Acculine Owners Thread - Page 9

By level, do you mean volume? Mid-90dB range, but running on the edge like that, you'd be clipping on peaks. Wouldn't you prefer to use a bigger, better amp?

Perhaps, but I don't know of many other inexpensive, compact, audiophile grade amps out there. Most confusing is that on the TCA forum I'm getting responses that it'd be fine, but you're stating that it would clip on me in many instances. You mentioned the emotiva earlier, but at $800 for the two channel, I won't even consider it. Even the Denon 789 receiver, which runs at 600 with video handling capabilities is too much. I'm looking for 250 or less for the amp, since the A1 + amp would be paired with an Asub and that package shouldn't be getting near or exceeding 1000.

Well, mid nineties is pretty darn loud, so if you limit yourself to the usual watt or less most listening uses, I'd actually be one of the few guys who'd seriously suggest that a sub-twenty watt amp would be fine.

Therefore I agree with them, however if you want to routinely explore 90dB+, then you may need more power. My remark about a larger amp was made within the context that the speaker can safely absorb peaks of five or more times the 18w in question.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the Acculine is no different than any compact speaker in its class -- your 18w rms of power is no worse off driving a pair of A1 than anything else in this general area.

All in all it all comes down to expectations, and the only way to know if this combo (or any other) delivers what you want from it is just to give it a try...

Just a couple of other questions that I had about the A1s: Is the difference between the A1 and A1R, if I may paraphrase, that the A1R was tuned for main duty and more low end fullness (is that the same as saying they are "darker" sounding than the A1s) and since this is for a small office, does any of that matter? The second (and last question I promise) is that on the Asub thread you discuss a PR--is that on the current selling model? If not, how does its FR differ from the unit that craigsub reviewed some time ago?

Feel free for any questions.

 

Whole aucculine A3R review.pdf 71.6845703125k . file

Jon,

Just to clarify, you state in an earlier response that there is not much difference between an A2 and the A2r correct? The main difference is with the A1 & A1r crossvoer. I have three of the A2's across the front and with the current sale was considering going to the A2r for the center or possibly three if you have an upgrade program that would give me credit for the the three A2's to get three A2r's do you?

Just received my Acculines today. From what I've heard so far they sound excellent, very clean and detailed. I have a question about the ASub though. I have the speakers and sub connected to the Yamaha RX-V663 and read in the v663 thread that one should disable the crossover on the sub if possible and let the Yamaha handle that. Is it possible to disable the crossover on the ASub? Right now I just have it up as high as possible.

Also, I wasn't sure exactly how to connect the coaxial connection from the sub to the receiver. The sub has left and right audio inputs, but I just connected the left (white) input to the sub and connected the other end to the receiver's sub ouput. Is that correct?

You have the sub setup correctly I believe.

BTW, I have the RX-V663 and Acculine's as well.

Set the sub's xover as high as possible and, if possible, use a Y-splitter to drive both of its inputs from a common sub out.

I recently bought a pair of A1 Acculines as my front speakers and an A2 center for my home theater system, and am impressed with their performance.

I just upgraded to an Onkyo TX-SR606 receiver, and noticed it is rated for 6-8 ohm speakers. As I understand it, the A2 is 4 ohms. So, what problems will I have with this setup, if any? Is the Onkyo incompatible with the A2? Will it burn out?

I apologize if this has already been answered.

I have the Onkyo 705 with A2's across the front. I have them setup as 6 ohm with no problems. This is also what Jon recommended.

This thread is lacking. Can we hear from some owners of the A1rRL plus A2 center or, A2 x 3 RCL, A3 RL and A2 Center. I'm trying to decided between these and the BIC acoustech. I'm leaning on the Right and Left A3, plus the A2 for center powered by Onkyo 606 or the Acoustech. No threads answer these questions from current owners. Any input for the last 3-4 months? FYI I already have BIC vk-12 sub. So I'm looking at 3.0 speakers.

Thanks,
HMHG

I have the A2's LCR and the A1's as rears. I really like the sound of these speakers. I compared them to Defintive Tech S350's, Klipsch RB-15's and AV123 Encores and I felt the A2's sound better then any of them. You will need/want a subwoofer of course.

Can anyone comment on the new A-sub? Is it as good as the craigsub listed on his original review? For the price is it comparable to the ed a2-300?

I'm courious about there being a problem with my Pioneer vsx-918v and these receivers, also. I believe my receiver has a rated power of 95W per channel at 8 OHM impedance. Would this be enough for 4 OHM A3s?

I really interested in buying a 5.1 setup consisting of:

A2 for center channel
A pair of A3s for left and right
A pair of A1s for surround
and the Asub.

Questions would be how much room would I need from my tv wall to the A3s? My living room is roughly 19x15 with 2/3 of the back wall open to kitchen. I would have to place the A3 about a 1ft to 1 1/2 ft from the wall. Would that be enough room/space to get the benefit of the tower speakers?

