First DIY Project Done - ZDT3.5

[DeathMonk]

Took longer than I thought! I would like to say a big thanks to stangbat for all his help.

There are some little mistakes and some things I would have done differently.. But overall not too bad for a first attempt. (being a newbie woodworker didn't help either).

They sound better than expected. However, the tweeter does sound a bit overpowering. I might try a few different resistors.

[Blktre]

Welcome to the club. The Z's look awesome in all black! Very excellent work. You may try working on your room a bit before trying different resistors on the tweeter. I ran into the same thing early on as well as Stangbat and by doing small things to the room helped a bunch. Nice work, and you will really enjoy these speakers!

[DeathMonk]

Well, they are a gift to my dad. So the only times I have listened to them have been there--a less than ideal listening room.

Tonight I am bringing them to my house for a few days (better amp, room) to see what I can do before I go changing anything around.

[Hdale85]

What do you have at your house?

[DeathMonk]

Pioneer Elite VSX-94... If that is what you're asking.

Right now I have all def tech speakers (BP2004TLs, CLR 2500, SM350s) and a HSU VTF2 sub.

I am getting ready to build a new sub:

A little over 5cu ft
Shiva-x
o-audio 500w
w/ a 4" precision port

Eventually I plan on selling these def techs off and going all DIY.

[BobEllis]

You'll probably notice the tweeter seeming less aggressive tonight simply by avoiding the reflections from the sides of your Dad's entertainment center. Try pulling them forward a bit so they are an inch or two ahead of the cabinet. That's still not perfect placement, but should improve things somewhat.

[Hdale85]

Ah I was going to say you don't like those that you built better then the Def Techs? The BP series has horribly bass bloated. My friend had a pair of BP2006's I think they were and ended up replacing them with the one that doesn't have subs in it and said the midrange was a HUGE improvement but said they still weren't as good as my Maxx's I built

[DeathMonk]

Ah I was going to say you don't like those that you built better then the Def Techs? The BP series has horribly bass bloated. My friend had a pair of BP2006's I think they were and ended up replacing them with the one that doesn't have subs in it and said the midrange was a HUGE improvement but said they still weren't as good as my Maxx's I built

The mids and highs are definitely a step up from the def techs. Obviously, the builtin sub makes the lowend better (imo).. I know you would say that's what a separate sub is for, but, speaker for speaker.

There is a lilttle dial on the back of the def techs so you can set the subwoofer where you like--from nothing to too much. If you place them right and tune them right, they can sound pretty good.

That being said, I'll have a lot of time with the ZDT3.5s over the next few days, so I'll get things ironed out on them and possibly to an A/B with the def techs.

[Dave Bullet]

Running in the ZDT3.5 may loosen up the woofers a little, and bring back the bass balance. I wouldn't tweak the top end until the system has run it for a while. Play a mono track / setting through the speakers and check for balance (in the rare case you have a defective driver - which I doubt). Also recheck your wiring . I know this is basic but incase one of the woofers is wired out of phase causing a bass cancellation.

Cheers,
Dave.

[Hdale85]

Well we had tried to tweak the BP's to be flat but the midrange was just recessed a lot. The highs and lows were just always quite a few dB higher then the mids.

[Blktre]

I was going to go w/the Shiva, but the Tempest-X turn's out to be a better setup.

[DeathMonk]

Okay... I just got them home plugged them in and turned on some music. HUGE difference. The woofers are actually hopping around like they should. The highs are not nearly as bad, too--although they still might be a tad on the loud side. But then again I havent set them up at all.

I am highly impressed.

[DeathMonk]

I was going to go w/the Shiva, but the Tempest-X turn's out to be a better setup.

It was all about money.. Shiva was on sale, I sold my HSU to my brother and got the plate amp for my birthday.

Basically, I am going to build a way better sub than I had for no (more) money out of my pocket.

[DeathMonk]

Old thread, but I thought I would reply with an update.. My dad's System is finally complete with the addition of the ZDT3C [sealed].. This is a great CC! I would like to say thanks to Zaph for all the work he puts into his site/designs.

Sorry for the pic quality.. My dad isnt the best photographer

[HareBrained]

That's either a really big TV or the ZDT3C is small than I thought.

[DeathMonk]

lol.. That IS a big TV.. 53 or 56... can't remember. It's just that the old CRT RP TVs look much bigger than the actual screen size

[stangbat]

Looks good. Nice work.

Flip the center channel over. The Zs lobe upwards. When placed above the TV, you want the tweeter on the bottom.

From the ZDT3.5 design page:

The design axis is about 12" above the tweeter and a 2 to 2.5 meter distance. As such, if the center is mounted below the screen, the tweeter should be above the midrange. Mounted above the screen, the tweeter should be below the mid.

[DeathMonk]

Thanks stangbat.. I remember reading that a long time ago. I guessed which way--guess I got it wrong