It's time for a Statement announcing my latest project..

[Jim Holtz]

Thanks Smokinghot.

Jim,

1. If I use the rectangular NeoCd3's, how much will it affect the performance, if any?

2. I see silver NeoCd3's available at Madisound and Zalytron, can the face plate be taken off and painted black?

Thanks

No worries using the rectangular face plate version. The performance is the same as the round. I've never painted a face plate so I really can't answer your question. I would think a satin black would look fine BUT, I've not done it so it's only speculation.

Did you check with Meniscus? They showed round face NeoCD3.0's in stock a couple days ago. They're very good to do business with and a supporter of the DIY events (as is Madisound) so I always like to send business their way if possible.

HTH

Jim

[jyqureshi]

Actually I ordered three round black NeoCd3's at Meniscus 2 weeks back, and they replied saying they only had one in stock, and two being used in test kits :/

Since I will go through all the DIY effort, I want to use brand new ones, not that the test ones are bad, but just my personal preference.

Regarding painting the face plates, since you have seen many of these NeoCd3 pieces, do you think it's easy to take off the plate and put it back on or it is going to mess up the ribbons?

Thanks for your time again.

[Jim Holtz]

Actually I ordered three round black NeoCd3's at Meniscus 2 weeks back, and they replied saying they only had one in stock, and two being used in test kits :/

Since I will go through all the DIY effort, I want to use brand new ones, not that the test ones are bad, but just my personal preference.

Regarding painting the face plates, since you have seen many of these NeoCd3 pieces, do you think it's easy to take off the plate and put it back on or it is going to mess up the ribbons?

Thanks for your time again.

Well bummer! I hope these guys get the NeoCD3.0 back in stock soon.

It's easy to get the faceplate off. Just 4 screws and it won't hurt the ribbon a bit. The rectangular faceplate won't change performance at all but is a lot harder to flush mount than the round variety.

Jim

[jd_cincy]

Hello all, I've been scouring the HT sites for some speaker builds and this one seems extremely promising, due to the amount of people that have used it and all the feedback is great.... I have a small amount of experience building subs in college, but haven't touched it since then.

I'm going to be putting together a basement HT (it will be next winter most likely) and I've decided that I would prefer to build all the speakers myself. I'm considering building 3X statements as L/C/R for use behind a AT screen, along with 2-3 Maelstrom-X sub's.

My current family room setup is all retail / ID and includes Paradigm Studio 100's v4, CC690, SVS PB13-Ultra and an Emotiva XPA-5. If I go the DiY route, the only thing that will migrate itself down a level is the XPA-5. Because they'll be behind a screen, I most likely will paint the MDF and leave it at that, physical presence and fit / finish aren't all that important for this project.

I'm wondering what thoughts people have regarding going DiY Statements Vs. buying 1 more Studio 100. I'm not overly concerned about the cost (buying 1 Studio would be cheaper), it's more the satisfaction of doing it end to end myself, but I certainly want to ensure I'm getting something of impressive quality comparable to or greater than a retail option.

Anyone in the Columbus, Ohio area that has built these interested in giving a demo perhaps?

[ahaik]

Hello all, I've been scouring the HT sites for some speaker builds and this one seems extremely promising, due to the amount of people that have used it and all the feedback is great.... I have a small amount of experience building subs in college, but haven't touched it since then.

I'm going to be putting together a basement HT (it will be next winter most likely) and I've decided that I would prefer to build all the speakers myself. I'm considering building 3X statements as L/C/R for use behind a AT screen, along with 2-3 Maelstrom-X sub's.

My current family room setup is all retail / ID and includes Paradigm Studio 100's v4, CC690, SVS PB13-Ultra and an Emotiva XPA-5. If I go the DiY route, the only thing that will migrate itself down a level is the XPA-5. Because they'll be behind a screen, I most likely will paint the MDF and leave it at that, physical presence and fit / finish aren't all that important for this project.

