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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 5 responses by arafiq

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arafiq
1,706 posts
 
Home made speaker vs a professionally manufactured name brand speaker based on years of research and experience. And the name brand speaker wins. Color me surprised :)
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arafiq
1,706 posts
 
@pfiche -- 
Years of research and experience" in marketing is a major component for brand names.

Sorry but I beg to differ. Most successful manufacturers have the luxury to iterate and evolve their designs year after year, version after version. There is a lot more R&D that goes into speaker design, testing, quality assurance, etc. I'm have no doubt that DIYers can produce a decent set of speakers, but let's not kid ourselves here. A company that dedicates time, money, resources over the long haul is going to produce better designs that withstand the test of time. Most great products are a result of incremental improvements, not a one-time effort no matter how brilliant.

And I'm quite familiar with GR Research, but I'm sorry it's silly to compare him to a typical DIYer. He works on this full time and therefore has the same advantages of iterating and improving his designs incrementally as other manufacturers. 

arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,706 posts
 
@adam8179 -- sorry, it was not my intention to belittle your achievement. You have every right to be proud of and brag about what you built. I wish I had the time, and more importantly, the talent to do what you did. 

I was basically disagreeing with pfiche's assertion that touting 'years of research and experience' is merely a marketing ploy by manufacturers. I'm sure there are a few exceptions, but by and large, most established speaker companies do invest a lot in R&D and have the budget and experience to iterate on their designs year after year. That is the value they provide to the consumers, and it is rightfully a valid marketing strategy to tout this fact.

Are there are any DIYers out there making products that can beat the usual suspects including KEF, B&W, Klipsch, Tekton, Harbeth, etc.? I'm sure there are, but I'm willing to bet that they are the exception not the norm. The whole argument is based on an outlier.
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,706 posts
 
When I was talking about DIYers, I was thinking more of that guy who has a full time job not related to audio and pursues building speakers as a part time hobby. But if we're going to bend the rules when defining 'outliers' then I'd be remiss if I don't mention John 'Fritz' Heiler of Fritz Speakers. I'm auditioning his Carrera BE speakers and I'm just in awe of the great sound these speakers are producing. They're giving my Harbeth 30.1s, which are quite a bit more expensive, a run for their money. I'll write my impressions about the speakers in more detail when I get some more free time. But I can tell you this speaker punches considerably above its $3500 asking price.
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,706 posts
 
Commercial speakers are made to do one thing and one thing only, to make a profit.

That’s a rather black and white view. Profit making and creativity/passion are not always mutually exclusive. There are a number of very talented designers and speaker makers like John Devore, Jim Salk, Jim Thiel, Alan Shaw, Jeff Joseph, the list goes on ... Yes, these folks run companies that pay their bills, but to boil it down to just one thing (profits) is unfair and overly pessimistic. These are creative people who are passionate about their craft. They have been continuously evolving their designs over many years. Each successive release is better than the previous one.

But I understand we live in the age of google scholars. Anyone can download ’instructions’ from google and perform open heart surgery. Who needs surgeons, doctors, PhDs anymore. Experts who devote their lives learning and perfecting their craft and knowledge are overrated and driven purely by greed. Perhaps this forum is full of people who can make better speakers than Jim Thiel on their first try. I’m truly humbled to be in the presence of such genius. Carry on :)

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