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

[ahaik]

Thank you Jim,

Port added to PE list. :T
I just wanted to add, from looking at Jim's construction picture it looks like the 5" tunnels of the mids are internal dimensions.

Asi.

EDIT: I just realized that Ryan had mentioned that.

[Jim Holtz]

A fun afternoon..

I think I'd mentioned in a previous post that a good friend of mine who is a hard core audiophile with megabuck equipment, was interested in listening to the Statements.

EDIT: I just received an email from my friend Chris. He'd like to post his impressions of the Statements and comparisons with other speakers he's listened too. Chris has top notch equipment and has had the opportunity to listen to many more high end speakers than I, so I'm deleting my impressions. Chris can weigh in with his which will be much less biased than mine.

Jim

[wkhanna]

Is the port only vented at the rear of the base?
If so, would this act essentially as longer port by creating more resistance to the air flow?

[Jim Holtz]

Is the port only vented at the rear of the base?
If so, would this act essentially as longer port by creating more resistance to the air flow?

The base consists of 4 layers of MDF with a 9" hole cut in the bottom 3 layers and the port is attached to the top MDF plate of the base. The base is on 2" spikes so the port can breathe. You would not have to build the same kind of base as I did. I just liked the look and it added stability. The port could be installed in the rear of the cabinet with the same results if you preferred. The key issues are that the cabinet width remain the same, volume for the cabinet for the woofers remain the same and the ribbon be at ear height.

You can let your creative thoughts run wild as long as you keep those three items constant. The transmission line for each mid needs to be installed of course to maintain the same voicing.

If you really wanted to get wild and crazy, the cabinet portion could be built sealed with about 55 liters allocated to the RS225's rather than the 100 liters for the ported cabinet and then build a sub in for below 35 - 40 Hz. bass.

Lot's of options.

HTH

Jim

[wkhanna]

Thanks for the clarification, Jim.
Is the xo designed for bi-amping? Have your listening sessions been conducted using bi-amping?
I realize you have been inundated with details on the design!

I have been looking for my next (2nd) project after my Nat P’s, and I think I have found it your design. I was going to offer to do the cad drawings for you, but I see others have already beat me to the punch.

I wanted to make something for 2ch music, mostly acoustic jazz and some classical, very neutral, with ability to reveal details like brushes on a snare drum, reeds in a wind instrument, and voices as though they are in the room, and with enough low-end to be used without a sub while still reproducing string bass and cello with realistic authority. I had been considering the M8ta, or possibly a dipole, but my room may not be quite large enough for a dipole, and I would like to stay with a passive xo for now. Your new design seems to demonstrate all the features I am looking for with all the simplicity of fairly standard design.

My initial thoughts are to go with a bottom ported design with curved sides utilizing the maximum volume you recommend.

Thanks so much for being so gracious and willing to share all your hard work with us!

[Hdale85]

Didn't you say you just wanted to build like one project and that was it? Seems your starting a new hobby. Maybe I can come over and help sometime and maybe build a set of speakers for me lol.

[Jim Holtz]

Thanks for the clarification, Jim.
Is the xo designed for bi-amping? Have your listening sessions been conducted using bi-amping?
I realize you have been inundated with details on the design!

I have been looking for my next (2nd) project after my Nat P’s, and I think I have found it your design. I was going to offer to do the cad drawings for you, but I see others have already beat me to the punch.

I wanted to make something for 2ch music, mostly acoustic jazz and some classical, very neutral, with ability to reveal details like brushes on a snare drum, reeds in a wind instrument, and voices as though they are in the room, and with enough low-end to be used without a sub while still reproducing string bass and cello with realistic authority. I had been considering the M8ta, or possibly a dipole, but my room may not be quite large enough for a dipole, and I would like to stay with a passive xo for now. Your new design seems to demonstrate all the features I am looking for with all the simplicity of fairly standard design.

My initial thoughts are to go with a bottom ported design with curved sides utilizing the maximum volume you recommend.

Thanks so much for being so gracious and willing to share all your hard work with us!

No thanks necessary for me, it's Curt that did the brain work. I'm just along to do the heavy lifting.

To answer your question, it's very easy to wire the crossover for bi-amping. Get a terminal cup set up for biamping from Madisound or PE and simply wire the source input for the woofers to one set of binding posts and the mids/ribbons to the other. It's now bi-ampable.

