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Interesting experience with two very different speaker designs

I wanted to relay my experience with two different sets of speakers in hopes that it might prove interesting and/or help some folks.

My current speakers are Tekton Electron SE with a Pass XA30.5 and a MicroZOTL2 Preamp.  I was absolutely loving the sound but I started getting into the DIY open baffle thing.  I started with a very simple JE labs design with a single driver and after a few prototypes, I ended up with a 2-way using an Emminence Alpha 15 and a Tang Band W8 2145.

After breaking the DIY speakers in a bit, I was really blown away.  The soundstage was huge and very 3D.  The bass was big and warm but still pretty fast and articulate.  Also, the speed of the speakers was very apparent.  I loved them especially on big orchestral works where the soundstage really comes to life.

I lived with them for about 4 months and then I put the Electrons back.  Very interesting.  Timbrally, the Electrons were just better.  The OBs upper midrange sounded kind of flat and beamy in comparison.  The bass on the Electrons, though not as extended, was better controlled.  In some ways I found the OBs to be more transparent in that they really pointed out the flaws in some recordings.  Well recorded stuff sounded amazing but they gave no love to mediocre recordings.  The Electrons just make everything sound good. Much more forgiving.  

Going from the OBs to the Electrons, I lost some of that soundstage magic.  The Electrons, though they have some depth, lack that completely open 3D thing that the OBs were giving me.  However, from top to bottom, they just sound right.  Instruments sound like how they are supposed to sound.  That all-important midrange really shines.

Though I like both these speakers, I'm going to stick with the Tektons.  However, if what you value is speed, transparency and soundstage over timbre, I think open baffle is a good way to go.  I'll say this with the caveat that I'm not a speaker designer and there may be OB speakers out there that really get the timbre thing right too.  I'd love to hear some!
adam8179
adam8179 OP
72 posts
 
@pfiche

Yes, that was my general assessment of the W8 Eminence 15 combo!  Great for drums guitar and vocals.  Bass energy could get a bit boomy even after I put them on spikes.  I agree about the dryness.  Its not the meatiest of midranges though it is incredibly fast and detailed.  Piano and saxophones are not as rich sounding as they are on my Tektons 

I was toying with the idea or adding a super tweeter aimed up at the ceiling.  Maybe I'll try that down the road.  These DIY speakers are keepers even if they might live most of their lives in the shed!

One of the reasons I was interested in OB designs is exactly what you pointed out pfiche.  The cancelation of the frequencies at 90 degrees lessens room interaction.  That being said, I have diffusors on the back wall and bass traps in the corners to deal with that energy.  I think the dipole design adds to that sense of a wide open and 3D soundstage in a room


blkwrxwgn
240 posts
 
millercarbon11,408 posts10-18-2021 2:54pmOpen baffle puts a lot of energy out the back side of the speaker. This contributes to that spacious 3D sound. Eric just added a new Signature Series model with two drivers on the back for just this reason.

I don’t know how you had your Electrons set up, but if you want 3D imaging with a nice deep stage they should be aimed almost directly at your ears and absolutely perfectly equidistant and symmetrical, with the exact same toe in L and R. Use a tape measure, point the L at your L shoulder, R at R and you will hear some pretty darn good imaging. Then if you put them on Townshend Podiums I think you will forget all about open baffle for once and all.
Sorry, great info that applies to your system or setup but I don’t agree with this at all. My DI’s like to have almost no toe in at all and the Electrons are more in line with the DI’s in design. I tried setting mine up like you are saying and I had a very narrow soundstage, all sound was coming straight from the speakers and sounded horrible.

Also, I had the Spatial Audio M3 Triode Masters before the Tektons and I did not like the sound at all.  They ended A LOT of space behind them, like at least 3' but more in the 4'+ range to sound good.  There was almost no midrange in mine either, wasn't a fan at all.

danager's avatar
danager
966 posts
 
I had the same experience with ADS L12390ii and Dahlquist DQ12s.  The Dahquist are hybrids with a open top and a sealed woofer creating a tighter bass.  The NOLA speaker still use this configuration.  Teckton does make an open baffle also using a ported bass box.
pfiche
8 posts
 
@ adam8179Tried the face up to ceiling tweeter technique. It added a little improvement but not enough to get around the TB W8 upper end issues. Although adding on the x-over and tweeter gives that little something extra, you do loose some signature of the W8.
I  have non typical diffusors made from random collected junk, limits my walkway.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Every genre of speaker brings its own unique set of characteristics. It should be understood that if you switch genres of speakers, you will hear a mix of attributes quite different from the previous. It should also be expected that you will likely enjoy some and find others a challenge. Not only that, but there are hundreds of models to thin slice once you get past the genre and get to the brands and models. 

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