New Listening Room Setup

[bigslim3k]

The wife received a turntable as an anniversary gift from work and now we have a major problem. This free turntable has led to more money spent than I care to think about but its been great seeing her finally excited about stuff that sounds good. We have decided to convert the dining room into the listening room which 12' x 12' with 10' feelings but 2 side are completely open to the rest of the house. I have already donated one A/V recover to the family room tv and now my "man cave" setup is in the new listening room. It consists of a pair of Classix 2's on stands and an older Pioneer A/V recover that 100w x7 that can be bi-amped. I want to upgrade the speakers with some towers and a kit with flat packs would be best but I can do some wood working. I'm looking at either the Amiga's or the Classix 2.5 and there's something about the Tarkus that makes me want to build them. I need something that's gets pretty low as I don't want to run a sub but I can if need be.

I will probably be upgrading the receiver with an amp or something soon but I really have no idea what I'm going to do there yet. Budget for speakers is $1000 or less and I'm looking for something musical. We listen to everything from Jazz to Punk and a healthy dose of Hip Hop and R&B. All suggestions on speakers and amps/receivers are appreciated.

Thanks Mike

[Geoff Millar]

If you like your Classix IIs, you could build the Classix 2.5.

If you're willing to sacrifice your existing speakers, you'd just need to buy another two DC160s and the crossover parts - the 2.5 uses some of the same parts as the IIs, I think. Plus build the cabinet of course. Not sure if PE's "Denovo" tower flat packs will work for the 2.5s, you might compare the dimensions.

You already know that you will like the sound and have more $$ left over for your receiver.

The Tarkus is a three way, which scares the heck out of me in terms of doing the crossover but they have many happy builders.

I haven't heard the Amigas but people are very happy with them too; if looks are important the RS180s look much cooler than the DC160s.


Geoff

[djg]

Wolf is not a boastful person, but he has suggested these to a few builders. Parts kit available elsewhere. Uses a PE flat pack but requires some mods. Might be right for you.

http://diyspeakerforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=431

[bigslim3k]

If you like your Classix IIs, you could build the Classix 2.5.

If you're willing to sacrifice your existing speakers, you'd just need to buy another two DC160s and the crossover parts - the 2.5 uses some of the same parts as the IIs, I think. Plus build the cabinet of course. Not sure if PE's "Denovo" tower flat packs will work for the 2.5s, you might compare the dimensions.

You already know that you will like the sound and have more $$ left over for your receiver.

The Tarkus is a three way, which scares the heck out of me in terms of doing the crossover but they have many happy builders.

I haven't heard the Amigas but people are very happy with them too; if looks are important the RS180s look much cooler than the DC160s.


Geoff

I will be putting the Classix back in my room once I build the new set. I do like them but on the turntable they are really lacking on the bottom end which probably has as much to do with the receiver and preamp. The 2.5’s can go in the Amiga flat pack so that would be rather easy to sort out. As fas as the Tarkus goes if I ran into issues with the crossover I would take it to work and have my electrician buddies handle it for me.

[djg]

Could be your phono cartridge is hurting your bass.

[Geoff Millar]

I find that on some lesser quality LPs the rumble, warp or low frequency surface noise is too audible if I have the sub turned on; turning it off still lets me hear all the music without the racket. If your speakers dig too deep, there's no option to remove that sort of noise. About 10% of our LPs have those issues.

Geoff

[bigslim3k]

djg I am thinking the same thing but I am not up to speed on carts yet.

Geoff Millar Funny you mention this as I experienced it last night and had to tune the sub down. I guess what I need to be looking at is how to match a sub to a bookshelf speaker. That would give me flexibility, particularly as I am a bit of a bass head and wifey doesn't mind the shake until things start falling off the walls.

[bigslim3k]

Wolf is not a boastful person, but he has suggested these to a few builders. Parts kit available elsewhere. Uses a PE flat pack but requires some mods. Might be right for you.

http://diyspeakerforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=431

Thanks for the suggestion, I will look into them.

[Carbon13]

What turntable and cartridge? Are you using a phono preamp or just the receiver? Are you considering tubes as a possibility? If so, that may change your speaker decision.

