Steven,
Pieces cut, baffles done, XOs done - need to start assembling... hope within a week to ten days.
Pieces cut, baffles done, XOs done - need to start assembling... hope within a week to ten days.
Awesome, looking forward to your build and impressions. I hope you post a few photos here when ready.
So just after 8hrs I can hear the bass opening WAY up. The suspension must be relaxing and the low extension is developing into something quite shocking considering the size of this driver. I have no doubt they extend as low or lower with more impact than my previous Eros Elan 15 speakers. Loving it so far.
So just after 8hrs I can hear the bass opening WAY up. The suspension must be relaxing and the low extension is developing into something quite shocking considering the size of this driver. I have no doubt they extend as low or lower with more impact than my previous Eros Elan 15 speakers. Loving it so far.
Great build, thank you for the images. I've been considering replacing my Speedsters with a pair of Carreras.
The Speedsters sound great with the BA-3 pre / F4 combination, and I'm hoping the Carreras will be a worthy upgrade. At that point, my DAC will be the weakest link...
The Speedsters sound great with the BA-3 pre / F4 combination, and I'm hoping the Carreras will be a worthy upgrade. At that point, my DAC will be the weakest link...
I completed my Carreras, they're currently in unfinished .56 cu ft PartsExpress cabs and sound fantastic. I too noticed the drivers opening up and extending after 6 to 8 hours. Nicer cabs are planned for the future, these speakers deserve them.
FWIW, and because the drivers are of such high quality, I used Audyn Plus caps throughout the build, in lieu of the standard caps shipped with the kit.
Driven with the BA-3 + F4, the Carreras are louder and more articulate than the Speedsters at my regular listening preamp knob positions.
I was hoping to hear new details, dimensions, and proportions in my vinyl and digital tunes, and have been extremely pleased. I'll be keeping these for a long time as my main speakers - definitely keepers. 🙂
FWIW, and because the drivers are of such high quality, I used Audyn Plus caps throughout the build, in lieu of the standard caps shipped with the kit.
Driven with the BA-3 + F4, the Carreras are louder and more articulate than the Speedsters at my regular listening preamp knob positions.
I was hoping to hear new details, dimensions, and proportions in my vinyl and digital tunes, and have been extremely pleased. I'll be keeping these for a long time as my main speakers - definitely keepers. 🙂
Congrats on finishing your Carreras! I'm glad they have lived up to your expectations.
Depending on when you plan on getting new cabinets, it might be worth adding some extra bracing to your current ones, as the scanspeak driver can put a lot of pressure on the cabinet walls. Also, is the tweeter flush or surface mounted? Although it can be difficult to flush mount drivers without a CNC, or router jig, IMO it is definitely worth doing, to prevent problems with diffraction over the baffle.
Depending on when you plan on getting new cabinets, it might be worth adding some extra bracing to your current ones, as the scanspeak driver can put a lot of pressure on the cabinet walls. Also, is the tweeter flush or surface mounted? Although it can be difficult to flush mount drivers without a CNC, or router jig, IMO it is definitely worth doing, to prevent problems with diffraction over the baffle.
Thanks for the tips - I'll make sure to brace future cabs for sure. The PE cabs I used did have an internal brace, and the 3/4 MDF is solid stuff.
Tweeters are flush mounted. I will be borrowing a nicer plunge router and use a brand new carbide bit on any future cabs, too - while the circle jig saved the day, I am a rudimentary wood worker at best, so the pucker factor was high.
Tweeters are flush mounted. I will be borrowing a nicer plunge router and use a brand new carbide bit on any future cabs, too - while the circle jig saved the day, I am a rudimentary wood worker at best, so the pucker factor was high.
How are you guys liking the Carreras after a few months? I'm still liking mine, though at times I feel they aren't as lively as I would like. By that I mean, they're a touch too smooth, though easily listenable for hours on end without fatigue. So it's a trade-off.
I find myself still liking my single driver Mark Audio speakers at the office though and am constantly tempted to fall back into the single driver world; especially after seeing Decware's DNA speaker which looks to be pretty great.
I find myself still liking my single driver Mark Audio speakers at the office though and am constantly tempted to fall back into the single driver world; especially after seeing Decware's DNA speaker which looks to be pretty great.
Hey there StevenZ, good to hear from you.
The Carrera has now become my "daily driver"... at times they do sound a touch too smooth, but as you said enjoyable for hours. Also more versatile vs single driver designs over a wider range of material. The bass output from the Revelators is pretty phenomenal given it's a 5.25" driver.
Few ideas which you can try out:
- Use the 9" port tuning vs 7" - I am using 9"
- You can also try stuffing/restricting the port - I tried and felt that transient response improved a bit. But gone back to running the port open
- IIRC on one of the threads System7 suggested to change the 8.2 Ohm tweeter resistor to 5.6 Ohms - probably will give a more forward balance
The Carrera has now become my "daily driver"... at times they do sound a touch too smooth, but as you said enjoyable for hours. Also more versatile vs single driver designs over a wider range of material. The bass output from the Revelators is pretty phenomenal given it's a 5.25" driver.