The simple answer to what you're looking for in 2 channel speakers is "yes". The Statements do exactly what you're looking for and do it exceptionally well. It's the most well rounded speaker I've had my hands on. Plus, it works perfectly a 1 1/2' - 2' from the back wall while producing a huge soundstage that is ultra detailed and crystal clear but very smooth.

I'm glad that someone besides Curt, Wayne and I finally has had a chance to evaluate the Statements and reached the same conclusions that we did. I hope to get the design posted completely within the next week or so if possible. Curt has a lot of family commitments right now and doesn't have a great deal of time.

Jim

[ahaik]

Yes, just plain 1" foam to line the transmission line. I did also line the RS225 enclosures on the sides, top and back of the cabinet behind the driver. I use 2" foam from Foam by Mail but at the frequencies the RS225 operates at, fiberglass would probably be better. Regardless, the bass is extremely well controlled. Take your pick of either acoustic foam or fiberglass but do not use polyfill stuffing. That's my opinion anyway.

Hi Jim,

It was great to hear about the experience at your friends house. ;x(
About the RS225 foam, when you say fiberglass is that the yellow fluffy insulation that you put inside the walls between the studs ?
I was thinking of buying a roll of the acoustic type from Home Depot (more expensive then the regular insulation about $50) and use it for everything I had built so far.

Thanks,
Asi.

[Jim Holtz]

Hi Jim,

It was great to hear about the experience at your friends house. ;x(
About the RS225 foam, when you say fiberglass is that the yellow fluffy insulation that you put inside the walls between the studs ?
I was thinking of buying a roll of the acoustic type from Home Depot (more expensive then the regular insulation about $50) and use it for everything I had built so far.

Thanks,
Asi.

Hi Asi,

I've only used foam. I've used the eggcrate foam that PE sells, Whispermat, Blackhole5 and most recently I've switched to wedgefoam from Foam by Mail http://www.foambymail.com/Wedge.html so I'm not the one to answer about which fiberglass to use. The reason I suggested fiberglass as an alternative is because foam loses it's effectiveness at lower frequencies more than fiberglass does. The bass is very well controlled to my ears but fiberglass might be better. Perhaps that might be a good post for the forum to find out exactly what others are using and prefer.

Jim

[dlneubec]

Hi Jim,

I'm thinking a couple projects down the line here. :W

What do you think about the possibility of the tangbands mids crossing lower, say 180-200hz to a sub bass bin, like the RSS265HF, maybe in an Wmmtmm with the outside m's in a .5way configuration, all open backed?

Dan

[Jim Holtz]

Hi Jim,

I'm thinking a couple projects down the line here. :W

What do you think about the possibility of the tangbands mids crossing lower, say 180-200hz to a sub bass bin, like the RSS265HF, maybe in an Wmmtmm with the outside m's in a .5way configuration, all open backed?

Dan

Hi Dan,

I really can't comment on your configuration from a technical perspective. Curt would be the man to ask that. Like I said in a previous post, ;x( Curt has the brains and I'm along for the heavy lifting.

It would get pretty spendy and I'm not sure how much performance gain there'd be compared to a MTM format. Curt could give you a much better answer, however.

Jim

[Curt C]

Hi Jim,

I'm thinking a couple projects down the line here. :W

What do you think about the possibility of the tangbands mids crossing lower, say 180-200hz to a sub bass bin, like the RSS265HF, maybe in an Wmmtmm with the outside m's in a .5way configuration, all open backed?

Dan

Dan,

I think you idea is doable. My biggest concern however, would be the potential loss of dynamics and increased distortion. After all, these little guys are just that, and don't have the swept volume to keep up at higher SPL's. I think one of the reasons these sound as good as they do is that we didn't push any of the drivers to the limits of their capabilities. -Well, at least at sane levels of SPL.

Rather than doing a .5, how about running the RS225's sealed and cross them to the sub? Reducing the cab volume by half and stuffed, they will play as loud as the vented version with a f3 in the mid 50's.

C

[Dennis H]

Rather than doing a .5, how about running the RS225's sealed and cross them to the sub? Reducing the cab volume by half and stuffed, they will play as loud as the vented version with a f3 in the mid 50's.

