Just finished a ZRT 2-way build

Criticism: no pictures.

I've always liked the ZRT design. I bet they sound phenomenal.

Pics! Pics! Pics! Speaker Porn!!!


dbl

Without pix, it didn't happen!

Nice looking veneer!

Expensive looking xovers

Very, very nice!

I hope they sound as good as they look.

Very nice looking.....I like the way you did your center channel....it ads a very nice touch.

Nice build ! You have to remember they are 6.5" twoways and not cinema speakers like some of our coveted nut jobs are living with. There are going to be limitation to what those woofers can do. With an 80hz XO point and dynamics as a must, you may want to bump it up to 100 to take a little bit more bass out of their range.

If after a few month you feel they lack dynamics, you may have been bitten by the bug for sure....

Good looking speakers!
I'm sure the midrange surrounds will loosen up a bit after a couple weeks and your ears will also get more used to the sound.

How many subs are you running, and where?

Re: "dynamics"

You said you did the baffle step change. How far from the wall are you? And what is the cab width? I guess I could go look at zaphs site.

If you unnecessarily reduced BSC you may have sucked out some of the 200 to 600hz midrage that'll give that nice midrange punch. This I believe is actually one of the most important frequency ranges. Male voices, gun fire, punches, the crunchy part of a car crash, etc. The stuff I find critical to a dynamic sound mix.

Auto EQs will usually nip off peaks where as you would need a broad ~2db boost. I'm not sure it would compensate. Others with more experience with Audessay could possibly tell you.

Great looking build(s)! Thanks for the pics!


dbl

Is there any way to run some sweeps to see whats going on, both with the mains and the sub, and the mains alone...

ashmostro...congratulations on jumping in the pool!

- let's not kid ourselves, those speakers look beautiful! i can see that you put a lot of time and consideration into their planning.

- while i didn't dig into the crossover, the components look good and the ss mid-woofer is a proven winner for what it does.

- what is oc703 fiberglass equivalent?

- "So far, I am happy with them, but not elated...the sound isn't as dynamic as i'd like, but it is smooth" that is because you chose a midwoofer with those properties. if you were hoping for dynamic speakers, then why did you choose the ss mid-woofer as it is a low sensitivity driver that has a smooth frequency response. it is 88db 1w1m, iirc. with a 100 watt per channel receiver, your speaks won't even hit 110db at 1w1m. for dynamic music, you need upwards of 120db+ at the listening position in order to not compress the peaks. if a classical music crescendo doesn't make you jump/scare you just a little bit, you are probably compressing either in the electronics, the speakers, or both.

- sealed bass is no faster or slower than ported bass. you just have to use a driver with a stronger motor in a ported enclosure, so that it will not become distorted. some of the subjectively "fastest bass" comes in ported enclosures with very, very strong motors.

- i would suggest that you take most of the heavy lifting off your mains and direct that to a really good subwoofer. the ae speakers td18h+ is a great one. plop it in a ported enclosure of around 8 cubes and tune it to 22hz ported. then place it in between your mains and cross it is around 100-120 hz or so. that will make your system sound much more dynamic.

i have a set of zrt too, i haven't put it to much use because i feel something is missing. When i get a chance and some help i will lug it up stairs and put some power to it. Maybe next week or something. Currently testing it with a pioneer 92thx, not sounding too good.

you have a VERY nice combo there. there are many folks who would jump on your setup if they could afford it, as it does many things right.

if you want to scout new territory, a good primer may be william cowan's website. his site is here:
http://www.cowanaudio.com/

have you picked up a copy of toole's book:
http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduc.../dp/0240520092

i haven't read it, but from all of toole's past works, i generally agree, so i suggest it as a good read.

Wow those look awesome. Makes me want to go to the shed and get started on my clones.

There is really only so much a lower sensitivity 6.5" driver can do. What reference point are you coming from when you are looking for more out of them??

I would consider two things:

1) A better main subwoofer. The Jellos get loud and low, but there's only so much music one can expect from a long-coil driver with no shorting ring. Even if the BL(x) is as admirably linear as the Jello's.

2) Multiple subwoofers around the room. Well-deployed multisubs will do two things for you. First, smooth out upper bass response. Second, allow you to use a much higher xover frequency without worrying about localization. (The bass will be coming from all around you anyway)

Alternately, you can use your Jello as the "main" sub (considering it gives you adequate low end, is small, and you already have it) and just build two or three smaller subs.

Yes, everybody's right that there's only so much "impact" a set of inefficient tiny-driver mains can have, but with a good multisub setup I think you'll be happier. More power to them will likely just result in more power compression.

Eh, I'm not sure. Nearly everyone on these boards is quick to the subs. he had the sub before the ZRTs. I think its:

1. Low sensitive drivers.
2. Xover changes.
3. Tweeter changes.

You could consider the 2.5 version of the ZRTs if you determine it to be sensitivity. For now I suggest you just sit back and enjoy them a while