General Speaker Advice and Recommendations

RE: JBL 4628

 

Not as dramatic as purr1n’s but here it is vs some 3”(?) full-range driver speakers. They dont look that different with grills on - just a little bigger I said to wife. :|

The dude I bought them from had a ton of great stuff. And he was a home stereo guy not a pro guy. These appeared to be the smallest speakers in his collection though I didnt see everything (just the garage). He had another pair of 4268 but with custom enclosures and crossovers that he said he’d consider parting but at twice the price. I think he was torn on which set to keep, he said he owned this pair for awhile so sentimental. He wasnt old, but was the second owner. He was also selling a pair of JBL 18” subs that looked to be the from the same Cabaret series but I dont have the room. I probably dont have the room for 4628 either. Its gonna be awesome.

Ill have some speakers to get rid of. If Jamac (local stereo repair) doesnt accept donations, then they are free to local SBAF members, then goodwill.
- Cambridge Audio Aero 2
- Manzanita Ultra diya open baffle
Both speakers have a similar principle: widebander + big woof. Aero2 woofer is only 6.5”(?) and crossed at 200Hz to a BMR driver. I used crossed over to subs or just high pass filter with no subs. The Manzanita was assembled by Jamac on the cheap and it looks it. Drivers are spec though if you want to redo. Its a 3.5" and 15". Don't remember models or crossover specs. See diyaudio thread.


Manazanita Ultra. Baffle reduced by request. Driver placement a little off. Crossover too possibly. Attenuator was added.

 

If I have a bluetooth or boombox type system, does stereo matter? Would it be better to convert to mono or keep it stereo ?

 

Having a pair of bluetooth speakers and getting stereo from them is a thing.

 

Really depends on the boombox/bluetooth speaker in question. Many of the newer ones have angled speakers inside and/or will do some DSP chicanery to widen the soundstage even though the L/R speakers are so close together.

 

So im starting to think that I want to get away from headphones maybe once in a while (tinnitus has been going off lately)

if I wanted to get the same lush euphoric mids and textured lows with a liquidy sweet caramel like delivery, like I do with my SFD1>LAuX>LCD2, could I achieve that in speakers?

if so, will I need a lot of room and open space to do so? I’m very limited in space,I basically have only the corner of the home office (speakers would be no further than 6in from the walls) and at most at about 2 feet apart, far from ideal.

or I could try to setup / improve my tiny home theater room, where I have an 82 inch tv that’s basically using up nearly all of the wall, with maybe 1 feet open on each side before the corner / door. Space seems to be the biggest limiter. Though I’d like to not throw crazy money like 2k speakers, at least not yet lol. Trying to keep the budget at 1k or less

from what I’ve gathered I could either

A.) set up on the home office corner with a pair of sealed directional speakers. Something like:

• Iloud micro (small but I doubt sounds like what I’d want)
• Krk Rokit5 g4 (might work?)
• Other reccos like yamaha hs8s are too big and need room around it too?

B.) set up in the tiny home theatre room with some sort of slim / tall speakers that can be right up against the wall / right in the corner without worrying about reflections. Something like this?

• LXMINI https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/2-way-speaker-kits/lxmini-linkwitz-lab-speaker-kit-pair/

I think there are all kinds of things of things like dsp/ room corrections but not even sure where to begin. I lean towards just getting a pair of active monitors and connect them to like a jot2 as a preamp or direct to DAC w volume control like the ifi zen sig v2, but supposedly it’s better to get passives and get a dedicated speaker amp?

Also to note looking for casual music enjoyment and not critical music listening. More colors and flavor than accuracy & neutrality. Likely listening to top 40/ hip hop, with some jazz, blues, and orchestral scores here and there.

Any thoughts / advice / general directions? Sorry Im a total noob on speakers. The last time I used speakers was like nearly 20 years ago when I had the dynaudio BM5A. Had those on speaker stands and away from the walls, neither of which I can do today.

 

An oddball recommendation for you, but I like my Art RM5 speakers. They have a great profile for small desk spaces and can also be mounted on arms. I have a picture here:
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...audiophile-listening.1466/page-49#post-252722

As pro monitors they also have a few adjustable settings based on the room and distance from wall.

edit: here's a review since they are not well known: https://tapeop.com/reviews/gear/127/rm5-active-monitors/

 

A few things to comment on.
The home office corner placement;
" Sealed" directional speakers are not what you listed.
Sealed would be something like NHT speakers. Sealed means no ports,
such as acoustic suspension designs, something hard to find but a worthy form.
If you have to place speakers really close to a wall, don't choose a rear ported
speaker. Front ported would be better.
But 2 feet apart in a corner listening far way won't be much of a stereo image.
And you will want a subwoofer if you like LCD2 bass.
Since you have tinnitus, make sure you like the sound of powered pro monitors,
watch out for hiss from such speakers. Go and listen to some first.

