Swan Owner's Thread - Page 57

You can audition the Flagship series in Tampa. I wish you would if your not too far away. That way you can confirm I'm not crazy.

www.swanshometheater.com has them in stock. Great guys.

Hi Phidget, sorry to hear about your wife getting laid off. Man the economy is just doing so bad.

I have the same receiver (sc-05) with 6.1's on order. I haven't yet opened the sc-05 box yet as I'm waiting for an entertainment center to get here. I have some old cheap bose to try out my new sc-05 but I can't wait for the Swans to get here. Let us know how you like the combo.

s-one

Does anyone have any insight on how the diva 6.1s sound compared to polk lsi 15 or the jbl l890s or anyother floorstanders that are about $1,000 new or used?

I'm not sure about the LSi series, but I do know those can be extremely difficult to drive and almost necessitate separate amplification. As for the L890s, I've heard them but not side-by-side with the Divas. They're a great sounding speaker and quite efficient, but noticeably brighter than the Swans, along with a more exaggerated midrange punch. They are a great HT speaker, and probably not a bad music speaker either if you like their more forward voicing. They're also a good choice if you're doing without a subwoofer, good down to 28hz anechoic, likely lower in-room. They don't, however, have the smoothness and extremely neutral voicing of the Swans, which is one of my favorite aspects of the Swans. If you can come across a good deal (fairly easy to get a new pair under $500 on eBay with Cash Back) and are focusing your system on HT, then I definitely wouldn't cross them off your list.

Took some updated shots of my setup the other day...not the best pics but whatev!

Ok, so I've been reading different stories about if I will need a sub with my 6.1s. So I got some room demensions and yeah. I'll be running a Swan 6.1s for fronts and a C3 for the center. I'll be pushing them with a Onkyo 805 (135w).

My room is a 12.3ft x 12.3ft x 8ft jail cell (Dorm Room) with Cinder Block walls on 3 sides and wooden closets on the other (I'd take a picture but my room is trashed) and Its a tile floor. The Room is full of stuff (twin bed, futon, two desks (One with Desktop Computer, One with Printer), TV, Coffee Table, and 2 chairs(Wooden))

I know the room isn't very acoustic but yeah.

SO, I think I have plenty of speaker and power to rock my room but will I need a Sub or will the the 6.1s be good until I get a new place after I graduate (May).

For the really low stuff...40hz and below you will probably need a sub.

Ordered a set of Swans M10 speakers from The Audio Insider last Saturday as they are back in stock. Received yesterday. Box undamaged, packed perfectly, but the unit is DOA. Will not power up at all in multiple known good outlets. No blue light, no sound, no amp powerup, nothing.

Hopefully Jon and the folks at The Audio Insider will get me a replacement free of charge ASAP.

I will report my customer service experience here.

-Adam

I've run 6.1s in a slightly smaller room with less power and they did very well without a sub, into the low 30hz and maybe high 20hz range.

You won't have any problem. They are top notch.

I need to convince myself this. I've been looking like a madman for a sub but I don't have the money for it. I was possibly thinking about a PA-120 but still i'm not sure. If live.com cashback goes back to 25% it may hard to turn it down...

damn......finally ready to buy ac3 to go with my 6.1s..ordered them fromoz last night.....they are back ordered.....anyone know if jon has any over at tai??
if not im woondering if the 5.2c would be a good match with the diva 6.1........any thoughts

Here is some new eye candy from swans that has a similar aesthetic to Dali Helicons and Dynaudio Contours

[quote]

The 6.1 without sub is very good for music, yes you will have nice bass, but only OK for movies HT

It is like a very good cake without icing

Add a sub, well calibrated, and you will have the last layer, the icing on your cake, for movies enjoyment, it is a must.

I tested both, and the conclusion for music, sub make a more enveloping or complete sound, for movie (it is mandatory) to recreate theater experience.

