Looking for reviews of Zaphs SR71 kit.

garage1217 · 9th February 2008, 11:19 PM

I am looking for individuals who have built the kit EXACTLY as Zaph intended the kit. Hopefully some that have built it, can compare it directly to a name brand speaker they own or just post a review of what they think. I am NOT looking for other designers inputs on Zaphs SR71 design. Simply just first person experience on the kit. Thanks!!!

gtforme00 · 14th February 2008, 01:01 PM

Bump for want of response! Maybe nobody was able to get them because they had been OOS for so long?

ttan98 · 14th February 2008, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gtforme00
Bump for want of response! Maybe nobody was able to get them because they had been OOS for so long?

Madisound said the kit is back in stock, except for a slight delay in the plastic port, a few extra days.

Zaph · 14th February 2008, 02:41 PM

I haven't seen a whole lot of reviews myself, even though a lot of the kits were sold. There's one on Madisound where the guy has some complaints about the instructions and some good tips. There's a guy using them for studio monitors on HTguide.com. I saw a review on AVSguide, though I didn't bookmark the link.

To me, the only review that really mattered was the one I personally got from the Madisound guys when they built theirs for testing. They've heard their share of designs, so it was pretty important to me that they liked the SR71. Otherwise, I generally take subjective reviews with a grain of salt. I've seen a few negative reviews of my designs, (not the SR71 yet though) but when I dig deeper, I often find issues with how the speakers were setup in the listening room.

Salas · 14th February 2008, 03:05 PM

Yes, there are a lot of system and room mistakes to be wrongly pointed to the speakers. We humans can be so directed by our preconditioned minds, its silly. For instance when we call a friend to listen to our new turntable cartridge, he can spend an hour telling what he likes about it or not, and suggesting how to load it, or new geometry etc, without asking anything about the system at all. Its all about the cartridge! LOL.

P.S. I think that you are the George Thorogood of Audio.

garage1217 · 14th February 2008, 03:10 PM

Right on man. Reviews are reviews and always subjective especially with sound. 99% of them are horrible but if you read through all the bs you can find common ground of what people like and dislike. The simple fact that the guys at madisound really liked the sound of them speaks volumes. I have total confidence in the design and they are so affordable I plan to simply build them and try them out after the zd5's are done. Keep up the good work man!

On a side note if you read this... Any word on the transmission line version of the zd5?

Last question. Any design plans coming up in 08 that use the D26NC55? I know it is one heck of a good tweet for it's price point and I bought a pair of pre-china versions with the gold... heatsink on the back and have been waiting for a good design useing them. I also saw when you removed the stupid shaped flange and had a waveguide around it... Thought it was hinting at an up and coming project

And of course, no hurry on any of this

454Casull · 18th February 2008, 09:57 PM

Hey Zaph, couldn't find any other way to contact you so here it is: I use Foxit Reader as an alternative to Adobe Reader.

Dave Bullet · 18th February 2008, 11:02 PM

Quote:

P.S. I think that you are the George Thorogood of Audio.

Are you saying Zaph is "bad to the bone"?

Salas · 18th February 2008, 11:44 PM

Yes, he is bad to the bone, so he drinks alone one bourbon, one scotch one beer.

Metaphorically speaking as above, I mean he is bad to the audio myths, he keeps on promoting the make alone (DIY), straight, sensible, effective speakers.

Thorogood openly admits he is no genius, no innovator, but he has common sense and some guitar chops. Just genius into being very clever. He still gigs.

Zaph never claimed innovation, never promoted top of the rank kit, or extravaganza. Just common sense. And look, his ideas are making everyday DIY people happy.

For open loudspeaker philosophy, live presence, and higher musical correctness goals, look towards Lynn. He is the main man for pushing the DIY thinkers IMHO. No concrete guides there, mind you.

Say, if the Zaph - Thorogood analogy stands, then think of Lynn as Charlie Parker.

Dave Bullet · 19th February 2008, 02:25 AM

Apologies for the thread-jack...

I would like to see a speaker design book written by John Krutke. I for one would buy it. I don't know what minimum print volumes a publisher would expect, but I believe there is a niche in the market for a book with John's knowledge and skills not to mention his ability to explain concepts.