The home theater room;
The LXmini won't get you there for 1k, the listed price does not
include Linkwitz's $100 fee, the 2 amplifiers for the bi-amplification,
nor the subs you will probably want.
If you need to reduce the effects of reflection in your room, either
treat the room or look at controlled directivity speakers that minimize reflections.
Are you wanting to mix home theater and stereo in this room?

 

I'd recommend some kali active monitors and maybe some kind of minidsp product that includes dirac live. that way you don't have to ocd about amplifiers and speaker cables etc

 

Whats your budget? and space limitations? if you want true bass, you need to look into subs or big mains speakers. I'm personally still so happy with my Seas A26. such a easy recommendations

 

thanks! these look super interesting. looks like it’s got a super slim profile and they might have it at a guitar center so i can listen to em. the price is right too at around $500 a pair. will be checking these out for the home office setup. i assume id also need a way to put a sub along with this for the bass.

thanks for the heads up on the port positions~ im a total noob to speakers as you can tell lol. for the home theatre ideally id be able to have both home theatre (movies) and stereo (music). right now im using some crappy sound bar with a 10 inch sub and rear speakers. i don’t even remember what model or brand but we bought it at costco. needless to say i can do with an upgrade there.

i was looking up new tech things like the sennheiser ambeos (pricy~~), since i love my hd580/ 650s, but then it might be gimmicky. and then there’s the apple homepods, but again im thinking i should get some real speakers? not sure for its realistic to be able to get a dolby atmos like setup and be able to play 2 channel music well too in the same small room, some direction of where and what to read would be greatly appreciated

thanks! looking at the kali lp6 which may fit the bill too. (though apparently these hiss, but the only way i’ll really know is either find one to listen to or blind buy one. It does look like these have some sort of boundary-EQ Settings so that might work real well. Price is great for these too. I think i can buy the pair for $300 at the local guitar center.

The minidsp products look great but i think with my TV setup coming from appleTV that might be a royal pain to set up? Since appleTV no longer has an audio out i'd need something like the discontinued NanoAVR to split out the audio, or something so that it can go into a DAC.

so budget wise id like to not exceed too much beyond $1k, though i could stretch that to 2k if needed. (going to pick one of the the setups for now. either home office or the home theatre room, depending on which makes the most sense.

Space is the real limitation, if i set up in the home office i only really have the corner desk. if in the home theatre room, one speaker has to be right at the corner in a 1 feet wide, 2 feet deep
space, while the other speaker would be right at the door entrance, with only about 1 feet to place with barely any clearance. The room is like around 13 or 14 feet on all sides, basically a small bedroom where we just put sofas and a massive TV in.

====================
Thanks for all the great advice so far! In summary this is what i'm thinking now

• Option 1: Cheap Home Office Corner / Nearfield Speakers
  • Use one of my DACs with vol control like the ifi Zen Dac Sig to active monitors
    • Art RM5 for $500 a pair - slim profile
    • or Kali LP-6 for $300 a pair - bigger but EQ accounts for walls? seems to be front ported.
  • Not sure how i would add a sub to this system (or if i'd need one). MiniDSP 24 DRRC? not sure if overkill for here tho. would triple the budget from $300-500 way up to like 1.5K probably.
• Option 2: Cramped Home Theatre Setup - Active Speakers
  • Figure out how to properly get AppleTV to a real DAC
  • Switch to my old crappy soundbars from the appletv for movie use (multi-channel)
    
  • for music use (stereo):
    • Get a MiniDSP DDRC-24 & use my crappy blue yeti mic to calibrate the room ($500 or so)
      
    • Get some sort of Narrow profile speakers. LX-mini? sounds like this would cost more like 1K+ just for the speakers setup.
• Option 3: Standalone Music only, amped & passive speaker setup in home theatre
  • Running independent of the AppleTV, airplay into it when needed. Just play music in stereo
  • Pi2AES > DAC (modius?) >
  • Get MiniDSP 24 DDRC ($500 or so)
  • Get Sub ($500 or so?)
  • Get some sort of Speaker Amp > Passive Narrow Speaker setup? (fitting within the 13x13 room corner etc)
    • budget of say $1000 total to keep it all under $2k or so? If i got the Seas A26 here i would probably need to stretch for more budget to get a speaker amp. Also not sure if the A26 would work on a stand with the entrance being right there

 

I simply wouldn't bother with a sub for the home office unless you desperately need that phat thumping bass. Both options given should be able to reach low enough for most uses.