I run my 6.1 for two channel listening in full range taking my sub out of the mix. While for movies the subwoofer is a requirement no doubt.

Update: Jon apologized for the DOA Swans M10 unit and promptly shipped out a replacement at no charge. Powered up, fired up and it's working well so far (Initially thought I had a bad left channel output, but fiddled with cabling and it started working). Quite nice sound for smallish powered drivers, and this will fit my computer speaker needs perfectly. A+ to Jon at The Audio Insider.

Thank you Jon for the great speakers at a great price, and particularly for your super-prompt customer service!

Best,
Adam

I've not been able to find the publication locally, but the January issue of Electronic House will have a writeup about my theater (which contains Diva 6.1s, 2.1s, and C3). The article doesn't mention the Divas (for whatever reason) but focuses on the theater I was able to put together with $5k (including all equipment, furniture, and decorations) by focusing on ID brands, DIY, refurbs, and open-box items. The link in my signature is to an online version of the article which was published back in September (with my own crappy photography), but the print article in the January issue of Electronic House has some better professional photographs.

Nice Article. How did you pick the 2.1s instead of the r3s? Also how much did you spend on your Speakers/receiver combo + sub? I (as you know) bought the 805 and 6.1s/C3 and am wondering how I'm going towards that amount. I imagine I wont be able to spend much more than that for my system when I get out of college either.

I'd also like to know why you picked the 2.1s over the R3s. Do you have any pictures of the custom sub?

My main reasoning for picking the 2.1s over the R3s was that I actually started with the 2.1s as mains. I first purchased the 2.1s planning on evaluating them for the available 30 days and if I liked them adding the C2 and R2s (I was in a smallish on-campus apartment at the time), all in BC. I was so impressed with the 2.1s that I instead immediately added 4.1s as mains and a C3... Jon even extended some package pricing to me since I was returning so quickly.

A few years later (and a few months before I moved into the room pictured) I had the chance to sell my 4.1s and get a screaming deal on some b-stock 6.1s from OZ (just as great to work with as Jon Lane, just without the presence on the forums).... they were supposed to be BC, but I was accidentally shipped a brand-new pair in Rosewood instead. The return shipping and re-shipping would have cost more than the difference between the BC and Rosewood, so they let me keep them. This is how I settled on the 6.1/C3/2.1 system I have now. I'm actually somewhat lucky I ended up with 2.1s instead of R3s since mounting them in my room would be tough with the pitch of the ceiling.

As for the subwoofer, it's a pretty basic enclosure... short, deep, and wide and fit back into the dormer. You can just barely see it in the picture of the seating area. At the time it was covered in a beige vinyl that somewhat matched the wall color. It's since been refinished in a heavier-duty vinyl that matches the color of Rosewood Swans closely, though the grain is less prominent and it obviously lacks the laquer finish. I've used the same vinyl to wrap the legs of my equipment rack and the sides of my C3 so everything matches extremely well.

My system has been very evolutionary, but in its current incarnation things price out as around $650ish for the 6.1s (paid for B-Stock BC, got brand-new Rosewood), $330 for the C3 BC, $300 for the 2.1 BCs, $550 for the SR805 (open-box, Circuit City), and around $350 for the sub ($150 for the Avalanche driver on deep clearance, $150 for the BASH amp, and $50ish in building materials)... that comes to around $1630 total for the speakers/sub/receiver.

My only regret in all of this was the 4.1s. They're great speakers and would be the perfect choice for a lifestyle 2ch music system... but for HT, they didn't offer much of anything over the 2.1s and didn't have the amazing depth of the 6.1s (I used these without a sub for awhile and they were very impressive). If I were doing everything over again, I likely would have started with 2.1s front and back which would have given me the option to do 7.1 once I added the 6.1s (not that I would have given my room, but would have been a more logical progression).