Few ideas which you can try out:
- Use the 9" port tuning vs 7" - I am using 9"
- You can also try stuffing/restricting the port - I tried and felt that transient response improved a bit. But gone back to running the port open
- IIRC on one of the threads System7 suggested to change the 8.2 Ohm tweeter resistor to 5.6 Ohms - probably will give a more forward balance
Thanks for the suggestions. I find the bass to be more than adequate and of very high quality so I don't think I'll change the port any, but I may give the crossover tweak a try as that seems easy enough.
The best amplification I've heard on my speakers was a Benchmark AHB2 which I unfortunately had to let go of. It really seems these speakers excel with lots of power on tap. I had a 40W Dayens Menuetto and it really was a poor pairing. Hoping to pick up another amp very soon to run them with, perhaps an Odyssey Audio Cyclops.
The best amplification I've heard on my speakers was a Benchmark AHB2 which I unfortunately had to let go of. It really seems these speakers excel with lots of power on tap. I had a 40W Dayens Menuetto and it really was a poor pairing. Hoping to pick up another amp very soon to run them with, perhaps an Odyssey Audio Cyclops.
After almost a year of having my carreras, they are still my go-to speaker 90% of the time. I suppose it comes down to personal preference, but I love how these speakers have a relaxing warm midrange, without compromising on detail and clarity in the high end. Although saying that, there are always occasions where having a more lively speaker would make certain music more exciting than is possible with a paper cone.
They definitely do have that warm and relaxing midrange. Also great bass considering their size. I will definitely keep these as my main speakers for many years as like both you and zman said they do 90% of everything very well. I still prefer them to the Klang + Ton NADA speakers I had a while back. Those were mega detail freaks and while that didn't distract from the music as much as you would think, they just couldn't image well enough or pull the disappearing act like these Carreras do so easily. And yes all wiring / polarity was correct. Just a weird anomaly I experienced with those speakers.
Versatility is definitely the most important factor for me when it comes to speakers, so that's probably why I always go back to the carreras as opposed to my more 'exiting' options.
Just out of curiosity, do you have the 7" or 9" port? I personally have the 7" and am interested in what difference this makes apart from the obvious increase in low end response.
Just out of curiosity, do you have the 7" or 9" port? I personally have the 7" and am interested in what difference this makes apart from the obvious increase in low end response.
aidenfward,
My guess is that with a 9" port you will be able to go a little lower in frequencies with slight reduction of mid-bass presence. Depending on your room interaction with the speakers that might result in slightly clearer mid-range (and tighter bass), or thinner sound due less presence of mid-bass (if your room has big mid-bass suck-out).
You need to try it out and let us know. 🙂
My guess is that with a 9" port you will be able to go a little lower in frequencies with slight reduction of mid-bass presence. Depending on your room interaction with the speakers that might result in slightly clearer mid-range (and tighter bass), or thinner sound due less presence of mid-bass (if your room has big mid-bass suck-out).
You need to try it out and let us know. 🙂
I am wondering how the Carrera design would do with bi-amping, using a miniDSP 2x4HD and 4x LM3886 power amplification.
IMO the magic of the Carreras is in the crossover work by Paul Carmody. I'd be afraid of messing it up by starting from scratch with the miniDSP.
Maybe so, I dunno. But there are SOOO many advantages to bi-amping and digital signal processing that it sure is appealing. My friend's LX Mini system, for instance, uses a miniDSP to great advantage by utilizing over 30 EQ points per channel.
Carrera crossover
Realise this is a bit of an old thread but having finished my take on Pauls design I really do love the effortlessness of these speakers and the sound that belies their size. I have to agree though that for me they are a touch too laid back and wondered if anyone had experimented with the crossover to bring a bit more sparkle to the top end of these?
Realise this is a bit of an old thread but having finished my take on Pauls design I really do love the effortlessness of these speakers and the sound that belies their size. I have to agree though that for me they are a touch too laid back and wondered if anyone had experimented with the crossover to bring a bit more sparkle to the top end of these?
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smallangryboy,
Kudos on completing your build!
Looks like you have changed the cabinet dimensions - would you mind sharing?
Also it would be good to know what is your amp and source.
Kudos on completing your build!
Looks like you have changed the cabinet dimensions - would you mind sharing?
Also it would be good to know what is your amp and source.
Yes of course! So I've based them on the same dimensions as the Royd Minstrel - a speaker I know well. This is 180mm wide, 625mm tall and usually 110mm deep. However the volume of these is at 12 litres which makes them 170mm deep and achieves a nice balance in looks and performance.
I could have gone to 15 litres but then the cabinets started looking a little voluminous for their size and where they are positioned. They are tuned similarly to the Carerra at around 42Hz - 43Hz
I mainly use a modest Naim Uniti (gen 1) streaming from Spotify, the odd CD or occasionally Vinyl from a Rega Planar 3. I have used a Hypex nCore stereo power amp with the Uniti and that was a most definite lift in the detail.
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