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First, how does this speaker sound? We all know and love the OW1, even if it does have slightly higher distortion compared to others. This is a very sweet sounding tweeter and blends seamlessly with the W15LY. I wouldn't call the OW1 the most dynamic tweeter I have heard, but it is sweet none-the-less and doesn't really call attention to itself. I found this was true with the OW1, when I listened to Roman's Asterion speaker with RS bass section. Again, a very detailed, somewhat laid back tweeter with very nice imaging and depth of soundstage.
The W15LY, was the real surprise. I've read some comments in the past that this driver has higher distortion than the magnesium cone brother, but if crossing above 2K, I prefer the Nextel driver. In a phrase, it's easier on the ears than the metal midrange (W15CH) when paired up with an OW1 4th order acoustic and in my system which includes solid state class AB amplification. I was pleased that the nextel midrange didn't lose detail that the magnesium cone midrange is known for. Rather, the detail was "spread" wider over a greater soundstage and gave a very live feeling to recordings. The magnesium driver is fast and detailed where the nextel seemed detailed but less forceful. The depth of image while listening to the nextel midrange was very spacious, if not a touch distant. This quality was a welcome change to my system because I listen to a lot of rock music that can be on the bright side. Overall I'm very pleased with the way the nextel driver sounds.
Now, this might get me in trouble a bit, but the RS225 woofer is just incredible. There is really no comparing it to the W22 crossed over for use below 300HZ. Perhaps my tuning of the W22 was off, but unibox usually doesn't lie. In a 50L box tuned to around 30HZ, the RS225 sounds like a sub was turned on where the W22 was wimpy and could not create the impact necessary for orchestra music. The W22 is very honest from 150HZ on up and was just plain incredible for some music, but the RS225 is equally impressive, yet with a slightly warmer more expansive sound. Overally the RS225 goes deeper, louder, with less effort than the W22. It differences were NOT subtle at all.
As a complete system, I bet you were noticing how I used words like expansive and detailed to describe each new driver in my system. What this should tell you is that this 3-way with OW1, W15LY, and RS225 is a very good match. It plays all sorts of music without ever becoming fatiquing. It's detailed and offers a large soundstage. Each driver does not call attention to itself, rather blends and becomes one with the music.
So what's next?
This speaker is pretty much complete and I doubt I'll be making any more driver subsitutions. Who knows, maybe my W15CHs will end up in a completely different setup. But for our particular design goals of developing a speaker for a variety of musical taste, this 3-way does the trick now. Funny how our design goals change after we have more experience with a variety of drivers. I'm very pleased with the sound of this new configuration.
I'm sure there are things I left out, so feel free to ask any specific questions you might have.
Regards,
Jed
The W15LY, was the real surprise. I've read some comments in the past that this driver has higher distortion than the magnesium cone brother, but if crossing above 2K, I prefer the Nextel driver. In a phrase, it's easier on the ears than the metal midrange (W15CH) when paired up with an OW1 4th order acoustic and in my system which includes solid state class AB amplification. I was pleased that the nextel midrange didn't lose detail that the magnesium cone midrange is known for. Rather, the detail was "spread" wider over a greater soundstage and gave a very live feeling to recordings. The magnesium driver is fast and detailed where the nextel seemed detailed but less forceful. The depth of image while listening to the nextel midrange was very spacious, if not a touch distant. This quality was a welcome change to my system because I listen to a lot of rock music that can be on the bright side. Overall I'm very pleased with the way the nextel driver sounds.
Now, this might get me in trouble a bit, but the RS225 woofer is just incredible. There is really no comparing it to the W22 crossed over for use below 300HZ. Perhaps my tuning of the W22 was off, but unibox usually doesn't lie. In a 50L box tuned to around 30HZ, the RS225 sounds like a sub was turned on where the W22 was wimpy and could not create the impact necessary for orchestra music. The W22 is very honest from 150HZ on up and was just plain incredible for some music, but the RS225 is equally impressive, yet with a slightly warmer more expansive sound. Overally the RS225 goes deeper, louder, with less effort than the W22. It differences were NOT subtle at all.
As a complete system, I bet you were noticing how I used words like expansive and detailed to describe each new driver in my system. What this should tell you is that this 3-way with OW1, W15LY, and RS225 is a very good match. It plays all sorts of music without ever becoming fatiquing. It's detailed and offers a large soundstage. Each driver does not call attention to itself, rather blends and becomes one with the music.
So what's next?
This speaker is pretty much complete and I doubt I'll be making any more driver subsitutions. Who knows, maybe my W15CHs will end up in a completely different setup. But for our particular design goals of developing a speaker for a variety of musical taste, this 3-way does the trick now. Funny how our design goals change after we have more experience with a variety of drivers. I'm very pleased with the sound of this new configuration.
I'm sure there are things I left out, so feel free to ask any specific questions you might have.
Regards,
Jed
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