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Acculine Owners Thread

71K views 351 replies 88 participants last post by  KramerTC 
#1 ·
I have noticed that this speaker line is starting to gain momentum from a few forum members. I thought it would be a good oppertunity for owners and future owners of Acculine speakers to post their setups, chime in, share their thoughts, and opinions about the Acculine speakers.


For those who have not heard or read up on the Acculine speakers, they are a very new brand exclusively available at TheAudioInsider. These may potentially be the next big thing for those looking for budget speakers delivering great sound. I think these are very unique because they feature a Bohlender-Graebener Neo3 (3" Wideband Planar Magnetic Driver) for high frequencies. I am hoping people will try these Acculines out and compare them against other popular Internet Direct speakers in the same price range such as the Ascend 170SE. av123 X-LS, SVS SBS-01, SVS SCS-01M, etc.


My two LCRs should be coming in next week, which will be used in my bedroom 2.1 computer stereo setup. I'll be comparing them with my Boston Acoustics CR67s


Product Links:

Acculine A1 Bookshelfs (Single 5.25", 3" Wideband Planar Magnetic)
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/produ...products_id=65


Acculine A2 LCR (Dual 5.25", 3" Wideband Planar Magnetic)
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/produ...products_id=66


Acculine A3 Towers (Dual 5.25", 3" Wideband Planar Magnetic)
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/produ...products_id=67


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Update June/2010


Arx A1,A2,A3 are now shipping!


Arx A1 - Bass reflex satellite/monitor. Single 5.25" XBL2 woofer and single 3" planar tweeter. Black simulated ash PVC with black knit grille.


Arx A2 - Bass reflex LCR/Center speaker with rotating tweeter for either vertical or horizontal use. Dual 5.25" XBL2 woofers and single 3" planar tweeter. Black simulated ash PVC with black knit grille.


Arx A3 - Bass reflex floorstanding tower. Dual 5.25" XBL2 woofers and single 3" planar tweeter. Black simulated ash PVC with black knit grille.


Arx A4 - High-output 3-way stand monitor / theater speaker to compliment the A6. Single 6.5" XBL2 woofer, single 5.25" midrange, and single 3" planar tweeter. Black simulated ash PVC with black knit grille. Stocks Fall 2010


Arx A5 - Bass reflex floorstanding tower the same size as the A3. Triple 5.25" XBL2 woofers, single 5.25" midrange, and single 3" planar tweeter. Black simulated ash PVC with black knit grille. Stocks Summer 2010


Arx A6 - Large format, horizontal, sealed LCR/center speaker to compliment the A4. Dual 6.5" XBL2 woofers, single 5.25" midrange, and single 3" planar tweeter. Black simulated ash PVC with black knit grille. Stocks Fall 2010


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User Reviews

My First Impressions and Comparison to Original Acculine A2
 
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#102 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by wiley1st /forum/post/11933645


Forgive my noobish questions, but I have one ...


Can anyone owning an A2 comment on the driver's arrangement? The picture on the TAI site looks like it's MTM but what's the orientation of the planar tweeter?


Seems like if 3 x A2's were used as your LCR, with the center horizontal, then that center speaker's tweeter would have a different soundfield dispersion orientation than the LR's.


Does this really matter? Should the C tweeter be rotated to match the LR's? Can this even be done without wrecking the speaker? Have I been reading too many articles on speakers, crossovers, amps, and wires?

The A2's are an MTM arrangement. Stock (at least mine), they come with the tweeter configured for horizontal placement (i.e. center channel duty). The tweeter can easily be rotated 90 degrees by removing 4 screws. Right now I have all three horizontal, but plan on going vertical with the LR's and rotating the tweeters.


I haven't posted any listening comments yet, but I want to go on record stating that I really enjoy these speakers. They are very dynamic, able to handle both quiet and loud passages in an effortless fashion. My favorite listening test for dynamics is Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain Way - notably the section where he plays the guitar with a voice box. The snare on that passage has a huge dynamic range, and distortion is evident with lesser speakers. The A2's sound great here, with the snare having just the right snap, and the cymbal crashes sounding like they would from the front row of a concert.


The tweeter is a truly outstanding part. One listening test I always perform with new speakers is to play songs with subtle wind chimes (e.g. Heart's Magic Man, especially the middle section after the bass sweep). On many dome tweeter drivers, the wind chimes are barely audible, sounding like they are outside of the room. The A2's put them right there in front of you. The word I would use is "immediacy". Little details like the wind chimes I mention, the sound of fingers on a fret board, breath intakes, all are there to be enjoyed.


