Moderately high end speakers (5L)

[Yogesh]

Sorry for disappearing, guys - i didnt get any notification of replies and was traveling.

I need to check and make sure my 2A3 amp is working, to start with. Need to have it shipped over to Bangalore - will do so and see what happens. If it works, that becomes my office setup.

Arj - thanks for the suggestion of the Tektons. I did some googling - the reviews are a bit mixed. I am a bit hesitant to go chasing the perfect sound again, so i think i will try to buy something that i can audition first. Appreciate the tip re pricing, as well. Dont mind paying a premium - but 50-100% is a bit too much! 20% is more tolerable, even if it is a bit higher than for other luxury goods.

DB1989 - thanks for that suggestion. Will try those KEFs out.

Anshul - whoa, that is very helpful, thank you!!

Manohar - I DIYed my amp. Spent a couple of months putting together all the parts (trannies from Magnequest, premium caps and resistors, etc) and it sounded lovely. Going by parts cost, it would have been the equivalent of a $5k+ amp, back in the 90s and sounded like it. So not opposed to the idea at all... just have doubts about my ability to pull it off, as woodworking is a skill i do not have. And i think judging cabinet resonance and its impact on sound quality requires more technical ability than i possess.

Regarding DIYing yourself, you could hire local carpenters or outsource whole building process to reputed FMs like @sadik or others.

 

[vkalia]

Regarding DIYing yourself, you could hire local carpenters or outsource whole building process to reputed FMs like @sadik or others.

Yeah, that’s what i am thinking of doing.

Am gonna start figuring out a schematic that is doable/practical and which has modern equivalent drivers available (I couldn’t be arsed trying to source hard-to-find parts online)

 

[Bloom@83]

@Lizard King I have heard that Dali’s tend to be a bit bright - has that been the case for you?

Beginning of ‘22 I listened to the Oberon 7 , powered by Cambridge Audio CXA81 (a decent amp ) , a Rotel CDP , also from Tidal Masters in an acoustically treated room at one of the local hifi dealers here.

Impressions : to me - Underwhelming. Yes , top end was bright ( shrill ). The soundstage wasn’t as cohesive and accurate as I’m used to in my own home stereo , neither as wide. I didn’t get the musicality with my own test CDs (some well recorded local folk music , some Cohen for vocals ).
As always , YMMV.

And I concur with @DB1989 , you’ll be hard pressed not to love the KEFs R11.

 

[Bloom@83]

A good friend is looking to sell his top sounding and looking 2 way Open Baffle speakers, with dual 12” woofers. Top class room filling natural, relaxed sound reproduction and yet small footprint. The upper mid / HF is horn loaded CD and bass is dipole, dual woofers.

Excellent with both SS and tube amps…. Probably the best sounding and looking open baffles ever DIYed in India till date. And they are far above just “moderately high end speakers”.

Yes, I was responsible for his OB DIY “bug” and he designed excellent crossovers for them.

Reason for sale: An itch for next “bigger” step in DIY OB….

Some pics would be nice …

 

[Nishant Rastogi]

Here you go:

Look at his BS creation…. It sounds BIG and very musical !!!

View attachment 71561

And I commissioned him to build mine based on the drivers I had been hoarding for very long. Here are mine:

View attachment 71562

PS: I have no commercial interest in sale of his speakers…. Like a passionate DIYer he has nailed designing and execution of passive networks and speaker design (which incidentally I have not yet taken up seriously. Amps / DACs DIY don’t let me have a break !!! ) However his creations are top class musical and engaging…

My honor sir

 

[captrajesh]

Manohar - I DIYed my amp.

So not opposed to the idea at all.

This should be the endgame DIY speakers: https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...i-sba-951-speaker-kit-by-peter-noerbaek-pair/

just have doubts about my ability to pull it off, as woodworking is a skill i do not have.

You can hook up with Sadik or Eight Audio or my personal favourite box makers who are way down south, in Trivandrum.