Thanks

You won't have any problems driving these speakers. I have an Onkyo 705 and I was concerned as well. I only have 6 or 8 ohm settings. I use the 6 ohm setting per Jon.

Yes, but read this article if you want more information about placement.
http://bp3.blogger.com/_Mgr8W2clJwY/...600-h/A3_2.jpg

Thanks for the link. After reading that review it makes me want to get these even more! It looks the A3s performed well in the reviewer's tests and that placement closer or farther from a wall will give you more or less bass. At the A3s price point I think I will have to try these bad boys out myself.

I really don't think you can go wrong at the current sale price. I have A2's across the front and I love the sound for movies and music.

Hi everybody. I took a chance on the A1's a few days ago and they arrived at my house last night. These are not the A1R's, just the A1's. I started writing a friend of mine an email about them and it turned into the review below. I won't spoil the fun by giving away the ending. Thanks for reading.

I picked up the box last night at UPS. Tiny little box. I think they only fit one of the Beta 20's I used to have in a box the same size. But I brought them home, opened the box, and the speakers were right there (no double boxing), in good shape and packed pretty well in plastic bags with styrofoam corner blocks. Upon taking them out of the box, I noted how heavy they are...hints that the cabinet problems I was expecting aren't really going to be an issue. The grills are nice and the cabinets are covered in the usual vinyl veneer. Grills on, the front and sides are unremarkable. The back shows one of the 2 "high-end" aspects of this humble little speaker. There are attractive bi-wire posts back there. Pretty neat for a bookshelf. There's also a port with a nice "screen" on the inside that would keep cat's paws, kids' toys, etc. from getting in them if you, I don't know, put them on the floor or something.

So get to it...what about the tweets?!? OK, OK, already. I took off the first grill and I don't know what I was expecting but I was neither impressed nor disappointed. Visually, the A1's have a typical (5" aluminum) silver-colored driver with a nice-looking black phase plug in the middle and solid rubber surround. It does NOT look like a driver a cheap speaker would have.

Then the "money-shot"...an interesting-looking but not incredibly awe-inspiring planar magnetic tweet. At the time, I guessed it was one of those things you just have to hear to be impressed (and I definitely was, more on that later). The construction of the front face was OK but showed the flaws that a $160 speaker is gonna have...some adhesive showing around the tweet mounting, some crowning around the screws holding the tweet mounting down, etc. No big deal.

So visually they're neat but not any more than a $160 speaker should be.

Dammit, get on with it. How do they sound?

After screwing around for WAY too long trying to get my HK 3385 to put out any sound at all (one must remember to keep the little jumpers that go between the Main In and Pre Out terminals on one's receiver...or else one ends up having to use an old RCA cable), I finally got them going.

Initial impression: Clarity. With a capital C. I had Nickel Creek's This Side in and the recording sounded as good, if not better, than it ever has on any speaker or even headphone I've ever heard. Sara Watkins's voice was amazing (as always) and the guys sounded pretty good, too. The sound in the highs and upper mids was, for lack of a better phrase, *ruthlessly* accurate. I could hear pick attacks I'd never heard outside of my headphones before (and even on my cans they weren't as pronounced). The imaging was fantastic and the sound in those upper registers was very detailed and full in even the most complicated passages. I'm not gonna lie...I said "Wow!" under my breath several times. Tonally, things--especially notes in the middle midrange that were held for any extended period of time sounded very clear but (and this is where my experience started to change) almost "wavy" in some spots. It was a strange phenomenon that only seemed to pop up when I listened VERY critically. I've never heard anything quite like it. I figured, "OK, this is a 'reference recording'...maybe I should dumb things down a little...I need to be fair to the little guys right out of the box."

So I put in Ray LaMontagne's Trouble (one of my faves) and kicked back. If you've never heard this recording, it can best be described as "musical but not analytical". His voice never seems like it's the centerpiece of the song (strangely). And when you get down to it, it seems like Ray's sibilants never lose their h's and there's lots of variations in clarity and recording quality throughout the album. But the music is really good. I figured if anything would give the A1's a fighting chance, it would be this album.

It was during this album that I conclusively noticed the A1's major shortfall: bass. As clear and revealing and precise and I'm just gonna say it--beautiful--as the highs and upper mids of this speaker are, the low mids and bass are..."severely stunted" is the best phrase I can think of to describe it.

I was a bit worried about the 5" aluminum woofer's ability to reach way down but coming from a pair of active monitors with 5" polypro woofers that reached pretty low, I figured the low end would be at least solid. I wish it wasn't true but these speakers just can't get down there. And when you try to make them, they sound restrained (NOT strained as much as REstrained). Even the lower mids on the many good acoustic guitar strumming passages on Trouble sounded like mere shadows of themselves.

