**The Official Seaton Sound Speaker Thread** - Page 7

Now if someone can explain what to do with an Amp that is basically five 325 watt monoblocks if I bought either of these speakers ....... I need a really good rationalization.

Sell them.

That's the beauty.
Since only a small minority of people by powered speakers there is a big market for amps and people that want deals on high quality used amps.
Recoup some money and free up some rack space.
Gadzooks! It sounds like I'm starting to talk myself into something...

Mike

Wonder if I could take the speaker output from my existing amp and feed the power input on a Spark. That way I could keep using my existing gear! Nahhhhhhhh

On a more serious note have not seen anything on the reasoning behind making these speakers self powered. Mark could you point me to a link explaining if it is in a thread somewhere else or fill in the blanks here?

Has anyone seen horizontal/vertical dispersion plots over frequency for the either the Catalysts or Sparks? I've been following different threads for Linkwitz, Geddes, and Danley designs, and controlled directivity seems to be a new holy grail of accurate sound reproduction in typical listening rooms.

Thanks,
Darrell

This is the only graph I've seen (post #25). It's not much though. Hopefully Mark will post more.

http://seatonsound.websitetoolbox.co...ments&trail=40

Active speakers have always had a number of advnatages IMO.

The most basic is that instead of having to deal with 2 components you get to deal with 1. The producer and consumer dont need to worry did I match the speaker with a amp that can deal with its impedence curve and also match its tonal characteristics. It allows the deisgner to design an optimal solution that delivers what they want in an easy way that creates less opportunities to mess up their design. Think of this as the mac--mini versus build your own PC. Its simpler from an end user prospective and the package/solution is optimized. No tinkering required....

The 2nd is far more complex. Passive speaker crossovers have always had limitations in what you could execute at a reasonable cost both sonically and financially. Active crossovers and even more specifically digital active crossovers like the ones mark uses in his designs give the designer a ton of flexibility in being able to impliment crossovers topologies that would not be possible in passive designs. Mark has told me numerous times that using his DSP crossovers is how he can get a compression driver so integrate so well and sound so good. This level of performance would not be possible with a passive design.

To me this is very desirable and I have always enjoyed the sound of meridians speakers which do all this and one more peice that mark has not yet done. They accept digital input eliminating a D/A in the pre-amp and an A to D in the speakers crossover.

Why the concept of active speakers has never become to mainstream is beyond me. As an engineer it makes perfect sense. eliminating that extra A/D step could result in even cleaner sound. Then all you need to run to each speaker is power and a toslink or Cat5 cable.....

hope this helps...

Sean

So I wanted to follow up with some addtional replies on home theater after primarily listening to the front stage consisting of the Strata Mini's and the Ref-100 center channel for the last week or so..... I am not going to talk about music here just HT applications....

The biggest change is the timbre imbalance between ref100 which is on the more forward treble side and the laid back minis.... honestly this does not seem to be a very good match despite being the recommended one. I need to try the x-voce which is a more laid speaker and maybe that will match a little better....

The sparks being 3 uniform speakers certainly provide consistent timbre across the front stage although having the center spark sitting on the aurlex monitor pads and sitting on the front edge of the equipment rack still manages to change its sound. I can see why mark recommends 3 identical fronts and using an AT screen where possible. it certainly would help to bring some coherency to the sound stage....

Probably the first thing I notice was not on the L&R's but on the center. The ref100 lacks the detail and the crisp dialog you get from the spark. Its not bad but its very noticeable when switching back and forth.....

from an imaging perspective the gap between the mirages/mini's and the sparks decreses tremendously when used in a surround application. There is still a difference and I still here more space with the mirages and more precise location with the mini's but the large differences that I hear in 2 channel are a non issue with HT applications. The sparks can disapear and provide nearly as big and convincing a sound stage when used in the 5.1 application.....

The dynamics of the Sparks compared to the mirages and mini's shows up in HT with the excellent dynamics and effortless sound.... This is immediately and easily noticeable... again no surprises here....

I think this shows the conundrum people often face when trying to build systems and design rooms for dual purpose applications like mine....

I honestly would be very happy owning either of these systems.... for WAF reasons I am going to leave the mini's and ref-100 in the Los Altos living room and then move the sparks LCR setup to the dedicated theater in utah.... Unfortunately in the california house I dont have a dedicated 2 channel room versus a dedicated theather like I did in NC and in Utah, therefore compromises must be made....

Each individual must choose for themselves....

Linkey to Bigfoot vs. Spark ... well review might be a bit strong... how about impressions...

Mike.

Great post.
Thanks for the link.

(Another) Mike

So Mars08's comments on the bigfoot got me thinking I should post an update to this thread....Despite what some of you might think I very much liked and enjoyed the Sparks. My GF really did not like the instability of them being so heavy and mounted on stands.... So I came up with the solution. Ship em to utah and use them in my dedicated theater. Solves both problems....





No I just need to solve two important problems....

1. do I use the x-statiks as side or rear surrounds in my 7.1 setup

and

2. How I can finance a projector upgrade....

Still praying MLS diggs himself out of the hole he is in so he can pay back all the folks he owes money too....

Cheers,
Sean

Mark,

A couple of questions ...

The first, I know, will be difficult to answer but I'd appreciate your thoughts ... how would you characterise the sound of your Catalysts compared to other similarly priced active pro monitors such as Genelec ?

