Active speakers, have become studio standards for a reason. The driver manufacturers know there drivers and Know what xovers and amps work best. Most are amp per driver and the active xovers (not all digital, like the Nuemans) are tweaked (freq. and phase) for the speakers. They can also include protection, room adjustment, sleep and other circuits optimized for the particular speaker. Genelec, JBL, Nueman, Meyer, Dynaudio, Focal, Dutch&Dutch, etc are all doing this for a reason, it works.
Not diy though as there is nothing to play with but the source. Canabalizing one active for another might not be the best idea, ie the active xover might be eq'd to adjust for a driver thats not flat. Building from scratch might be a better idea.
Hi ! thank you very much indeed for your very helpful advice. Actually i am studying the active speakers approach these days.
There is only one aspect that leaves me a little puzzled.
The amps in the same cabinet with the drivers ... would it be better maybe putting the electronics in a separate enclosure ?
But the active crossover approach is very interesting. Even if it implies multiampling ...
thank you very much indeed. I did not think about that. (Anyway i wonder if i could check for the presence of equalization measuring the output freq response on a resistive load 🙄)
That is very unfortunate because i am pretty sure that at least in the case of cheap active monitors the drivers must be very low price and so quality.
Often a cheap active monitor costs less that one decent woofer same size of the one in the monitor 😱
Usually cones are made out of not treated plastics and usually they do not offend the ear ... but they are not that transparent. They tend to muddy the sound.
Much better paper cones ... or treated plastic at least
Of course high price pro monitors must be excellent. 😉
But i am not a pro ... i am just a hobbyst. 😱
Thanks a lot again.
Kind regards, gino
Last edited:
I think my sound system sounds MUCH better when the R-R tape deck is rolling!
When it comes to guitars, looks of the instrument very much affect the sounds I am able to make! Just my 2¢.
When it comes to guitars, looks of the instrument very much affect the sounds I am able to make! Just my 2¢.
You mean even when the source is digital ? like an analogue placebo effect ?
the brain is led to think that the tape instead is playing ?
actually a common challenge for digital is sounding as pleasant as analogue
Last edited:
So a lousy guitar that looks great sounds better than a great guitar that looks bad?
Well, I wouldn't go that far! But a good guitar that looks GREAT makes me play better than one that looks awful (ala Fender Jaguars---yech!!)
I do not know if you are talking about electric guitar ... but for me in an electric guitar ergonomy is very important more than sound. For ergonomy i mean the feeling when you embrace it to play ... the feeling with the neck/fingerboard assembly ... the playability
Today with so much dsp available and those profiling amps any sound is at reach
I have asked but have not got an answer but i have the feeling that even the sound of an acoustic guitar could be profiled with amps of the like of Kemper. Amazing.
When you take a guitar in your hand you feel immediately if it is right or not.
Look is for show ... pleases the eye But ...
Today with so much dsp available and those profiling amps any sound is at reach
I have asked but have not got an answer but i have the feeling that even the sound of an acoustic guitar could be profiled with amps of the like of Kemper. Amazing.
When you take a guitar in your hand you feel immediately if it is right or not.
Look is for show ... pleases the eye But ...
OT but regarding the guitars, totally in agreement.
I have a stratocaster, Gibson LP and SG.
Looks: the LP wins
Sound: depending on mood, the LP wins
Playability: The SG...ALL DAY LONG!..
in fact, I have other guitars, in disrepair - if it was all working as intended then my Cheap Stratocaster copy, with a very Gibson SG-like C profile neck, and low action would win.
I have a stratocaster, Gibson LP and SG.
Looks: the LP wins
Sound: depending on mood, the LP wins
Playability: The SG...ALL DAY LONG!..
in fact, I have other guitars, in disrepair - if it was all working as intended then my Cheap Stratocaster copy, with a very Gibson SG-like C profile neck, and low action would win.
Last edited:
just googling for "ergonomic+guitars" some ugly monsters appeared ... 😱😀
i think that weight and its balance, neck/fingerboard design and built, a very important issue is ... ok i have a big belly. Often i would prefer a more comformed back and not flat i mean
But if i have to choose the most important part is neck and fingerboard ... a high playability is everything Is where fingers touch the strings ... where the sound begins ...
i think that weight and its balance, neck/fingerboard design and built, a very important issue is ... ok i have a big belly. Often i would prefer a more comformed back and not flat i mean
But if i have to choose the most important part is neck and fingerboard ... a high playability is everything Is where fingers touch the strings ... where the sound begins ...