Hey Curt,

What do you think the effect would be on the mids if the cabinet depth were reduced? Any problem with a shorter 'TL' behind them?

[dlneubec]

Dan,

I think you idea is doable. My biggest concern however, would be the potential loss of dynamics and increased distortion. After all, these little guys are just that, and don't have the swept volume to keep up at higher SPL's. I think one of the reasons these sound as good as they do is that we didn't push any of the drivers to the limits of their capabilities. -Well, at least at sane levels of SPL.

Rather than doing a .5, how about running the RS225's sealed and cross them to the sub? Reducing the cab volume by half and stuffed, they will play as loud as the vented version with a f3 in the mid 50's.

C

Hi Curt,

Here's what I was thinking. No RS225's invlovled. Go with 4 tangbands instead. I believe you are crossing at about 300hz now to the two RS225's. I was thinking that taking the tangbands down another 100hz or so might work in a 2.5way mmtmm since you would have 2x the drivers you had at 300hz to cover the addtional 100hz or so and the extra excursion involved.

It would be a modular MMTMM that would sit on a bass bin something like show in the plan attached. I have not looked at the low end of the tangbands, nor their low end distortion, but 4 of them seemed like they could cover the necessary excursion to go another 100hz lower with a pretty healthy spl wihout overdriving them.

Does that make any sense to you? Any thoughts?

[tpremo55]

Hey Jim,
I'm in - have parts on their way to my home. :T
Can't wait to get started.

[Jim Holtz]

Hey Jim,
I'm in - have parts on their way to my home. :T
Can't wait to get started.

Todd,

You're too easy. Listen to my speakers and attend an Iowa DIY event one time and you're hooked. :rofl:

I won't talk to Chris until after the weekend but the Statements will be back at the house next Thursday some time. We'll set up a time to come over after Chris and I can coordinate times. I'm looking forward to reading Chris's feedback on his listening session with the Statements.

Jim

[tpremo55]

ops: Yeah, after spending some time picking back up with a few older projects, and remembering the work that goes into doing things well, I've come to appreciate the mantra of doing it right the first time...

Besides, if you are willing to part with your line arrays (which you know I have spent a fair amount of time in front of) then these must be the real thing. Worst-case, they are a fun project to grow with.

I also picked up a pair of the Seas H1212 to mate with the old Focal 7K011DBLs that I've got laying around. Should have the Seas/Vifa 2.50-way done for a quick (this is how bad the basic equation crossovers can be) listen by next week. I may just drag them out to your place if we get together so you can be reminded as to just how much you appreciate your latest builds.

8)

[Aaron D]

Jim, interesting project. I read through this thread out of curiousity and it seems prtetty cool. Are you really parting w/ the line arrays? If so, is it due to size?

Aaron

[Jim Holtz]

Jim, interesting project. I read through this thread out of curiousity and it seems prtetty cool. Are you really parting w/ the line arrays? If so, is it due to size?

Aaron

Hi Aaron,

I'm in no way dissatisfied with the line arrays but I am really enjoying the Statements and would like to continue to explore different designs. The line arrays have been my reference speakers for the last three years. Nothing touches a line array for dynamics and the statements are the 1st speaker that I've heard that comes close in that regard. They might have a leg up when it comes to detail too. Highs are very similar.

I have become completely enthralled with the midrange however. The open back/transmission line concept really opens up the midrange and gives it the qualities and perhaps more of the things I've enjoyed so much with the line arrays.

Size is not an issue with the line arrays. Actual foot print of the Statements is a bit larger than the line arrays. The line arrays are just taller.

Jim

[Jed]

Hi Aaron,


I have become completely enthralled with the midrange however. The open back/transmission line concept really opens up the midrange and gives it the qualities and perhaps more of the things I've enjoyed so much with the line arrays.


Jim

I'd be interested to know of any sonic differences, if you say experimented by closing the back of the tranmission line of your midranges.

[Aaron D]

Jed has a good point. Your design certainly lends itself to a few easy experimentation options although the crossover design is optimized for for an open back. I guess to do it right some active EQ or possibly crossovers would be the way to go. A digital EQ would probably be the most practical. Pretty cool regardless.

If you are keeping the LA's the next logical step would be to try an open back w/ them as well. :T As far as I know that has not been done before.