I'm wondering what thoughts people have regarding going DiY Statements Vs. buying 1 more Studio 100. I'm not overly concerned about the cost (buying 1 Studio would be cheaper), it's more the satisfaction of doing it end to end myself, but I certainly want to ensure I'm getting something of impressive quality comparable to or greater than a retail option.

Anyone in the Columbus, Ohio area that has built these interested in giving a demo perhaps?

I never listened to the V.4's but I did own the V.2's and to the V.2's there is no comparison, the Statements are several levels better in every aspect you can think of, its High End Vs Average Mid Fi. If I had to guess the same will apply to the V.4's.
You can read my review from right after I had them up and running here
Good luck,
Asi.

[jagman]

ahaik...

Please compare the sound coming from your RS 3-way CC to the Statements. Obviously a stereo pair of towers will sound better with music than a mono CC signal but I think you get what I'm after. The reason for the question is I'm contemplating an RS based HT vs a sealed Statement based HT. I do listen to music... probably 50/50. My heart tells me to go after the Statement line but my mind says the RS based system will be much easier to deal with given the constraints of my room. Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I have and will continue to have an IB sub (dual 18's) so low end extension isn't critical.

[jd_cincy]

I never listened to the V.4's but I did own the V.2's and to the V.2's there is no comparison, the Statements are several levels better in every aspect you can think of, its High End Vs Average Mid Fi. If I had to guess the same will apply to the V.4's.
You can read my review from right after I had them up and running here
Good luck,
Asi.

Thank you for the input, sounds very promising! I'm definitely more interested in building the speakers myself, but certainly not at a detriment to quality of HT experience. I'd really rather not give anymore money to the retail market for this stuff, as I'm familiar with the % mark-up they apply, and think there's definitely a lot of satisfaction with DiY.

I'm sure it will be an adventure and would still be interested in a demo if anyone in central Ohio area is willing.

JD

[jagman]

ahaik...

Please compare the sound coming from your RS 3-way CC to the Statements. Obviously a stereo pair of towers will sound better with music than a mono CC signal but I think you get what I'm after. The reason for the question is I'm contemplating an RS based HT vs a sealed Statement based HT. I do listen to music... probably 50/50. My heart tells me to go after the Statement line but my mind says the RS based system will be much easier to deal with given the constraints of my room. Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I have and will continue to have an IB sub (dual 18's) so low end extension isn't critical.

bump

I tried sending a PM as it is probably more appropriate to take this off this thread, but your box is full. Please respond either way.

[jyqureshi]

Hey Jim/Curt,

Yahoo just announced that they're closing Geocities web hosting service, since the statement plans are on your geocitcies web site:

http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/geocities/geocities-05.html

[Curt C]

Thanks, jyqureshi !

C

[sawdust]

I'm contemplating building the Statements. Can anyone tell me if this is a good hard rock speaker? I'm not very familiar with ribbon tweeters and wonder if they would be better suited to a classical music type setting? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

[Jim Holtz]

I'm contemplating building the Statements. Can anyone tell me if this is a good hard rock speaker? I'm not very familiar with ribbon tweeters and wonder if they would be better suited to a classical music type setting? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

I hoped someone else that listens to rock would respond but here's my take on the subject.

I don't think any speaker excels at a particular type of music. Speakers vary in accuracy, dynamics, detail and imaging capabilities. I think the Statements are exceptional in all of those respects.

Why audiophiles commonly associate speakers with a type of music is that not all music is recorded with the same care or is oriented for the same listening audience. Often times rock is recorded with cars or MP3 playback in mind. Some speakers that are less revealing will mask the poor quality and give the impression that they sound better with some types of music simply because they don't do good job of reproducing what was recorded. Classical, jazz, blues and some pop is recorded quite well and is a joy to listen to on a good system.

So, the answer depends on how good your recordings are. If they're well recorded, all of the Statements speakers and most other designs on this website will shine.

HTH

Jim

[sawdust]

I hoped someone else that listens to rock would respond but here's my take on the subject.

