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New Cain & Cain IM Ben Fostex/double horn - help

Just picked up the new Cain & Cain IM Ben's. Driving them with Wright Sound 3.5 monoblock amps and WPL20 preamp. I use a nice Metronome C20 DAC as my front end with Tara Air IC's. Still looking for the right speaker cable. Using a silver/copper hybrid now.

Problem. I love everything about these speakers, quite wonderful, but need help eliminating a boxy or "vibration resonance" that overhang's and smears notes when played moderately loud. This was not as issue at the CES show, but is in my room. 24 x14. Yes, I am trying stuffing the upper horn with Dakron and it helped a little. Have them 3.5 feet from the back wall and 3 - 3.5 feet from the side walls.

These speakers are on the verge of utter greatness and I wonder if any other Cain owners can help with this only issue. I think it can be tweeked to go away.

Thanks,

Bill
128x128grannyring
grannyring's avatar
grannyring OP
6,455 posts
 
Terry is wonderful and I will continue to talk to him. I wanted to ask other Cain owners also as they have experience in various home/room settings etc. Gmood! makes a great point and I am starting to think he is right.

When I stand back against the back wall - no problem. But, several feet closer and its back. May be this simple. Man, I love these speakers and hope to work it out. Not an issue at lower volumes. I do like loder music at time however.

I could stuff a small pillow's worth of Dakron in each top horn, but I would think that is not best. I have noted that the more Dakron I place in the top horns the better the situation. Downside is I lose some of the speakers lively sound.

Bill
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
The Cardas speaker placement has always worked very well for me, but it recommends that the speakers are further from the rear wall than from the side walls. There's a simple formula for calculating the distances at www.cardas.com under one of the sub-headings.

The only drawback I've found is that the speakers end up quite far into the room, which can cause some friction with SWMBO.
twl
3,251 posts
 
I had a similar problem with my Lowther drivers in my Voigt Pipe cabinets.
The fix was to use a set of SP-004 Sistrum Platforms under them. Like magic. Boxy sound gone, smear eliminated. I've posted this numerous times in the past, and also emailed several people about it who experienced similar problems. It is even written into the Voigt Pipe construction plans that appear on the Lowther America website. I know the Double Bens are not Voigt Pipes, but I know about this problem.

Yes, I'm the Sistrum internet sales rep, and yes it really did work as I said.
onemug
784 posts
 
As someone said earlier, try moving the speakers a little. It's cheap and you can do it immediately. I've read the worst place for a speaker is when it's placed the same distance from the side & backwall. I know you wrote 3 - 3.5 feet on one of your measurements, but sometimes even a few inches can matter, so try increasing the ratio. If you ever want to try another cable, I just got some Cardas SE-15 that Terry recommended for up to 12 feet. Great synergy with SET/single driver combos. Good luck.
johnk's avatar
johnk
1,975 posts
 
You are hearing cabinet resonances.Thats why you dont hear farther back.All back horns produce these to some extent.You could cork line the horn.But as others have said ask TC .
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