Aaron

[Dennis H]

If you are keeping the LA's the next logical step would be to try an open back w/ them as well. As far as I know that has not been done before.

If you search old threads, Thomas W and Pete Mazz have both built open-back arrays with the B&G 50" and 75" ribbons and various woofs.

[rj45]

[QUOTE=Aaron D]Jed has a good point. Your design certainly lends itself to a few easy experimentation options although the crossover design is optimized for for an open back.

I've been lurking, and thinking along the same lines.
I trust Jim and Curt that the speaks sound great as is, but I keep wondering how it would sound to have an Open Baffle for the mids and tweets, or maybe a TL for the mids that wrapped around and has it's output end on the front. Probably need an active crossover to play with that stuff. I'm stoked on the basic design, though! 8)

-Don

[Jim Holtz]

I'd be interested to know of any sonic differences, if you say experimented by closing the back of the tranmission line of your midranges.

Hi Jed,

Curt tried the mids both with the transmission line open and stuffed. He commented that the mids became lifeless stuffed. I haven't played with it so I can't comment further.

Jim

[ahaik]

Hi Jim,

I'm planning to work on the boxes this weekend (and hopefully finish them). h:

Just wondering, did the Crossover get published anywhere ?
Thanks,
Asi.

[Jed]

Hi Jed,

Curt tried the mids both with the transmission line open and stuffed. He commented that the mids became lifeless stuffed. I haven't played with it so I can't comment further.

Jim

Interesting- I wonder if a progressively denser stuffed line, such that the filling is more dense at the end of the line, would effectively absorb the rear wave enough so that one would not have to rely on the opening to prevent reflections back through the cone.

[Jim Holtz]

Interesting- I wonder if a progressively denser stuffed line, such that the filling is more dense at the end of the line, would effectively absorb the rear wave enough so that one would not have to rely on the opening to prevent reflections back through the cone.

Hi Jed,

Maybe Curt will pop in and share his thoughts. After listening to the statements for several days, I can certainly understand the lifeless comment. I think it had more to do with the back wave helping create the superb sound stage than anything. Curt called the mids seductive and that description is spot on to my ears.

Jim

[Davey]

Careful Jim. You're getting dangerously close to admitting you might like an open-baffle speaker design.

Cheers,

Davey.

[Jim Holtz]

Careful Jim. You're getting dangerously close to admitting you might like an open-baffle speaker design.

Cheers,

Davey.

Hi Davey,

I suspected you might pop into the thread sometime. :rofl:

Yes, the open back/transmission line does have a very seductive sound field. As you know, the biggest complaint I've had with di-pole is the placement issue and ultimate dynamics, by my standards anyway. The Statements seem to have over come both issues. Being able to position the Statements 1 1/2' - 2' from the wall and the exceptional dynamics, eliminate my complaints. :T Yes, I am enjoying the midrange which I contribute to the transmission line design Curt came up with. You never know, someday I might even find a room I can use di-poles in and become a complete convert. :W

Best regards,

Jim

[Jim Holtz]

An independent Statements review as promised....

My friend Chris has written a review of the Statements. He just registered here and had trouble posting it for some reason so he asked me to post it for him. The review is extensive and I think you'll enjoy reading it. :T I want to thank Chris for taking the time to evaluate the Statements and share his thoughts.

Jim

(paste)

I have had the privilege of having Jim Holtz's new speakers the Statements in my house for 5 days now. Since I have had them for a period of time I thought I would make a few comments about the speakers, my remarks are subjective only. I listen to lots of music but I can't read or play a note, nor am I a technical person when it comes to audio equipment or speaker building.

First off I would have to say that I am similar to Jim in that a good portion of time my system is used for HT, I only have the one system so it must handle both 2 channel audio and HT.

My room is very large L shaped room the legs are each 30 feet long and
15 feet wide, the ceiling is a little over 8 feet, hardwood floors with a 14 foot X 10 foot area rug directly in front of the main speakers.

Current equipment is as follows:

Speakers
Front: Legacy Signature III
Center: Legacy Silver Screen
Rear: Legacy Signature II

Amps
Front: Plinius SA102
Center: Musical Design D140 (modified and bi-amping the center)
Rear: Adcom 555 (modified)

Source
Turntable: Thorens TD147
Cartridge: Grado Gold
CD: Cary 303/200

Preamp
Phono: Jolida JD9
Main: Adcom GFP750 (run in the passive mode for both the TT and CD)

Cables:
Audio Quest: Cheetah, Diamond, Clear, Midnight, CV4 Alpha Core: Micro Purl Silver Various Power cables

Video:

TV : 65 inch Toshiba cinema series
Processor: Outlaw 950
DVD player: Toshiba ???

