I think they broke because, as that website said, Logitech cheaped out on the drivers, the amp blew the sub. It could also be the amp blew rather than the sub driver because something was smelling very odd even at low volumes. Also, the amp rattled, which really annoyed me. Finally, the things hissed very loudly, and they supposably shouldn't have because I had the newest controller.
I wish some company would make a decent speaker system. Logitech is low quality, Klipsch are overpriced and sound lousy to me, I don't know how Creative calls that little box that does nothing but distort a subwoofer, and the rest are even worse than that.
All I know is right now I'm happy. The ones I've built have gone a year without a single problem, while my 680s have died twice in that time.
I wish some company would make a decent speaker system. Logitech is low quality, Klipsch are overpriced and sound lousy to me, I don't know how Creative calls that little box that does nothing but distort a subwoofer, and the rest are even worse than that.
All I know is right now I'm happy. The ones I've built have gone a year without a single problem, while my 680s have died twice in that time.
Well, I have stuffed the cases of the satellite speakers, and it really made a difference. The high pitched sounds are less harsh, but still there, and the midrange sounds are much more detailed.
I really reccomend stuffing the speakers from the 680s. It really makes a difference!
Next I'm going for the sub. I think I will stuff some of the batting I used in the satellites in the port (though not too much that it blocks too much sound from it) and will line the inside with foam (possibly I will also cover the transformers and capacitors at the bottom, but I'm not sure on that.
UPDATE: Rather than stuffing the port, I intead lined the inside of the sub box. I had some foam to line the right side and top, and the area behind the port is stuffed with the batting. I didn't put it on the front side of the bottom because of the transformers and capacitors or on the left side of the box with the port. The sound is excellent now!
I really reccomend stuffing the speakers from the 680s. It really makes a difference!
Next I'm going for the sub. I think I will stuff some of the batting I used in the satellites in the port (though not too much that it blocks too much sound from it) and will line the inside with foam (possibly I will also cover the transformers and capacitors at the bottom, but I'm not sure on that.
UPDATE: Rather than stuffing the port, I intead lined the inside of the sub box. I had some foam to line the right side and top, and the area behind the port is stuffed with the batting. I didn't put it on the front side of the bottom because of the transformers and capacitors or on the left side of the box with the port. The sound is excellent now!
You don't seem to like Klipsch and Creative much, but did you hear the last MM kits?
Creative Gigaworks S700 is THE kit to beat in midrange and treble. The subwoofer is flat down to 40 Hz.
Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Ultra is THE subwoofer to beat, flat down to 30 Hz.
Nothing can come close to these two.
Creative Gigaworks S700 is THE kit to beat in midrange and treble. The subwoofer is flat down to 40 Hz.
Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Ultra is THE subwoofer to beat, flat down to 30 Hz.
Nothing can come close to these two.
Yes, I have heard heard those klipsch speakers. The sub did not impress me at all. It barely did anything. And every creative speaker I hear is a poorly designed ported box that distorts and even when it isn't distorting sounds terrible. I don't think I've heard the system you are talking about, but I dobut I'd be impressed due to my past experience.
Back to the Klipsch, they sell those at best buy, so I'm not too suprised I don't like the sound out of them. True they may be the best audio think Best Buy sells, but thats not much of a comparison.
Back to the Klipsch, they sell those at best buy, so I'm not too suprised I don't like the sound out of them. True they may be the best audio think Best Buy sells, but thats not much of a comparison.
soundNERD said:
Ive never heard the ultra, but the standard 5.1 klipsch sub I didnt like it as well. The drivers looked fairly cheap, it wasnt that well built. Electronically though, the klipsch seemed somewhat well made, I have a few pics of the insides still: pic 1, pic 2.
The satellites didnt sound impressive as well, however they were nicely built. Stuffing all inside, etc. pic here
Ive heard great things about the gigaworks, however the sub seems undersized.
Im trying to get some of the z680/z560 satellites to use with my existing system, Ill try stuffing them if I can find any.
I don't know why you didn't like the Ultra subwoofer, it's the first and only computer subwoofer to go flat down to 30 Hz.
Gigaworks is flat down to about 40 Hz.
Logitech can play louder than Klipsch, but it's definitely not flat (it's boomy) and it definitely cannot go as low.
Anyway, it's a good idea to use the amplifier to power something better. Just design a real subwoofer and real satellites with tweeters.
Gigaworks is flat down to about 40 Hz.
Logitech can play louder than Klipsch, but it's definitely not flat (it's boomy) and it definitely cannot go as low.
