I recently bought a pair of these together with a small birch ply bookshelf cabinet. And aside from beeing small and lacking in the bass department, the upper mids and treble are among the finest I have ever heard, And this is compared to (among others) some higher end B & W's... The vocals are so natural and lifelike I think I may never go any other way than fullrange again...For acoustic music they excell. I bought a Black Keys LP the other day, and the sound of it is almost live-like..only not...They also to electronica quite well, crystal clear in fact...An enchanting holographic crystalline soundstage for alsmot anything they play..except certain heavy albums...they don't like certain metal recordings too much, sounds chaotic at best...but for everything else...There's my newly discovered Alpairs...
Can't wait to make som floorstanding cabinets for them, and a subwoofer....
Can't wait to make som floorstanding cabinets for them, and a subwoofer....
I agree with the previous post.
now 3 months i listening CHR 70 gen3 - no lack of bass at least for me ( i also use small standard vented cabinets for CHR)
I like these speakers better with Leach amp or chipamps together with turntable. Sounds good.
My Le monstre class A sounds better for me with 2 way speakers.
Now I have ordered the CHP 70.2 - i will put them in the same cabinets, and then compare the sound. Must be good. we - DIY peoples are always in search of a good sound
now 3 months i listening CHR 70 gen3 - no lack of bass at least for me ( i also use small standard vented cabinets for CHR)
I like these speakers better with Leach amp or chipamps together with turntable. Sounds good.
My Le monstre class A sounds better for me with 2 way speakers.
Now I have ordered the CHP 70.2 - i will put them in the same cabinets, and then compare the sound. Must be good. we - DIY peoples are always in search of a good sound
AVforum.no - Kenneth1979's HiFi
If you go to this forum, allthough in norwgian, you will see pic's of my gear.
I have a new rack for them now, though...it's not wallmounted anymore.
I agree, to a certain extent, the bass is pretty decent for a 4 inch driver in such a small cabinet, and allthough I am not a basshound, small speakers do sound thin, especially with certain recordings. Others are lush and full of wonderfully detailed musical bloom, so to speak.
If you go to this forum, allthough in norwgian, you will see pic's of my gear.
I have a new rack for them now, though...it's not wallmounted anymore.
I agree, to a certain extent, the bass is pretty decent for a 4 inch driver in such a small cabinet, and allthough I am not a basshound, small speakers do sound thin, especially with certain recordings. Others are lush and full of wonderfully detailed musical bloom, so to speak.
I have heard the EL70 from CSS in Planet 10's mar-Kel and milliMar-Kel enclosures. The increased volume really make a huge difference. The speakers really jump to life. You might want to experiment with a larger enclosure and hear the results. I am sure the CHR-70 reacts the same way.
Thanks for the pics of your gear! The amp looks great! I have a set of Grado headphones as well, s80's. I think they are what got me started looking for better sound.
KM
Thanks for the pics of your gear! The amp looks great! I have a set of Grado headphones as well, s80's. I think they are what got me started looking for better sound.
KM
Thanks, yes I will try an build a bigger enclosure for starters. And an amp with a bit more power. Yeah, I love my MS1's, they don't like bassheavy music on higher volumes, but I don't care...
Yes, I love my amp...I don't think I'll be able to part with it when I build others, I'll just move it to the bedroom
Thanks everyone for replies.
Yes, I love my amp...I don't think I'll be able to part with it when I build others, I'll just move it to the bedroom
Thanks everyone for replies.
Many enclosure sizes, many test measurements. I find that a .7 cubic foot enclosure with 1.5 inch x 3 inch port works the best. Make the back removable as damping is critical and very sensitive to sall changes.
I am getting an f3 of 49hz with a very smooth mid range with crisp and detailed highs. Break-in for the drivers is critical. I saw tremendious changes in performance over time. The bersk-in period seems to be about 100 hours with low volume and complex material, clasical works well to begin and then something with a bit more bass for the last 20 hours. It takes some patience but the result is astounding.
RGR
I am getting an f3 of 49hz with a very smooth mid range with crisp and detailed highs. Break-in for the drivers is critical. I saw tremendious changes in performance over time. The bersk-in period seems to be about 100 hours with low volume and complex material, clasical works well to begin and then something with a bit more bass for the last 20 hours. It takes some patience but the result is astounding.
RGR
Pass DIY Addict
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My daughter and I just finished a pair of speakers using the CHR-70 Gen 3 drivers and I couldn't be more pleased! They live in a 0.25 cuft Parts Express box with their 4" flared port (extended by about 3 cm). The boxes are lightly stuffed and sit on wall-mounted shelves that I made. They are driven by a Pass Labs Amp Camp Amp and sound great!