I don't think any speaker excels at a particular type of music. Speakers vary in accuracy, dynamics, detail and imaging capabilities. I think the Statements are exceptional in all of those respects.

Why audiophiles commonly associate speakers with a type of music is that not all music is recorded with the same care or is oriented for the same listening audience. Often times rock is recorded with cars or MP3 playback in mind. Some speakers that are less revealing will mask the poor quality and give the impression that they sound better with some types of music simply because they don't do good job of reproducing what was recorded. Classical, jazz, blues and some pop is recorded quite well and is a joy to listen to on a good system.

So, the answer depends on how good your recordings are. If they're well recorded, all of the Statements speakers and most other designs on this website will shine.

HTH

Jim

Thanks Jim. I remember reading Crutchfied catalogs in the early 80's that broke down recommended speakers by music type. The sealed enclosures tended to be more classical oriented and the ported designs more for rock, but it went beyond that.

The Statements sounds like an amazing speaker, just wanted to be sure the ribbons weren't maybe too mellow, if that's the right terminology? I do put an emphasis on good imaging and dynamics and love listening to harder type music on quality equipment. For the most part, the stuff I listen to is of good recorded quality.

Now to convice my wife....

[jadal]

Hi everyone, I've been watching from the sidelines for months and finally decided to jump in with a question to Jim. The Statements are the speakers that I want to build. Can the Statements cabinets be configured to be built as a sub - sat speaker such as the Von Schweikert VR 9 or Aerial Model 20T? Or perhaps use the Statement monitors stacked upon a bass module? I am in the small group of music and audio equipment lovers that want to get into DIY speaker building that have the tools and knowledge to build the cabinet (25 years cabinet building experience) and no electronic knowledge. Is there anyone that has used your design while using a different cabinet. It is just an aesthetic preference. Thanks for any help.

[impala454]

Jadal, might I point you to these beatuiful examples (in this thread):

https://www.htguide.com/forum/showpost.php?p=368843&postcount=658

[Jim Holtz]

Hi everyone, I've been watching from the sidelines for months and finally decided to jump in with a question to Jim. The Statements are the speakers that I want to build. Can the Statements cabinets be configured to be built as a sub - sat speaker such as the Von Schweikert VR 9 or Aerial Model 20T? Or perhaps use the Statement monitors stacked upon a bass module? I am in the small group of music and audio equipment lovers that want to get into DIY speaker building that have the tools and knowledge to build the cabinet (25 years cabinet building experience) and no electronic knowledge. Is there anyone that has used your design while using a different cabinet. It is just an aesthetic preference. Thanks for any help.

Hi Jadal,

The Monitors would lend themselves to the type of look you pointed too rather than the Statements. Regarding cabinet design changes, the baffle width must remain nearly the same so that rules out facets and the depth should be similar, give or take about 10%, so the open back transition can work properly. That is something that Curt would have to weigh in on to get a factually correct explanation.

HTH

Jim

[jadal]

Thanks Jim. The Monitor option seemed like the most sensible way to go, rather than taken a proven design and trying to modify it. But I may end up satisfying my eyes rather than my ears. After all, it was the reviews of the sound that drew me to the Statements. I have heard the Legacy Signatures that you compared them to. We seem to have the same taste and when it comes to ribbons, imaging, and placement. And how about the price. WOW!
If I do go with the Monitor / bass module, how would you recommend crossing over the bass module, considering that the Monitor is already a three way design? And If I did reconfigure the Statement cabinet, would the crossover be the same? As I said, Making the cabinets is the easy part for me, I could always keep making them until I get it right.

Chuck: Thanks for the link, I did miss that one. CBS should be very proud, stunning.

Jim

[Jim Holtz]

Thanks Jim. The Monitor option seemed like the most sensible way to go, rather than taken a proven design and trying to modify it. But I may end up satisfying my eyes rather than my ears. After all, it was the reviews of the sound that drew me to the Statements. I have heard the Legacy Signatures that you compared them to. We seem to have the same taste and when it comes to ribbons, imaging, and placement. And how about the price. WOW!
If I do go with the Monitor / bass module, how would you recommend crossing over the bass module, considering that the Monitor is already a three way design? And If I did reconfigure the Statement cabinet, would the crossover be the same? As I said, Making the cabinets is the easy part for me, I could always keep making them until I get it right.

