Came across this while considering OB. Couple of questions.
- There is a reference made to FAST. What is that?
- This is an old thread. Is the AN15 still good in 2021 or are there more alternatives?
- There is a reference made to FAST. What is that?
- This is an old thread. Is the AN15 still good in 2021 or are there more alternatives?
FAST stands for Fullrange And Subwoofer Technology. Recently some people have been using the term WAW which stands for Woofer Assisted WideRange to mean the same thing.
Basically it means adding a woofer to a full range driver and crossing over fairly low. To many people it’s just another variation of a 2-way speaker and doesn’t really deserve a separate category. But to full range purists the distinction is important.
Basically it means adding a woofer to a full range driver and crossing over fairly low. To many people it’s just another variation of a 2-way speaker and doesn’t really deserve a separate category. But to full range purists the distinction is important.
I’ve never thought they were any good. It’s a very uneven sound with little bass they make, but they still got their fans who still love them.
There is a very similar speaker on the market now that look better made and attracting the same kind of people, the Lii F15. That looks like a much better one if you ask me...
There is a very similar speaker on the market now that look better made and attracting the same kind of people, the Lii F15. That looks like a much better one if you ask me...
That would be on the assumption that Lii's published data is a trifle more accurate now that it seems to have been in the past.
A friend of mine had a pair of Lii 10in units in for evaluation which had an FR that didn't even remotely resemble what was claimed (ditto for the T/S data); moreover he thought the 'impressive build' others mention was rough as old ropes; cheap casting, dodgy glue-lines. From what he said, Scan Speak build quality it ain't. I wish it were: it would be nice to have some quality large widebands, but given this, and others who have found their units wildly different to advertised, I'd follow the caveat emptor approach at present.
A friend of mine had a pair of Lii 10in units in for evaluation which had an FR that didn't even remotely resemble what was claimed (ditto for the T/S data); moreover he thought the 'impressive build' others mention was rough as old ropes; cheap casting, dodgy glue-lines. From what he said, Scan Speak build quality it ain't. I wish it were: it would be nice to have some quality large widebands, but given this, and others who have found their units wildly different to advertised, I'd follow the caveat emptor approach at present.
The question posed was if the AN15's are still good in 2021 and are there good alternatives. I'd say the answer is yes and yes, but none of the good alternatives are a 15 inch driver. It all depends on where your goals lie. (And experience has taught me that should include the listening room and set up too). In my opinion the AN15's offer good value for those seeking a big driver.
Well, just before the lockdown in March last year i saw/heared an OB with the F15 and the W15 woofer, and in the short time i could inspect them they looked rather decent build, but the sound was very uneven. And i did not measure them. But i think even the cheap Fane Sovereign 15-300 TC is better on 15" fullrange drivers to be honest, and i would not go bigger than 12" for a fullrange driver anyway. 4 to 8" fullrange drivers are in general much better for me.
AN Ferrite 15's are not that decent build neighter, at least not the pair i've seen about 5 years ago. And their specs were also (as far as they are published) far of the reality. QTS and FS is much higher than advertised, and the efficiency lower. And with that 1mm xmax you won't have much bass.
The Lii drivers are getting a lot of attention and some good reviews over at Steve Deckert’s Decware website and Randy Rash’s Caintuck website where they are selling them in various OB configurations. Here are the links:
DECWARE Loudspeakers
Caintuck Audio Loudspeakers
Nevertheless I am still somewhat skeptical that these drivers are really as good as the people selling them say they are. And your comments seem to reinforce my concerns.
Lii is a fairly new small company and I would not be surprised if their quality control is inconsistent. It takes time and experience to develop a very good quality control system.
As Scottmoose said "Caveat Emptor". But there are those here that have the drivers and speak from personal experience so that should give you some point of reference. Also if a seller gives you a trial period with money back guarantee how much more than that can you really ask for.
A seller that when queried about disparities responds with something better than 'we don't care' would be a start. And you're still out international shipping. As I say, I'd like to think they're good, there aren't many large wideband offerings, so the more the merrier. I would simply advise caution (which is a good policy generally, without specific reference).
The answer about Audio Nirvana drivers is YES.
The company is not aggressive in marketing and their website is oldschool, but you can directly communicate with the company owner by email. You can find hundreds of AN drivers in different enclosures made by different people worldwide.
I don’t understand all the hype about Lii Song drivers, I hate open baffles (so ugly to my taste, sorry). If someone chooses Lii Song over Audio Nirvana for a ported cabinet then a person probably never ever compared those drivers in real life!
But let me tell you that Lii Song ‘15 inch drivers I auditioned in 2023 in a huge ported cabinet (even with a supper twitter applied on the top) was a horrible sounding setup in a big room! It was a tube system and analog source, not cheap at all. But it was an average muddy sound with shitty dynamics. Compared to my reference - stock professional main studio monitors Tannoy System 15 DMT mk2 (101db Dual-Concentric driven by Yamamoto A08s 45 tube amp), the DIY Lii Song in a bigger cabinet sounded like putting your winter blanket on the speaker that covered the driver. Not a Hi-Fi sound at all, not what I like, it was garbage according to my standards. This is my honest opinion from Lii Song '15 drivers, I can't imagine what is the reference for those you praised those chinese drivers.
