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Open Baffle Epiphany!

jelly_bean said:
Update on the Beta 12lta H-frame: Over the last few days I decided to really get serious about the placement of my speakers and room treatments to see just how good I could get my small room. I settled on placing them out in the room 3' 2", 1'8" from the side walls, and 6'3" in between them. I sit 6' 7" away (after moving forward and backwards a hundred times to find the spot I liked best) and have the tweeters at ear level toed in with them crossing just behind my head.

I have diy broadband acoustic panels on the first and second sidewall reflections as well as two front wall corner bass traps (The rear end opens to the rest of the house). I have a giant sliding glass door on the front wall that I know is wreaking havoc on the sound. However, I will be hanging some very heavy "acoustic theater curtains" as they were labeled online on Monday or Tuesday in hopes that it might do just enough to tame some of the very high frequency harshness. We'll see. I'm not holding my breath, but anything is better than just that glass wall. I'd like to think I have a somewhat "live end dead end" room setup. Being in the room with the stereo it is noticeably quieter with far less echo than before, but it's not completely dead-which is good for open baffles. I guess you could say it sounds natural?

How does it sound?
I am absolutely astounded by how good it all sounds now. Imaging is FANTASTIC now. I have that illusion that there are sounds coming from outside the speakers as if there was no wall. I am finally getting the 3d sound I've only heard on other systems- that cost far more than my humble setup. I hear instruments in front of and behind the speakers on good recordings and I actually enjoy listening to my poorly recorded albums. The speakers just disappear. It's just plain fun to sit in here and listen. Even my wife sitting on the couch in the other room says it sounds like a live band is playing in there- that is no small feat to get that out of her.

I don't feel the need to get up and adjust the speaker every time I play another track. I can just sit and listen. Finally...
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I loved the Beta 12LTA's sense of scale and grandeur and would still have mine if only I had the room. The 3D sound that you hear is what makes OB's so special. Sounds nothing like what you hear coming from a box. It's sad that most Akers will never experience what you have experienced by taking "that road less traveled".
 
Finally got the time to bring the Zenith 49 project to fruition. I managed to meet my goal of light weight and portability. .5 inch MDF and .75 inch sq. hardwood braces. Backsides are unfinished just in case I had to add anything. Tweeters will be added later. They weight 25 Lbs each. Finish is "Paper bag flooring". Handles really help!







 
Hearing sounds from outside the speakers with Dipole speakers are what has attracted me to the OB design.
The "presence" of the performance and depth of the sound-stage are two reasons for my interest in these designs.
The relative ease of construction and variety of drivers and amps that can be used seems almost limitless.
Poultry, any chance you could adopt me? Your house looks like a "Wonderland of Sound".
Congrats on your dedication to music reproduction, by any means necessary.
 
Son-of-Vere said:
Finally got the time to bring the Zenith 49 project to fruition. I managed to meet my goal of light weight and portability. .5 inch MDF and .75 inch sq. hardwood braces. Backsides are unfinished just in case I had to add anything. Tweeters will be added later. They weight 25 Lbs each. Finish is "Paper bag flooring". Handles really help!







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Love the look. Very old world.
 
They do have a steampunk feel. I like it! How do you like them Son-of-Vere? Heard lots of good things about those Zeniths.

I'm considering going to a smaller driver on my H-frames in my smaller room in hopes to improve the imaging further.
 
jelly_bean said:
They do have a steampunk feel. I like it! How do you like them Son-of-Vere? Heard lots of good things about those Zeniths.

I'm considering going to a smaller driver on my H-frames in my smaller room in hopes to improve the imaging further.
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Currently my hearing is in the crapper due to some head-stuffiness, my right ear is kinda' plugged right now. So the jury is still out on their sound in these baffles. Some things they are real good at, like reverb sounds and piano. So far the thin baffles haven't caused any issues, as I'm only driving them with flea power. Bass response is good, plenty of slam. The Zeniths are definitely worth the money, they do midrange right.
 
jelly_bean said:
They do have a steampunk feel. I like it! How do you like them Son-of-Vere? Heard lots of good things about those Zeniths.

I'm considering going to a smaller driver on my H-frames in my smaller room in hopes to improve the imaging further.
Click to expand...

Long John Silver's treasure map
 
Yeah! Those are looking great! Can't wait for you to get everything mounted and wired up. looking forward to your impressions. I'm enjoying a 3 day weekend and spinning my Diana Krall Live in Paris 45rpm LP right now. Loving every minute of it.
 
mkane said:
Behringer cx2310 for $80. http://www.parts-express.com/behringer-cx2310-super-x-pro-crossover-2-way-3-way--248-664.
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The CX2310 hits way above it's weight class. Much better than the older CX2300, and the 2x3way that I can't remember the number for, both of which had analog time alignment which could be adjusted to zero, but not bypassed. If you need 3-way, buy two of the CX2310s. That said, the DBX digital units are a lot more flexible... Stay away from the Behringer digital xover, unless you're running a digital only system and can run digital straight into the xover, the A/D in the Behringers is their weak spot..

Roscoe
 
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Roscoe Primrose said:
The CX2310 hits way above it's weight class. Much better than the older CX2300, and the 2x3way that I can't remember the number for, both of which had analog time alignment which could be adjusted to zero, but not bypassed. If you need 3-way, buy two of the CX2310s. That said, the DBX digital units are a lot more flexible... Stay away from the Behringer digital xover, unless you're running a digital only system and can run digital straight into the xover, the A/D in the Behringers is their weak spot..

Roscoe
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After living with the CX2310 for a few days I had all but decided to sell the Ashly XR-1001. Before boxing up the Ashly I decided to try it one more time. I thought just for the bass crossover duty there wouldn't be much difference between the two but there was. Long story short the Ashly just yields more accurate bass and it's not going anywhere. The Ashly looks drab and plain in this picture compared to the CX which lights up like a Christmas tree. The green lights are from a APC G5 power filter.

PA020023.jpg
 
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The Ashly up close. Why it comes in that drab blue gray color I don't know. At least when the lights are low it looks black. It's the same size as the CX but weighs twice as much.

Ashly_XR1001_front-and-back.jpg
 
Do I need 2 sets of Y cables? I think I must. Flipped the switch, nothin on the woofers. The bottom pic of the passive pre. The rear rca's are source inputs where I think I need more Y cables so the active crossover high outs can be plugged in.:dunno:

DSC_0004.JPG DSC_0005.JPG DSC_0004 (1).JPG
 
Looks like you're splitting the signal from the passive preamp. Have you done that before?

I've never used a passive but I did have a preamp with two pair of outputs which was quite aggrivating. While it was strong enough to drive one amp it couldn't drive two at the same time.
 
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