Ray's voice sounded great, albeit much more grainy than on even my Sennheiser headphones. The accuracy in the highs and upper mids was still stunning. But those lows...oh, the lows. I even tried to turn up the bass tone control on my HK. It improved things a bit on the bottom end...but it introduced a muddiness in the mids that I just couldn't tolerate for longer than 10 seconds. I tried pushing them back up against the wall. I tried bringing them forward. I tried spreading them out. Nothing seemed to help. So I went to bed.

I put in Buddy Guy's Sweet Tea this morning to see if it was just a tired mind that couldn't find the lows last night. The second track, Baby, Please Don't Leave Me, starts out with some of the richest, thickest, most in-your-face bass on any album I've ever heard. (The only thing that compares is a Chevelle song whose title I can't remember for the life of me.) I sat in anticipation through the first song...which is just Buddy singing with a few bluesy guitar pickings here and there, about as opposite the second song as you can get...and I was struck again with how awesome those planar tweets are!! It's cliche as hell but I'm not ashamed to say that it absolutely sounded like he was right in the room with me.

So the second track starts...here we go..."One...two...one, two, three..."

Nothing. There was *some* lower mid action but nothing at all to write home about. Mostly what I got was some anemic "thudding" from the woofer (no, it wasn't that overdriven "popping" sound) and something that probably sounds like low end if you turn your hearing aid way up. I felt the back of the speaker at the port and it wasn't moving much air at all back there, either. Even the Samson monitors dug deeper with their polypro woofers. MUCH deeper. Their ports came alive on the same song with 20w to the woofer vs. the 80w coming from my HK to the Acculines.

Conclusion: I'm gonna listen to them a bit more but things don't look good. As much as I LOVE the tweets (and I REALLY do), the rest of the frequency range is just not adequate. I don't know if it's that the tweets are soooo good and soooo forward (efficiency-wise, they DO seem like they're MUCH better than the 88dB they're rated at) that you don't want to turn it up any more to flesh out that bottom end or what. Maybe they benefit to a surprising degree from a sub. But I don't have the room in my setup for a sub so that's not an option.

When it comes to planar tweets, I'm sold. But the Acculine A1's will have to really "come out of their shells" in the next few days in order for me to not take advantage of Audio Insider's 30 day satisfaction guarantee.

irishsammy....thanks so much for your review. I was contemplating getting a pair since they are on sale now for $159....and I will hold out. I understand the the "r" versions address the deficiencies you brought up.

Does anyone know why there are no "r" Acculine speakers currently on the AI site? I thought I saw them there the first week in January......

Z

The A1's are not great fronts for a HT setup and or 2.0 setup. They are better as rears in HT and need a sub for both. The A2's (MTM arranagement) are much better and sound really good for acoustic/rock/country but really shine in HT usage. I have three a2's across the front, a sub and two a1's for rears and the sound is fantastic. I listened to my A1's for the first time in a 2.0 setup tonight and I experienced much of the same mid and low end sound that you did. I did hear bass but it was more boxy sounding then tight when listening to country/rock music. They sounded really good when I play Schindler's List which is primarily strings. I am putting together a 2.0 system for my computer and was considering using the A1's for this but not after what I heard tonight. I will take a look at Polk Monitor 30's which are selling for $99 a pair and the reviews I've read have all been positive for a speaker in the price range. I would love to spend $400-500 but I don't have it and I'm not sure it is really practical. I am a satisifed Acculine owner when it comes to HT althought my a2's and sub sound really nice for when playing music but I like a brighter more forward sounding speaker.

I love the planar sound, I have some ESS Performance Series towers from the late 80's and was wondering what you all thought about a move from the ESS to the A3 or A3R (if they return)? This would be for music only.

I suggest checking the audio insider website for reviews on the A3. I'm sure they cover music in the review. You can also get them on a 30 day trial but have to pay for shipping if you return them.

I'm new to the forums and I'm researching HT components. The Acculine Asub looks interesting but after looking at the Audio Insider website, I still have a couple of questions I'd appreciate some help with.

Is the owner's manual available for download?

Elsewhere in this thread, it states that the manufacturer's warranty is 5 years but where are the authorized service centers located?

Does the sub have auto standby?

i'm gonna be buying these for my dad soon along with the sr506 and dayton 12

can anyone recommend some affordable height adjustable stands for the a1's?

Just checked the AI website. I didn't see any of the Acculine "r" revision speakers nor the A1 bookshelf. I guess they are out of stock?

I noticed this too. I have not seen Jon post here in sometime. I hope the economy has not impacted him.

Has anyone ordered and received anything from this company recently?
I placed an order on February 6th for a pair of A3's and the website still shows my order as pending. When I emailed them I got one response saying my order had been sent to the wrong warehouse and that he "thought" it had been shipped out. 2 additional emails from me have since garnished no response.
I'm just wonding if anyone else has recently recieved anything from this company... starting to get nervous.