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new to diy speakers have questions

779 views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  Bassment 
#1 · (Edited)
i know its a stretch but will a pair of those tempest 12 be as good as the sierra towers with that raal tweeter? a huge price difference i know but im willing to buy clamps and glue and build them if they are nearly as good.

also will a denon 1712 power these or do i need to buy separate amps? lastly do i need to learn rew or will audyssey take care of everything?
 
#2 ·
denon 1712 powers them easily, audyssey is fine. rew is more important for subs than speakers. I think they will be close at low volumes, the sierra's are probably a bit better at low volumes, but the tempests are much better at high volumes (9 dB more sensitive). They're completely different types of speakers though so it's hard to compare. It depends on your needs, what's your room size, more for music or movies? volume you listen at?
 
#3 ·
These are both 2 very different types of speakers.
The Tempests will play much louder and sound great doing it.
The Tempests will handle much more power and sound great doing it.
The Tempests you can build and finish for much less than the Sierras.
Listening to the SEOS speakers designs you will find the clarity astounding at both low and high volumes.

Want to get a speaker that sound like you are in the studio with the musicians a good SEOS design will do it.
I use 3 88 specials and love em. With movies its better than the theater and with music it is hard to listen to just one album.
I have to set a time limit for listening to music with them, I would listen all day if I could.

I am sure the Sierras are good, I have never heard them. Having owned many B&W speakers over the years there is no going back. I will be using and building more SEOS designs going forward. The end result is just spectacular with the SEOS design.

What ever speaker you get plan on adding a sub to the mix. I know full range speakers are suppose to be full range and all but most come up short imo. A full range speaker will not match the sound and output from a good eq'd sub set up. You can build your own sub set up for less than a grand that will put a regular residential subwoofer to shame.
 
#4 ·
I have the Sierra-1's with the RAAL upgrade, and have heard the Seos speakers on many occasions. My opinions are, (keep in mind this is highly subjective!), the Sierra's are better at low volumes, they have much better clarity, detail, and are super revealing. If your room is small, and you don't listen at reference level SPL's, they are extremely tough to beat. For music, they are unmatched. For movies, they are just a completely different flavor. Some will like them better than the Seos, and some vice versa. But, if your room is large, and you watch mostly movies at high SPL's, then the Sierra's will not give you the full wall of sound that the Tempest will. You really need to experience the RAAL tweeter to see for yourself whether or not I you want that type of speaker.
 
#5 · (Edited)
hmm well the room is not big. i havent measured but i am guessing the room is around 12 by 18. maybe tempest is way overboard. if i dont need to learn rew or use any mics, just the denon audyssey then thats a huge plus. it would be around 80/20 movies to music.

i guess maybe i should just stick to my original plan and get those sierras. i just came accross this forum and thought hmmm well if i can save that much money building i should give it a try.

martycool i think ill try their 30 day money back guarantee but just in case, do they pay return shipping?
 
#6 ·
You would have to pay the return shipping. I think that you are making a wise idea with auditioning them first. I must say that with movies getting 80% of your usage, you might consider a different approach. For much cheaper than the Sierra Towers you could purchase a pair of Sierra-2's with the world class RAAL tweeter and the super sweet Seas mid, and keep these for music listening, crossing over to two subs, then build some of the cheaper, yet still high performing Seos based speakers, such as a trio of Fusion-10's or even Fusion-8 Alchemy's with a Fusion-8 Alchemy MTM for the center channel, and use those solely for movies and the Sierra-2's solely for music.

That would cost less than the Sierra Towers and give you the best of both worlds. That is actually what I am doing now! Save up for a pair of subs and buy a decent receiver that has two zones and you will be I'm audio heaven!
 
#7 · (Edited)
well i have been thinking some more about this. i am incredibly bored right now and i think i need a new hobby. my current hobby is rc planes, helicopters etc. but my enjoyment in that hobby has hit its peak. i have all the rc toys i could ever want. plus rc hobby is expensive

maybe diy speakers can be my new hobby. i can help friends and family setup a surround sound system in their living room/bedrooms, computer setups etc. if i go all out here. they all use tv speakers hehehe. keep in mind im novice at home theater. i like audyssey thats as far as my experience goes setting up a surround system.

my biggest fear is learning rew and reading graphs etc. all that. it just seems daunting.

for equipment all i need are clamps, glue, some particular mic id have to buy, anything more?

any guys with experience in diy that were new to this just like me give me some advice please
 
#8 ·
rew is not too hard, there's a lot of good guides around. It's easy once you get used to it.

If you go full "DIY" then you need a lot more than just clamps and glue, like a router, jigsaw, table saw, etc. etc. there's tons of tools you can use. Lots of info on the FAQ at the top of this forum

If just "AIY" (assemble it yourself) then yeah you basically just need clamps/a brad nailer, glue, and maybe some bondo, sand paper, paint etc.
 
#10 ·
You need a flat pack option to go with your kit. I believe you can order an assembled crossover but not all speakers have that option. Some members will build the crossover for you for a fee. The 1099 now has a flat pack option but no pre-built crossover. There are a few members who will build that crossover though.

Building a crossover isn't impossible and can be very rewarding. Plenty here will help you through the steps. A flat pack sounds to be necessary for you.

Erich can be a huge help and many members may know a lot more about all the options available that fit your needs. Good luck, it really is a worthwhile journey building your own.
 
#11 · (Edited)
i dont want to do this from scratch.

if i go diy route i will definitely be buying a diy speaker set that includes flat pack and assembled crossovers options.

i want the best sound for least money and willing to do some work like assembly (gluing flat pack, installing everything etc.)

but the complicated electronics etc. work is done before everything is shipped to my house. thats why im here.

if i buy a diy speaker kit why do i need to learn rew?

why isnt rew necessary if i buy prebuilt speakers from svs hsu emptek pioneer etc?
 
#12 ·
i dont want to do this from scratch.

if i go diy route i will definitely be buying a diy speaker set that includes flat pack and assembled crossovers options.

i want the best sound for least money and willing to do some work like assembly (gluing flat pack, installing everything etc.)

but the complicated electronics etc. work is done before everything is shipped to my house. thats why im here.

if i buy a diy speaker kit why do i need to learn rew?

why isnt rew necessary if i buy prebuilt speakers from svs hsu emptek pioneer etc?

You don't necessarily need REW for either speaker. I would definitely have it for subwoofers.
Where do you live? Maybe there is someone nearby who can help.
 
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