The best thing about using speakers with such a high quality tweeter is the enjoyment you get from older recordings. Without resorting to tipped up highs in the mastering process, you are able to hear all of the shimmer in the original performances. I've been missing this experience since I went to a 5.1 system, even though I formally used Axiom M2's which are generally thought to be "detailed" and/or "bright".


My former reference/favorite were a pair of Speakerlab S7's, which rely on fairly high quality EV compression horns for the mids and highs. Say what you want about horns, when properly implemented with high quality parts, they are capable of giving you a "being there" experience that is rare with cone/dome drivers. My personal test for this is how music sounds in the next room - with the Speakerlabs, and now with the A2's, I still hear music and details, as opposed to a muffled mish mash of sound. I'm sure you all have experienced the same at live performances when you take a bathroom break, or when you walk by the street entrance to a live venue. Dynamics and immediacy are still there ...


At their price, the Acculine A2's are a great buy, and I would highly recommend that anyone looking for good sound at a bargain price give them a try. Jon Lane and the folks at BGC have been a pleasure to deal with, and are to be congratulated on a very successful collaboration.


Dave
 
#104 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dlfromcanada /forum/post/11937949


give us something Jon. Swan 2.1 centre or towers? Pics of piano Black versions? New Danas" Acculine 15 inch sub? Acculine 3 ways???????

Yes and yes (5 new models minimum). Not quite yet, but think a gloss black piano. Yes, in time, plenty.
Yes, plus more (probably much more). Yes.


I can't tip our hand completely, but suffice to say I'm way too busy, at least for my age.
 
#106 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dlfromcanada /forum/post/11940025


would it be fair to say that the first version of the Swan 2.1 towers will exceed the performance over the current stand mount version by a fair margin?

I don't see the towers being any more musically satisfying, but I would expect to find them a bigger, more full-band, and slightly more dynamic sound.
 
#107 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by boatasiaus /forum/post/11935374


Got my A1's for the office/computer yesterday
. Will hook them up to the Onkyo 604 tonight and let them start to warm up...

Well I've hooked everything up, and have been happily listening to MP3 based music for the past two days.


I must compliment Jon and his team. The speakers sound great in my small (8x8) office setup. Compared to the Axiom M22's in the Family room surround setup, the Acculine A1's seem a bit more neutral (the Axiom's are a bit bright).


I like'em. Just need to get the a-sub, whenever it becomes available
 
#108 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by boatasiaus /forum/post/11958007


Just need to get the a-sub, whenever it becomes available

Thank you for the kind words, boatasiaus.


The improved A-Sub (which I believe we'll be calling the A-Sub10) may dock as early as mid-December. It'll likely have a passive radiator in place of the port, which we're told in this design will be good for as much as 4-5dB more above cutoff. We also believe we can hold the line, or nearly so, on price.
 
#109 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Don F. /forum/post/11833643


. I have a pair of Acculine A-1s on order, hopefully they will be here Tuesday. I will pass my opinion on in a couple of weeks. (I know what opinions are a-kin-to).

I have had the A-1s in service for about two weeks. I sat my BA vrb s aside and used the Acculines as my mains. The A-1 is a small speaker, but has very good sound. I really like the tweeter, as it carried the highs very well. When combined with my hsu sub, the sound was great. The only dislike I had was when I turned the volume UP, the clear detail became a little muddy. From my listening position, using a vu meter, the speakers were very good up to about 80 db, and that's pretty loud. My room is about 12 by 14 and I have seven 2ft. by 2ft. sound panels. I really could not replace the Bostons with the A-1, so I wired them together in parallel as my mains. The Onkyo is capable of pushing the 4 ohm load. So far, I am happy with the sound.

The A-1 is a monitor, but IMO worth the money.

Anyway, that's my opinion.

p.s. the wed site needs some help.
 
#111 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by SbWillie /forum/post/11993958


Are the Acculine speakers actually Celesion speakers just ubder a different name,etc?

No, they are an original design using a Neo planar-magnetic treble driver developed by BGC, Nevada. TAI features them in the ID channel.
 
#113 ·
I'm listening to the A2's right now. See my earlier posts in this thread if you want to see all of the upstream components used with them. They only have about 2.5 hours on them so far, so I don't want to give any real impressions yet.


Two things are unlikely to change much, so I will comment on them. They are 4 ohms and 89db efficient. Which means, with my Onkyo Integrated (100 @ 8ohms and ? @ 4ohms) they are louder at 5 out of 40 on the volume than I would ever possibly need them. Like, really loud!


Second, they make my very recently acquired vinyl setup (like 4 weeks old) sounds like crap. Every single pop and crackle is much more amplified through the A2's than my old Insignia's
I guess this is a good thing, but it still pisses me off that I already have to buy a new turntable. Oh well, I guess an early Christmas present is in order
 
#114 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by kunuggs /forum/post/11995611


I'm listening to the A2's right now. See my earlier posts in this thread if you want to see all of the upstream components used with them. They only have about 2.5 hours on them so far, so I don't want to give any real impressions yet.


