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Picking an Open Baffle speaker for 2w SET amp - plus bonus question !?!

https://imgur.com/a/PCQXpKa

I recently purchased a Decware Zen Triode 2.3w amp and want to experience what an OB speaker sounds like - with a budget of $1000. I do own 2 REL T5 subs that could be put to use if needed, and from looking around, especially on the Decware site, one obvious choice would be a Caintuck OB with either a Betsy or Lii Fast-8” full range driver. Others on the user forum site rave about the Lii 15” driver (in the same baffle) for offering a much fuller sound.
Where I get confused is primarily if I should go with one of the 8” driver options or with the 15” big boy. I am guessing the answer will have a lot to do with my particular room situation, which is very restrictive and from what I have read not ideal for OB speakers.

I am hoping someone with more experience could take a look at my odd room (floor plan & a couple pics attached) and make an educated guess what would perform better in my set-up (15” or 8” plus sub).

There are two rooms I’d like to try this out in:
One is my office, a “tidy” 12x12’ box.
The other is the more complicated space, a living room with an interesting layout.
https://imgur.com/a/PCQXpKa
The bonus question:
Is it possible with the addition of another device (and what would that be??) to control / set a crossover frequency for the Decware amp, when connecting a sub via the speakers tabs from the amp?

nkphoto

Showing 4 responses by nkphoto

nkphoto OP
43 posts
 
@larryi  
that is great info on the different drivers, thank you!I am indeed considering diy and using the Lii Audio Fast-8 fullrange drivers - but will take a look at Tangband

@tweak1 great tip, thank you!
@ozzy62 Yes, very much aware that I need super sensitive speakers and that I have very limited options.

@ricwa Fantastic info, exactly what I was hoping for. Never understood what those miniDSP products were for, and have also never heard of REW.  Thank you for being so detailed, I have some homework to do now.
Re: crossover. Given you are working with the Lii 15" driver, is it safe to assume that the crossover will need to be quite a bit higher when using an 8" Betsy or Lii Fast-8 (or Tangband..), or is that not necessarily the case?

@bache 
Yeah, my money printing machine recently died, so $1k is all that's left besides 1000 cans of Ravioli and home schooling my kids. No idea why only 2-3 watt from the Zen Triode, maybe broken too?
nkphoto OP
43 posts
 
@ricwa awesome, thank you. Just reading about all the different miniDSP products. If all I want to do is follow your advice, adding room correction (Dirac) and setting crossover for sub integration, could I do that with the DDRC-24, "a USB DAC+DSP Digital Room Correction processor powered by Dirac Live"?  What does your miniDSP SHD studio offer in addition that I should consider?
nkphoto OP
43 posts
 
@ricwa I will def make sure to investigate further before making any miniDSP purchase - but if correct, the DDRC-24 would be a very attractive price proposition to add room correction, cross-over and eq capabilities to my set-up. Great tip, thank you again.

@dekay  hi there, yes it does have those switches - what does this tell you (& me!)?

@atmasphere  Appreciate the concern and Noted, thank you, re: Tangbands. I do have subs, as mentioned.

Folks here seem to be understandably concerned about the meager 2 watts of my tube amp and think I need drivers with 100+ dB efficiency to be able to hear any music come out of them. I am assuming it's because Audiogoners for the most part live in real houses with normal sized rooms, aren't surrounded by neighbors on all sides and enjoy rock concert sound levels ... For what it's worth, just for fun until I have high efficiency speakers, I hooked up my Anthony Gallo Reference 3.1 to the Decware (with a Matrix Audio Mini-i Pro3 DAC/Streamer as pre-amp & with no added line-in gain btw) in my 12x12 room. The Gallos are only 88dB, and while I expected barely audible output, the reality is that at night I have to dial down one of those two watts coming from the Zen Triode, unless I want to risk pissing of my neighbors. Not suggesting by any stretch that this is a good pairing, but from everything I have read so far and what I am experiencing with the Gallo 3.1, those Betsy or Lii Audio 8" drivers with 94dB - 97dB efficiency + my REL sub(s) should be PLENTY sensitive for my NYC apartment situation, no?

nkphoto OP
43 posts
 
@mrotino Wow, those speakers, powered woofers. Next level (or next life) for me. Will be very interesting to hear what the little Decware will do for you. I hope you'll post your experience, would love to know how it fared compared to your 30 watts/channels.
@atmasphere this is really great info, exactly the kind of stuff I need to better understand. While I am getting more acquainted with some of the terminology, it's more in passing by while in all honesty I don't really understand the underlying fundamentals. Zero feedback? Higher ordered harmonic distortion? Anyways, I am adding your input to my ever increasing list of things I need to read up on. For now I am taking away that the more sensitive my speakers, the better for getting the most out of my amp. Thanks for your time!
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