All of the above equipment is plugged into three separate 20 amp outlets with hospital grade outlets. The outlets are within 10 feet of the breaker box and wired with 10 gauge wire. Overkill? Yes I am sure but it is nice to be single again...

For 8 years I have been more than satisfied with the Legacy Sig III's. Even against Jim's line arrays the Sig's did not fair to badly, at least not enough for me to give up a good point source speakers for the imagining of a line array. (sorry Jim, you know I never could get past the imagining) Jim and I set the Statements up on each side of my TV/equipment racks a little over 9 feet apart with the back 2 feet from the wall. I set about 16 feet or so away from the speakers.

My first concern with the Statements was bass response. I was concerned that in my large room bass would be lacking. That concern was soon put to bed. The bass from the Statements is very detailed and deep, it is not as deep as the Legacy's but oh so very close. Very little is missing on Bella Fleck's Flight of the Cosmic Hippo or on Holly Cole's Train Song, from it happened one night. Not only do the Statements do bass from Jazz CD's well but Johnny Lang's Hey Little School Girl slams you in the chest when the bass kicks in at the beginning of the cut. Again, not quite as deep or with as much slam as the Sig's but the Sig's are known for deep bass with slam, my guess is that the bass from the Statement is more accurate.

Others have listened to the Statements in my house and the comment on the bass is that it always seems right, not lacking and not enough to overpower the mid range. I never felt like the speakers were shorting me on bass content, not only was it very detailed but powerful. This was a big surprise to me considering the Sig's have thee 10 inch woofers and the Statements have two 8 inch woofers and the fact that my listening room is over 5500 cubic feet with large openings into three other rooms/hall ways.

Now for the part that surprised me. The Sig's have always had a very detailed midrange, well at least until heard the Statements. Voices sound a little different on the Statements than the Sig's I assume that is because they are not timber matched and are voiced differently. The Statements are the most detailed speaker I have ever heard. I have sat and listened to favorite CD's one after the other for hours amazed at what I could hear. The John Lee Hooker CD Chill Out is a favorite, on almost every cut I hear foot taps or finger snaps I have not heard before, and I can go on and on about fingers on the frets and strings and breathing, simply fantastic.

Voices are wonderful. On the Joan Osborne CD Relish the cut Man in the Long Black Coat sends chills down my spine just incredible from what I have heard in the past. Tom Waits CD Mule Variations is a favorite as is the cut Get Behind the Mule. If you have not heard Tom Waits imagine what a gravely voice would sound like if the owner had smoked cigars and drank straight Kentucky Bourbon for decades. With the Statements all of the gravel and grit in the voice is there but with a clarity that is amazing, every word is clear and understandable.

Sunday my friend Scott came over to listen. Scott does not have much for equipment but a vast collection of all sorts of music. He has a good ear and is a musician. We listened to all sorts of music, Blues, Jazz, Hard Rock (the Stones) Classical Guitar, almost everything imaginable. Scott's comments were that they always had the right about of bass and the midrange was incredible. He said this was one of the few speakers he had ever heard that could play that range of music without him wanting to play with an equalizer to make adjustments to the sound.

About imaging. The Statements are great, every thing in its place, a fairly wide sweet spot out of the sweet spot things sound great but in the center, wow! The soundstage is very deep and on some recordings much wider than the speakers, Joan Osborn's Relish CD on the cut St. Teresa is a great example.

Dynamics? Much faster than my Sig's more like electrostats but they can do it at a much higher listening level, I would say even more dynamic than Jim's line arrays, most likely as dynamic as any speaker combination I have heard. When I ended up with the Cary CD player and Plinius amp I thought the Sig's were the most dynamic speaker I had heard, and they were at that time. Every time I upgraded equipment or cables they responded with an improvement, the Statements just leapt past the Sig's. Everything sounds better. By the way, live recordings sound like live recordings not like studio recordings with clapping.