[Wolf]

Thanks for the rep, djg! I really thought the Nephila provided a lot for the coin. They do bass decently down to 45Hz, which is enough for most music. Jazz/rock/blues, and I bet R&B would be good too. Not really a rap-listener, so that is likely up to you. The secondary boxes are just external xovers, nothing more. They can be placed inside the cabs.

Jeff B also posted that he felt they were worth the outlay and gave them a glowing review, which he didn't just do on a whim. His review is on this forum.
Then, they floored many at MWAF, so Jeff apparently was not mistaken.

Just an image for reference below, feel free to ask if you have questions.
Wolf

[bigslim3k]

What turntable and cartridge? Are you using a phono preamp or just the receiver? Are you considering tubes as a possibility? If so, that may change your speaker decision.

It's an Audio-Technica AT-LPW30TK with an AT-VM95C Dual MM cart. I am currently using the built in preamp but have the Art DJ Pre 2 that I will install when I get some shorter cables for it. I have not looked much into tubes but probably will not go that route.

[bigslim3k]

Thanks for the rep, djg! I really thought the Nephila provided a lot for the coin. They do bass decently down to 45Hz, which is enough for most music. Jazz/rock/blues, and I bet R&B would be good too. Not really a rap-listener, so that is likely up to you. The secondary boxes are just external xovers, nothing more. They can be placed inside the cabs.

Jeff B also posted that he felt they were worth the outlay and gave them a glowing review, which he didn't just do on a whim. His review is on this forum.
Then, they floored many at MWAF, so Jeff apparently was not mistaken.

Just an image for reference below, feel free to ask if you have questions.
Wolf

That is some high praise to be sure, unfortunately my wife doesn't know who any of y'all are and was all to quick to let me know that "that yellow thingy won't be in the house". I was filibustered and vetoed

[Wolf]

Yellow is not for everyone, but you CAN make grills. I just don't prefer to make grills myself.
FWIW, the camera kinda washes them out a bit. The reason they are yellow based is the Kevlar material, but there are fibers of reds and oranges in the pulp mixture that really make them look fantastic.
I looked and looked and tried colors to find the perfect marriage of the cone to the cab. The Rustoleum Dark Cherry did the trick.

Again, I can't make your decision for you.
Best regards,
Wolf

[djg]

Cheap?
A used Harman kardon HK 3390 or HK 3490 stereo receiver. A few years old, kind of a retro featured series. I have a 3390.

Expensive?
https://outlawaudio.com/shop/stereo-...-receiver.html

[djg]

Cheap?
Wolf's Zingers, 8" DVC subwoofer 2 way, can be a tower. No flat pack. Digs way deep, takes power.

Expensive?
Speakerhardwaredotcom has nice Baltic Birch flat packs for some very upmarket DIY designs. May be a budget buster.

My Zingers built as stand speakers.

[a4eaudio]

Expensive: Adelphos kit and Kairos Woofer Modules from Meniscus. That puts you at $1,000 -- without cabinet costs.

[bigslim3k]

Cheap? A used Harman kardon HK 3390 or HK 3490 stereo receiver. A few years old, kind of a retro featured series. I have a 3390. Expensive? https://outlawaudio.com/shop/stereo-...-receiver.html

I’m probably missing something here, what advantage would the HK provide over my current pioneer or any other A/V receiver eddies the phono stage? This is the first I’ve heard of speakerhardwear, this will probably confound my decision making process but options are good. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[djg]

I thought you needed a receiver.

Both the HK and the Outlaw offer solid 4 ohm capability, often lacking in multi channel AVRs. Lots of DIY speakers are 4 ohm. It's nice not having to be limited by your receiver.

[bigslim3k]

oh I didn't think about 4 ohm stable, I'm sure the Pioneer won't be able to do that for long

[JRT]

I am also looking for options for high quality audio systems. I think I would like to buy floor-standing, but rather compact speakers, I don't have a lot of free space at home.

Yes... The stands under stand mounted monitors take up space without delivering any bass. And with monitors pulled away from the wall behind, located suitably out into the room (suitable for most designs, but not all designs) that volume of space under and behind a monitor can be utilized by a bass bin without losing usable floor space. And utilizing that volume also helps to prevent a spouse from pushing a smaller stand mounted loudspeaker back against the wall or behind a planter, etc.