It seems logical that the way a speaker looks will influence how you perceive its sound. Large speakers usually sound large, small sound small, pretty designs and cabinets sound refined, ugly speakers sound sloppy, etc.
I have attended many audio shows over the years in several countries and we do tend to judge speakers by how they look. I've also been to a few speaker contests, including one in Seattle where every care was taken to make a fair, matched level blind test. It was run about as well as might be hoped. Completely blind.
But let me tell you the other side. About 10 years ago I was a judge at the Dayton Audio Midwest Audiofest. All the speakers were DIY and there were maybe 3 dozen. It was a day long listening session. Jerry McNutt of Eminence speakers and Don Keele of JBL were the other two judges; I represented diyAudio.com The listening was completely sighted. We even had the opportunity to examine the speakers before judging. We knew who built them and about how much each cost.
Many of them did sound like they looked, but a lot of them did not. We were quite surprised by a good number of them. Some designs that we thought - from the looks - would sound amazing, fell flat. Other designs that might have looked boring or some even comically ugly - sounded amazing. We always commented about those. We expected to hear one thing, based on the look of the speaker, but we heard something very different. Sometimes that was good, sometimes bad.
In my experience, you do judge with your eyes, but your ears will quickly tell your eyes if they are wrong. 😛
I have attended many audio shows over the years in several countries and we do tend to judge speakers by how they look. I've also been to a few speaker contests, including one in Seattle where every care was taken to make a fair, matched level blind test. It was run about as well as might be hoped. Completely blind.
But let me tell you the other side. About 10 years ago I was a judge at the Dayton Audio Midwest Audiofest. All the speakers were DIY and there were maybe 3 dozen. It was a day long listening session. Jerry McNutt of Eminence speakers and Don Keele of JBL were the other two judges; I represented diyAudio.com The listening was completely sighted. We even had the opportunity to examine the speakers before judging. We knew who built them and about how much each cost.
Many of them did sound like they looked, but a lot of them did not. We were quite surprised by a good number of them. Some designs that we thought - from the looks - would sound amazing, fell flat. Other designs that might have looked boring or some even comically ugly - sounded amazing. We always commented about those. We expected to hear one thing, based on the look of the speaker, but we heard something very different. Sometimes that was good, sometimes bad.
In my experience, you do judge with your eyes, but your ears will quickly tell your eyes if they are wrong. 😛
P.S. I have had the same experience with amplifier contests. What looks great does not always sound great, and vise-versa.
Exactly! Although many here think if you are tainted by opinion (or can see it) there’s no way your brain can overcome the differences......it’s nice to see others able to overcome the dreaded ‘bias’. 😛
Human brains have dedicated cortices for the perception and processing of visual information. These cortices are situated at the back of the brain and take a large part. There is the primary visual area at the very back of the head which is responsible for visual perception, the secondary and tertiary areas which process visual information unconsciously. There are neural circuits which elicit information from the visual field without having to do with consciousness.ginetto61 said:
For instance, you have the auditory cortex, the language cortex, the primary motor (motion) cortex, the frontal cortices (responsible for human higher order functions), ...
Hi ! if by large you mean with a great extension in the bass yes
And actually also the contrary happens ... when some quite small speakers provide a surprising bass with everyone seeking for a sub that is not there
Yes ! i like listening in the dark or with less light more than with the lights on. And actually when a concert starts the lights go off. They should leave only very little lights on the players ...
I also have a feeling that when i put on just a sleeping mask i hear environmental sounds more clearly.
This is very interesting. Are there any pics of the amazing sounding ones ? i am very curious to see them
I hope the prizes went to the ugly ones ... we cannot be slaved to the fashion 😱
yes. And to be blindfolded helps a lot indeed. The funny thing is that the ability of a speaker to sonically disappear is very highly rated.
In this sense a very nice looking speaker maybe will pleased the wife ... but distract from the final goal that is to listen to music.
