emptying your bank account.  The DIY OBs I built cost me around $1300 in parts and I think that's a great deal.  I'm super proud of them and I think they look great!  Are they the equal to something like a Spatial Audio or Pure Audio Project of similar design?  I doubt it.  Are they equal to a very experienced DIYer using the same drivers?  I doubt that too.

I didn't mean for the post to be a brag about how well DIY compares to established speaker manufactures.  I just thought, from my limited sample, it was interesting to judge the strengths and limitations of the box speaker vs the OB.  Obviously not all box speakers sound the same and neither do all OB so this is was not a very scientific post and possibly ill-conceived.  

Anyway, I'll continue to enjoy the music on my Tektons and also, I'll continue to make my own speakers to try to learn more!
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