Chuck: Thanks for the link, I did miss that one. CBS should be very proud, stunning.

Jim

The bass module would be a sub and each would have to use an active crossover. In other words, the crossover for any of the Statements should not be changed and just blended in the with the sub in the normal manner. It could be a simple plate amp with a built in crossover or Velodyne makes an excellent crossover that CBS is now using.

If you reconfigure drivers, it will require crossover changes. That's Curt's area of expertise, not mine. You will not be able to duplicate the designs you linked to with out a redesign of the Statements. You could do something somewhat similar by adding in a sub module to any of the Statements as CBS did but not to the extent of reconfiguring driver layout etc. without starting a fresh design that would require a new crossover.

Having lived with the Legacy Sigs you mentioned for several years, they are a "boom and sizzle" speaker in comparison to the Statements. The Statements are a "leap" rather than a "step" up in sound quality in my opinion.

HTH

Jim

[jadal]

Thanks, I'm pretty much sold on going with the sealed design and sub. I really don't want to chance making any modifications to your design. Especially after reading your commentary on CBS's finished product. I'm going to start to assemble the materials for a fall project. I'll make sure that I post pictures, I see how much everyone enjoys pictures. Are pictured deleted from the thread after a certain amount of time? I notice where people have commented on pictures that were attached, only to find none?

I'd like to share something with you that you may find amusing. I was reading my June issue of The Absolute Sound and I noticed that Spendor speaker Co. has just announced that they have developed a new floorstander with all new drivers...Blah Blah Blah. "The Statement." I don't imagine that their Statement can sound nearly as good as yours, because it's only $8995.00 / pr.

[Jim Holtz]

Thanks, I'm pretty much sold on going with the sealed design and sub. I really don't want to chance making any modifications to your design. Especially after reading your commentary on CBS's finished product. I'm going to start to assemble the materials for a fall project. I'll make sure that I post pictures, I see how much everyone enjoys pictures. Are pictured deleted from the thread after a certain amount of time? I notice where people have commented on pictures that were attached, only to find none?

I'd like to share something with you that you may find amusing. I was reading my June issue of The Absolute Sound and I noticed that Spendor speaker Co. has just announced that they have developed a new floorstander with all new drivers...Blah Blah Blah. "The Statement." I don't imagine that their Statement can sound nearly as good as yours, because it's only $8995.00 / pr.

It would be fun to find out just how they did compare. :B

We're looking forward to your build thread when you're ready.

Jim

[LFF]

Wow!

I am extremely interested in building the Statements strictly for 2 channel music listening.

Has anyone in Southern California built these? If so, anyone willing to give me a demo?

I have never built a speaker before but I am looking forward to building these. It would be a slow process as I have $0 to spend on this but I do have some nice goodies that I could sell to finance these.

I am looking to stay as true as possible to the original design.

Does anyone have an updated BOM list? Advice, etc. I am a complete newbie when it comes to speaker building.

[Regg]

I'd like to share something with you that you may find amusing. I was reading my June issue of The Absolute Sound and I noticed that Spendor speaker Co. has just announced that they have developed a new floorstander with all new drivers...Blah Blah Blah. "The Statement." I don't imagine that their Statement can sound nearly as good as yours, because it's only $8995.00 / pr.

Consensus Audio has a flagship speaker they call the Statement(shown below)...they're selling on A'gon right now for only $107,000 :E



Sheesh, I must be in the wrong business if those are selling. :rofl:

I'd prefer to stick with The Statements, as they're known around here. A more sensible choice, IMHO. :T

[LFF]

Consensus Audio has a flagship speaker they call the Statement(shown below)...they're selling on A'gon right now for only $107,000 :E


Sheesh, I must be in the wrong business if those are selling. :rofl:

I'd prefer to stick with The Statements, as they're known around here. A more sensible choice, IMHO. :T

Only $107k?!