The watch out for the Statements is that you don't want to have bright or harsh sounding equipment or cables. These speakers will show it. At Jim's there was a slight harshness in the highs, more noticeable on certain cuts. We did not notice this at my house, not sure what the difference is, room or equipment.

So, how do poorly recorded CD's sound, I think surprisingly well. I have a number of poor quality CD's because I simply love the music. The Statements seems to play them just as well if not better than my Sig's do. In fact tonight I listened to The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers. The dynamics may not quite be there or the imagining but all the detail is there. Like I said I listen to all types of music.

Some time ago I challenged Jim to build a full range speaker that did not need a sub for music, that would play loudly in a large room, was easy to drive and efficient and would play all types of music well. Hats off to Jim I have finally heard a speaker for under 10 to 15K that smokes my Signature III's on all types of music.

Jim had said that I might want to mention other speakers I have heard in comparison to my Legacy's or his Statements.

I have heard ProAc's in the $5,000 dollar range, great for chamber music, but not much else, no bass. I had a friend who had these and shopped for music that would sound good on his speakers, how sad.

I have heard Dunlevey's in the $8,000 dollar range, Wilson Watt Puppies, and Wilson WAMM's at a local store driven by a Wadia and Audio Research 200 watt tube mono blocks (and I think the Plinius gets hot in class A) My Legacy SigIII's smoked the Dunleveys in all areas, bass, detail, everything. The Watt Puppies had a killer low end and imaged very well, they were $15,000 Better than the Legacy's but not by much. The WAMM's well let's say they bettered the Sig's and most anything else I have ever heard but then again they were $70,000.

All said, I finally found a speaker that I feel can replace my speakers that I can afford to buy/build. The only and I do mean only downside I can see is that I will need a sub for HT, I currently do not have one now as the fronts and back are both full range with lots and lots of bass. With the Statements I lose a little slam, not a lot but I watch a lot of action movies.

If Jim gets these out to a DYI event you need to have a listen, I promise you will not be disappointed. I plan to attend the local one and also to find someone to build some cabinets and shot about 10 coats of black lacquer

(End of paste)

[tpremo55]

Wow. Great review. Thanks Chris!

Jim, now for a sub design for < 50Hz... ?

[cobbpa]

Yes, thanks for that write up! Great to hear someone enjoy some home built speakers. I find your comment about the harshness in Jim's house interesting...I wonder if that's electronics or room. Hmmm

[Curt C]

Interesting- I wonder if a progressively denser stuffed line, such that the filling is more dense at the end of the line, would effectively absorb the rear wave enough so that one would not have to rely on the opening to prevent reflections back through the cone.

Jed,

When I first received the Statements from Jim, I lined the lines with 1" foam, installed the mids and listened to them full range. At that time I tried various combinations of foam and polyfill. To my ears, when I stuffed the lines sufficiently to reduce (but not eliminate) the rear output, the mids sounded congested and dull. Sooo, the stuffing came out leaving the foam lining, which does however, audibly attenuate the higher frequencies. This is not to suggest these drivers cannot sound good in a sealed environment. Certainly these lines can be stuffed to taste depending on the room and personal preferences.

C

[Jim Holtz]

Yes, thanks for that write up! Great to hear someone enjoy some home built speakers. I find your comment about the harshness in Jim's house interesting...I wonder if that's electronics or room. Hmmm

There is just a small hint of harshness and only on certain songs that I need to investigate. It is very minor but noticeable during critical listening. I've changed amps and cables in addition to speakers so I need to do a little trouble shooting once the Statements cabinets are finished.

Jim

[WillyD]

Thanks for the review, Chris! These speakers must be fantastic..I'd love to hear them. Or maybe build them...seeing as the BOM looks very reasonable in $$$.

[---k---]

Wow, impressive review.

Jim, you must be such a proud papa.

[Brian Walter]

Alright Jim, just when I was really getting to like the sound of my RS-3-Ways, you have to go and build some speakers that will blow them away. Now how do I convince my wife that I need to build some new speakers? ;-)

You definately seem to have a nack for picking speaker combinations. After a review like that I can hardly wait to hear them.

Brian

[Jim Holtz]

Wow, impressive review.

Jim, you must be such a proud papa.