Planet10 recommended the drivers and both my daughter and I are thrilled with their performance. Modelling suggests an F3 of about 50Hz and wall mounting helps augment bass as well. Overall, I find their tonal balance to be very nice and even mounted in less than ideal places, they image surprisingly well.
This was my first experience with full-range drivers and I'm very impressed.
Thanks for the nice drivers, Mark!
Eric
Planet10 recommended the drivers and both my daughter and I are thrilled with their performance. Modelling suggests an F3 of about 50Hz and wall mounting helps augment bass as well. Overall, I find their tonal balance to be very nice and even mounted in less than ideal places, they image surprisingly well.
This was my first experience with full-range drivers and I'm very impressed.
Thanks for the nice drivers, Mark!
Eric
I made a pair of TWQT (slightly mass-loaded, 90cm tall) for my sister and my brother in law, using the CHR 70 some time ago.
They are very, very engaging sounding speakers. Great extension in both ends, with great detail and very important for casual listeners, a very large sweetspot and acceptable sound outside it too.
They sound so great I almost couldn't bring myself to give them away.
I'd say they hold their own against the Alpair 7s I've heard. They are somewhat different certainly but not in a bad/worse way necessarily.
I still prefer my permanent speakers, the FE126 iBIBs, but not by much, and they do take up more room.
They are very, very engaging sounding speakers. Great extension in both ends, with great detail and very important for casual listeners, a very large sweetspot and acceptable sound outside it too.
They sound so great I almost couldn't bring myself to give them away.
I'd say they hold their own against the Alpair 7s I've heard. They are somewhat different certainly but not in a bad/worse way necessarily.
I still prefer my permanent speakers, the FE126 iBIBs, but not by much, and they do take up more room.
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Thanks Scott, its quite shallow with a rolled edge - I'll take a pic when i have more time (stuck in hospital)
CHR-3 in Frugal Horn MK-3
I have the CHR-3 speakers in the Frugal Horn Mk-3, and they are Spectacular! You have to give these speakers time to break in before they sound their best. The sound is well balanced with good bass. Just don't try getting rock concert levels out of them.
I recently had my ultra-picky audiophile friend over, who has an expensive system, and he was impressed.
I running these with a basic Sony HT receiver (hint, hook your CD player or DAC into the RF and LF 5.1 inputs. That bypasses the receiver's crappy input section and gives much better sound). They are playing in a room that is 13' by 25'. The listener is 14 ft. from the speakers.
I have the CHR-3 speakers in the Frugal Horn Mk-3, and they are Spectacular! You have to give these speakers time to break in before they sound their best. The sound is well balanced with good bass. Just don't try getting rock concert levels out of them.
I recently had my ultra-picky audiophile friend over, who has an expensive system, and he was impressed.
I running these with a basic Sony HT receiver (hint, hook your CD player or DAC into the RF and LF 5.1 inputs. That bypasses the receiver's crappy input section and gives much better sound). They are playing in a room that is 13' by 25'. The listener is 14 ft. from the speakers.
Attachments
EdKennedy.
Good looking set of FH Mk-3 you have got in a nice room!
I have CHR-70.2 and these are verstaile drivers. They work well in the FH-Mk3 as do other MA drivers like the Alpair-7, CHP-70 (gen-1), CSS-EL70 (also made my Mark). As you have observed, long break in times are required (good things come to those who wait) for these drivers, but the results are worth it.
If you don't mind me suggesting - paired to a better amplification and source will likely increase your listening pleasure.
Enjoy your speakers!
Good looking set of FH Mk-3 you have got in a nice room!
I have CHR-70.2 and these are verstaile drivers. They work well in the FH-Mk3 as do other MA drivers like the Alpair-7, CHP-70 (gen-1), CSS-EL70 (also made my Mark). As you have observed, long break in times are required (good things come to those who wait
) for these drivers, but the results are worth it.If you don't mind me suggesting - paired to a better amplification and source will likely increase your listening pleasure.
Enjoy your speakers!
Zman,
Thanks for the nice compliment regarding my speakers and room.
I agree, my electronics could use an upgrade. I'm considering building a Tubeland single ended amp sometime soon to check out the world of tube amps.
I built these speakers using the inexpensive CHR-70 to see if I liked MarkAudio's full range speakers. I am still amazed at the quality of the sound from a little 4" driver as long as I keep the volume reasonable.
In the future, I will probably step up to the Alpair 10 or 12 after the electronics gets upgraded.
Thanks for the nice compliment regarding my speakers and room.
I agree, my electronics could use an upgrade. I'm considering building a Tubeland single ended amp sometime soon to check out the world of tube amps.
I built these speakers using the inexpensive CHR-70 to see if I liked MarkAudio's full range speakers. I am still amazed at the quality of the sound from a little 4" driver as long as I keep the volume reasonable.
In the future, I will probably step up to the Alpair 10 or 12 after the electronics gets upgraded.
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