Deciding between two designs?

[suspencefull]

I am going to build a handmade bookshelf. I am just wondering which one of these you guys would recommend, and which has higher grade components, or which you think would sound better. He is going to sell me all the components so it is easy. Thanks. Links are here :
This is for:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MakeTrack=true
or this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Custom-Loudspeak...QQcmdZViewItem

What would be roughly a good price for all these components? For the Usher's I was thinking around 300. For the other, I didn't know much about the Focal unit. I found that the tweeter costed about 100 for two. Thanks for any help.

[sreten]

Hi,

The second speaker looks the better of the two.

The obvious question is if the components are going to cost >
$300 why don't you simply buy the completed pair of speakers
when they come up at auction (again I presume) ?

/sreten.

[noodle_snacks]

It would not be any harder to order the parts you need for a proven design from madisound or parts express and follow a well known design (at least around here), if you are making the cabinets. It would probably end up cheaper too.

[Willitwork]

Hard to say which ones would sound better without having at least some idea of the crossover schematics. Also difficult to say which one has the best quality components as this can be quite subjective. If driver price is one's reference then the Focal/Hi-Vi design is the one with the most buckaroos on the baffle.

The RT2 costs more than the Seas so it's not as good a deal as many other Hi Vi offerings but is still an incredible value for a good quality, impeccably built ribbon. There is nothing cheap about it.

However, ribbon tweeters are notoriously finicky regarding crossover architecture and a poorly designed circuit will ruin the party. The classic Seas is more forgiving but less efficient and it won't deliver the wide soundstage a competently implemented ribbon unit will provide. I guess it depends if you prefer a highly detailed sound, which can sometimes be perceived as agressive on some recordings, over a less efficient but more laid back performance.

[suspencefull]

K. I will ask for the crossover design and is that focal driver pretty nice. That is the only component I know nothing about. I might go with the second one just because it gets a little deeper too. Thanks so far.

[Willitwork]

Originally posted by suspencefull
[...]and is that focal driver pretty nice(?)

Sure is, Focal drivers are used in very high-end commercial speakers notably Wilson Audio and JMLab. That little driver is worth over $100 USD.

[noodle_snacks]

Expensive drivers are pointless without good crossover and enclosure design, I'd try and get some measurements for both designs if it is possible.

[noodle_snacks]

Expensive drivers are pointless without good crossover and enclosure design, I'd try and get some measurements for both designs if it is possible.

[Willitwork]

Originally posted by noodle_snacks
if it is possible.

Good luck

The odds of finding the Holy Grail are probably better than those of finding reliable measurements for a little known DIY project but if said design uses well known drivers one can at least look them up and see if they are suited for the cabinet that is part of the project.

Knowing how expensive a driver is can be useful for the purpose of determining the quality of crossover parts if they are included in the project. In the case at hand we have one relatively modestly priced kit that comes with drivers that are more expensive than average in this this price range, leaving little room for high quality parts. To me that's a red flag.

[noodle_snacks]

Originally posted by Willitwork

Knowing how expensive a driver is can be useful for the purpose of determining the quality of crossover parts if they are included in the project. In the case at hand we have one relatively modestly priced kit that comes with drivers that are more expensive than average in this this price range, leaving little room for high quality parts. To me that's a red flag.

On the other hand, if the crossover design is in fact bad, or if poor quality components are used, there is nothing to stop the purchaser making improvements in this regard.