 

[Sugar]

Maybe they are paired a lot because Focal and Naim are subsidiaries of VerVent Audio Group, a French company.

Agree. Focal and Naim are not the best combo. In my experience Focal plays well with Rotel and also surprisinglu with class D amps like Primare.

 

[rwnano]

If you are feeling adventurous, you could get them made diy, like I did. Mine are huge both physically and sonically. Can blast my ears off, with absolutely zero distortion. I was looking at speakers in the 5L+ category 3 years back, to upgrade from my pmc floor standers. And on a suggestion from a FM, I went down the diy route. I needed a lot of flexibility in the design, with the possibility of going active in the future. So the crossovers for the 3 way design, are external to the speakers. Another criteria which nudged in this direction, is that I like transmission line bass, as opposed to ported and sealed design. So my speakers were designed to exactly compliment my musical tastes, with 10 inch drivers in a TL. If your room is bigger, then the drivers can get bigger accordingly. The absolute limit in my small 11.5 x 15 ft room was 10 inches as per the designer and builder of my speakers. These are a no brand name, but I've been in love with them ever since my first listen.

On the downside, I might never be able to sell them on, as there is no brand weight behind them. So it is not a path everyone will be willing to go. Besides, just beacuse they are DIY, doesn't mean they are cheap. The crossovers alone cost close to 1L to build from imported components. So just an alternative idea to munch over

this is the way my man! nice wrk

 

[jenson]

For rock music jbls, klh, klipsch is the way to go... There is on zu audio superfly as well on sale which will match 2a3 pretty well...

 

[nn_in]

Hi folks -

Wanted some advice. Been out of the audio game for quite a while (mostly headphones) but am now looking to get a new amp and speakers.

Requirements for the speakers:
- Warm treble and a thick, luscious midrange
- Solid base down to 40Hz at least (can fill in the rest with a subwoofer)
- Floorstanders
- Dynamic sound, capable of re-creating an orchestra going full tilt without getting muddy - nothing analytical, no BBC monitor sound, nothing "airy or clinical" or, heaven forbid, polite.
I had heard a pair of Sonus Faber Veneres a while ago and really liked their sound palette. Looking for other options to consider.

Budget is around 5L or under, although i can go a little more for something truly special.

Also, a couple of other questions:

- I see high end gear prices in India are 50-100% more expensive than elsewhere in the world. Do the dealers negotiate off MRP, as they do with luxury watches, or do we just accept the shaft with a smile?

- Does anyone sell the Klipsch Forte III in India? That might persuade me to get my 2A3 serviced and running aga

Hi folks -

Wanted some advice. Been out of the audio game for quite a while (mostly headphones) but am now looking to get a new amp and speakers.

Requirements for the speakers:
- Warm treble and a thick, luscious midrange
- Solid base down to 40Hz at least (can fill in the rest with a subwoofer)
- Floorstanders
- Dynamic sound, capable of re-creating an orchestra going full tilt without getting muddy - nothing analytical, no BBC monitor sound, nothing "airy or clinical" or, heaven forbid, polite.
I had heard a pair of Sonus Faber Veneres a while ago and really liked their sound palette. Looking for other options to consider.

Budget is around 5L or under, although i can go a little more for something truly special.

Also, a couple of other questions:

- I see high end gear prices in India are 50-100% more expensive than elsewhere in the world. Do the dealers negotiate off MRP, as they do with luxury watches, or do we just accept the shaft with a smile?

- Does anyone sell the Klipsch Forte III in India? That might persuade me to get my 2A3 serviced and running again.

Audition Rosso Fiorentino and Chario at AV lounge in Chennai. I haven't had a chance to audition Chario but understand they do a few aspects that are unique .
(note : no affiliations)

DIY done right is also a great option and some folks have already suggested options.

 

[Hari Iyer]

This should be the endgame DIY speakers: https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...i-sba-951-speaker-kit-by-peter-noerbaek-pair/

You can hook up with Sadik or Eight Audio or my personal favourite box makers who are way down south, in Trivandrum.

