A time for change and to look in a different direction

Kannan

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The great proverb 'Change is the only constant in life' does not apply much to me a I am quite averse to change from any comfort zones I find myself in.

I have been in the same job since 25 years, have owned only 2 cars in the last 35 years (the current one is 18 years old), married only once till now and tend to stick to my electronic gears unless they go dead or outdated.

In this regard, my DIY bookshelf speaker has served me well for a very long time and has been providing a satisfying music experience. The sound was/is pretty balanced, and in spite of some speakers that came my way overtime, I never felt the urge to change them.

I have been living all the while in rented houses, so the overall performance, was dependent on what the listening spaces allowed. The current place where I am staying for the past 14 months is one of the worst and it took me more than a month to set the system to the best I could derive from it.

In the last month or so, the setup started to sound quite bright with frequency vagaries and suck outs. After some analysis, I hit upon the tweeters as the culprit. I had changed them 5 years back after the 1st pair served me for close to a decade.
I am also a bit circumspect now about the crossovers.
But luckily I have a pair each of crossovers (which I had built as reserve) and new (NOS) tweeters which I purchased from ebay in 2018.

The change in the tweeters has solved the issues to a great extent, but I still feel the midrange is a bit recessed, and intend to replace the crossovers as well and see how that transpires.

Also thinking of taking a different direction:

1. All-in-one active speakers

The current crop of all-in-one active speakers has also got me thinking to take the new direction which means no external components like preamps, amps or DACs.
I don’t intend to spend more than 50K as I can DIY to my liking in that budget, so stuff like the KEF wireless is totally out of the equation.

The latest Q Acoustics M20 HD is truly truly attractive at around 50k, atleast on paper.
The only caveat is the lack of coaxial input. I hope to get an audition of these if I can find a dealer in Chennai offering demo.

The other options I see are the Edifier, Air Pulse, Audio Engine to name a few.

2. DIY
I was running a full 4-way active system in my car which I uninstalled a year back.
I am now left with a pair of 7 inch midbass, 3 inch wideband from the same speaker series and a pair of low profile Air Motion Tweeters and 3 palm size ALLO amplifier boards.
I can build a 3-way active standmounters with these using a 3-way active DSP.

I also have a 3-way active DSP with built-in amplifier, and also analogue & digital inputs for a one box solution to make things even simpler.

The standmounter build, if I take that route, will be interesting as I have lots of design options available to choose (Sealed, ported, transmission line for the wideband or open baffle for the wideband and the tweeters only).

Wondering how things will transpire, but before thinking on the DIY route, I first intend to audition some all-in-one active speakers as it limits clutter, and helps me clear all the stuff that I have procured over the years.

Brand, model, suggestions and user experiences of all-in-one active speakers are welcome.
 
The great proverb 'Change is the only constant in life' does not apply much to me a I am quite averse to change from any comfort zones I find myself in.

I have been in the same job since 25 years, have owned only 2 cars in the last 35 years (the current one is 18 years old), married only once till now and tend to stick to my electronic gears unless they go dead or outdated.

In this regard, my DIY bookshelf speaker has served me well for a very long time and has been providing a satisfying music experience. The sound was/is pretty balanced, and in spite of some speakers that came my way overtime, I never felt the urge to change them.

I have been living all the while in rented houses, so the overall performance, was dependent on what the listening spaces allowed. The current place where I am staying for the past 14 months is one of the worst and it took me more than a month to set the system to the best I could derive from it.

In the last month or so, the setup started to sound quite bright with frequency vagaries and suck outs. After some analysis, I hit upon the tweeters as the culprit. I had changed them 5 years back after the 1st pair served me for close to a decade.
I am also a bit circumspect now about the crossovers.
But luckily I have a pair each of crossovers (which I had built as reserve) and new (NOS) tweeters which I purchased from ebay in 2018.

The change in the tweeters has solved the issues to a great extent, but I still feel the midrange is a bit recessed, and intend to replace the crossovers as well and see how that transpires.

Also thinking of taking a different direction:

1. All-in-one active speakers

The current crop of all-in-one active speakers has also got me thinking to take the new direction which means no external components like preamps, amps or DACs.
I don’t intend to spend more than 50K as I can DIY to my liking in that budget, so stuff like the KEF wireless is totally out of the equation.

