Speakers: Anything really new under the sun?

 

Allot of great comments here and many positive reviews out there on the OP’s current speakers. Jaybird, installing active crossovers in your current speakers may be a very rewarding project. I have 3-way, 8-ohm cabinets with very stiff cones and surrounds. The sensitivity is in the mid-90 dB’s.   

I’m using a Rane 23B 3-way fully balanced active stereo crossover. Each cabinet driver has a separate amplifier. The L/R balanced leads from the processor plugs into the Rane. The 23B has 3 pairs of balanced outputs for cables to the 6 amplifiers needed for both cabinets, Each speaker has rotary dials on the 23B to Easily set the correct crossover points and volume levels (being especially careful with the Fs limits). The critical info needed is each speakers crossover points. The Fs on manufacturer’s spec sheets is the absolute lowest frequency a speaker can safely handle. The tweeters are most sensitive to this critical setting.

Once you verify the OEM spec crossover points, the rest gets easier. I chose SEA tweets w/ a Fs at 2K, and 7-inch midrange drivers that play up to 4500 hz. To keep the full midrange (300-3000 hz) on one driver, I set the XO between the Mid/Tweeters at 4500 Hz (sounded best/most natural to me), and Bass/midrange drivers at 200 Hz (and again, sounded most natural to me). 

Keeping my processor at low volumes and using a sound level meter, I started with the midrange at full volume on the 23B, then, turned up the bass to match, and lastly matched the tweeters. Then, used the processor’s SET UP feature to set the distances and better match each cabinets volume levels together. The 15 inch woofers play flat to 35 Hz and I added a SVS Ultra sub to play 20-35Hz. Ultimately, I tweeked the 23B volume levels slightly using a frequency test CD by isolating each driver. It was that easy. I still get chills listening to music and haven’t looked back in over 10 years. 

I generally find it easier to focus on the negatives.

So if the OP was going to do that, then adding some extra dampening and bracing would likely help to tame the resonances.

That Rane looks like it might be worth playing with for me.

Field Coils like how Classic Audio Loudspeaker are doing, bringing back Field Coils and improving them much more, I think they are one of the most musically statifying speakers available with transparency that will match the best speakers out their.  They are the fastest drivers iv experienced feels like ESL/Planners.

 Maybe in other hobby interests this happens too. For example, I got back into cycling 20+ years ago, only to find that the bicycles of my youth were nothing like the advancements that they had made in the meantime. Brakes were better, wheels somehow were better, and more. Same thing in photography when everything went to digital. Maybe a rough start, but quite impressive for the last 15 years or so. 

 Audio is no different. Speakers have much the same designs though, as a bass reflex design still is very common, or a ported design. There may new interest in other design such as open baffle, which I find to be incredible in many ways. 

 In the end, if you have a 'decent' speaker to start with, as much could accomplished and more with speaker placement or somehow hiding room treatment.

 >>>Here is a tip about room treatment: In my case, I use pillows and chairs and maybe a memory foam sheet to cover the couch. The chairs with pillows on the back of the chair, is really convenient to move around as needed for control of reflections. Best part is, you can put it all back after a listening session, and the WAF is nil. 

Major-Breakthrough for Planar loudspeakers !

 Diptyque Audio Reference Loudspeakers