Thanks Ryan. However, it's Curt's crossover wizardry that pulls it all together. He's the reason it sounds so good. :T

Jim

[Jim Holtz]

Alright Jim, just when I was really getting to like the sound of my RS-3-Ways, you have to go and build some speakers that will blow them away. Now how do I convince my wife that I need to build some new speakers? ;-)

You definately seem to have a nack for picking speaker combinations. After a review like that I can hardly wait to hear them.

Brian

Thanks Brian. Just tell your wife that you feel it's important that you make a Statement and then walk away before she asks what you're talking about.

You may have to make another road trip to Iowa before the DIY event.

About that knack thing, ;x( it's the crossover designer that deserves the credit for making them sing.

Jim

[Johnloudb]

Thanks Brian. Just tell your wife that you feel it's important that you make a Statement and then walk away before she asks what you're talking about.

You may have to make another road trip to Iowa before the DIY event.

About that knack thing, ;x( it's the crossover designer that deserves the credit for making them sing.

Jim

I'm really liking your statement design. I'm a fan of dipoles, also. I'm working on a 2 way Bohlender Graebener RD50 design.

I'm wondering if a tweeter on the back might enhance things for you? It would need to be attenuated, being farther back on the speaker.

You might even submit the design to AudioXpress magazine. They haven't had a whole lot of innovative speaker designs lately, they might buy a manuscript on your design. (http://www.audioxpress.com/guide.htm)

John

[Johnloudb]

tweeter

Actually, The tweeter idea probably wouldn't work, since is so far from the midranges.

[Jim Holtz]

I'm really liking your statement design. I'm a fan of dipoles, also. I'm working on a 2 way Bohlender Graebener RD50 design.

I'm wondering if a tweeter on the back might enhance things for you? It would need to be attenuated, being farther back on the speaker.

You might even submit the design to AudioXpress magazine. They haven't had a whole lot of innovative speaker designs lately, they might buy a manuscript on your design. (http://www.audioxpress.com/guide.htm)

John

Hi John,

Thanks for the thoughts. Curt and I are still trying to get everything together so he can post the design on his website. I'm not sure we're up to submitting it to Audio Express. That is an interesting idea however.

Rear firing tweeters have been used by Legacy and I'm sure others, since the early 90's. I owned a pair back in those days and the rear tweeter did add sound stage. SL and John K are both advocates of the rear tweeter on their di-pole designs so it might be something to explore in the future. The sound stage is so deep and detailed I'm not sure if it would add too much and become over powering and disjointed sounding. It's very integrated now.

Anyway, thanks for the ideas.

Jim

[LNeilB]

Oh crap I have to build these now. You are killing me.

Anyone want to build an extra pair of cabs for $?

[Jim Holtz]

The harshness issue is solved...

Yes, thanks for that write up! Great to hear someone enjoy some home built speakers. I find your comment about the harshness in Jim's house interesting...I wonder if that's electronics or room. Hmmm

I went to Chris house and picked up the Statements today. I was very pleased to have them home again and Chris was sorry to see them go. Anyway, Chris helped get them unloaded and back into my listeniong room. We then started to do a little trouble shooting to see where the harshness was coming from.

We found two sources contributing to the harshness. I've been using my modified Squeezebox as a transport and using the DAC in my modified Audio Refinement Pre/Pro. I thought it sounded better than the analog outputs in my Squeezebox with my line arrays. The Statements are a higher resolution speaker and were detecting harshness from the DAC that wasn't noticable with the line arrays. There was still a bit of harshness but it was much better with the Squeezebox analog outs.

Second, I've been using a speaker cables that are based on CAT5. I switched to some Bluejeans cable and the rest of the harshness went away. :T

It now sounds very close to how it sounded at Chris house. I was very pleased. It's the little things...

Jim

[mazurek]

I'm always surprised how much high quality electronics can make a difference, I'm hopeing to never find that cables make a difference in my system because its difficult to test. I've played around with the Squeezebox / DAQ combo myself for a while, with both a Benchmark DAC and kit NOS DAQ at times, and played with one of those fancy Transporters. I finally came to the conclusion that the least expensive and least sensitive way to get a sound approaching all those systems was by running balanced cables from a EMU 1616m, and it can double down as a mic pre for measuring speakers. I really liked the set top ease of the Squeezebox, but I'm hoping my new setup will be more cable agnostic, and less sensitive to the issues people talk about with DAQs.