Latest Project - High Quality Mini Monitors

[Forster]

Hello,

This is the result of my latest speaker project, the Seas/Hiquphon Mini Monitor designed by that splendid gentleman, Troels Gravesen. (http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/W15.htm)

The speakers consist of 2 x SEAS W15CY001 and 2 x HIQUPHON OWI for the drivers.

Due to their limited size the speakers were designed to have external crossovers, which were very chunky when finished, so I adjusted the internal cabinet size to suit.

The boxes were constructed from 3/4" MDF, with 1/4" solid oak covering the sides, and 1/2" covering the baffle and back. Internally they were damped with asphalt damping pads and the excellent acoustic damping panels by BassLine (http://www.basslinear.com/product.html) which I highly recommend.

The speakers were finished in tung oil after dedicated sanding. I routed a small recess on the baffle for the inclusion of some decoration. I plan to melt black plastic and pour it into the recess.

Now, how do they sound?

My goodness, but these little monitors can sing! Superbly detailed, but balanced and what I would describe as a mature sound. Soundstage is huge and as expected, the seperation of instruments is startling.

Bass is solid and firm, free from any boom and yet extended much further than expected, due to the ported design.

Like any high quality speaker, they are not kind to badly engineered and produced recordings, but when a good recording is put on the rack, the angels sing. I am listening to the Tim Garland Quartet "Playing The Moon" as I write , a live recording and I feel as if I am in the club listening.

Other equipment : Kinergetics C-800 preamp, Audiosource Seven T amp, Technics SL-P1300 CD player, Liin Sondek/Hadcock combination phono.

A highly recommended design, and Troels is ever present to help with design features.

Best regards to all - Forster

[jleaman]

Very nice, clean and well done, What is the groove for beside the tweeters ?

May i ask what you paid for just the drivers and crossover parts ?

[Forster]

Hello,

That is where I am going to insert a black plastic decoration, just to tart up the baffle a little!

Many thanks - Forster

[jleaman]

Originally posted by Forster
Hello,

That is where I am going to insert a black plastic decoration, just to tart up the baffle a little!

Many thanks - Forster

Ahh, i thought it was going to be for some kind of defraction device

[Timn8ter]

A concept I've mulled over myself more than one. I'm sure they sound quite excellent. Good choice.

[Sjef]

Like any high quality speaker, they are not kind to badly engineered and produced recordings

That's about the most common mistake I hear about loudspeakers. On a very good loudspeaker you can play any recording you like and it will sing nomatter how bad the recording is there is always a lot of musical information that can be reveiled. On a bad loudspeaker these recordings sound horrible and the loudspeaker only sounds good on recording theat fit and match the loudspeaker. Happens with many many loudspeakers out there and that's a sign of a bad loudspeaker not a good one. About 90% of all the dome tweeters and small monitor loudspeakers I have heard suffer from this, this one included I guess, a perfect example.

[Forster]

sjef,

That's about the most common mistake I hear about loudspeakers. On a very good loudspeaker you can play any recording you like and it will sing nomatter how bad the recording is there is always a lot of musical information that can be reveiled.

mmmmm....I am not sure that I agree at all with this statement.

All speakers have a different sound and are designed with different objectives in view. Some speakers sound better dealing with classical music, some sound better with Jazz etc but no good speaker can improve the sound of a bad recording!

I do a lot of work in recording studios at the engineering end, hence my preference for monitor style speakers which have to be as neutral and accurate as possible. I have at least ten pairs of speakers, VanderSteens, LS3 5A's, three homebuilt, Yamaha NS 100 etc. Some are MUCH kinder to the source than others.

These mini-monitors speakers are among the most neutral and balanced speakers that I have heard, outperforming my BBC monitors on all fronts, but I can assure you that a lousy recording is not improved by them at all - I have tested them with many recordings. In this sense it is not 'kind' to bad recordings.

They are so revealing that they reveal a bad recording more so than a less revealing speaker would.

Best regards - Forster

[Sjef]

I thought the same about this for years but I have heard and learned a lot of from what I have heard. Once you will get or hear a really good loudspeaker you will notice that a lot of those bad recordings aren't that bad at all it's just the loudspeaker/amp combination that's in stress. I have heard most of the loudspeakers you mentioned and they all suffer from it, many speakers do, in fact most of them out there, that's why I'm not satisfied with any of them anymore. It's not about being forgiving for the recording it's more about a lack of nasty peaks, dips, time delays, phase distortions, cabinet colouration, compression, cone/dome stress, cabinet resonance etc etc. These will show up much earlier on a bad recording than on a good recording.

Anyways, I'm not gonna argue your design. If you are happy with it then it's good, that's all that counts, you have to enjoy them not anyone else and enjoying music is what it's all about. I was just argueing your statement about that a good loudspeaker makes bad recordings only sound worse.

[zei]

Sjef

It would be nice to hear what you consider to be a "good" loudspeaker.

/Z

[Forster]

sjef,

Once you will get or hear a really good loudspeaker you will notice that a lot of those bad recordings aren't that bad at all it's just the loudspeaker/amp combination that's in stress.

I have a CD that I use to test loudspeakers. It is mastered from one session, the first is in its raw state, the second the release CD, the third over-produced.

I know that a 'good' loudspeaker does not allow the 'raw' recording any grace at all, in fact a speaker that is well designed will actually acentuate the weakness in the recording. Providing more detailed sound, as I have noted, provides the speaker with the ability to showcase more detail of an inferior recording.

A low end speaker will, and does show little difference in musical quality between any of the CD's.

The better speakers are not kind to poor recordings.

I am not being rancourous here, I just feel that an excellent loudspeaker design is not being given the respect that it deserves.


Best regards - Forster