David.

9th February 2008, 11:19 PM	#1
garage1217 diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2006	Looking for reviews of Zaphs SR71 kit. I am looking for individuals who have built the kit EXACTLY as Zaph intended the kit. Hopefully some that have built it, can compare it directly to a name brand speaker they own or just post a review of what they think. I am NOT looking for other designers inputs on Zaphs SR71 design. Simply just first person experience on the kit. Thanks!!!

14th February 2008, 02:41 PM	#4
Zaph diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Wisconsin	I haven't seen a whole lot of reviews myself, even though a lot of the kits were sold. There's one on Madisound where the guy has some complaints about the instructions and some good tips. There's a guy using them for studio monitors on HTguide.com. I saw a review on AVSguide, though I didn't bookmark the link. To me, the only review that really mattered was the one I personally got from the Madisound guys when they built theirs for testing. They've heard their share of designs, so it was pretty important to me that they liked the SR71. Otherwise, I generally take subjective reviews with a grain of salt. I've seen a few negative reviews of my designs, (not the SR71 yet though) but when I dig deeper, I often find issues with how the speakers were setup in the listening room. __________________ -Zaph\|Audio-

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14th February 2008, 01:01 PM	#2
gtforme00 diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2004	Bump for want of response! Maybe nobody was able to get them because they had been OOS for so long?

14th February 2008, 03:05 PM	#5
Salas diyAudio Chief Moderator Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Athens-Greece	Yes, there are a lot of system and room mistakes to be wrongly pointed to the speakers. We humans can be so directed by our preconditioned minds, its silly. For instance when we call a friend to listen to our new turntable cartridge, he can spend an hour telling what he likes about it or not, and suggesting how to load it, or new geometry etc, without asking anything about the system at all. Its all about the cartridge! LOL. P.S. I think that you are the George Thorogood of Audio.

14th February 2008, 03:10 PM	#6
garage1217 diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2006	Right on man. Reviews are reviews and always subjective especially with sound. 99% of them are horrible but if you read through all the bs you can find common ground of what people like and dislike. The simple fact that the guys at madisound really liked the sound of them speaks volumes. I have total confidence in the design and they are so affordable I plan to simply build them and try them out after the zd5's are done. Keep up the good work man! On a side note if you read this... Any word on the transmission line version of the zd5? Last question. Any design plans coming up in 08 that use the D26NC55? I know it is one heck of a good tweet for it's price point and I bought a pair of pre-china versions with the gold... heatsink on the back and have been waiting for a good design useing them. I also saw when you removed the stupid shaped flange and had a waveguide around it... Thought it was hinting at an up and coming project And of course, no hurry on any of this

18th February 2008, 09:57 PM	#7
454Casull diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada	Hey Zaph, couldn't find any other way to contact you so here it is: I use Foxit Reader as an alternative to Adobe Reader.

18th February 2008, 11:44 PM	#9
Salas diyAudio Chief Moderator Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Athens-Greece	Yes, he is bad to the bone, so he drinks alone one bourbon, one scotch one beer. Metaphorically speaking as above, I mean he is bad to the audio myths, he keeps on promoting the make alone (DIY), straight, sensible, effective speakers. Thorogood openly admits he is no genius, no innovator, but he has common sense and some guitar chops. Just genius into being very clever. He still gigs. Zaph never claimed innovation, never promoted top of the rank kit, or extravaganza. Just common sense. And look, his ideas are making everyday DIY people happy. For open loudspeaker philosophy, live presence, and higher musical correctness goals, look towards Lynn. He is the main man for pushing the DIY thinkers IMHO. No concrete guides there, mind you. Say, if the Zaph - Thorogood analogy stands, then think of Lynn as Charlie Parker.

19th February 2008, 02:25 AM	#10
Dave Bullet diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Wellington, New Zealand	Apologies for the thread-jack... I would like to see a speaker design book written by John Krutke. I for one would buy it. I don't know what minimum print volumes a publisher would expect, but I believe there is a niche in the market for a book with John's knowledge and skills not to mention his ability to explain concepts. David.

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