You scared me for a min. I looked at that final number and was thinking there is no way I will be able to get Speakers/sub/receiver for $1600 but then I checked you math a little and came up with $2,180. I think I can do this and I'm hoping to do it with the R3s instead of the 2.1s. Just gotta find a place to build a sub and wait for Live.com Cashback to come back.

Think how much you could have saved if you had that Cashback when you were shopping around.

Sorry, that was $1630 for speakers/sub and $550 for the receiver.

When I consider how long I've had the 2.1s and C3 (coming up on 5 years I think) I don't really give too much thought to the what-ifs... even the 6.1s I've had for around 2 years now, so I definitely don't lose much sleep over missing the cash-back. I was also able to negotiate a little bit with OZ on the B-Stock 6.1s, so that price wasn't much more than what new 6.1s with cash-back were... and the happy mistake of getting new Rosewood instead of B-Stock BC was just icing on the cake.

The one part of the cash-back I wish I could have got in on was my for my SR805, but even then, it came along 4 months after I made my purchase so no real sleep lost there either.

Good luck building your sub. Do you have a driver/amp/enclosure in mind? For pure value, it seems something like a Shiva-X and BASH 500w w/ modified filters would be really tough to beat. The Shiva-X is $180 and pretty comparable to my Avalanche (XBL^2, 27mm x-max)... The Avalanche retailed for around $500 4 years ago, luckily I was able to get it on deep clearance for $150 due to a licensing issue Ascendant had with Adire concerning the XBL^2 motor.

I'm having a hard time finding a 61" DLP stand that can handle the C3 center channel. What's everyone using? Thanks for the suggestions!

I'm in a dorm right now so I really have no place to build one. I havn't looked into it much yet. I've looked at buying one but they are just so expensive and I feel like if I buy one for like $300-$500 I will be disappointed with it and want to buy/build a better one.

Looks like I could get a BASH 500w and a Shiva-X for about $410+shipping then I would just need to build a box.

I have a 67" DLP and gave up trying to find a stand to fit it and a C3. I just attached a shelf to the wall above the TV and used rubber doorstops to angled the C3 toward the listening area.

The box is the fun part... any chance you'll be home over christmas break? If so, is there space/tools there? I've seen people build them with 100% of the cuts done at home depot. This can work well if you have an experienced employee cutting, or poorly if you have an unexperienced or unmotivated employee cutting. Another tactic is to have Home Depot cut everything 1/2" long, screw/glue the box together, and use a flush-cut router bit to smooth all of the edges. It can be done without a work shop/area and tools, but those sure do make it a lot easier. Good luck!

I've never really thought about having someone at Home Depot do it for me but that is a though. Do they charge or is it just the cost of wood? Guess I could just tip them and not let their boss see it.

I do have space at home but I live 1k miles away from college so there is no way to get it back. I think I will go without this semester and look at building one once I graduate in May.

I hate to be a party pooper to the DIY crowd but the MFW-15 is a very impressive sub for the price. It's a slot loaded design that is great for music and movies. If you get a B-stock unit it should be in your price range as well. I would give AV123 a call. Just make sure they have it in stock when you order.

Home Depot will do the cuts, usually for free. There is a pricing chard for more than 2 cuts, but I've never been charged for any cuts at several different locations. They have large vertical circular saws that cut extremely strait/square, but getting accurate dimensions is whar usually ends up being dependant on the employee's skill.

The MFW subs are also a great value. If you can get one B-Stock or used near the $450ish you'd spend on a Shiva-X + 500w BASH, the the DIY might very well lose its value edge (especially since you don't have the tools & work area). Once the Tempest-X becomes available again, that might give the price/performance edge back to DIY, if you're able to build a cabinet you're happy with.

I just received my Swan 6.2, these are 6 ohms speakers, and the label on the back of the Swan Diva C3 center says it is a 4 Ohms speaker, my question is can I use my HK avr635 to drive these speakers? Will this 8 Ohms receiver damage the speakers in any way?