GR Research

[Paul Carmody]

Forgive me if this question is old hat... I'm a newcomer around here, so I haven't been around this information as long as the veterans.

I have been noticing GR Research drivers more and more.

The midwoofers are very nicely priced, and have what looks like a friendly FR to work with.

The tweeters look like Vifa tweeters. Is this resemblance merely cosmetic?

How do these drivers sound? How do they compare to other models out there right now? Are they xover friendly?

I know there are some veterans out there who have used them (Dennis Murphy seems to be a fan). So please, share your thoughts. I'm listening.

Thanks,
Paul Carmody

[blair]

Email them. Danny is a really nice guy. The drivers sound great a the set prices. I'm pretty sure all the drivers are Peerless India produced to Danny's specs.

Blair

[Pete Schumacher ®]

> Email them. Danny is a really nice guy. The
> drivers sound great a the set prices. I'm
> pretty sure all the drivers are Peerless
> India produced to Danny's specs.

> Blair

He had licensed the XBL motor tech from Adire but I'm not sure who is producing them.

A friend of mine built some 3-ways using the GR 5 and 7 inch units, and they're not bad at all. Good excursion on the 7 inch, but the distortion spectrum isn't anything special (check Zaph's data). But they're not bad either, especially at that price point.

[blair]

Neat little tid bit. I've never used them, but I've heard several of Danny's speakers and they are nice. Not winning any bass awards or anything, but sufficient for the wine sipping audiophile

Blair

[romanbednarek]

> Forgive me if this question is old hat...
> I'm a newcomer around here, so I haven't
> been around this information as long as the
> veterans.

> I have been noticing GR Research drivers
> more and more.

> The midwoofers are very nicely priced, and
> have what looks like a friendly FR to work
> with.

> The tweeters look like Vifa tweeters. Is
> this resemblance merely cosmetic?

> How do these drivers sound? How do they
> compare to other models out there right now?
> Are they xover friendly?

> I know there are some veterans out there who
> have used them (Dennis Murphy seems to be a
> fan). So please, share your thoughts. I'm
> listening.

> Thanks,
> Paul Carmody

I'm using the M130s in a three way design with the RS180 and XT19. They are very easy to work with and have a smooth, clear sound. They aren't the last word in detail but they aren't muddy either. They are not fatiguing at all and are a steal at their price.

[Paul Carmody]

Thanks for the responses, Blair and Roman. It's helping. The project I was considering them for is pretty much right up their alley, then.

I was thinking the M130 or the M165 would make a pleasant midwoofer in a 2-way for small-room listening... you know, to satisfy the wine-sipping audiophile in me ;-) I think I have enough "large room, large soundstage" speakers for a while; maybe it's time for something a bit more "quaint."

The goals here would be:
*clear, accurate mids (no BBC dip)
*non-fatiguing
*great imaging in a small-room environment
*F3 in the 40's or 50's Hz

For the price, sounds like the right driver.

I guess one of Dennis' designs would fit the bill, here. Who's heard any of them?

[blair]

You won't be dissatisfied. Try the 165X open baffle It sounds very nice!

Blair

[biff]

> Thanks for the responses, Blair and Roman.
> It's helping. The project I was considering
> them for is pretty much right up their
> alley, then.

> I was thinking the M130 or the M165 would
> make a pleasant midwoofer in a 2-way for
> small-room listening... you know, to satisfy
> the wine-sipping audiophile in me ;-) I
> think I have enough "large room, large
> soundstage" speakers for a while; maybe
> it's time for something a bit more
> "quaint."

> The goals here would be:
> *clear, accurate mids (no BBC dip)
> *non-fatiguing
> *great imaging in a small-room environment
> *F3 in the 40's or 50's Hz

> For the price, sounds like the right driver.

> I guess one of Dennis' designs would fit the
> bill, here. Who's heard any of them?

I've got one of his with a ribbon and it really is a nice little speaker with the exception that the tweet doesn't go low enough for a nice blend around XO, but his MBOW-1 or variants were considered excellent just a couple years back.

[jkim]

> The goals here would be:
> *clear, accurate mids (no BBC dip)

BBC dip is probably one of many terminologies that are misused in speaker building. If what you mean by it is a wide, slight a few dB fall around the 2 kHz to 4 kHz range, it doesn't necessarily mean an inaccurate, non-flat response. If you consider the in-room frequency response that is affected by speakers' off-axis or power responses, a slight dip like the above may sometimes result in a more smooth power response rolloff into the treble region.
Just FYI.

[donparsons]

My RAW RA-8's use 8 of the m-130's and an AC sourced ribbon tweeter. They produce some of the nicest sound I have heard.

[Wolf]

[billcurrier]

> My RAW RA-8's use 8 of the m-130's and an AC
> sourced ribbon tweeter. They produce some of
> the nicest sound I have heard.

Why not just use one of Danny's designs? He sells the crossovers too. I think his GR-T2 is very nice sounding tweet, plus as Blair mentioned Danny is just a class guy.

[johnnail]