I have a 14x22x7.5 theater area in my basement and want to step up my speakers without breaking the bank. Right now I have a Pioneer Elite Vsx-40 which puts out about 75 watts per channel if I'm correct. It's fine for the speakers I have now but I'm planning on buying the Onkyo TX-NR809 which does 135 watts. I think I decided on the Fusion series but had a few questions for you guys. I'm building a new Tv stand/AV cabinet for my gear and am trying to keep it 24in. high. I really like the look and specs of the Fusion-12 Tempest and heard that they blow away the ed cinema's but since it's 26in. high it wouldn't fit in my stand. If I bought the Tempest's for my R/L could I get the Fusion Max as my center? They have about the same driver and same series woofer so wouldn't they blend nicely? Please let me know any of your suggestions and experience with either of the two speakers. Thanks! [/size]
Hi Studioholic55 and welcome to the site What kind of speakers are you coming from? The ED Cinemas? Chances are these kits are going to be a huge upgrade from what you have. For looks and sound, I'd suggest keeping all three the same across the front. I'm not hardcore about keep the front LCR the same, like some people. But it's still nice to do. If your screen limits you to 24" below the screen, then I'd stick with a design that meets that criteria. You might want to consider chopping off the ports on the Tempest and then you'd probably fit. Not sure how it does sealed though. Will these be placed near the floor? To close to the floor causes a bit of an issue. But if you have no choice... Depending on your timeline, I'm debating a W-M/T-W center channel that would be about 12" tall, 98db/watt, tons of power handling, etc. Just a concept at this point though, so it'll be a while.
Hey Tux! Thanks for the quick reply. I always see you posting over at Avs. Right now I have a mish mash of speakers. I have a pair of AR TSW-210s for my front L/R and a cambridge soundworks center I got from a neighbor. And for surrounds I have a pair of yammys and some crap sonys. I finally decided to buy a full matching set that would sound good for movies and music on occasion. I'm on a tight budget and have to buy in steps but would like to get my LCR all in order. Before I buy any speakers I building a pair of dayton 15 subs (26in. high)which will act as stands for a little while. The center will be covered by a metal grill type door so if it doesn't exactly match the L/R it's fine by me as long as they match sound wise. Is there a big leap in performance between the 10 and 12in. and the 350/360 CD?? I've read a lot that the Fusion Max matches up to the sho-10 which Carp says beats the cinema's so would a 10in. be better for me? One last question. I always see people talking about you and Erich and obviously I know who you are but does Erich work for Diy soundworks? Anyway let me know what you think, Thanks!
That's good information. Simply because you're on a budget I'm going to say go with the Fusion Pure. It'll fit your 24" height limit and save you lots of money over the Tempest and a little over the Max. If you really want to have that extra power handling and lower cross over, then the Max isn't to much more money. But honestly, these are going to be a huge step up. The benefits of the 12 over a 10 are real, but minimal. You're getting to that point of very good versus great. There have been a lot of comparisons between the Sho-10 and the Fusion Max. This is because they both use the same woofer. The advantage with the Fusion Pure/Max is they use the SEOS12, which is a huge advantage. I'm a budget minded guy myself. I don't like spending the extra money to go from a 9.5 to a 10. I don't feel it's worth it. Believe me when I say, you're getting a whole lot of speaker for your money, with any of these designs.
Ha, I missed this. I don't work for DIYsoundGroup. I've done some of the designs. Including the Fusion Pure/Max and a few others that haven't been made into kits. Erich runs DIYsoundGroup. He's the big cheese.
I think I'll go with the max then since it's only $20 more. So you don't think the 12 is worth it? I'm not one to watch movies at reference volume or anything but do like to crank up some live concerts now and then. Will the max's go loud enough for my room?
I'm not sure which flat pack is the right one, Erich knows that. I think Erich is working on making the flat pack information a little more understandable. Needs to get photos and things done up. The Max will definitely go loud enough. I checked for you already Cranked some music with a single speaker just to see what it could do, and it was insanely loud. When a female voice can make plate buzz across my house...! The advantage of the 12 is a little more bass, and a little lower directivity. The Delta 10a woofer really hits a balance of sensitivity and cost. You question is a common one. I get PMs, people post, etc. All of these designs can really crank. It's only a matter of time when enough people have used the smaller kits and it won't be a concern. Like the MTG-08 even, there have been two reviews that I know of and both were blown away how clean and loud it is. If you're really on a budget, consider that little guy
Ok sweet! I think the Max is definitely the speaker for my room. I don't understand why people go spend so much money on pre-made speakers when they can take a weekend and build a set of these and learn a thing or two along the way. Also when you built yours did you cut the mdf yourself and use the dimensions that came with the package? And how hard is it to assemble to crossover as I have never done so and don't know how to solder.
Any of the 10" models will be a huge step up from where you are. You won't second guess your choice after you build them and hear how nice they sound. They will easily.....easily fill your room with more volume than you need. I really should get some photo comparisons uploaded that show the difference between typical tweeters and woofers that most people are used to, and these pro style compression drivers. There will be flat packs available for every kit that's on the site. Some are already done, I just need to upload the photos. One of the forum members is working to draw up each box design used for each speaker just in case you want to build your own. All of these designs are just now being finished up, so I'm still in the process of updating the site. Some quick background info: DIY Sound Group isn't an actual "business". I get flat packs made up and parts for the speakers. I asked some of the best DIY designers I knew to help create some really nice waveguide speakers after the SEOS model tested so well. The costs are low because everything is priced at the same price you would buy the parts for if you went to Parts Express or anywhere else. PE gives me a discount on the parts. I use that discount to pay the free shipping on the kits, packing material, and Paypal fees. I package things in my spare time for free. The kits themselves are pretty much priced at break even costs. But it's really even less than that because the compression drivers I worked on save $40 - $50 per speaker right off the bat. So even if a company sold the same thing with the same name brand parts, they would cost $40 more before they made a dime. Basically, you're able to get really good parts to make a killer speaker for as cheap as you possibly can. So don't let the lower prices fool you into thinking they might not be as good. They're actually better. As for the SHO-10 comparison, t he woofers are the same but the SEOS-12 waveguide tests better and the kits use better compression drivers.
Ok well that answers all of my questions! Thank you so much for your help guys. I'll post some pics once I get the build all done. Thanks again
Java over on AVS forum has some great documentation on how to build the cross over. He's got more to come to. And I can do what I can to help if you need. Good luck and have fun with your sub build!