Second ... is it possible to have two switchable EQ profiles in each of the speakers ?

The reason I ask the second question is that in my new dedicated room, which is in design stage, I'm planning to use a drop down AT screen plus automatic curtains to cover all the walls, so the room has two distinct modes ... music and movies. I'm currently pondering the best way to have two separate EQ profiles to get the best out of each mode.

Three Catalysts and four Sparks could be a good fit for my room. Do you make house calls to Sydney ???

Heheh if he comes to syndey he may as well swing by melbourne on his way home

How are people finding the sparks for rear speakers? im kinda a fan of dipole speakers for rears. Was thinking of getting his subs and speakers and then using some other brand for dipoles eg. triad Gold speakers.

^^bump^^

Mark ?

Seems to be a bit quiet on the Catalysts/Sparks front. Anybody bought any lately, if so lets hear you impressions.
I'm waiting to here back from Mark it been 2 or 3 weeks now, trying to get some Seaton gear to Australia is proving quite hard. Got the cash in my hand but nobody seems to want it.

Spoke to Mark today by phone from Australia. Very nice guy. Looks like we are underway
(hopefully) with the 3 catalysts in about a 3-4 weeks then follow up with the 2 submersives and the sparks early next year.

Mark is a busy man but when you do get a hold of him he always seems to take time and understand what I want and tell me how to acheive it.. I remember when I bought my submersive I received an unsolicited call wanting to make sure I got everything setup correctly. I know all this international business as of late has to be creating a lot of paperwork for him on top of his already busy schedule. The results seem to be worth the wait and the waits are really very short in the world of high end boutique goods... Less time than it takes me to get a Sofa made over in Highpoint, NC

I think you folks down under will be very happy.....

What kind of subs are you going to use with the Catalysts....

Sean

I'm getting 2 submersives early next year then followed by the sparks for the surrounds mid-late next year.
I'm renovating the theater so that will take 12-18 months so that's why the purchases will be spread out over the next 12 months.

I sent an email to Mark back on 9/25 and had no response. Anyone getting answers?

The majority of active speakers I've seen are "self-powered", but there are a few active designs out there that still require you to pick your own external amp. So not all active designs have built-in amps. You can also have a passive speaker that is self-powered (amp in the same box), but never seen it.

Here's a good resource on the benefits of active, in case anyone is wondering:
http://sound.westhost.com/bi-amp.htm

Sorry for missing your e-mail. I was able to locate it and will be giving you an e-mail later today or tomorrow. We've been getting much better in the past few weeks on sorting the international shipping quotes and such, but don't hesitate to PM or post on my own forum if I happen to miss such an inquiry.

Back to building/testing Sparks & Catalysts (including yours crabra).

Good to hear Mark. Patiently waiting.

Out of curiousity what are the sensitivities for all of Seaton products, I did not see them listed on his forum.

Cat/Sprk
Submer./Terr./Terr XL

Hi bodhisafa,

The sensitivities for the speakers are not listed as they are all internally amplified, so sensitivity ratings don't apply in the same way. The use and design is more flexible than when a speaker or subwoofer has to work with a wide range of amplifiers. All of my current products also have internal DSP (non-user programmable) which I use to best optimize the performance of each product.

I have been reading all the posts and user reviews. This week one of my power amps died and now Im considering a major move to the catalysts instead of replacing the amp. I am interested in a 5.1 system with either 3 catalysts and 2 sparks for surrounds or an all catalyst system.

My current system Theta CBIII, Oppo Blu-ray, custom speakers with 10 drivers per speaker made for me by a company that has since departed, Aragon 8008BB amp. My current speakers are 94dB efficient and dynamic but they have open backs and are not the best for my current room.

I live in eastern NC and I would really love to hear these speakers. I am willing to travel if necessary but I was hoping that there might be a setup within driving range that I could experience. This is too large of a purchase to make without a demo.

Dave

I asked similar questions by email on 9/25 and bumped here in the thread a few weeks later, never got an answer to my questions. If your system is down and you are pressed for time this might not be the best place to be looking.

I must admit from everything printed they are a very appealing prospect but I could not get an answer on where I could go to listen or if there was a return policy if you were not satisfied. I had some frequent flier miles that I could have used so flying to listen was not even a cost issue for at least the East coast. I still have not bought anything, will be interesting to see if you get an answer.

Mark should consider compiling a list of owners who are willing to let people come over to listen to Seaton Sound speakers, like what Linkwitz Lab does with the Orion.

Unfortunately I do not have any of his speakers other than the Submersive (yet), however, I do know for a fact that he has worked with customers whose purchases have not quite met the mark (no pun intended). Earlier in the year, I know there was a fair bit of activity with home theater meets featuring Mark's products in the Chicago area. I expect that sometime soon there will be more as well. I would also post your request for user demo's on Mark's forum in addition to here, if anything for more coverage.

Lastly, know that he is at this time (and for the past few days) moving into a real commercial building and is likely just very busy getting things setup.

Not the best reasons overall, I can appreciate, but I will say this, having experienced some of his speakers vs. other lesser but respectable speakers, and having read the reviews of others who have more experience to equal or more expensive speakers, I think it is worth the patience, especially if your slant is towards Home Theater.