I don't prefer a published design because,
They are designed for a set pair of amplifiers, cables and room. If there is a mismatch then adjustments can be a nightmare.
If you design from scratch, then you have full control of your design. You can't agree more with your own published design speakers as modifications can be tricky.

 

[k-pad]

Hi folks -

Wanted some advice. Been out of the audio game for quite a while (mostly headphones) but am now looking to get a new amp and speakers.

Requirements for the speakers:
- Warm treble and a thick, luscious midrange
- Solid base down to 40Hz at least (can fill in the rest with a subwoofer)
- Floorstanders
- Dynamic sound, capable of re-creating an orchestra going full tilt without getting muddy - nothing analytical, no BBC monitor sound, nothing "airy or clinical" or, heaven forbid, polite.
I had heard a pair of Sonus Faber Veneres a while ago and really liked their sound palette. Looking for other options to consider.

In the same boat as you as far as budgets go, and kind of similar in sound requirements.
My shortlist so far are:
Something with a RAAL from Ascendo/Salk/BMR (imported)
Martin Logan XT60i (looks like around 3L, locally available)
Klipsch Heresys (ditto)
And of late am research smitten by the Satori Sasandu (locally available assembled at 4L)

- I see high end gear prices in India are 50-100% more expensive than elsewhere in the world. Do the dealers negotiate off MRP, as they do with luxury watches, or do we just accept the shaft with a smile?

They do, mostly. (go in asking around 30-25%, they usually settle for up to 15-20% depending on product/price)

- Does anyone sell the Klipsch Forte III in India? That might persuade me to get my 2A3 serviced and running again.

One Dubai FM who is active, I forget his name.

Regards and good hunting.
Please keep us posted on progress.

 

[navin advani]

If you are feeling adventurous, you could get them made diy, like I did.

Can you share this build?

Manohar - I DIYed my amp.

DIYing a speaker is (at least to me) a lot easier than DIYing an amplifier.

Fair enough. I actually have the Loudspeaker cookbook somewhere. Let me pull it out and check out some projects there.

Do also check out the DIY audio forums. When Vance Dickinson wrote the cookbook, there was no internet.

 

[navin advani]

Something with a RAAL from Ascendo/Salk/BMR (imported)

And of late am research smitten by the Satori Sasandu (locally available assembled at 4L)

The RAAL (and most other ribbon and folded ribbon tweeters) is an acquired taste. I say this with the disclaimer of having used the RAAL 70-10D and 70-20XR, Fountek NeoX 2.0 and NeoCD 3.0. They have some limitations in vertical dispersion. The Fountek NeoCD 1.0 is not as limited. You can check out the Neo CD1.0's dispersion curves here:

Fountek NeoCd1.0 1.5" Ribbon Tweeter

Fountek ribbon tweeter @ 3.9" outer diameter. Features strong neodymium magnet; 1.5" reinforced sandwich diaphragm; built-in impedance converter; low distortion; very fast transients.

www.madisoundspeakerstore.com

FYI, the Mundorf AMT U40W1.2-C (perfect if used with a small midrange above 4k or so) is on sale at Madisound. Other interesting drivers are the Purifi Audio PTT8.0X04 (woofer) and Purifi Audio PTT4.0X04 (extended range mid-woofer). The latter is also on sale at Madisound. I think a pair of PTT8.0 combined with a pair of PTT4.0 and a U40W can make an interesting WW - MTM system. Food for thought.

Reviews of the 2 Purifi drivers can be found here:

Purifi Audio PTT8.0X04-NAB-02 8 Inch Woofer Review

Purifi Audio PTT8.0X04-NAB-02 8 Inch Woofer Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

Purifi Audio PTT4.0W04-01A 4 Inch Midwoofer Review

Purifi Audio PTT4.0W04-01A 4 Inch Midwoofer Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

Can you share this build?

DIYing a speaker is (at least to me) a lot easier than DIYing an amplifier.

Do also check out the DIY audio forums. When Vance Dickinson wrote the cookbook, there was no internet.