Anyway, it's a good idea to use the amplifier to power something better. Just design a real subwoofer and real satellites with tweeters.
You can't compare speakers at BB. If you're judging any of the speakers by hwo they sound in BB you are shafting every single system you listen to.
The Monsoon PlanarMedia series was great IMO. I'm not an big fan of the sound of the planar satellites myself, but I was impressed nonetheless.
I have the Klipsch PM2.1 system ever since it came out. I built new crossovers and have done little tweaks here and there. I can't believe you don't think the subwoofer has balls. It is a beast in every room I have had it in. Actually, it's overpowering compared to the satellites. And the 2.1 system uses and actual Class B amp, not a chip amp [not to trash chip amps, some are rather good].
NERD, you might go checking out datasheets for the chips you are interested in. They are all over the web and not too hard to understand. MUTE and STAND-BY pins both need to be above 3.5V to guarantee on operation.
The Monsoon PlanarMedia series was great IMO. I'm not an big fan of the sound of the planar satellites myself, but I was impressed nonetheless.
I have the Klipsch PM2.1 system ever since it came out. I built new crossovers and have done little tweaks here and there. I can't believe you don't think the subwoofer has balls. It is a beast in every room I have had it in. Actually, it's overpowering compared to the satellites. And the 2.1 system uses and actual Class B amp, not a chip amp [not to trash chip amps, some are rather good].
NERD, you might go checking out datasheets for the chips you are interested in. They are all over the web and not too hard to understand. MUTE and STAND-BY pins both need to be above 3.5V to guarantee on operation.
Evan Shultz said:
The best sounding of the Monsoons were the MM500s (maybe didn't go as low as some of the bigger woofed ones, but where the music really counts...). These had a 2 3/4" midrange running from 225 Hz to about 1.500 Hz. This was all activily amplified (ie 5 amps).
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5745215373
When they dissappeared i was able to get a number of service spares and lashed up an extra woofer so that i have stereo woofers & am only using 3 of the 5 amps in each module (giving those 3 amps more effective power supply). The s-video connectors they use for the sats don't work too well. At some point, i'll put the woofers & amps in new boxes & fix that (i may add a 2nd woofer & amp to each box too -- i keep tripping over the spares i have)
dave
about the power rating of the speakers and drivers, read my post here. I don't really feel like retyping it.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=561338#post561338
No wonder they get away with 15W drivers. Guess I'd better be careful using 3886s in my rebuilt set...
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=561338#post561338
No wonder they get away with 15W drivers. Guess I'd better be careful using 3886s in my rebuilt set...
I posted a similar reponse re: the Z-5500 at the following link; it includes other feedback re: transformer size and power measurements.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=562858#post562858
Specifically re: the "power" rating for a raw speaker driver, it is derived by testing in free air, full range over a 24 hour period. It is independant of all other system variables including the final enclosure, amplifier and the crossover. Oh yeah, in your final system you're probably more interested in listening to music rather than sine wave or pink noise. Put the Z-5500 driver in a box, add a 150 Hz or so high-pass filter and you now have a driver that can probably be "rated" closer to 100W (this is assuming the raw driver is rated at 15W as mentioned in this thread. I'm not sure how that was established for the Z-5500). If your satellite drivers are failing, I doubt it's because of their power rating.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=562858#post562858
Specifically re: the "power" rating for a raw speaker driver, it is derived by testing in free air, full range over a 24 hour period. It is independant of all other system variables including the final enclosure, amplifier and the crossover. Oh yeah, in your final system you're probably more interested in listening to music rather than sine wave or pink noise. Put the Z-5500 driver in a box, add a 150 Hz or so high-pass filter and you now have a driver that can probably be "rated" closer to 100W (this is assuming the raw driver is rated at 15W as mentioned in this thread. I'm not sure how that was established for the Z-5500). If your satellite drivers are failing, I doubt it's because of their power rating.
I used something called batting. You can get it from a fabric store. It's what they stuff some pillows with.
I don't know if I'd use tangband speakers. I'm really not impressed with them.
I got my new speakers, and I have to say I actually liked the 680s better, except these look nicer and have no hissing nor rattling in the subwoofer. I actually found the 8 inch sub on the 680s to sound better and it was actually louder without distorting or making a thudding sound like these do a lot. I also notice the sub overwhelms the satellites at low volumes, but it's the other way around at higher volumes. I also find the satellites sound lousy at lower volume than they do at higher volume.