I'll take 4. :W :rofl:

[NateTTU]

I posted this question in my statements build thread, but I thought it might get a little better exposure in this thread instead. I would like to place a sealed sub next to the Statements. What kind of restrictions would I have in order to not interfer with their sound? For example, these are the types of requirements I am curious about:

Keep X inches behind the front baffle to avoid any baffle compensation issues.
Keep X inches below the bottom mid driver to avoid interference with the open backed design.
Plus any others that I cannot currently think of right now.

In short, I'm looking for the largest sealed sub enclosure I can place right next to the speaker and avoid any problems. I currently have a 24'' sealed cube with a Mal-X that is not enough and I'm considering other alternatives. I'm also curious if a 24'' box was too big to begin with.

Thanks,
Nate

[Sefferdog]

Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of firing my Statements up for the first time. I am like a proud papa!! :B :B

[impala454]

lol... did you have a birthday party for them?

[Jim Holtz]

Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of firing my Statements up for the first time. I am like a proud papa!! :B :B

Time flies when you're listening to sweet music.

I hope all is well with you!

Jim

[rhubarb9999]

I am getting ready to build a set of the Statements and I have a quick question about the port location ...

Does it matter how high in the cabinet I put the port? I am thinking of putting the port on the back so i can build them without a base. My couch is pretty low. I was thinking right under the bottom shelf brace. That would also let me mount the crossover on the bottom of the cabinet and possibly make a little access door in the back so I can get to the crossover in case I ever want to tweak it.

Thoughts?

Thanks

Ed

[Jim Holtz]

I am getting ready to build a set of the Statements and I have a quick question about the port location ...

Does it matter how high in the cabinet I put the port? I am thinking of putting the port on the back so i can build them without a base. My couch is pretty low. I was thinking right under the bottom shelf brace. That would also let me mount the crossover on the bottom of the cabinet and possibly make a little access door in the back so I can get to the crossover in case I ever want to tweak it.

Thoughts?

Thanks

Ed

Hi Ed,

You can position the port as you want as long as it's not directly behind a driver. I prefer to keep ports well below the lowest driver.

Be sure to start you own build thread and we like PICTURES.

I hope you like the Statements as much as I do.

Jim

[rhubarb9999]

Great. Thanks Jim.

Is there a need for the internal flare on the port? If not, what would the length need to be for the straight piece of pipe? I know the flare is to help reduce port noise .. but the the port on the back, is it really going to be a problem? Not having the internal flare opens up more mounting options.

Just wondering.

Thanks

[NateTTU]

I would like to bump this question agian. If anyone has time and knows I would appreciate the help.

Thanks,
Nate

I would like to place a sealed sub next to the Statements. What kind of restrictions would I have in order to not interfer with their sound? For example, these are the types of requirements I am curious about:

Keep X inches behind the front baffle to avoid any baffle compensation issues.
Keep X inches below the bottom mid driver to avoid interference with the open backed design.
Plus any others that I cannot currently think of right now.

In short, I'm looking for the largest sealed sub enclosure I can place right next to the speaker and avoid any problems.

[NateTTU]

Great. Thanks Jim.

Is there a need for the internal flare on the port? If not, what would the length need to be for the straight piece of pipe? I know the flare is to help reduce port noise .. but the the port on the back, is it really going to be a problem? Not having the internal flare opens up more mounting options.

Just wondering.

Thanks

I built my statements with a rear port so I could avoid having a base as well. Since it sounds like you want access to the crossover in the future I recommend you still stick with the flared port to avoid an possible problems and mount the crossovers behind one of the RS drivers. I believe Jim and Curt know what they are doing and wouldn't just put something in if they didn't believe it would help the design. Just as a small tip I would recommend sticking with the design as close as possible to avoid any unknown problems.