Hi navin

Iam too dumb to do anything on my own

So my speakers were built by a forum member for me

 

[k-pad]

The RAAL (and most other ribbon and folded ribbon tweeters) is an acquired taste. I say this with the disclaimer of having used the RAAL 70-10D and 70-20XR, Fountek NeoX 2.0 and NeoCD 3.0. They have some limitations in vertical dispersion. The Fountek NeoCD 1.0 is not as limited. You can check out the Neo CD1.0's dispersion curves here:

Fountek NeoCd1.0 1.5" Ribbon Tweeter

Fountek ribbon tweeter @ 3.9" outer diameter. Features strong neodymium magnet; 1.5" reinforced sandwich diaphragm; built-in impedance converter; low distortion; very fast transients.

www.madisoundspeakerstore.com

FYI, the Mundorf AMT U40W1.2-C (perfect if used with a small midrange above 4k or so) is on sale at Madisound. Other interesting drivers are the Purifi Audio PTT8.0X04 (woofer) and Purifi Audio PTT4.0X04 (extended range mid-woofer). The latter is also on sale at Madisound. I think a pair of PTT8.0 combined with a pair of PTT4.0 and a U40W can make an interesting WW - MTM system. Food for thought.

Reviews of the 2 Purifi drivers can be found here:

Purifi Audio PTT8.0X04-NAB-02 8 Inch Woofer Review

Purifi Audio PTT8.0X04-NAB-02 8 Inch Woofer Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

Purifi Audio PTT4.0W04-01A 4 Inch Midwoofer Review

Purifi Audio PTT4.0W04-01A 4 Inch Midwoofer Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

Thank you for these tips, Navin bhai.
You still have any of the RAAL builds?

I have only heard air motions and folded motions, and totally blown away. So much so that they really bring an emotional response to music from within me. Never heard a true ribbon like the RAAL yet, so have been very intrigued.

And then during a conversation with a small speaker maker, got told that Be domes address the best of both worlds. So, have been interested in them too ever since.

Thanks again

 

[navin advani]

So my speakers were built by a forum member for me

You'd still have the details (drivers used, cabinet volume, etc.) and a photograph of ,them won't ya?

You still have any of the RAAL builds?

Yup. I suspect you will find them on this forum (or audiocircle) if you search under "Selah Audio" (Rick Craig passed away in August 2021).

If you want, you can use Be or Diamond domes too. They are very expensive, though. For all its frailties, the original Oscar Heil AMTs were brilliant. I heard the ESS with the 10" woofer crossover over to a Heil Transformer several times.

I am not active in audio, especially not on the internet.

 

[siddharthdas]

Hi folks -

Wanted some advice. Been out of the audio game for quite a while (mostly headphones) but am now looking to get a new amp and speakers.

Requirements for the speakers:
- Warm treble and a thick, luscious midrange
- Solid base down to 40Hz at least (can fill in the rest with a subwoofer)
- Floorstanders
- Dynamic sound, capable of re-creating an orchestra going full tilt without getting muddy - nothing analytical, no BBC monitor sound, nothing "airy or clinical" or, heaven forbid, polite.
I had heard a pair of Sonus Faber Veneres a while ago and really liked their sound palette. Looking for other options to consider.

Budget is around 5L or under, although i can go a little more for something truly special.

Also, a couple of other questions:

- I see high end gear prices in India are 50-100% more expensive than elsewhere in the world. Do the dealers negotiate off MRP, as they do with luxury watches, or do we just accept the shaft with a smile?

- Does anyone sell the Klipsch Forte III in India? That might persuade me to get my 2A3 serviced and running again.

@vkalia what did you end up buying - I somehow cannot seem to find that here!

 

[vkalia]

@vkalia what did you end up buying - I somehow cannot seem to find that here!

Got a pair of Indiq Mishra Signature 2.0s.

Will look for a DIY solution for my tube amp at some point - don’t have the bandwidth to focus on that right now.

Also, these days, other hobbies seem to taking more of my time and attention.