Two things are unlikely to change much, so I will comment on them. They are 4 ohms and 89db efficient. Which means, with my Onkyo Integrated (100 @ 8ohms and ? @ 4ohms) they are louder at 5 out of 40 on the volume than I would ever possibly need them. Like, really loud!


Second, they make my very recently acquired vinyl setup (like 4 weeks old) sounds like crap. Every single pop and crackle is much more amplified through the A2's than my old Insignia's
I guess this is a good thing, but it still pisses me off that I already have to buy a new turntable. Oh well, I guess an early Christmas present is in order

Maybe your albums just need some cleaning?
 
#118 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dlfromcanada /forum/post/12000524


i know some of your past budget favourites were Rocket 450's, NHT Classics, Dana bookshelves and Swan d2.1's, how do the a3's compare to those?

Well none will match the neo in the topend, the 630 are very extended though for a Vifa dome.The Classic 3 was never a favorite of mine all of these speakers you listed are better in my opinion than the Classic 3,So far my favorites are the Dana 630,Swan D2.1 SE,and the A3,they all have such different sound characters,once I hear the Dana 670,and the floorstanding version of the 2.1s I will have a better gauge,but the NEO tweeter is gonna be very hard to beat though.
 
#121 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tawaun da bomb /forum/post/12000662


Well none will match the neo in the topend, the 630 are very extended though for a Vifa dome.The Classic 3 was never a favorite of mine all of these speakers you listed are better in my opinion than the Classic 3,So far my favorites are the Dana 630,Swan D2.1 SE,and the A3,they all have such different sound characters,once I hear the Dana 670,and the floorstanding version of the 2.1s I will have a better gauge,but the NEO tweeter is gonna be very hard to beat though.

Tawaun, what about the Dana 930s? I know you love yours as much as I love mine. How do the A3s compare to them?
 
#124 ·

Quote:
From craigsubs GTG results, the A1s beat the Ascend 340SEs in a Blind Test by a fair margin...


Quote:

Round 1:


NHT Classic 2's: 62.91

Swan D2.1 SE's: 73.64 (wired out of phase to keep people honest)


Round 2:


Dana 630's: 67.19 points

B&W 805S: 65.27 points


Round 3:


Ascend 340's: 66.38 points

Acculine A1's: 76.19 points


Round 4:


AV123 XL-S: 68.64 points

Ascend Sierras: 73.84 points


Round 5:


SVS SCS-01's: 72.00 points

PSB Image B-25's: 65.16 points


Round 6:


Swan D2.1 SE"s 74.28 points

Ascend Sierras 68.9 points

--------------------------

the four speakers that stood out in terms of value were (in random order, not in order of finish):


1. Acculine A1 ... no one could believe these were $249 speakers.

2. Ascend Sierras ... EVERYONE liked them. Punchy bass, nice mids.

3. Swan D2.1 SE's ... The audiophile choice. One of the panel members took them home with him. He was trying to decide between the Sierras and the D2.1SE's. He made his choice.

4. AV123 XL-S ... Pitting them against the Sierras made for a VERY tough test. They held up very well, and got high marks from the group for their overall excellent balance.

This report has just about pushed me over the edge! I think I am going to have to order some A1's to check them out. I would like to know all the criteria that was being used when these were "scored":


Ascend 340's: 66.38 points

Acculine A1's: 76.19 points


That's a pretty fair margin for a speaker priced as low as the A1 and considering how well regarded teh 340's are. Amazing!
 
#126 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Speqtre /forum/post/12084241


Would it be better to use 3 x A2, 3 x A1, or A1/A2/A1 for LCR? Advantages, disadvantages, best sound?


TIA!

For best results, the A1 and A2 are designed for closer placement to boundaries than the larger A3 tower, or for that matter, than most fullrange, full-sized speakers. The A3 tower "likes" free-air use, as you would most of those fullrange, full-sized speakers.


With this in mind, if you're working in a wall unit, close to back walls, or in any somewhat enclosed space (hence the "bookshelf" in bookshelf speakers) I'd consider either the A1 for LCRE, or the A2 for LCR and the A1 for effects. The A2 has a rotating tweeter so it can be used horizontally or vertically. The A1 should always be used vertically.


The difference between the A1 and A2 is that the latter has twice the available acoustic output -- doubled midbass area and displacement and twice the thermal power handling. It simply goes much louder. It also has a somewhat more cohesive directivity, giving it some advantages where more consistent dispersion is a plus.
 
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