The latest Q Acoustics M20 HD is truly truly attractive at around 50k, atleast on paper.
The only caveat is the lack of coaxial input. I hope to get an audition of these if I can find a dealer in Chennai offering demo.

The other options I see are the Edifier, Air Pulse, Audio Engine to name a few.

2. DIY
I was running a full 4-way active system in my car which I uninstalled a year back.
I am now left with a pair of 7 inch midbass, 3 inch wideband from the same speaker series and a pair of low profile Air Motion Tweeters and 3 palm size ALLO amplifier boards.
I can build a 3-way active standmounters with these using a 3-way active DSP.

I also have a 3-way active DSP with built-in amplifier, and also analogue & digital inputs for a one box solution to make things even simpler.

The standmounter build, if I take that route, will be interesting as I have lots of design options available to choose (Sealed, ported, transmission line for the wideband or open baffle for the wideband and the tweeters only).

Wondering how things will transpire, but before thinking on the DIY route, I first intend to audition some all-in-one active speakers as it limits clutter, and helps me clear all the stuff that I have procured over the years.

Brand, model, suggestions and user experiences of all-in-one active speakers are welcome.
I had a pair of Audioengine A5 several years ago. If I recall correctly they played loud, sounded boomy (v shaped freq response?) and after a year or so the amp failed. I got the amp board removed and used it as a passive for a short while afterwards. My experience (reliability) might be an isolated experience. But I would not buy this again based on the SQ. Just my opinion @Kannan since you mentioned Audioengine in your list above.
I will watch your DIY project with interest if you choose this route
 
so stuff like the KEF wireless is totally out of the equation.
I don't want to step on your toes; however, if you are considering Active Speakers, KEF Wireless should be on your list. The amount of tech it puts in those tiny boxes, it mind-boggling. Besides the amount of flexibility it offers in terms of connectivity, it is pure respect. IMHO, it's challenging to get similar sound fidelity/flexibility within the same price bracket that LS 50 Wii offers.
 
Needless to say : Kali Audio for the bang

Kali LP 8 pair within 50k (I have this)
Kali IN 8 pair within 80k

Pair it with a Topping E50.


Kali-Audio-Gallery-LP8v2-FrontView.jpg
Kali-Audio-IN8-v2-Side-gallery-2.jpgKali-Audio-IN8-v2-Back-gallery-3.jpg
 

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I don't want to step on your toes; however, if you are considering Active Speakers, KEF Wireless should be on your list. The amount of tech it puts in those tiny boxes, it mind-boggling. Besides the amount of flexibility it offers in terms of connectivity, it is pure respect. IMHO, it's challenging to get similar sound fidelity/flexibility within the same price bracket that LS 50 Wii offers.
I have extensively auditioned the LSX at the showroom and also at my home and did not like its sound output. I found it inaccurate and coloured. I also auditioned the KEF R3 side-by-side and could not believe they both were from the same company. The R3 was superb.
Both were however are way off my budget. I auditioned them for my nephew who ended up buying the Revel M16 as he got it at a great offer.
 
That’s such a lovely physical design!
The first one is Kali LP 8 (8 inch woofer)

2nd is Kali IN 8 (again 8 inch woofer) 3 way

Both measures well. And I like them. Enough for my living room.

I have extensively auditioned the LSX at the showroom and also at my home and did not like its sound output. I found it inaccurate and coloured. I also auditioned the KEF R3 side-by-side and could not believe they both were from the same company. The R3 was superb.
R3 measures well.....also like the Revel M16.

( I am starting to have a slow itch of Revel M16 pair + Topping PA5.........just controlling long enough for the topping flagship amp)
 
Needless to say : Kali Audio for the bang

Kali LP 8 pair within 50k (I have this)
Kali IN 8 pair within 80k

Pair it with a Topping E50.
My first look out is for an All-in-one, so studio monitors are off the list.
By the way I spoke to the Q Acoustics importers and they will be arranging for an audition in Chennai soon for the M20.

In the meantime, I will also look out for more similar options.

The upgrade crossover parts for my Spica TC-50's have been lying packed for over 2 years. Time to build these xos as well.

For those not aware of the Spicas, here is the pic

spica.jpg
 
I have extensively auditioned the LSX at the showroom and also at my home and did not like its sound output. I found it inaccurate and coloured. I also auditioned the KEF R3 side-by-side and could not believe they both were from the same company. The R3 was superb.

