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I am possibly crazy but...

post #1 of 16
11/30/06 at 11:44am
Thread Starter 
I am going to build my first speakers ever and I am probably starting at near the top of the DIY food chain by making Linkwitz Orions, without even hearing them. The reviews for these speakers are almost uniformly so wonderful and the characteristics used to describe them (transparent, dynamic, accurate, great imagers with huge wide and deep soundstage, etc, etc) are so close to what I'm seeking that I just decided to roll the dice and give it a shot.

I am buying the prebuilt Linkwitz crossover/EQ and the flat pack of wood pieces from Wood Artistry with a plan to have painted black at an auto body shop. Since these are active and require separate amplification for each of the 8 drivers I'm buying a couple of used Adcom 4 x 60wpc amps that were recommended by an Orion owner, with the option later to upgrade to the 12 channel ATI 6012 that Linkwitz recommends. After much debate I've decided to get a Denon 2807 to act as a pre/pro and to power my surrounds. Madisound sells the 8 drivers specified for the Orions in a package which I've purchased. I'm putting together my own speaker cables from some 13ga. Dayton Professional cable I'm getting from partsexpress.

This whole DIY idea appeals to me and since I recently unexpectedly came into some coin I decided to find the best that was available (for the love of god, PLEASE don't tell me to look at some other speaker option now--let me enjoy these few moments of upgradeitis-less bliss).

So, introductions over with, what suggestions do you experienced DIY speaker builders have for me while I anxiously wait for delivery of my goodies? Thanks in advance.
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post #2 of 16
11/30/06 at 11:53am
Duuude, you should have gotten Bose(tm)!!!

(teehee)

sounds like scary complicated fun!
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post #3 of 16
11/30/06 at 12:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gonar View Post

Duuude, you should have gotten Bose(tm)!!!

(teehee)

sounds like scary complicated fun!

Aaaaaayyyyyyiiiiiiiieeeeeeee.......... [sound of me jumping off cliff]

LOL, yeah those acoustimass cubes were going to be my second option.

You're right, it is going to be a bit scary and complicated but that will just make the war story when they are done that much better.
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post #4 of 16
11/30/06 at 9:09pm
Top of the DIY food chain is: design your speaker system and crossovers, select all components, build it all yourself. Now THAT'S rolling the dice!
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post #5 of 16
12/1/06 at 1:46am
You could've gone with a sonotube and a huge driver. No one's ever done it before. I do like your idea though. Hopefully it goes well for you since it's your first DIY project.
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post #6 of 16
12/1/06 at 11:59am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Looneybomber View Post

You could've gone with a sonotube and a huge driver. No one's ever done it before. I do like your idea though. Hopefully it goes well for you since it's your first DIY project.

I hope it goes well for me too. I've built PCs before but this is probably going to be a whole different kettle of fish.
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post #7 of 16
3/16/07 at 7:46pm
I've been mulling over getting a pair of Orions, but I'd buy the whole package, even though it's a few month's pay. I'm just not handy with the wires
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post #8 of 16
3/16/07 at 8:00pm
Those orion's look to be worth every penny. The more you could do yourself would be the more you could save. I'm sure they will be allot of fun to build, keep us posted.
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post #9 of 16
3/16/07 at 8:32pm
Hmmm, if you've never heard a dipole before, I'd be a little cautious. They aren't for everybody. What speakers are you coming from? What speakers have you auditioned?
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post #10 of 16
3/17/07 at 7:37am
If you DIY with some inexpensive panels first, you could evaluate the Open Baffle before commiting to expensive woods or finishes. If you don't like the sound, the drivers would probably work in another alignment. For more fun do a Transmission Line with port. I am going to try one of those with scrap just for poops and grins.
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post #11 of 16
3/18/07 at 5:46pm
Steve,

I've never heard anything negative about Orions. Can you go into more detail about the sound of dipoles? I have Maggie 1.6's. I've always attributed the different sound to their being a Maggie rather than the fact that they are a dipole. If I ever get a chance to build a set of speakers, Orions will be the ones.
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post #12 of 16
3/18/07 at 8:07pm
Depending on how much room and absorbtion you have behind the speaker, you can lose out on pinpoint imaging. Soundtage will definitely be huge, but it can come at the cost of the sound being very diffuse. That's the main issue I was referring to - some love it and others don't.
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post #13 of 16
3/18/07 at 11:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesE View Post

Steve,

I've never heard anything negative about Orions. Can you go into more detail about the sound of dipoles? I have Maggie 1.6's. I've always attributed the different sound to their being a Maggie rather than the fact that they are a dipole. If I ever get a chance to build a set of speakers, Orions will be the ones.

Planar dipoles image differently than dipoles made with dynamic drivers.

Depending on how it's recorded a mono vocal track played on a planar dipole, can make the singers mouth sound as large as the distance between the speakers.

With a dynamic driver dipole one gets the accurate imaging of point source drivers combined with the room interaction of a dipole, so you have the best of both worlds. Anyone who's actually heard a pair of dynamic driver dipoles knows this.
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post #14 of 16
3/19/07 at 11:13am
We either have varying definitions of accurate imaging or the dipole speakers I heard were the oddball. I've heard others impressions that corroborate with my own though, so I'm assuming it's typical.
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post #15 of 16
3/19/07 at 11:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by beernutz View Post

I am going to build my first speakers ever and I am probably starting at near the top of the DIY food chain by making Linkwitz Orions, without even hearing them. The reviews for these speakers are almost uniformly so wonderful and the characteristics used to describe them (transparent, dynamic, accurate, great imagers with huge wide and deep soundstage, etc, etc) are so close to what I'm seeking that I just decided to roll the dice and give it a shot.

I am buying the prebuilt Linkwitz crossover/EQ and the flat pack of wood pieces from Wood Artistry with a plan to have painted black at an auto body shop. Since these are active and require separate amplification for each of the 8 drivers I'm buying a couple of used Adcom 4 x 60wpc amps that were recommended by an Orion owner, with the option later to upgrade to the 12 channel ATI 6012 that Linkwitz recommends. After much debate I've decided to get a Denon 2807 to act as a pre/pro and to power my surrounds. Madisound sells the 8 drivers specified for the Orions in a package which I've purchased. I'm putting together my own speaker cables from some 13ga. Dayton Professional cable I'm getting from partsexpress.

This whole DIY idea appeals to me and since I recently unexpectedly came into some coin I decided to find the best that was available (for the love of god, PLEASE don't tell me to look at some other speaker option now--let me enjoy these few moments of upgradeitis-less bliss).

So, introductions over with, what suggestions do you experienced DIY speaker builders have for me while I anxiously wait for delivery of my goodies? Thanks in advance.

Worse case, there is resale value because of brand naming so it's probably
a safe gamble for a first DIY project.
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post #16 of 16
3/19/07 at 11:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveCallas View Post

We either have varying definitions of accurate imaging or the dipole speakers I heard were the oddball. I've heard others impressions that corroborate with my own though, so I'm assuming it's typical.

I have Maggies, ESL's, dynamic driver dipolars and dynamic driver monopoles all operational in the house, so comparisons between them aren't very difficult to make.

Improperly setup speakers or poor room acoustics will smear the stereo image regardless of the design of the speaker.

Your welcome to stop by anytime for a listen.
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