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a 3 way design speaker with the ESS Heil type sound

I have tried Klipsch RF-7 lll, ADS 780,880, 1290 ll, 1590 ll, ESS 3 ways with HEIL, and Daedalus Speakers. I still own all of these. Is there a speaker with the bass slam and dynamics of Klipsch RF-7 lll, and the midrange and tweeter sound of ESS HEIL, that is as beautiful, efficient, and easy to drive as Daedalus Speakers??

I have VPI prime. AT 760 SLC mm, and Sumiko Blackbird HOMC. Phono preamp is Ayre P-5xe. I run balanced out. I also have a Graham Slee Accession.

I use my Line Magnetic LM-515 CD player with balanced outputs. I like the sound. Great bass and extension. No fatigue with tube buffer output.
I have a Marantz SACD 30n for streaming, and SACD use. The Marantz is definitely a weak link.
I have Simaudio 740P balance into Simaudio 760A.
kinda dry sounding. Thinking this magic unicorn speaker (if existed) would solve my problem.
or do I need a good tube preamp??

looking for advice

128x128sputz
toddalin's avatar
toddalin
306 posts
 

I bought a Melton tube amp with P/P KT88s and do not care for it with the Heils.  I much prefer my Yamaha RX-Z9 receiver in "Pure Direct" with them.

Older recordings prior to reworking the crossovers, but that has no effect on the highs.  A quality monitor will easily display the differences.  Levels were matched to within 0.2 dBA with pink noise.

Some may prefer the "tube sound", but at least in this case, I prefer the solid state.

https://youtu.be/HTxZJBoOywM

https://youtu.be/FDIu2BFbt-Q

https://youtu.be/W66SQS1wDUA

https://youtu.be/ZxhDJ_eOlYw

larryi
4,106 posts
 

While I have voiced enthusiasm for open baffle speakers, this does come with the warning that dipole speakers often do not go very deep in bass response because the opposite phase front and back waves tend to cancel each other at progressively increasing amount as frequency goes down.  This is true of dipole panel speakers as well.  I am not a bass freak so this is not as big a deal to me as it might be to others.
The original Heil AMT speaker had a dipole AMT driver but the bass was delivered by a more conventional woofer that was not used in dipole configuration.  That speaker had serious problems with the two drivers not integrsting well.  That problem persisted with the new iteration that is out now.  But, other builders have been successful matching heil drivers with conventional drivers so it can be done.  
 

decooney
2,216 posts
 

@tomic601 so the MTM w mid bass drivers of 7” or so with a sub makes sense…just my .02$….

 

That configuration is darn close to my own custom built setup:

  • Dual 8" Nomex mid-woofer/midrange
  • --Peerless Tymphany version
  • ESS AMT Great Heil
  • --updated AMT diaphragms
  • MTM configuration
  • 1200hz crossovers, custom
  • --isoberic chamber tested
  • 92.5 db sensitivity, 4ohm
  • Walnut enclosures, not baffle
  • Tune ported at rear
  • +Dual custom 12" Scanspeak stereo subwoofers

 

 

arion's avatar
arion
162 posts
 

Check out Arion Audio speakers. (disclosure, I am the designer/owner)

We design and manufacture our own AMT drivers. Our entire line is based on AMT drivers. All of our speakers are OB.

decooney
2,216 posts
 

@arion Check out Arion Audio speakers...

 

Certainly worthy of some links to pics. Wow, those are some serious AMTs!

Very interesting open-baffle designs. Others coming in April 2025 eh’. Very Cool.

https://arionaudio.com/speakers/

Way more than a 3-way, in a line array, huge AMT sound.  Holy cow. :) 

 

Three-Way, Five Driver Dipole Full Range Floor Standing Design

 

 

2-Ways, smaller

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