IMO , KEF LSX is more of a convenience package with decent SQ. If I had to compare in terms of SQ I would rate the Concept 20 and Dynaudio M20 much higher in terms of SQ (owned all 3 for a good period of time) , i preferred the LSX over the 3020i though.

Did not have the R3 , but loved the signature of it during my audition at ProFX. Got hold of an used KEF R300 now , just love how it sounds (though reviews indicate lack of lower end which might be true , but since I never owned the R3 not really missing anything). If you looking for actives check out Dynaudio and Focal actives too, promusical which is HQ'ed in Chennai probably has it for demo.
 
If you looking for actives check out Dynaudio and Focal actives too
They will not come anywhere close to the budget I am looking at.....50k will be the max i will go to find anything that I like. Else will be DIY
 
The great proverb 'Change is the only constant in life' does not apply much to me a I am quite averse to change from any comfort zones I find myself in.

I have been in the same job since 25 years, have owned only 2 cars in the last 35 years (the current one is 18 years old), married only once till now and tend to stick to my electronic gears unless they go dead or outdated.

In this regard, my DIY bookshelf speaker has served me well for a very long time and has been providing a satisfying music experience. The sound was/is pretty balanced, and in spite of some speakers that came my way overtime, I never felt the urge to change them.

I have been living all the while in rented houses, so the overall performance, was dependent on what the listening spaces allowed. The current place where I am staying for the past 14 months is one of the worst and it took me more than a month to set the system to the best I could derive from it.

In the last month or so, the setup started to sound quite bright with frequency vagaries and suck outs. After some analysis, I hit upon the tweeters as the culprit. I had changed them 5 years back after the 1st pair served me for close to a decade.
I am also a bit circumspect now about the crossovers.
But luckily I have a pair each of crossovers (which I had built as reserve) and new (NOS) tweeters which I purchased from ebay in 2018.

The change in the tweeters has solved the issues to a great extent, but I still feel the midrange is a bit recessed, and intend to replace the crossovers as well and see how that transpires.

Also thinking of taking a different direction:

1. All-in-one active speakers


The latest Q Acoustics M20 HD is truly truly attractive at around 50k, atleast on paper.


2. DIY
I was running a full 4-way active system in my car which I uninstalled a year back.
I am now left with a pair of 7 inch midbass, 3 inch wideband from the same speaker series and a pair of low profile Air Motion Tweeters and 3 palm size ALLO amplifier boards.
I can build a 3-way active standmounters with these using a 3-way active DSP.

I also have a 3-way active DSP with built-in amplifier, and also analogue & digital inputs for a one box solution to make things even simpler.

The standmounter build, if I take that route, will be interesting as I have lots of design options available to choose (Sealed, ported, transmission line for the wideband or open baffle for the wideband and the tweeters only).

Wondering how things will transpire, but before thinking on the DIY route, I first intend to audition some all-in-one active speakers as it limits clutter, and helps me clear all the stuff that I have procured over the years.

Brand, model, suggestions and user experiences of all-in-one active speakers are welcome.
Oh, awesome. This should be an excellent project. All in Ones are the flavor nowadays. As you mentioned, no additional boxes, wires, amp matching, etc. Get down to enjoying music sooner. The M20 does look tempting at that price.

Knowing you, I am sure you already have the DIY schematics engraved in your mind. Moreover, it would be good to repurpose the drivers and the associated components. You are almost halfway there. Just need to put it all together.

Alternatively, have you checked out the kits from SB Audio? SB Acoustics - Kits

MaSh
 
I have extensively auditioned the LSX at the showroom and also at my home and did not like its sound output.
Ah... I see... LSX may sound off, but LS 50 Wii sounds excellent for that dimension. Take a demo, and I am +ve you will be impressed.
 
Ah... I see... LSX may sound off, but LS 50 Wii sounds excellent for that dimension. Take a demo, and I am +ve you will be impressed.
Will audition it out definitely , but at Rs. 2+ lakhs, it is way beyond even my wildest dreams.
 

Using this for more than a year, really happy with it. Very good sound, added a sub to it recently and I could not be happier.
 
Purchase the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier at a special offer price.
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