If you were kinda looking at that Sennheiser Ambeo soundbar, I like the Vifa Stockholm in the same size range. It's not dolby with a bajilliion channels, but it can also connect with optical from a tv or through wifi for music.

 

oo interesting. yea right now im leaning towards the art rm5 suggested because of how little space it takes. gonna see if they have it at a local guitar center along with the kali and see if i like how it sounds

thanks again for all the advice!

 

Just got my Magnepan LRS last week and it took all of two days before I voided the warranty and bypassed the fuse and attenuator.

I figure since I’ve already voided the warranty, I might as well replace the binding posts with something that doesn’t need a hex key just to remove the wire.

Any recommendations? The Cardas ones mentioned at Planar Asylum would cost me like 30% of what these speakers costs shipped to Canada :/

 

Finding something that's pure copper for less than $100-ish per 2 pairs is going to be difficult. I'm not sure how the binding posts are mounted on the LRS's, but it might be possible to use some GR-Research tube connectors. I had these on a pair of DIY speakers I built up several years ago and didn't feel they were doing anything wrong, sound wise:

https://www.gr-research.com/store/p44/Electra_Cable_Tube_Connectors.html

 

Does anyone have an opinion on the Triangle Borea Br08? I'm looking to upgrade my from my Klipsch reference premiere speakers (RP-160M, which are big bookshelf speakers with a 6.5-inch woofer). I'm looking for something less bright with a weightier sound.

I'd be using them mostly for a 2.0 setup in a medium-sized room - about 20 by 12 feet. I'll be sitting about 10 feet away. I currently have a Denon avr (S920), but will upgrade to a big boy amp after the speakers.

Pros for me:
* Currently $800 for a pair
* Not picky about placement compared to other towers (they'll be close to a wall)
* They're said to be dynamic and good for the money (they were around $1600 at launch, and cited as a good value pick at that price).
* Size - they're tall but not super wide, which is a better fit for the space.

I've learned to not trust most hifi reviews anymore, so hoping someone here has experience.

Thanks!

 

I stumbled upon a listing in my local "for sale / trade" group for a pair of custom speakers built in 1974 by a local speaker builder who has long since passed away. The speakers look extremely similar in design / shape to the Klipsch Heresy EXCEPT for the fact that they have an 7-1/2" round front port at the top right of the speaker.

Driver Information: (Taken from 1974 Utah Electronics catalog)

Woofer: Utah Electronics MH-15PXC 15" Round 8 Ohm

Mid-Range Horn: Utah Electronics H-068 10-1/2" X 4" X 11" 8 Ohm

Tweeter Horn: Utah Electronics H-208 7-1/4" X 3" X 6-3/8" 8 Ohm

Other misc. information:

Cabinets: Solid cherry wood

Crossovers: Seller "recently replaced crossovers with new boards"

I'm not sure if the builder bought the drivers with crossovers included from Utah or built their own custom crossovers, and I have no idea what the seller replaced them with. The pair are priced at $100 and are listed "in working order." None of the drivers looked damaged on the exterior. The seller has a good reputation as well. 100% feedback with over 30 local transactions in our area.

The drivers alone for these cost $93.30 per speaker in 1974, that would be $532.07 per speaker in 2022 money. Would these be something worth buying in terms of sound quality? Or should I just keep saving for something like the Klipsch Heresy IV?

I like the history of the speakers since they were built by a local family-owned audio shop in the 70's, but I don't want my rose-colored glasses to get in the way of buying a legitimately good set of vintage design / inspired speakers.

Tl;dr - Is it worth buying a pair of custom Klipsch Heresy-esque speakers built in 1974 by a local audio shop using all Utah Electronics woofers / horns for $100 or should I pass?

 

You should probably go listen to them if you can. With 15" woofers and those horns these are closer to a DIY Cornwall than they are a DIY Heresy.

 

I would like to audition them, but after talking to the seller they are liquidating all of their gear and they don't have anything to run the speakers from anymore. They said that after they replaced the crossovers in ~September 2021 they sounded great but have been sitting unused since then. Here is what they look like:


I am thinking for only $100 they might be worth a shot just to buy without an audition. If they need some work done I have a local shop that specializes in vintage gear and I wouldn't mind paying some more money to get them sounding the best that they can.

 

@InsanityOne I say go for it. At $100 you can't even build cabinets for that these days.