DIYowa 2009 is in the books

[shawn_a]

Thanks to Doug and family for hosting yet another great show this year. Also thanks to Maynard and Jason for their help in making the show go off with what I think was a big success. Twitter didn't happen for me today so I'm sorry about that. Problems with connectivity is what I chalk it up to.

I'll post more when I'm on a computer and not my phone.

shawn

[bmaupin]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

I was wondering about the tweet follow-along. Too bad, I always enjoy it.

[Jason]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

As usual, Doug ran another great show this year. Lots of great new designs to see and hear. I'll leave the more detailed reviews to those who were listening closer. For now here are some pictures: http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o...009/?start=all

[Mark65]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

Looks like great fun as usual, can't wait to see more pics/results!


Mark

[DougP]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

These things are a lot of fun. I will work on the pictures and results tomorrow. I'm wiped out but I do have a couple short comments.

The mid-range class this year was just stacked with amazing speakers. The level of the entrants was very very high.

Listening to Judas Priest on Dan's Basslines at 104db (at 1 meter / peaks of close to 110db)) was stunning to say the least. They were still clear as a bell. My kind of speaker:D

It was a great time. I hope that everyone had a good time and I am looking forward to next year.

Doug

[Wolf]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

Yes, thanks to all attending the event, and to the host of the most.
I think it went over quite well, and it was a fun/LONG day.
Tomorrow, the road home....
Wolf

[[email protected]]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

it was my first. what a great bunch of guys. a room full of ,just people. my shot did not go so well but there were some very nice speakers indeed. be safe on the road home
i'll have a few more comments and a few pics tomarrow. i drove 3 hours each way and all i got was some coasters!!!!:D i got pics of them to. just joking, i got to shake hands with some very fine fellows
thanks to doug for his dedication to the hobby.

[tom_s]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

It was a great time! Thanks to Doug and his wife, Maynard, Dennis, and Jason for their work to make this all possible. And to everyone who attended. This is a great group of people. All willing to share knowledge-even to competitors within their class! There wasn't a single dog in this show, and more than a few that were truly stunning! Just to be there and soak up some knowledge and gain some perspective was a treat. I think everyone would agree that it all ended too quickly.

See you all again next year!

Tom

[maynardg]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

A great event indeed. The fun and the quality get better every year. Great speakers in each class.

The budget class had a few computer monitor sized speaks, any one of which exceeded my expectatons.

Best sound in the about $200 range was Marty's XT25 over W5-1685 two way. Very nice. That Tang Band can play low, albeit not with great efficiency. And a gorgeous cabinet.

Wolf's Vijon was also very impressive, for more $$.

The midrange class was packed with thoroughly competent designs... any one of which would have won the class handily just a few years ago. My fave was Curt's C's Maverick (Option B). I preferred the conventional crossover to the quasi-transient perfect XO. Either was just smashing. What Clapton is to guitar-playing, Curt is to DIY speakers. The guy simply has it figured out.

Finally, whatever was limiting Dan's Basslines at Dayton was cleard up. Really dynamic, really clean - played effortlessly at levels that would melt most speakers. Visually striking.

When I get back to Florida, I'll post my play list. I hope others will do the same. On of the nice benefits of attending is learning about new music.

Sleep now!

[Pete Schumacher]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

What a great DIY!!! So good to see all the guys (and gals).


Basslines . . . Oh my what a smashing success Dan.

The Peerless buyout two-way was excellent. And I agree with Maynard on the TB 5.25" two-way. What an impressive driver. The two way was implemented very well.

The 8" two-ways were both well done, balanced, and deceptively full ranged. Kudos. I'm sure those will see some duplicate efforts rather soon.

Of the larger and more expensive systems on display, the Marcatos and the Dual RS150 BG 3-way really impressed me with the clarity of presentation. The bass performance of the RS150 was quite impressive, but still not quite where the Marcatos or Ziran were, and understandably so. Shawn's Usher Fanboy TM was impressive as well. Those Usher woofers are really great values, even at the prices they get.

And Curt's HDS-TB-Dayton system had the requisite voicing and balance for which Curt has a well deserved reputation. He offered "A" and "B" versions of the crossover for us to evaluate. The differences were subtle, but noticeable. He chose a beautiful piece of music to show off the systems, with some very dynamic music, deep bass along with vocals and orchestral layers. "A" was the transient perfect version, with 2 octaves of overlap between mid and woof. This version has a much shallower slope for the woofer, allowing the lower midrange to be handled by both drivers in phase quadrature. I must admit, that there was a character to the music that was very enveloping. I tried to focus on anything that I could that seemed like a limitation (tough job on a Curt design) but the balance was just so good. But when there was a percussive transient in the bass, I noticed just the slightest modulation of the male vocal that wasn't there as noticeably in the "B" version. In a more intimate setting, that's not likely to be a issue with reduced power levels. Very nice result, regardless whether A or B.

What a great day. There just weren't any bad efforts to be heard. While some were noticeably better than others, most all seemed to exhibit good voicing and balance between the drivers involved. The standards at the DIYs are getting very high indeed.

[S7910]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

This was my first as well. Kudos to Doug and all who helped make this event possible. It was great to be able to put (screen) names with faces, and with such a welcoming group to boot.

BTW: for those interested my demo song was the "Advent Rising Suite" from the CD Video Games Live vol. 1. Should still be available online at Barnes & Noble.

Safe journey home to all.

Matt

[Operandi]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

Lots of awesome speakers there, looked like fun ;).

Looking forward to reading the reviews/comments.

[[email protected]]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

i have a few pics on photobucket. http://s413.photobucket.com/albums/p...rlis/iowa2009/ but shawns are much better. doug will have each builder with their builds. thanks to all who tolerated all my questions. thanks to dennis for all his effort with his testing rig. this was my first, will not be my last. lowell
they say a piture is worth a 1000 words, they meant this one

[DougP]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

i have a few pics on photobucket. http://s413.photobucket.com/albums/p...rlis/iowa2009/ but shawns are much better. doug will have each builder with their builds. thanks to all who tolerated all my questions. thanks to dennis for all his effort with his testing rig. this was my first, will not be my last. lowell
they say a piture is worth a 1000 words, they meant this one

That picture truly shows what it is all about. Speaking of pictures I have mine up on photo bucket. Enjoy.

I also wanted to thank Dennis for bringing his measurement setup, Jason for working with the vendors to get our door prizes, Maynard for putting together the test tracks and burning all the CD's, and Todd for bringing speaker cables. I still can't find mine, I'm not sure what box they got put in when we moved. Oh well I have about 51 weeks to find them.

Doug

http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii184/dougyp333/Iowa%20DIY%202009/

[turn2]

Re: DIYowa 2009 is in the books

Kudos to Doug! Great entries, great attendance and a great venue. Thanks a bunch.

Last year I was a newcomer and I was awed, even though I had read about these events ahead of time. This year I conned my brother into coming. I suspect his expectations weren't that high. It was amusing to listen to his reactions on the ride home. Funny how this hobby can sink its hooks into you so easily. I suspect some of the reasons can be found right above in this thread. Thanks to all for a thoroughly enjoyable day. And congrats to all who brought such wonderful creations!