The Merlots

[Ray Tremblay]

Since this is a project that was started years ago, wasn't really documented, and never seems to be "finished", I didn't really have all the components for a build thread. But I figured I'd at least throw one pic up so there is some documentation and an image to go along with my signature for anyone that was curious. As far as not being finished, the only other thing that will change are the subs. This was never intended to be a "ScanSpeak Revelator" project but it has slowly morphed into that and the finishing touch will be either the new 28W/4878T00 10" ScanSpeak subs or the 32W/4878T00 12" versions. I just can't decided on which size and I go back and forth on it constantly.

Anyhow, the initial idea for this design was to do a small'ish 3 way system with a small foot print that could easily fit in a bedroom or small living space but one that could play very loud and could go deep. This obviously made subs with high power a must. The original driver compliment was the Vifa XT25BG60 tweeter, the Dayton RS150-4 as a mid, and the Dayton RSS265HF-4 as the woofer. It was built that way and sounded great but I got the itch to try the ScanSpeak 15W/8530K00 since everyone seems to lose their mind over that little woofer. I ordered a pair but quickly realized they weren't going to be an option for this design because of the low sensitivity. Since I was dead set on a ScanSpeak mid at that point, I ordered a pair of 15M/4531K00 Revelator mids because they were 4 ohm and had a 90db sensitivity. I instantly fell in love with these mids. As you can imagine, the clarity is stunning and they maintain their composure at very high playback levels. Next thing you know, I'm drooling for a pair of the Scan Revelator ring radiators to replace the XT25's, so that happened next. Honestly, I could easily live with either tweeter. The XT25's clarity is equally amazing but the Scan R2904/7000's had just a slight touch of "crispy" that I really like and the 94.5db sensitivity will allow this tweeter to grow with the system if it ever becomes a WMTMW configuration. Then Scan comes out with a 12" and 10" Revelator sub. What a dilema..........

[philthien]

Those look really nice, I'll bet they sound terrific.

Have you had any issues w/ the coupling between the cabinets at higher SPL?

I had an NHT1259-based sub on which I had placed spikes and had difficulty keeping it from wanting to walk across the floor.

[Ray Tremblay]

Those look really nice, I'll bet they sound terrific.

Have you had any issues w/ the coupling between the cabinets at higher SPL?

I had an NHT1259-based sub on which I had placed spikes and had difficulty keeping it from wanting to walk across the floor.

Thanks! I love the way they look. Over the past few years with an attitude of never settling, I've used the MiniDSP 2x8 to tweak them to perfection. They sound absolutely epic. The only problem is that I can't enjoy listening to music on anything else now. My Sennheiser HD650's are barely acceptable in comparison. Improvements in sound quality are at the mercy of the room acoustics and speaker placement at this point. Oh, and some extra internal bracing in the cabinets would help a bit. I can get some resonances in the cabinets when playing with a frequency generator so I know they're there.

Cabinet vibrations between the sub cabinet and mid/tweet cabinet have been an ongoing problem that I haven't completely been able to solve. The biggest help has been switching from four spikes to only three spikes (two front, one rear) and then using hot glue to fix the spike resting plates to the sub cabinets. Not only is it super annoying to hear any vibration or buzz even for a split second when listening at high levels but the vibration between the two initially made testing and measurements a nightmare. I thought I could add weight inside the top cabinets but that doesn't work. I have to put two 45 lbs plates on top of each speaker to stop the vibrations at loud playback levels. Obviously an absolutely unacceptable option and was only done just to see how far I would have to go to get rid of it. I'll ultimately have to drill holes and run a bolt between the two cabinets to clamp them together. This will happen when I get the ScanSpeak Revelator subs, along with some extra bracing.

[PWR RYD]

Wow Ray, those look amazing and I bet they sound amazing too! Thanks for sharing.

[PWR RYD]

Sorry, I meant to ask, what class D amplification are you using?

[Ray Tremblay]

Sorry, I meant to ask, what class D amplification are you using?

Cheap stuff. Behringer.

I wanted to use rack mount pro audio type amps so I could take advantage of the balanced outs from my MiniDSP. I was using some QSC amps but the fans were ridiculously loud. I bought some brand new Behringer class D amps so I could use quiet computer fans. A/B or class H amps make a lot of heat and need fans that can move a lot of air. Class D doesn't generate nearly as much heat so you don't need nearly as much airflow to keep them cool.

[Ray Tremblay]

Wow Ray, those look amazing and I bet they sound amazing too! Thanks for sharing.

I appreciate the compliment. They sound fantastic. These really turned out better than I anticipated. It's not often that projects work out that way so I'll take it.

[craigk]

Really nice project. I am positive they sound great.

[Ray Tremblay]

Really nice project. I am positive they sound great.

Thanks Craig!