High output, multiple driver DIY main recommendations? - Page 16

Just out of curiosity, how did the B&W CT8.4's sound? Can you give any sort of deeper comparison between the CT8.4's and your Seos? Did you demo any other speakers, and if so, which ones were they and how did they compare to your Seos? Of course, I realize that to do a proper comparison you would need to a/b them back to back, but I am just curious to hear your personal/subjective opinions.

Just out of curiosity, how did the B&W CT8.4's sound? Can you give any sort of deeper comparison between the CT8.4's and your Seos? Did you demo any other speakers, and if so, which ones were they and how did they compare to your Seos? Of course, I realize that to do a proper comparison you would need to a/b them back to back, but I am just curious to hear your personal/subjective opinions.

The Ct8.4s imaged wonderfully and clarity was great form what I remember..they were just too "flat" sounding, no dynamic capability in comparison to the Sentinels. I am willing to bet, based on the sound of the Sentinels in my far less than ideal temporary testing spot, I think the sents will do just as well in most other catagories and far better with dynamics.

I have listened to so many over the last couple years, and for years for that matter. Most recently, Triad gold lcr, which I thought the Sentinels beat out handily. The triads were a bit underpowered, but in a well designed room. I love the sound and balance of Legacy speakers, namely the signature se model. Its been too long for a comarison, but when sitting in the sweet spot, those sigs are tough to beat in imaging and clarity. The problem with them is one foot of verticle variation in your listening postion, the sound goes down the toilet. Apparently the new air motion ribbons helps, but I would only buy these for a 2 channel rig with a fixed, single Lp. Back to the CT8.4s, I would take the Sentinels for HT use any day!

Are these kits being shipped to EU? The website seems to indicate the aren't.

And what about the big BA-750 tweeter? I wouldn't mind spending an extra $100 if there are kits with it. Are there?
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/drivers/tweeters/ba-750.html

I'll give him an e-mail.

The room is large: 22' x 28' (semi dedicated). Listening distance is 12'. I already have two large subs each using a 18" Maelstrom, tuned to 13 Hz... I' like to hit reference level peak, so I'd like 115 dB at 1 meter (+/- 105 dB at 3m60/12'). I'd like a very potent system, that plays as cleanly and effortless as possible for the budget.

My starting point was the B&W CT700 series. This three-way with double woofer costs €1,500 each. That's my max budget, cabinet included. I found the CT7.3 a little small for the money.
http://www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk/Speakers/Custom_Installation/CT_Series/CT7.3-LCRS.html

So I am in the market for proven kits up to $1K. I was focussed on the Troels Gravesen DTQWT-12. This uses double 12" woofer on the back to load a tapered horn. The problem is the 8" midrange that is reported not to withstand high power. Recommended power for the speaker is 60 Watts. Although it's 95 dB/Watt efficient and is tuned to go down to 30 Hz, I don't think it will resist HT duty... I think total cost without cabinet is about €850 each.
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/DTQWT-12.htm

BTW, I already have a Emotiva XPR-5 amp with 5 x 400 Watt/ 8ohm. I am also considering using active Emotiva stealth 8 monitors. That's a two-way with 2 x 200 Watt. I love the active crossover idea. And in theory, the stealth should just play loud enough. But the midwoofer is only 8". Price is $750 each (including the power ofcourse).
http://emotivapro.com/products/powered_monitors/stealth8.php

I also like this set:
http://www.teufelaudio.nl/home-cinema-thx/system-10-thx-ultra-2-certificaat-5.1-set-cinema-p5014.html
LCR is €1,500 each also. It gets very favorable reviews.

have you had any problem with your ceiling grid rattling? my space is about half the size of yours (and i have half as many 18" daytons as you) and my grid went nuts when the bass hits. i guess i couldn't really tell until i turned off all the speakers and just had the subs playing. but it was very annoying to hear all of the racket created by bass, and i couldn't imagine how much this affected the overall sound during playback, so i had to rip out the grid and put up drywall. i will be needing treatments as well, just curious about your experience with any rattles with the extreme output from your system

quit kidding yourself andrew, your whole house rattles

I am having trouble with mine, but as andrew already said, EVERYTHING rattles. I was doing test tones night before last and the walls were all flexing like half an inch in the back of the room with a 15hz tone

They look great. I hope everything works out and I can make it over in April to see/hear them in person, it would be nice to hear how they sound in stereo.

So you are coming!!!

Do it. Can't wait to meet you man.

Wow, I would imagine that the Sent's sitting on some SI18's would be pretty nice! Are you planning on actively crossing over the Sent's and SI18's...kind of a quasi 3-way?
That is what I am trying to do with my Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1's with the RAAL tweeter. I am using JBL2225's as mid-bass units that are actively crossing over to my bookshelf's
mid-range driver, then my mid and tweeter will crossover passively.

Good luck! I would imagine that when you get done, you will have a world class setup!

awesome

for an idea of what the sents will look like on top of the SI18s just look at my pic of the Tempests on top of the daytons


also interested to see what you come up with for a stand

Wow that does sound like an awesome idea, Gorilla83! I am going some similar on my entertainment center actually being two separate stands.
Do you have any equipment rack in the back or in another room? Or are you building the entertainment center to house all of your equipment?

That sounds like a good idea, although if it were me, I would locate everything in an equipment rack either somewhere in the room where it is not sticking out,
or possibly in a closet. I have personally never had the luxury of having enough space for a separate rack, I just keep my gear in my entertainment center that houses
my TV. Hopefully one day soon when my wife graduates Law School then we can afford a nice house with a dedicated theater room instead of an el-cheapo apartment!
LoL! What kind of cable are you going to use to run to and from the pro-amps to the receiver? Speaking of which, what are you using as a receiver or pre/pro?

I just picked up an 818 for a friend of mine from One Call for 600.00 shipped (open box). That is a serious receiver for the money. I was pretty impressed with the feature set, especially compared to my 3009.

They actually had some on their website. It looks like they sold out but I'm sure they'll be getting more in. It arrived like new with all accessories.

That makes sense. I have lived in a small apartment for several years, and being that I do not have space for a separate equipment rack, that has always made me want one! When the time comes to build a new house,
I will likely house most of my equipment in a rack that is outside of the room, but keep the bluray player and the cable box in-room.

What exactly is the difference between the Fusion-12 and Fusion-15? By frequency response and sensitivity, it seems the Fusion 12 go louder and lower? Even with the extra power handling on the Fusion-15, it doesn't make up for the 2 dB sensitivity. The Fusion-12 are cheaper, and smaller too, so what advantages does the Fusion-15 have over them?

Largest noticeable output difference will be the bottom end where the extra displacement comes in handy. At 80hz the Fusion-15 has a large (8dB) xmax limited output advantage.

Transfer function:


SPL:


Max SPL: