...off ebay. $86 bucks plus $25 shipping. Not sure if they are worth the money but I really needed something for my garage TV now. I figured the most I will spend is the shipping when I sell them after I finish a DIY set.
I am guessing based on the early reviews they sound better than the PE $25 specials.
Anyone ever hear them?
I am guessing based on the early reviews they sound better than the PE $25 specials.
Anyone ever hear them?
I'm using a borrowed pair of later models while playing around with some amp builds and they're much better than $86. They image like banshees.
I've owned a pair ever since they came out. Currently I'm using them as computer speakers on my desk. They work well in this application, but I didn't really like them as main speakers (which they were when I was in college). I never thought they imaged well, they always seemed too rolled off at the top and a bit boomy at the bottom. But when I was in college I thought they were the sh*t. 🙂 They still work great and are in great condition. I've read that the newer ones are a dramatic improvement though.
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The V2s in my living room do the same, but out from the back wall with appropriate material they throw way more than $86 bucks worth of space.
I actually heard some V.3's recently and they were decent. A bit of boom but not to much sizzle to my ears. Have you ever messed around with them for fun - see whats inside?
I am sure it will be the first thing I do 🙂
I am sure it will be the first thing I do 🙂
I took mine apart once before I really knew much about better quality caps and resistors, etc. There's not much to the crossover, I believe it was maybe just one cap hotglued to one of the drivers? I think I might get out the screwdriver again. 🙂
My tact would be to experiment with judicious internal acoustic damping to soften that thump, perhaps followed if I really liked them with internal wall bracing. Paul Barton of PSB once explained the economics of speaker production at this price level and they're miracles of automated production, optimized down to the number of saw cuts and type of tweeter mount. It results in great value but limits upgrade options.
I had a pair of the Atoms (mk1) in the Rosewood cabinet, (NICE!!) and I thought they imaged like crazy with a little stereo EL84 PP 7W triode amp I had designed for use with them. The bass was a little lacking, but they were rather nice otherwise. (Lots of detail)
I still regret the fact that I gave them away years ago, but space was limited after my business fell apart in 2000.. They needed a new home... 🙁
They seem to do their best in intimate listening situations at rather modest spls where they can seem almost magical at times. I think they are also rather sensitive to the quality of the amplifier connected to them.
I still regret the fact that I gave them away years ago, but space was limited after my business fell apart in 2000.. They needed a new home... 🙁
They seem to do their best in intimate listening situations at rather modest spls where they can seem almost magical at times. I think they are also rather sensitive to the quality of the amplifier connected to them.
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I think it will be a lot of fun. I think I will play with the sorts of things rdf mentions...
Try some real dampening, maybe bracing but not take too much cabinet volume, perhaps some felt around the tweeter also.
I will look at the crossover and "perhaps" augment that too 🙂 Without being able to measure I may not mess with it.
Try some real dampening, maybe bracing but not take too much cabinet volume, perhaps some felt around the tweeter also.
I will look at the crossover and "perhaps" augment that too 🙂 Without being able to measure I may not mess with it.
I would recommend you take your own advice until such a time as you are able to measure the speakers. You would be surprised at what effect things like capacitor ESR and inductor dcr have on the performance of the X-O. I deliberately use these short comings in the passive components of my X-O designs to get the desired response and a lot of commercial designers do too.
Hi Kevin, thanks for the independent confirmation. I'm using a P-P 6FY7 4W and am blown away by the space they create on Dolby movie tracks. Depth might be lacking (maybe something cabinet bracing will help) but keep them from side walls and they reward.
I think I will try to just keep the sound they came with and do the things that were not done due to cost. They did the good engineering (I assume do to the good reviews) I will just throw a couple of bucks at them!
Makes sense to me, I never made any mods to these speakers.. Noted that there was no internal damping in the cabinets which is probably one area that could be improved - but I would use just a little.. (Felt carpet underlayment might be an economical choice in lieu of lambs wool. Apply to the back and perhaps one side - I'd not get carried away and don't use enough to significantly reduce the internal volume.)
Just a little update on these. They came on a couple of days ago and look good. 7-8/10 and worth the entry price.
I think hooked them up to make sure they worked and rode my bike trainer for a while with them hooked to a T-amp through the DVD.
If this is all there is to it I would leave the sport 🙂 No really, they are not too bad. Best I can tell the Vifa D19td-05 is not to horrible a 3/4 soft dome. The mid-woofer is a cast framed poly with foam surround 5.5 inch marked with a Paradigm stamp so who knows on that.
Sound is muddy in the mids with the setup and I will have to work on that. I may add some BSC in the crossover. I am going to work on the box a bit to tame some resonance via small braces and some form of damping. I already added a thin sheet of closed cell foam to try and a bit more stuffing. I am going to change out the terminal cup to accept my speaker cable (these came with spring clips)
I had an opportunity to take look into a set of Atom V.3 yesterday as well. I will take my MK1.
The biggest difference is the rear baffle on the newer design is a molded plastic piece that, when tapped, sounds like a drum. It does have better binding posts however.
The workmanship on the pairs I have is a little better (driver router work). Additionally, they changed the tweeter to what looks like a cheaper version (polycarbonate). The woofer looks the same. The V.3 box is a tad larger. Likely a smart move.
I will update when I can spend more time with them and hook them up to a better system.
I think hooked them up to make sure they worked and rode my bike trainer for a while with them hooked to a T-amp through the DVD.
If this is all there is to it I would leave the sport 🙂 No really, they are not too bad. Best I can tell the Vifa D19td-05 is not to horrible a 3/4 soft dome. The mid-woofer is a cast framed poly with foam surround 5.5 inch marked with a Paradigm stamp so who knows on that.
Sound is muddy in the mids with the setup and I will have to work on that. I may add some BSC in the crossover. I am going to work on the box a bit to tame some resonance via small braces and some form of damping. I already added a thin sheet of closed cell foam to try and a bit more stuffing. I am going to change out the terminal cup to accept my speaker cable (these came with spring clips)
I had an opportunity to take look into a set of Atom V.3 yesterday as well. I will take my MK1.
The biggest difference is the rear baffle on the newer design is a molded plastic piece that, when tapped, sounds like a drum. It does have better binding posts however.
The workmanship on the pairs I have is a little better (driver router work). Additionally, they changed the tweeter to what looks like a cheaper version (polycarbonate). The woofer looks the same. The V.3 box is a tad larger. Likely a smart move.
I will update when I can spend more time with them and hook them up to a better system.
Started a little work on these this morning. My first task is to reduce some of the cabinet vibration. I am going to do one speaker at a time and see if what I do changes things much.
I went to the hardware and bought some cork gasket material and made a gasket for the woofer. It sat on the rim and is rear mounted but recessed in a but. I wanted to isolate the driver from the cabinet a bit. The gasket is 1/16 inch think so I have set it further back. I hope this does not give me a phase problems... Doubt it though.
I then added a 1/16 inch neoprene washer under the woofer to isolate the corners and last on top another neoprene washer squished between to fiber washers (glued together like a little CLD mounts 🙂
It all went in nice and the woofer is not much more isolated from the box.
Later in the week I am going to add a brace or two while trying to minimize loss of cabinet volume. Then I am going to add a few sections of CLD to the sides with BB plywood and Green Glue.
A bit of real stuffing like corning 703. I am adding another gasket to the rear baffle which has none and the cup on the rear is not sealed either.
When they are done they should be pretty respectable.
I went to the hardware and bought some cork gasket material and made a gasket for the woofer. It sat on the rim and is rear mounted but recessed in a but. I wanted to isolate the driver from the cabinet a bit. The gasket is 1/16 inch think so I have set it further back. I hope this does not give me a phase problems... Doubt it though.
I then added a 1/16 inch neoprene washer under the woofer to isolate the corners and last on top another neoprene washer squished between to fiber washers (glued together like a little CLD mounts 🙂
It all went in nice and the woofer is not much more isolated from the box.
Later in the week I am going to add a brace or two while trying to minimize loss of cabinet volume. Then I am going to add a few sections of CLD to the sides with BB plywood and Green Glue.
A bit of real stuffing like corning 703. I am adding another gasket to the rear baffle which has none and the cup on the rear is not sealed either.
When they are done they should be pretty respectable.
Today I made a brace for one speaker and put it in. it goes from side to side about 1/3 down from the top. It only extends about 3/4 from front to back but touches the rear baffle as well. I was going to do two others from the first brace down and one up but that would have made getting the woofer out, if needed, difficult unless it was really close to the wall and the port on top likewise pushed it over too far. I was also concerned about loss of cabinet volume. I doubled the amount of stuffing as well.
Anyway, I hooked the one up in mono to my regular system and I am very very impressed. I have to assume the mid woofer is of decent quality as on paper the speaker does not look great. Cheap cabinet average tweeter and a simple crossover. Makes you wonder how some speakers sound so god awful. It actually compares very well to my LS3/5a. I say about 80-85%%. Not too bad. It gets the critical midrange right.
I compared it to a V.3 Atom and it is a little cleaner in the midrange and a bit tighter sounding. the V.3 sounds bloomy by comparison.
Next is some wall treatment...
Anyway, I hooked the one up in mono to my regular system and I am very very impressed. I have to assume the mid woofer is of decent quality as on paper the speaker does not look great. Cheap cabinet average tweeter and a simple crossover. Makes you wonder how some speakers sound so god awful. It actually compares very well to my LS3/5a. I say about 80-85%%. Not too bad. It gets the critical midrange right.
I compared it to a V.3 Atom and it is a little cleaner in the midrange and a bit tighter sounding. the V.3 sounds bloomy by comparison.
Next is some wall treatment...
Now I understand the initial disappointment. The Atom will make that standard, but for $86/pair? C'mon..
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