Either way, these are the first ones I've had that were good out of the box without a single problem, but I think I liked the sound of the others better. But I'm not going to complain. They are still loud!
I don't know if I'd use tangband speakers. I'm really not impressed with them.
I got my new speakers, and I have to say I actually liked the 680s better, except these look nicer and have no hissing nor rattling in the subwoofer. I actually found the 8 inch sub on the 680s to sound better and it was actually louder without distorting or making a thudding sound like these do a lot. I also notice the sub overwhelms the satellites at low volumes, but it's the other way around at higher volumes. I also find the satellites sound lousy at lower volume than they do at higher volume.
Either way, these are the first ones I've had that were good out of the box without a single problem, but I think I liked the sound of the others better. But I'm not going to complain. They are still loud!
Well, if you want it to play more detailed but less loud, you might want to modify the sat crossover frequency. I hooked my sats up to my onkyo amp and they went way lower than before. IMO the sub goes too high and the sats not low enough. I'm sure its worse with the 10"
Logitech must do this to get more volume, but it doesent sound to good. Theres no reason the 5500 should sound any worse than the 680 if your crossovers are configured right.
Logitech must do this to get more volume, but it doesent sound to good. Theres no reason the 5500 should sound any worse than the 680 if your crossovers are configured right.
So I've still got my Z-560's in use (admittedly less now that I own a pair of Grados) and I'd like to modify them before I get into full fledged speaker building (especially amp and crossover designs, which I'm not looking forward to). Are there any enclosure designs for small drivers in particular that I should look at? I've got a few speaker building books on the way but I'd like to get more than just a couple authors' opinions.
Also, while I'm at it I was also thinking about building a new enclosure for the sub and maybe even replacing the driver in it too. To me all the 8" subs look the same aside from price. Manufacturer's spec claims are not much good to me either. Anyone have especially good results with a particular 8" sub? I realize subs this small aren't very popular but I was hoping for suggestions anyway. They can't be any worse than my uneducated decisions.
Also, while I'm at it I was also thinking about building a new enclosure for the sub and maybe even replacing the driver in it too. To me all the 8" subs look the same aside from price. Manufacturer's spec claims are not much good to me either. Anyone have especially good results with a particular 8" sub? I realize subs this small aren't very popular but I was hoping for suggestions anyway. They can't be any worse than my uneducated decisions.
Hi... Going Back to post 21,
If any people are (like I was) looking for a way to use the amplifier with out the control pod heres my little guide..
1. Take the amplifer off the subwoofer. (I needed to cut some wires here to get it off enough)
2. Take off the back plate (lots of screws to undo here including some with bolts on the other side)
3. Take off the panel on the rear side which has the plug to the control panel. (once you've removed the bolts it just pulls off)
4. Now using the pin labels that you will find on the panel that you pulled off identify the VREGDD, MUTE AMP and STANDBY AMP pins (they are all in a line), use some single core wire to connect mute and standby to the vregdd (or put switches on) This will allow the amp to be turned on with out the control pod being attached.
5. connect the inputs (eg RF AMP etc) to some sort of connectors ie 3mm or coax connections.
And Thats it, make sure if you cut any wires to ease the amp off you fix them back up and cover with electrical tape
Now the amp can be turned on/off by the switch on the back or if you put switches on the STANDBY AMP Wire. One thing to note though is that the Amp now has no Pre-Amp which means no onbard volume control or crossovers so make sure you turn the volume right down on the source before you plug it in!!
If any people are (like I was) looking for a way to use the amplifier with out the control pod heres my little guide..
1. Take the amplifer off the subwoofer. (I needed to cut some wires here to get it off enough)
2. Take off the back plate (lots of screws to undo here including some with bolts on the other side)
3. Take off the panel on the rear side which has the plug to the control panel. (once you've removed the bolts it just pulls off)
4. Now using the pin labels that you will find on the panel that you pulled off identify the VREGDD, MUTE AMP and STANDBY AMP pins (they are all in a line), use some single core wire to connect mute and standby to the vregdd (or put switches on) This will allow the amp to be turned on with out the control pod being attached.
5. connect the inputs (eg RF AMP etc) to some sort of connectors ie 3mm or coax connections.
And Thats it, make sure if you cut any wires to ease the amp off you fix them back up and cover with electrical tape
Now the amp can be turned on/off by the switch on the back or if you put switches on the STANDBY AMP Wire. One thing to note though is that the Amp now has no Pre-Amp which means no onbard volume control or crossovers so make sure you turn the volume right down on the source before you plug it in!!
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