Kit Loudspeakers - sharing views/opinions

[Jackthebiscuit]

I wandered how many users have experience with, or use, kit loudspeakers? There are some very definite advantages in exploring this route, non more so than being in possession of an item that, for the money, 'will punch way beyond its weight'
Obviously the kit will need to have to have come from a reputed kit company, but there are a number out there who've been operating for many years, and in some cases, a good deal longer than many established speaker manufacturers.
I use a pair of Williamshart Seraphs (a floorstanding kit) in my system and these are the best speakers I've ever used, previous ones having been used included Dynaudio, Red Rose, Mirage and Piega.

 

[zanash]

Not kits but designed and built a numberof speakers from scratch including, a folded horn, and two transmission lines. Well more really coz I've built for other people, though I get the woodcut by proffesionals.

What I have used is Wilmslows Audio advice, matched drive units and crossovers.

 

[LiloLee]

I've recently heard the IPL S3tlm Ribbon

Info HERE
and was very impressed. An easy load to drive. Didn't exite the bass resonances in my room. Well worth investigating as are all of their kits apparently.

 

[julian2002]

how easy are these sort of things to build... bear in mind i've got the soldering skills of a mongoose and the carpentry skills of a daschund.
cheers


julian

 

[sideshowbob]

IPL have options, so you can buy the kit with all the MDF pre-cut and just need to veneer or paint it (nice piano black, anyone)?

Can't be that much soldering, but I've never seen a mongoose wielding a soldering iron, so don't know how good that makes you...

-- Ian

 

[Jackthebiscuit]

How hard are they to build?

Julian,

I'm just up the road in Northants, so if you fancied a gander at mine, drop me a line.

JTB

 

[zanash]

Without the requisite skill veneering can be a nightmare.
Another option is to varnish the MDF. I found 4 to five coats sprayed on gave a deep gloss finish, in a rich warm honey colour. This is only possible if the MDF is unmarked and is finished to a high standard.

 

[Graham C]

Its not just the value - most mainstream speaker makers simply don't make a real range of stuff for different demands. It's either little 2 way boxes - or cram lots of poxy small bass drivers in a diddy floorstander [because you already have them in stock] so it looks fashionable [and excites all the room resonances with a strong mid-bass].

I should have thought imagination could make good finishes on a DIY speaker [I'll be doing it myself soon - so I'll keep you posted]. What about metal foil or perspex? Maplin used to sell stick on "brushed aluminium" sheet. A few coats of polyurethane should toughen any finish for domestic duty

 

[themadhippy]

or theres hippys favorite speaker covering,carpet,gives them that touring look

 

[zanash]

I considered perspex, but couldn't work out how to bend it round a 20mm radius, without distorting the unbent part.

But finish wise, Black perspex has a mirror like finish. I'd previously built several preamps using it as the case, with polished brass knobs and gold lettering.

 

[timpy]

Originally posted by themadhippy
or theres hippys favorite speaker covering,carpet,gives them that touring look

Lino is much better, the beer doesn't soak into it and you can just wipe them down. Then again you could always tile them and gain from the extra bracing effect.

Seriously though, veneering does have the advantage of stiffening up the sides a bit. Are there companies that would put a veneer on for you, and how much would it cost (per square foot / metre / whatever)?

Cheers

 

[firestorm]

Originally posted by LiloLee
I've recently heard the IPL S3tlm Ribbon

Info HERE
and was very impressed. An easy load to drive. Didn't exite the bass resonances in my room. Well worth investigating as are all of their kits apparently.

Hello LiloLee,
Can you give us a comparison of other speakers that you have listened to ?

I'm considering the IPL s3tlm Ribbon as well. I know I should listen to them first, but I can't bring myself to drive nearly 600 miles round trip to Ilfracombe !

I've listened to a pair of Dynaudio Audience 52 partnered with Naim CD5, Nait 5 + Flatcap2. I was most impressed with the music of the whole setup.

At the moment I have an Arcam Alpha CD, Mission Cyrus II and some Wilmslow Audio kit bookshelf type speakers using Morel drivers. I'm after something more akin to the Naim + Dynaudio but with better bass extension if possible.