But when I auditioned a DIY speaker based on Audio Nirvana Super Ferrite ‘15 (two drivers per speaker) the sound was much closer to what I like.
So I decided to build a stereo system using the latest AN ‘15 drivers. It was the biggest cabinet I could make for this project, no esoteric cables, everything was pretty basic as recommended by AN owner David Dicks, but the sound of these drivers in my speakers without any burn-in time was very impressive on my roof. I made these speakers for a public place for use with a €700 receiver and a nice vintage Technics SP-20 direct drive in my custom plinth with vintage Victor UA-7045 long tonearm and a Fidelity-Research MM cartridge and modified Grado phono stage. This is how the system is used now in a Wine Bar.
This is a picture of my DIY speakers with latest AN ‘15 drivers.
First I tested the speakers on my roof with bran new Audio-Technica Sound Burger portable turntable with built-in phono stage, even with its conical AT stylus the sound of AN ‘15 in my cabinets was so pleasant to my ears, I was sitting there with a smile on my face for several hours listening my vintage 45s (Funk, Soul, Disco, R'n'B, Latin from the ‘70s era). There was no need for the super tweeter in the sweet spot, the bass out of my huge ported cabinets was deep enough and sweet. I was happy with the result and I highly recommend these AN ‘15 drivers in 2025. No matter how these drivers are measured, the sound you are getting in a nice cabinet is nice and warm! If someone can work properly on a cabinet design then it can be even better, but as David said the driver is forgiving to a cabinet and can work well even in a much smaller size ported box.
A friend purchased the same drivers. Can't wait to test them in a proper high-end system using my First Watt F2J current source power amp designed by Nelson Pass especially for Full_range drivers. I want to check those AN '15 drivers with the much better multi thousand dollars analog setup I got where I am now.
P.S. AN '15 drivers are great for the money for a low budget DIY project, but with a bigger budget I would probably buy Radian Coaxial '12 or '15 drivers made in the USA.
The company is not aggressive in marketing and their website is oldschool, but you can directly communicate with the company owner by email. You can find hundreds of AN drivers in different enclosures made by different people worldwide.
I don’t understand all the hype about Lii Song drivers, I hate open baffles (so ugly to my taste, sorry). If someone chooses Lii Song over Audio Nirvana for a ported cabinet then a person probably never ever compared those drivers in real life!
But let me tell you that Lii Song ‘15 inch drivers I auditioned in 2023 in a huge ported cabinet (even with a supper twitter applied on the top) was a horrible sounding setup in a big room! It was a tube system and analog source, not cheap at all. But it was an average muddy sound with shitty dynamics. Compared to my reference - stock professional main studio monitors Tannoy System 15 DMT mk2 (101db Dual-Concentric driven by Yamamoto A08s 45 tube amp), the DIY Lii Song in a bigger cabinet sounded like putting your winter blanket on the speaker that covered the driver. Not a Hi-Fi sound at all, not what I like, it was garbage according to my standards. This is my honest opinion from Lii Song '15 drivers, I can't imagine what is the reference for those you praised those chinese drivers.
But when I auditioned a DIY speaker based on Audio Nirvana Super Ferrite ‘15 (two drivers per speaker) the sound was much closer to what I like.
So I decided to build a stereo system using the latest AN ‘15 drivers. It was the biggest cabinet I could make for this project, no esoteric cables, everything was pretty basic as recommended by AN owner David Dicks, but the sound of these drivers in my speakers without any burn-in time was very impressive on my roof. I made these speakers for a public place for use with a €700 receiver and a nice vintage Technics SP-20 direct drive in my custom plinth with vintage Victor UA-7045 long tonearm and a Fidelity-Research MM cartridge and modified Grado phono stage. This is how the system is used now in a Wine Bar.
This is a picture of my DIY speakers with latest AN ‘15 drivers.
First I tested the speakers on my roof with bran new Audio-Technica Sound Burger portable turntable with built-in phono stage, even with its conical AT stylus the sound of AN ‘15 in my cabinets was so pleasant to my ears, I was sitting there with a smile on my face for several hours listening my vintage 45s (Funk, Soul, Disco, R'n'B, Latin from the ‘70s era). There was no need for the super tweeter in the sweet spot, the bass out of my huge ported cabinets was deep enough and sweet. I was happy with the result and I highly recommend these AN ‘15 drivers in 2025. No matter how these drivers are measured, the sound you are getting in a nice cabinet is nice and warm! If someone can work properly on a cabinet design then it can be even better, but as David said the driver is forgiving to a cabinet and can work well even in a much smaller size ported box.
A friend purchased the same drivers. Can't wait to test them in a proper high-end system using my First Watt F2J current source power amp designed by Nelson Pass especially for Full_range drivers. I want to check those AN '15 drivers with the much better multi thousand dollars analog setup I got where I am now.
P.S. AN '15 drivers are great for the money for a low budget DIY project, but with a bigger budget I would probably buy Radian Coaxial '12 or '15 drivers made in the USA.
