Official O.B. Gallery.....bought or built, anything goes.

Not quite. I had a couple months with the LXs and my old tables. Hopefully in a month or two I'll get my mule plinth for my SP-10 MKII.

I miss listening to masterings I have that only exist on vinyl, and at times the ritual, experience, and nostalgia. At other times I get annoyed with the ritual as often my time to listen is short. As for the sound, I care far more about the source content and mastering than I do about the medium.

I do have to admit, for the few albums were I'm confident the same master was used for the digital and the vinyl, the digital reins supreme. I've less than a handful of albums where this is the case. Though, sometime the vinyl ritual is more pleasing.

At any rate, competent equipment operating properly along with speakers designed to best interface with the realities of your particular room setup correctly, and room acoustics are far, far more important IMO.
 
^^^

Preaching to the choir right there with that last comment.

So, Im guessing the 521's have lived up to their reputation? What speakers have you had in the past that set a high bar and do they even compare to what the 521's can deliver?
 
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I made the mistake of throwing these kits together without proper finish to see if they were keepers.

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Obviously they are. I'd love to hear them. How will you eventually finish them?

cubdog
 
So, Im guessing the 521's have lived up to their reputation? What speakers have you had in the past that set a high bar and do they even compare to what the 521's can deliver?

Yes, I'd say their reputation precedes them, deservedly so.

Nothing that would be comparable. I had Tannoy TD12s and Klipsch KLF 30s before I really got in to two channel, but I don't consider those to be serious speakers. I did the full range thing for many years - Alpair 7.3, 10P, 12P, Fostex, etc. with Frugal Horn 3 (XL), and Pensils. It was fun, they have their charms, but nothing I feel the desire to go back to.

I'll use these until something else catches my interest, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

Obviously they are. I'd love to hear them. How will you eventually finish them?

Well, if you're ever in NYC, let me know.

I'm not sure on finish yet, partly because I can no longer do a lot of things myself at home now living in the city. I'll probably go with the flow - satin black paint on the woofer cabs and baffle bases, and a nice veneer for the baffles and bridges.
 
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Here's a few of my OB's. Somewhat aesthetically challenged compared to some of the beautiful ones posted so far but they sound very good to my ears!

They've definitely evolved over time. The front baffle and the Eminance 15s have been constant but the full rangers started as Fostex FE103en, then Audio Nirvana Super 8's and now Lowther DX3. They also now have an open back cabinet for the 15s. They're actively crossed over at 200hz and then I have a sub which takes care of 50hz down to about 25hz. The Lowthers are powered by a SET and the Eminance by a 10 watt EL84 amp.

I tried a number of different EQ methods from a very simple baffle step correction circuit, 12 band analog EQ and DSP. At the end of the day though I find the most satisfying listening experience for me with this setup is no EQ which I keep coming back to. :dunno:

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I'm interested un how the OB mobs treat their rooms. I know PG thinks room treatment is not very important with the OBs but are there any other views?

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I don't. Partly because this is an interim rental, but more so I don't feel it necessary with my current setup.

The only critical factors for me have been to ensure boundaries are at least three feet away, that the baffle is perpendicular to to the sidewall first reflection point, speakers and listener are equilateral (8 feet), and the speakers are equidistant to the side walls.
 
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Kaf...what caused you to encase the 15s?

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I'm curious as well. I imagine it's to improve the bass possible it's tighter. I'm also wondering what the effect of enclosing just one of my two, per side, 15s would be.

cubdog
 
I don't. Partly because this is an interim rental, but more so I don't feel it necessary with my current setup.

The only critical factors for me have been to ensure boundaries are at least three feet away, that the baffle is perpendicular to to the sidewall first reflection point, speakers and listener are equilateral (8 feet), and the speakers are equidistant to the sides walls.

Assuming the sidewalls are taken care of that way, what about the wall behind the listening seat?

And the ceiling & floor?
 
Ordered a pair of Tang Band W8-1808 drivers today. Will order 6 Eminence Alpha-15a drivers (4 for the new OB build and 2 for a beautiful pair of Karlsons I have) in the next week or so.

Two potential OB types:

I know they will be large, but one would be to use the JE Labs Quarter Wave design and make them taller to accommodate the two Eminence and one Tang Band per side in a vertical configuration with the TB's offset.

The second would be H-frames for the 15's and smaller OB's for the Tang Bands to set on top of the H-frames. PG recommends this configuration for the flexibility it affords.

Decisions, decisions.....
 
Assuming the sidewalls are taken care of that way, what about the wall behind the listening seat?

And the ceiling & floor?

I don't have one. Here it's an NYC condo, so the living space is open to the kitchen. The rear boundary is further from the listening position than the front.

Nothing special on the floors or ceilings. Linkwitz said these are designed to work in a typical living environment.
 
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Kaf...what caused you to encase the 15s?

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It started as just experimenting with some wood I had around. I found an open back box maintained the OB bass sound which I like but helped (for lack of a better way to describe it) push the bass out into the room more. Without it the tonality of the lower octaves was still there but it didn't really "hit you in the gut" which I think is important especially in the 80-200hz range. I experimented with different sizes of enclosure and found 18"x18"x18" was a good size and happens to be in the ballpark of the recommended enclosure size for the 15a. For clarification I should note the back is totally open, kind of like a guitar amp cabinet. It also adds some bracing to the back of the baffle as it's securely attached to the baffle and the bottom panel.

I recommend trying it for those unsatisfied with OB bass as it's pretty easy and cheap. I think the room has a HUGE effect on OB bass though so YMMV. I do feel though if you really want full range bass you need a sub.

I'm very happy with the bass the combination (including sub) produces. Deep but not boomy and very good definition.
 
^^^

That's essentially a u-frame. I just converted the h-frame enclosures I built for 15a's to u-frames for my Dipole 15's. Trial run was promising.
 
I like open back boxes too.

Here are my open baffles:
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Don't look like open baffles? Here is a view from the back, they are open:

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They make some really nice clean bass. The combo of a 15" driver designed for open baffle with a partially enclosed cabinet is the best of both worlds, IMO.
 
Neon I used to run mine like that but apparently you're not getting the OB goodness that way

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Neon I used to run mine like that but apparently you're not getting the OB goodness that way

They sound great to me, I wouldn't change a thing. I think there are tradeoffs with an open backed box. I might not get the full dipole effect, but the extra bass is well worth it to me.
 
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Here's my first try. Always wanted something in Steampunk style, thought this would be a good opportunity to vent some creativity. I have a thread in DIY for my steampunk OB's.

Going to be bringing them in the house for listening tests tonight. They are about 90% complete, looking to add more detail, maybe some gears, timepieces, or pressure valving. Been listening in the garage and I'm pretty pleased with them. They need a bit more breathing room though, so we'll see how they sound inside with a little EQ.

Apologies in advance for any sonic destruction caused by the various "decorations" all over the baffle..lol.
 

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...Too much of the OB world is like too much of the boxed speaker world, maybe worse. Guys with a great sense of sound, but no sense of aesthetics...

You are so right!!! +1 Seeing different aesthetically pleasing OB's, either DIY, Kit, or Factory Assembled, is a nice change.
 
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