Cheers

 

[LiloLee]

firestorm, best if I quote the man who owns them. He used to have Epos ES11's

I'm not really big on imaging, its not something I listen for especially.
Probably something about my ears or some deficiency in the way my head processes sound.
So on the issue of imaging, I hope someone else who has these can jump in and comment. I look for a nice clean, tight, solid, natural sound. Realism. Musicality, rhythm, timing, toe-tapping. If a have to get up and dance (not a pretty sight), I know things are going in the right direction.
As for things I don't like about them, I really can't think of anything, which says a lot for them. The instructions include suggestions (and replacement parts) for tweaking the crossover for treble and bass response, plus directions for tuning the amount of 'hair' (can't remember the proper name) for damping the line. But to be honest, I was happy with the balance of sound from day 1 and have never tried tweaking anything because I wouldn't know which direction to go!
I probably should try experimenting.....
I bought the kit with the pre-cut panels, this made building them a breeze. Since then I've started doing some woodwork. I've learnt enough to know it would have taken me a lot longer if I had to cut the panels myself.

 

[firestorm]

LiloLee,
Thanks for the response. I've been in contact with Ivan of IPL. He has this to say :



> Hello Ivan,
>
> My room is like this (use courier 8pt to view correctly)
>
> |<-------------------- 10 m ------------------->|
>
> |-----------------------|--------------------------|
> | L R |
> | |
> | 7 x 5m 4 x 5m |
> | |
> | Dining room Living room |
> | |
> | |
> | | --------------------|
> | | |
> | | |
> | Kitchen | |
> | | |
> ---------------------------------------------------|
>


> With furniture I loose about 1m so the 4 x 5m becomes 3 x 5 m.
>
> I am considering your S3TLM. Would it be suitable for my room dimensions ?
> Is the ribbon significantly better ? Are there any disadvantages going for
> the ribbon compared to the dome tweeter ?
>
> I guess I really need to pursuade my SO that we need a short break in
> Ilfracombe !
>
> Thanks,
> Chun

Hi Chun,
The diagram is not too clear but your 4by5m room appears to open into tjhe 7by4m area in which case your room is plenty big enough for the S3tlm, The differennce between the S3tlm and the ribbon version is quite small considering the difference in price, but you can always upgrade at a later date. The ribbon is slightly more transparent with no disadvantages.
kind regards ivan leslie


It is approx 150gbp more for the ribbon tweeters, takes the complete kit to 567gbp including mahogany veneer panels on mdf. Another way to look at it, is that the same amount of money will net me a recent pair of Dynaudio 1.1 Contours or a brand new set of Dynaudio Audience 52s, the latter which I have auditioned and have been very impressed.

Choices, choices. I should really listen to them. Any one on the board have a pair of these that will be prepared to have me come round for a listen ? Hopefully someone who isn't too far from London.

Cheers

 

[zanash]

That a not inconsiderable sum your going to lay out on a pair of kit speakers.

I designed and built mine from scratch and they cost about the same, except in that price there was a full size prototype. I used scanspeak drive units, the famous sticky tweeters and kevlar bass units.

I would say you need to make the round trip, or even better get them to bring them to you [small chance!]. You'll not be a happy bunny if they don't suit for any reason.

There must be other kit providers that are closer
Wilmslow Audio Liecestershire, South coast ? Falcon ? if there still trading.

 

[firestorm]

Zanash, there doesn't seem to be many transmission line speakers available as kits. Although Wilmslow seem to have some interesting kits from Visaton, Topas looks intersting with a ribbon tweeter, I'm not sure if it is a bass reflex design or not. They also have a speaker kit called the Fontana which has the driver mounted vertically, straight into the ceiling, with a cone-like reflector above it.

 

[zanash]

I used the matched tweater, bass and crossover from the kevlar one [later renamed the Pheonix]
as the basis of the design. The design was an amalgam of a number of ideas taken from my previous efforts and a scaled up vesion of the visaton cheap trick 145. Really only the layout of the 145, and even then I placed the bass at the top to get the longest pipe length. The back and the divider were removeable to allow for changing stuffing regimes. If your intrested in pic and plans drop me a pm.