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Parts Express-Samba MT Bookshelf Speaker Kit with Knock-Down Cabinet

Thefamous said:
Yeah I thought they would be a little on the large size but they seemed like a better speaker overall than the overnights. I haven't heard either, though, and people seem to like both. Checking Parts Express I see the overnight sensations are specifically described as a nearfield monitor. I also see the Sambas are bigger than I thought they were.

Nice project. Thanks for sharing the build and insights.
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I did the overnight sensations first, and was impressed enough to build these sambas for my work place.
 
Glad you're excited about the Sambas. Jeff Bagby was an outstanding designer. Unfortunately with the passing of Jeff and Rick Craig of Selah Audio, we're losing some fabulous speaker designers.
 
I was surprised by the two PE kits I put together. The BR-1 kits surprised me the most. I use them at my bench
Thefamous said:
Yeah I thought they would be a little on the large size but they seemed like a better speaker overall than the overnights. I haven't heard either, though, and people seem to like both. Checking Parts Express I see the overnight sensations are specifically described as a nearfield monitor. I also see the Sambas are bigger than I thought they were.

Nice project. Thanks for sharing the build and insights.
Click to expand...
I built the Overnight Sensations. For near field like a desk they sound really good. And are very easy listen to, vocals sound good too. The low end is pretty good near field and the silk dome tweeter is pretty smooth also. I also put together a pair of the BR-1 kits that I really like.
 
Lavane said:
I was surprised by the two PE kits I put together. The BR-1 kits surprised me the most. I use them at my bench

I built the Overnight Sensations. For near field like a desk they sound really good. And are very easy listen to, vocals sound good too. The low end is pretty good near field and the silk dome tweeter is pretty smooth also. I also put together a pair of the BR-1 kits that I really like.
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It's fun watching those Overnight sensation speakers in action, those little woofers have a lot of excursion. They fill a room pretty big for their size, add a sub and you'd never guess something that small can have that much impact. The Samba MT's give you the adjustable port and no real measurement for them, reading reviews I found that most people like them adjusted to 7 to 8 inches long. I had them singing pretty loud after some mild break in hours, ears are still ringing a bit this morning. :yikes:
 
kevintomb said:
How do you feel about them now, after a few months of use?

Anything you would change or wish was better?
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I love them, absolutely 100% pleased with how they sound. I have had people hear them and want me to build the kit for them, I refused. These and the overnight sensations are well worth the trouble.
 
I’m looking into this kit as well. I am rebuilding an older hifi that had open air element speakers. These would mount to the inside paired with a powered sub woofer. Maybe a downfiring 8” something like that..
 
1967 Tempest said:
I’m looking into this kit as well. I am rebuilding an older hifi that had open air element speakers. These would mount to the inside paired with a powered sub woofer. Maybe a downfiring 8” something like that..
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I'm still impressed with mine, hard to find a speaker of this size that can produce such solid bass.
 
Curious how many watts and with what have you played them on. The brain of said hifi night now is going to be an Onkyo 2500 mk1 yes a mark one. I also have a 1500 MK2 that is on a set of Sony SSCS5’s but I feel might be just a hair under powered for that set.

I really like the way the Onkyos sound…
 
1967 Tempest said:
Curious how many watts and with what have you played them on. The brain of said hifi night now is going to be an Onkyo 2500 mk1 yes a mark one. I also have a 1500 MK2 that is on a set of Sony SSCS5’s but I feel might be just a hair under powered for that set.

I really like the way the Onkyos sound…
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They are a bit power hungry, but I have played them on a variety of equipment with no disappointment. Currently hooked to a Pioneer SX950, but they even sounded great on my Marantz 2225 and 2235B.
 
The one thing I did different was the insulation, they came with sheet padding for insulation which I wasn't a fan of. I used Acousta-Stuf white fiber like comes in a lot of AR speakers of the day. It probably changes the bass response from the included insulation, but possibly for the better.
 
I did read that during the build which I have always been a fan of. I watched a video on a guy who did signal transmissions etc through different batting materials… interesting but in the end Stuf is great.

Not that I need numbers but do they get close to the sensitivity specs if they are that thirsty? Sx-950, if like my 535, kinda neutrally warm?
 
1967 Tempest said:
I did read that during the build which I have always been a fan of. I watched a video on a guy who did signal transmissions etc through different batting materials… interesting but in the end Stuf is great.

Not that I need numbers but do they get close to the sensitivity specs if they are that thirsty? Sx-950, if like my 535, kinda neutrally warm?
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I find them pretty neutral, seem pretty easy to drive with lower wattage gear.
 
Yeah I think I’m sold on them. I did see a review from a guy named Erin that kinda beat them up on the review on YT, but from what I’ve read on peeps who built them, they sound great. I think they will be fine in my hifi, plus I won’t feel bad if I have to add mounting screws to the front.
 
1967 Tempest said:
Yeah I think I’m sold on them. I did see a review from a guy named Erin that kinda beat them up on the review on YT, but from what I’ve read on peeps who built them, they sound great. I think they will be fine in my hifi, plus I won’t feel bad if I have to add mounting screws to the front.
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I'm listening to them now hooked to a Marantz 2252B, super good bass and very crisp highs, but not too crisp. I'm telling you, if you walked into the room with them sitting on top of my bigger speakers, you'd think the bigger speakers were playing.
 
Jeff Bagby also designed the Tango…I wish someone with crossover design talent would look and see if the newer RST tweeter could be incorporated in this similar design as I like the aluminum RS 180 bettter.
 
These fit great in the Hi-Fi I am restoring. I did hook them up and jam to them temporarily in the cabinet here. They rock! I was a little surprised at the total price for both, but really when I think of it, not terrible. Plus I drilled the front to add mounting screws from the front to hold the speakers in place.
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