Looking for a new project

[soundemon]

Hey All
I've got a hankering to build another set of speakers. Previously I had built the full sized statements and loved them! (sold them - dumb dumb dumb!)

I'm looking for something sealed, that will integrate with subs, currently sealed, eventually IB. So they don't need to go lower than 60Hz, but I do want that "punch" in the 100 - 500Hz range.

I'll be building LCR.

Whether they be standmount or floorstanders I'm open to either.

Any advice / links / etc is greatly appreciated!
TIA

[BeerParty]

Price range?
Preferences for style?
Anything appeal in the Completed Speaker Designs thread?
Have you looked at the Finalists on Curt's web site? Jim worked on them with Curt after the Statements, so if you loved the Statements you would certainly like the Finalists.

[soundemon]

Price range?
Preferences for style?
Anything appeal in the Completed Speaker Designs thread?
Have you looked at the Finalists on Curt's web site? Jim worked on them with Curt after the Statements, so if you loved the Statements you would certainly like the Finalists.

Price range would be about $500/speaker so 1500 for the LCR. I could conceivably spend more, depending on the design etc.
I do like the look of the Finalists. wonder if I could make these sealed instead, and is there a center design?

I'm looking for something where I can be a little creative with the cabinet design, curved etc.
and nice enough that the time and effort I spend on veneering wont be overkill. (some nice burl or birdseye maybe, I love doing veneer)

On my list would definitely be the sealed statements. but it seems silly to re-do the same project when there are so many out there!

[BeerParty]

Since you asked about a center channel design, do you want a 'series' that includes a horizontal center design using the same drivers or would you be willing to build two different designs (one for LR and a different one for the center)? As far as I know there is no center design for the Finalist, so if you choose that for your LR you will need a different design for your center channel.

Would you be interested in a waveguide design? I have heard lots of good things about the SEOS waveguides available from DIY Sound Group. Even the largest kit would be under your budget.

[cjd]

Since the Finalist IS a sealed design, does that indicate an interest in no tunnel for the mid? Far as I know that's not available.

The Khanspire & family might be a lateral move, but all sealed and intended for more contstrained placement options.

There are a lot of good LR designs, but not many with a (horizontal) center option in the family.

[soundemon]

Since the Finalist IS a sealed design, does that indicate an interest in no tunnel for the mid? Far as I know that's not available.

The Khanspire & family might be a lateral move, but all sealed and intended for more contstrained placement options.

There are a lot of good LR designs, but not many with a (horizontal) center option in the family.

when I look at the cabinet design portion of the page, there seems to be a 2 1/2" by 7 3/4" port behind the tweeter, in addition to the mid tunnel. Am I reading this wrong?

http://speakerdesignworks.com/Finalists_3.html

The mid tunnel I have no issue with it I actually love the idea.

[soundemon]

Since you asked about a center channel design, do you want a 'series' that includes a horizontal center design using the same drivers or would you be willing to build two different designs (one for LR and a different one for the center)? As far as I know there is no center design for the Finalist, so if you choose that for your LR you will need a different design for your center channel.

Would you be interested in a waveguide design? I have heard lots of good things about the SEOS waveguides available from DIY Sound Group. Even the largest kit would be under your budget.

that's a bit of an odd page. I see the waveguides and would definitely be into a design with these. However, there doesn't seem to be any designs listed. I see the kits section, and none of the speaker kits in this section feature a wave guide.

[BeerParty]

I see the kits section, and none of the speaker kits in this section feature a wave guide.

The waveguide kits are available via the Waveguide Speaker Kits link (fourth link down on the left side).

The nice thing about these kits is that a CNC baffle is provided, so you don't have to worry about flush mounting the waveguide.

[BeerParty]

Since the Finalist IS a sealed design...

The Finalist is a ported design. From Curt's web site:

The bass capability of a RS225 in a well-tuned ported enclosure is well known. Very deep, tight, clean bass is what you hear. F3 came out about 32 Hz so there nothing missing in the music I listen to.

[john trials]

What about the Continuums? I have read nothing but great reviews of them. On the Salk website, they list the specifications, which seem perfect for integration with a sub, and they are sealed. You'd have to have the center channel vertical, like the L&Rs, but they are fairly small. It'd be great to see someone make some good looking Continuums (hide those ugly screws on the baffle!!!).

http://meniscusaudio.com/continuum-pair-p-1324.html

http://www.salksound.com/continuum%20-%20home.htm

[cjd]

The Finalist is a ported design. From Curt's web site:

I only glanced at the plans on my phone so maybe didn't see clearly, but it didn't look like a port was specced. Weird. That said, sealing that box won't hurt a thing and will still leave room for a comfortable 50-60Hz cross to a sub, and will be reasonaly pleasing on the bass into the 40's still.

[Rony]

The continuums for some reason did not match to the mini statements for some reason, different sound. I thought they would work well with a big sub I built, I was really excited about that, IMHO they did not fair to the minis. Maybe it was the room setup, not sure why.

[Rony]

I keep on saying minis, but I actually meant to say the monitor statements...

[JonMarsh]

What about the Continuums? I have read nothing but great reviews of them. On the Salk website, they list the specifications, which seem perfect for integration with a sub, and they are sealed. You'd have to have the center channel vertical, like the L&Rs, but they are fairly small. It'd be great to see someone make some good looking Continuums (hide those ugly screws on the baffle!!!).

http://meniscusaudio.com/continuum-pair-p-1324.html

http://www.salksound.com/continuum%20-%20home.htm

It should be kept in mind that the Continuums were developed and voiced for relatively near boundary performance- their BSC compensation is done a bit "unusually", and they have a bit of a dip in the 350Hz area of the midrange. They are voiced to mimic a BBC LS35A type design, with all it's "charms" and drawbacks for some applications. They have a somewhat high Q sealed bass alignment, and this will make working with an active sub crossover a bit more tricky. Note that like the LS3/5A, the bass output peaks at around 130-140 measured free air. Near a boundary, the roll off will be re-inforced, so they'll go deeper, and the midrange will get filled in a bit too, but they'll still be somewhat forward in the mid bass.

[Rony]

This explains why I could not match them with the sub, no matter how I tried to set the gain and crossover roll-off of the sub. I finally gave-up and just borrowed Asi's monitor statements and never looked back. It is amazing how much low end they have for a single small driver/box. The only drawback is the efficiency, you need an amp with higher gain if you like to play really loud.

The sitting position in my room is ~20+ feet to the speakers, I did move them closer when we did the listening comparison session, but probably not close enough.