Take a look at these pictures in my build thread so you can know what I'm talking about. I can get to my crossovers pretty easily just buy removing the lower driver and unscrewing them from the back wall.

https://www.htguide.com/forum/showpost.php?p=397922&postcount=78

https://www.htguide.com/forum/showpost.php?p=397930&postcount=80

I did the same thing for all my speakers. (statements, mini, and center) This way I can have access to the crossover anytime I want. I have already used this feature a couple of times. Just make sure you locate the components on the board as efficiently as possible so you can make the boards small enough to be able to take them out of the driver cutouts. This was more difficult in the center, but its doable. Also, splitting the crossover up onto 2 boards will help as well.

[Jim Holtz]

I would like to bump this question agian. If anyone has time and knows I would appreciate the help.

Thanks,
Nate

Hi Nate,

I'm not sure anyone can really answer your question. The only thing I can tell you is that anything the blocks the rear wave will be a problem. If you keep the sub low so the rear wave of reflected sound can pass over the sub unobstructed, it shouldn't be a problem. I do that with my sub next to my Statements with no issues.

Jim

[evilskillit]

I have been comissioned to build a set of statements for someone but we have been thinking. The room he is setting his speakers up in is probably less than 10' wall to wall. I was wondering if the full sized statements might not be able to properly resolve in a space that small, having to be a few feet off of the back wall, and then only having a few feet between the front of themselves and the listener's head. I was wondering if a set of statement monitors might resolve better, being smaller or something or if it would matter. And either way we may need the info for the modified close to wall crossover as space will be at a premium for this build.

[Curt C]

For a 10' room, I'm thinking the Statement monitors would be the best choice. They certainly integrate better at shorter distances, and the near wall crossover is listed on my site. -Follow the link below. The Statement Monitor TL version is only listed on a thread here on HTGuide, but may be an option for you as well.

C

[tchaik]

cbs and your beautiful statements

I have been a friend of Jim's for many years now. I was also lucky to have his Statements at my house for two weeks right after he first finished building them. I loved them and with much help and support from Jim I have finally finished my first DIY speaker project. I have been working on these since May so I am very happy to have them up and running.

I use my room for HT in addition to two channel as such I needed some subs if I was going to replace my speakers with Jim's design. Jim and I talked and he came up with a great idea. The Statements were built as the sealed version and placed (bolted) to a sub cabinet containing a TC Sounds TC1000 15" sub. Front subs are run mono and crossed at around 40 hz, the amp is a Dayton Audio HPSA 1000-R. The same set up is used for the rear surround speakers.

The veneer is Waterfall Bubinga with 11 coats of Waterlox finish/sealer. I love the look but the sound is even better.

My hat is off to Jim, without his help I never could have completed this project.

i am interested in doing what you have done cbs. i will be redesigning my sub cabinets to have a height of 20 inches.

would you be willing to discuss the overall sound of your sealed statements and how thy differ from the ported design?

tchaik...........

[dumaresq]

The links to your website on the first post are broken. Do you have the pages hosted elsewhere now?

[Jim Holtz]

The links to your website on the first post are broken. Do you have the pages hosted elsewhere now?

Yes, Curt did change his website and I forgot about the links. Here is a LINK to his new website.

Jim

[digitalman]

Hey guys, I have been lurking in here for years now and have been drooling over the statements ever since the day you started the thread. I have always planned on building them and the time is coming up soon. we just finished building our house and are almost settled in and done unpacking. i have a room set aside and am about to start on my home theater and have a few questions from the speaker side of things. My room is 16x29 and i need to know any considerations i need to make in its design to properly accomodate the statements. One of my questions was to be about having smaller versions of the surrounds but it seems i have found someone else has made some that may work (havent really researched, just saw jeff's thread today)

Anyways, what should i know in regards to placement and wall treatments for my L,C,R statements? the room is on the 2nd floor with wooden walls. i plan to double drywall with greenglue. Would i want to do a stage for this setup? and what about surfacing for the walls where my screen is? should it all be solid for proper reflection in the corners? what about any acoustic treatments on the other walls?

any tips and ideas would be much appreciated!

thanks