I have to say that when the speaker sonically disappear i start bothering with it ... i just enjoy the music.
maybe it is also an expectations thing ... the great looking amps are expected to sound excellent while the more humble ones not so.
I like when a power amp for instance has only a switch on the front and no marks.
Attachments
Thanks a lot. Very interesting. I meant that when the sight is blinded it seems like the whole brain processing power is made available to the other senses ?
In a reverse way - "hate the sound but love the look" I had a CD player come into the shop for repairs...
30 lbs hunk of polished aluminum casing, tubes standing tall and obvious, and costing around $750 retail.
Yes, this was touted as being "High End" stuff...... from you know where.
Upon inspection, and the unit failing to read a disk, I saw the inside guts of this thing.....
Nothing particularly special under the hood - a simple PC board, and...... a cheap $8 Sony DC mechanism! - the same mechanism used in some Sony portable boomboxes.
All dressed up to "impress" the buyer!
The thing in my opinion was Garbage, plain and simple.
But of course in this case, The Looks were meant to swoon you and pull out your credit card!
Indeed, the superficial aspect of things has soared way above what it once was, and so has the prices.
Here's the lousy machine, good only to be used as a doorstop.
30 lbs hunk of polished aluminum casing, tubes standing tall and obvious, and costing around $750 retail.
Yes, this was touted as being "High End" stuff...... from you know where.
Upon inspection, and the unit failing to read a disk, I saw the inside guts of this thing.....
Nothing particularly special under the hood - a simple PC board, and...... a cheap $8 Sony DC mechanism! - the same mechanism used in some Sony portable boomboxes.
All dressed up to "impress" the buyer!
The thing in my opinion was Garbage, plain and simple.
But of course in this case, The Looks were meant to swoon you and pull out your credit card!
Indeed, the superficial aspect of things has soared way above what it once was, and so has the prices.
Here's the lousy machine, good only to be used as a doorstop.
Attachments
🙄 i am sure you got it repaired and use it everyday 😀
Seriously ... i like it a lot. Maybe 750USD is a little on the high side expecially for a guy who listen from a 30USD second hand plastic case sony blue ray player 😱 but then a dac of 600 USD (used)
The fact that the mechanism is cheap and available is a very good thing ... i would buy 3 or 4 for future services.
I have a take with digital ... the very good dacs provide very decent sound even with so so digital sources. I think i have one of these dacs in the form of an Apogee Rosetta 200 ... it sounds the same (i.e. decent) with any and i mean ANY digital source i have tried Even with the Chromecast to say one
Have you tried the digital out from this oriental nice piece of furniture ?
Maybe looking/mod some circuits can improve things ... audio is a strange thing.
Especially digital audio.
Seriously ... i like it a lot. Maybe 750USD is a little on the high side expecially for a guy who listen from a 30USD second hand plastic case sony blue ray player 😱 but then a dac of 600 USD (used)
The fact that the mechanism is cheap and available is a very good thing ... i would buy 3 or 4 for future services.
I have a take with digital ... the very good dacs provide very decent sound even with so so digital sources. I think i have one of these dacs in the form of an Apogee Rosetta 200 ... it sounds the same (i.e. decent) with any and i mean ANY digital source i have tried Even with the Chromecast to say one
Have you tried the digital out from this oriental nice piece of furniture ?
Maybe looking/mod some circuits can improve things ... audio is a strange thing.
Especially digital audio.
Last edited by a moderator:
Ginetto61, that CD player is not mine - it was brought to me to my repair shop by a disgusted customer who purchased it on ebay.
And no, I did not repair it - service information was not available, and for those types of products, usually isn't.
Go figure.
The customer was told of this, and again was highly upset over spending money on what I feel is a worthless piece of junk in a fancy box.
I myself use Technics "MASH" cd players and enjoy their reputation, reliability and performance - without all the fancy clothes needed to sell them.
Nevertheless, some are drawn to "looks" for some reasons.
And no, I did not repair it - service information was not available, and for those types of products, usually isn't.
Go figure.
The customer was told of this, and again was highly upset over spending money on what I feel is a worthless piece of junk in a fancy box.
I myself use Technics "MASH" cd players and enjoy their reputation, reliability and performance - without all the fancy clothes needed to sell them.
Nevertheless, some are drawn to "looks" for some reasons.
Last edited by a moderator: