Hey guys, I built the Swans 3.1 DIY speakers for my computer. They're fed through a Marantz sr585 receiver.
They sound great far away but I think they don't really come together for me since I am sitting so close to them. Would I be better off with a smaller speaker? coaxial speaker? I'm looking for something pretty hifi
budget is somewhere between $300-500
Thanks!
Edit: I have a sub
They sound great far away but I think they don't really come together for me since I am sitting so close to them. Would I be better off with a smaller speaker? coaxial speaker? I'm looking for something pretty hifi
budget is somewhere between $300-500Thanks!
Edit: I have a sub
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Me neither, actually. Is there a local store (best buy, etc) that would let you try some speakers at home?
What's the main problem with the sound? In that position there may not be enough bass, and the drivers
may not integrate well enough.
like I said, they sound great when I am sitting at the desk. But when I role my chair back a few feet they sound WAAAAYYYY better. I am also just looking for a new project
Is there another built that might suit my needs (nearfield) better? and provide the same level of performance as these speakers? These speakers absolutely CRANK, and the level of detail is absolutely stunning. I realize I might not get the same SPL from a smaller speaker, but I might get better blending.
Just for fun, try placing the monitor behind the speakers instead of in front, which should sound better,
and then experiment with toeing in. Part of it may also be that your desk is far away from the back wall.
Also try something on the right wall next to the speaker, to absorb reflections. Try them up higher by
putting books etc underneath.
and then experiment with toeing in. Part of it may also be that your desk is far away from the back wall.
Also try something on the right wall next to the speaker, to absorb reflections. Try them up higher by
putting books etc underneath.
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Well, as the distance from woof to tweet goes up, as does distance where they integrate better.
You won't get the same, coax is not a 2-way, is not a 3-way.
I think they are supposed to mix with speakers 30 degrees off center, so if speakers are 3' between centers, ideally you are 5' back (my opinion).
But that is something to think of.
So, if you sit real close, look for a 2-way with a tweet right next to the woof.
Or a coax, but i have zero experience with them.
But you will need to be further back.
And yes, wall reflections are evil.
You won't get the same, coax is not a 2-way, is not a 3-way.
I think they are supposed to mix with speakers 30 degrees off center, so if speakers are 3' between centers, ideally you are 5' back (my opinion).
But that is something to think of.
So, if you sit real close, look for a 2-way with a tweet right next to the woof.
Or a coax, but i have zero experience with them.
But you will need to be further back.
And yes, wall reflections are evil.
If you don’t listen very loud, and want a good sound without a lot of distance, then might I suggest you jump over to the full range forum and poke around? It’s hard to get poor cohesion with one driver. At lower volumes the bandwidth is pretty respectable.
However, I am a full range user here on a search for a multi-way project.
However, I am a full range user here on a search for a multi-way project.
Tannoy GOLD 5 5" Powered Studio Monitor | Sweetwater
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These are some plug and play coax monitors at various prices.
If you want to diy some coax drivers take a look at this thread.
TB new line of Coax FR drivers
One of the best mid/tweeters around.
Scanspeak Discovery 10F/8414G-10 4" Full Range: Madisound Speaker Components
Any of these solutions will get the job done. I would probably run the sub a little higher with the 10F as it's pretty small.
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These are some plug and play coax monitors at various prices.
If you want to diy some coax drivers take a look at this thread.
TB new line of Coax FR drivers
One of the best mid/tweeters around.
Scanspeak Discovery 10F/8414G-10 4" Full Range: Madisound Speaker Components
Any of these solutions will get the job done. I would probably run the sub a little higher with the 10F as it's pretty small.
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I'm really looking for a Kit I can build that will suit my close sitting computer listening.
Should I be looking @ really small bookshelf speakers?
I really love 3 way speakers.....but are they just un-achievable at such near listening positions???
I can tell you right now I absolutely HATE full range drivers with a passion. They make me want to immediately stop listening to music and go do my taxes....
Full range drivers are kind of like SUV's. They take everything good from sports cars/trucks etc and combine them in 1.....but they do ALL of those things with extreme mediocrity.
Should I be looking @ really small bookshelf speakers?
I really love 3 way speakers.....but are they just un-achievable at such near listening positions???
If you don’t listen very loud, and want a good sound without a lot of distance, then might I suggest you jump over to the full range forum and poke around? It’s hard to get poor cohesion with one driver. At lower volumes the bandwidth is pretty respectable.
However, I am a full range user here on a search for a multi-way project.
I can tell you right now I absolutely HATE full range drivers with a passion. They make me want to immediately stop listening to music and go do my taxes....
Full range drivers are kind of like SUV's. They take everything good from sports cars/trucks etc and combine them in 1.....but they do ALL of those things with extreme mediocrity.
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Hi, I'd start from the driver's. Those need to be little so there is the 1st problem: with a 1" midrange you are in the tweeter realm. 2nd problem is that mostly you'll find 4 Ohm "multimedia" speakers... But that 's ok.
The choice of the woofer is quite a challenge and I would go with the TB rmb series (2, 3, 4" subwoofers).
Of course if you put them on desk you' re gonna face reflections and vibrations. I find that the positioning of them it's very important (in audio everything is 100% important : see equipollency...) so probably the woofer should stay above the other drivers etc.
The choice of the woofer is quite a challenge and I would go with the TB rmb series (2, 3, 4" subwoofers).
Of course if you put them on desk you' re gonna face reflections and vibrations. I find that the positioning of them it's very important (in audio everything is 100% important : see equipollency...) so probably the woofer should stay above the other drivers etc.
They sound great far away but I think they don't really come together for me since I am sitting so close to them. Would I be better off with a smaller speaker? coaxial speaker? I'm looking for something pretty hifi
Greets!
Ideally need a 'FR' driver or at least a coax with 7-8" being the theoretical ideal, though for near-field [< 1 m] see below.
A rule-of-thumb that works for me is to measure the c-t-c spacing between the speaker drivers and of your ears or just use the average transfer function of ~800 Hz/~5.38". Now move back till your speaker's c-t-c spacing has shrunk to ~5.38" and any further back may/not be beneficial depending on room acoustics.
GM
Maybe we can get an idea what's wrong or at least problematic with the current speakers.
Going by manufacturer info and the simulations done by this guy, mid/high XO seems to be around 4.5 kHz, in line with what you'd expect from a ribbon tweeter. (Ribbons tend to have an excursion problem towards the lower range due to air leakage, something that sealed ribbons aims to fix.) Add to this a no more than 12 dB mid rolloff on the high end, and it isn't such a big surprise that things are starting to fall apart in nearfield, despite midrange-tweeter distance already being reduced to a minimum. Not sure about dispersion in this one, but likely to be generally wide in the horizontal. Between the recessed woofer and the dome sticking out, time alignment probably isn't entirely perfect.
Honestly, I don't see much in terms of immediate deal-breakers, although the construction is well behind state of the art. (No dispersion graphs given by the manufacturer either.) Could be a combination of the low XO order, uneven dispersion and early reflections. Certainly the more ways you have, the more can go wrong in terms of dispersion.
Known-good nearfield speakers tend to be ones with tweeters that are crossed over low and at high order (usually active or DSP although it certainly could be done passively) and are placed in a waveguide for directivity control and reduced excursion towards the low end, combined with smallish long-throw woofers, or even coaxes altogether - although getting a coax right is no mean feat either. (Fellow owners of the little JBL 104s who have seen their measurements may know what I mean...) In this realm you are going to find the likes of Genelec, Neumann (ex K+H), ME Geithain or JBL (e.g. 705p). The Genelec 8331-8361 series may not always be the best but is certainly one of the most advanced concepts to date.
Mind you, speakers like these don't generally go for pocket change. The closest thing to good dispersion for the masses at this point may be the JBL LSR305s (even with the cost of associated ground loop breaker and misc. cabling included); some might be bothered by their noise level though (I know I probably would, they are supposed to be even noisier than the 104s gracing my office, which I'd call acceptable but not inaudible), in which case I might tend towards the Mackie MR524 instead. The KEF LS50 is a well-reputed passive coax but certainly not as inexpensive.
Going by manufacturer info and the simulations done by this guy, mid/high XO seems to be around 4.5 kHz, in line with what you'd expect from a ribbon tweeter. (Ribbons tend to have an excursion problem towards the lower range due to air leakage, something that sealed ribbons aims to fix.) Add to this a no more than 12 dB mid rolloff on the high end, and it isn't such a big surprise that things are starting to fall apart in nearfield, despite midrange-tweeter distance already being reduced to a minimum. Not sure about dispersion in this one, but likely to be generally wide in the horizontal. Between the recessed woofer and the dome sticking out, time alignment probably isn't entirely perfect.
Honestly, I don't see much in terms of immediate deal-breakers, although the construction is well behind state of the art. (No dispersion graphs given by the manufacturer either.) Could be a combination of the low XO order, uneven dispersion and early reflections. Certainly the more ways you have, the more can go wrong in terms of dispersion.
Known-good nearfield speakers tend to be ones with tweeters that are crossed over low and at high order (usually active or DSP although it certainly could be done passively) and are placed in a waveguide for directivity control and reduced excursion towards the low end, combined with smallish long-throw woofers, or even coaxes altogether - although getting a coax right is no mean feat either. (Fellow owners of the little JBL 104s who have seen their measurements may know what I mean...) In this realm you are going to find the likes of Genelec, Neumann (ex K+H), ME Geithain or JBL (e.g. 705p). The Genelec 8331-8361 series may not always be the best but is certainly one of the most advanced concepts to date.
Mind you, speakers like these don't generally go for pocket change. The closest thing to good dispersion for the masses at this point may be the JBL LSR305s (even with the cost of associated ground loop breaker and misc. cabling included); some might be bothered by their noise level though (I know I probably would, they are supposed to be even noisier than the 104s gracing my office, which I'd call acceptable but not inaudible), in which case I might tend towards the Mackie MR524 instead. The KEF LS50 is a well-reputed passive coax but certainly not as inexpensive.
I'd have to ask what this means, so it isn't assumed the speaker will sound bad.
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