Status Titus 8T Speakers Installed!

[gene]

I thought there were a lot of complaints about that Axiom (built by Outlaw?) to not consider it a top shelf component.

What has the Pass made you a believer of? I would like to A/B a Crown MacroTech series (if 220V is available) since we are talk clean and damping factor/feedback design.

Will this combo be at the GTG?

the Axiom amp is built by Axiom. I haven't checked out the Crown but if it uses a switching power supply, it's doubtful it will have the SNR and distortion performance of the Pass Labs and Classe amps I am currently testing. In pro audio, that's not as much of a concern though.

RBH will NOT be demoing these speakers at our GTG event but they did hint it's very possible for them to make an EMP version of this speaker if enough consumers bug them to do it

 

[jinjuku]

The Macro/Micro Techs A-Weighted are better than 105dB SNR. THD is 0.05% at full power.

Damping factor is greater than 1000.

I mention the Macrotech because it's linear as it gets. SNR is more than respectable and has a good damping factor. Crowns bag with the Macrotech line is it's fidelity.

Two years ago I demo'd a $7500 Classe and honestly wondered what the hoopla was about.

 

[jinjuku]

Check out Crowns technology brief on their proprietary Class I tech. Really slick.

What is Class-I Technology?

 

[jinjuku]

the Axiom amp is built by Axiom.

I hate being the one to say this but Axiom isn't exactly known for their Amp engineering chops. I would like to see the Pass Labs compared to an amp with better engineering credentials behind it.

Which Pass amp is being used?

 

[GranteedEV]

the Axiom amp is built by Axiom. I haven't checked out the Crown but if it uses a switching power supply, it's doubtful it will have the SNR and distortion performance of the Pass Labs and Classe amps I am currently testing. In pro audio, that's not as much of a concern though.

RBH will NOT be demoing these speakers at our GTG event but they did hint it's very possible for them to make an EMP version of this speaker if enough consumers bug them to do it

Wait what??

Start with the 4" mids used in the E41-B, and top it off with some nice ~8" woofers... they could probably hit the ~1K/each price-point...i'm assuming~89db/w/m efficiency, and no concessions made for people with wimpy amps.

BTW Gene, are the outer mids part of a .5 way or do they operate across the range?

...By the way Shane Rich if you are reading this....Transducer Labs has a ceramic dome tweeter, the N26C.... *coughcoughcough* available with a glass fibre voice coil former.................

 

[jinjuku]

it's doubtful it will have the SNR and distortion performance of the Pass Labs and Classe amps I am currently testing. In pro audio, that's not as much of a concern though.

The 'In pro audio' is an awfully wide net to cast. I just want to point out a few items of interest:

The I-Tech HD series: SNR is better than 112dB. I don't care what yard stick you want to measure by that is darned impressive for an amp.

Crowns Class I tech has ZERO cross over distortion just like a Class A amplifier.

So the question goes, if this a pro audio amp and that sort of a thing is not much of a concern why make an amp with better than 112dB SNR (full power I believe) and no cross over distortion. It's a push push design.

There are a lot of intelligent engineers out there and I would say some of the work for the likes of Lab Gruppen (Digital Look Ahead signal tracking) and Crown (Class I Push Push).

I would like to setup the I-Tech HD 5000 and the Pass amp side by side.

 

[gene]

Wait what??

Start with the 4" mids used in the E41-B, and top it off with some nice ~8" woofers... they could probably hit the ~1K/each price-point...i'm assuming~89db/w/m efficiency, and no concessions made for people with wimpy amps.

BTW Gene, are the outer mids part of a .5 way or do they operate across the range?

...By the way Shane Rich if you are reading this....Transducer Labs has a ceramic dome tweeter, the N26C.... *coughcoughcough* available with a glass fibre voice coil former.................

The mids are all running the same bandwidth on these speakers. It was tried as a 2.5 way crossover and the sound was less impressive. The design goal of these speakers is to provide the largest ratio of direct sound to reflected sound. By controlling vertical dispersion and creating a huge vertically controlled direct sound wavefront, it makes for a massive soundstage with a great deal of intimacy to the sound. Also you get much better phase integration between the drivers running them in a 2 way crossover opposed to a 2.5 way.

I was skeptical at first but was literally blown away on first listen and even more so everyday with each new listen.

An EMP version, if it ever happens would be more expensive than $1k/each. The engineering involved in the cabinetry alone is very costly. I will throw up some pics during the week.

 

[gene]

The 'In pro audio' is an awfully wide net to cast. I just want to point out a few items of interest:

The I-Tech HD series: SNR is better than 112dB. I don't care what yard stick you want to measure by that is darned impressive for an amp.

Crowns Class I tech has ZERO cross over distortion just like a Class A amplifier.

So the question goes, if this a pro audio amp and that sort of a thing is not much of a concern why make an amp with better than 112dB SNR (full power I believe) and no cross over distortion. It's a push push design.

There are a lot of intelligent engineers out there and I would say some of the work for the likes of Lab Gruppen (Digital Look Ahead signal tracking) and Crown (Class I Push Push).

I would like to setup the I-Tech HD 5000 and the Pass amp side by side.

I am interested in checking out those Crown amps after I catch up with my other reviews. Be careful with SNR measurements as you really need to compare apples to apples (ie. how it was measured, at what power level, etc). I scale SNR back to 1 watt to make a fair comparison.

 

[Adam]

I would love to see a comparison between the Pass (or any amp in that price category) and the less expensive, more efficient amps. I love the looks of the Pass - my goodness, what a beast - but I no longer have any desire to try and lug something that heavy around. The low weight of the Class D amps really has me interested. I just haven't found any yet that have the looks/value to make me bite (doesn't mean that they aren't out there...I just haven't seen them).

 

[ahblaza]

I would love to see a comparison between the Pass (or any amp in that price category) and the less expensive, more efficient amps. I love the looks of the Pass - my goodness, what a beast - but I no longer have any desire to try and lug something that heavy around. The low weight of the Class D amps really has me interested. I just haven't found any yet that have the looks/value to make me bite (doesn't mean that they aren't out there...I just haven't seen them).

Adam, classdaudio.com, complete units, kits and more...........

 

[GranteedEV]

I love the looks of the Pass - my goodness, what a beast - but I no longer have any desire to try and lug something that heavy around. The low weight of the Class D amps really has me interested. I just haven't found any yet that have the looks/value to make me bite (doesn't mean that they aren't out there...I just haven't seen them).

Personally, I want a class D amp with the same heatsinking as a class A amp

Would it be necessary? Not really. In most class D amps, an aluminum case is an adequate heatsink.

But it would effectively run at room temps

I'm just saving up for the NC400 modules with Gene's beloved SMPS. Well, after the currect project is over at least. ;P

Adam, classdaudio.com, complete units, kits and more...........

I'm pretty sure classDaudio.com sells Class AB kits, despite the name.

The mids are all running the same bandwidth on these speakers. It was tried as a 2.5 way crossover and the sound was less impressive. The design goal of these speakers is to provide the largest ratio of direct sound to reflected sound. By controlling vertical dispersion and creating a huge vertically controlled direct sound wavefront, it makes for a massive soundstage with a great deal of intimacy to the sound. Also you get much better phase integration between the drivers running them in a 2 way crossover opposed to a 2.5 way.

That makes sense. Control the ~600hz - ~2khz vertical dispersion, and by the time you get to the tweeter frequencies, carpet/underlay are adequate absorption, and i believe your room has ceiling treatments too. The elevated vertical symmetry probably prevents some of the aggressive "source stretching" typical of a floor-based quasi-line source.

So what do you think of the ScanSpeak 6640? Still think soft domes are the best?

 

[ahblaza]

Class D

Grant to my knowledge and their site all of their kits and complete units are class D, they have a new four channel assembled amp with 300 watts @ 8 Ohms and 600 @ 4, weight 23 lbs.

 

[gene]

That makes sense. Control the ~600hz - ~2khz vertical dispersion, and by the time you get to the tweeter frequencies, carpet/underlay are adequate absorption, and i believe your room has ceiling treatments too. The elevated vertical symmetry probably prevents some of the aggressive "source stretching" typical of a floor-based quasi-line source.

So what do you think of the ScanSpeak 6640? Still think soft domes are the best?

Yep great assessment. My floors are wood but I have a heavy carpeted pad at the first reflection point. My ceiling has 1" absorption with perforated board on top of it.

The Scan Speak Beryllium tweeter is the BEST tweeter I've ever heard. It is as smooth as the Scan Speak 9500 silk dome but even more resolute. I can't believe how much power this tweeter can handle as it seems to know no limits from my listening thus far.

 

[GranteedEV]

Yep great assessment. My floors are wood but I have a heavy carpeted pad at the first reflection point. My ceiling has 1" absorption with perforated board on top of it.

The Scan Speak Beryllium tweeter is the BEST tweeter I've ever heard. It is as smooth as the Scan Speak 9500 silk dome but even more resolute. I can't believe how much power this tweeter can handle as it seems to know no limits from my listening thus far.

Yes that is one of the two dome tweeters on my list of tweeters I will purchase one day (along with the CSS Planar2, Beyma TPL-150, RAAL 70-20XR, TAD TD-2002, Radian 951Be, and Transducer Lab 27B4C... and that one plasma tweeter).....though i'm pretty skeptical any of them will sound any better than the Neo8/RAAL 70-10D combo on my Phil2s ;P

 

[gene]

Yes that is one of the two dome tweeters on my list of tweeters I will purchase one day (along with the CSS Planar2, Beyma TPL-150, RAAL 70-20XR, TAD TD-2002, Radian 951Be, and Transducer Lab 27B4C... and that one plasma tweeter).....though i'm pretty skeptical any of them will sound any better than the Neo8/RAAL 70-10D combo on my Phil2s ;P

With poor implementation, it's possible the benefits of this tweeter won't be realized. With proper execution, you can really make magic with this baby, but at $500/ea it doesn't come cheap.

 

[adk highlander]

Wow those things are monsters. Congrats Gene. I'm not to keen on the look but I'm sure with the way they sound they would grow on me.

So is the Pass amp going to stay or is that in just for review?

 

[gene]

Here are some more images.

Note the inductor on the mids is more massive than most A/V receiver power supplies. The crossover in the bass box is the LPF for the subs. Shane told me with the special damping he used in my boxes, he was able to remove the resistors in the networks!

Note the tweeter motor structure (employing 6 neodymium magnets).

 

[gene]

Wow those things are monsters. Congrats Gene. I'm not to keen on the look but I'm sure with the way they sound they would grow on me.

So is the Pass amp going to stay or is that in just for review?

They look even more impressive in person than can be seen in the images.

No the PAss Labs is just for eval though I dream of one day owning an amp like it.

I also have a Classe CT-2300 in for evaluation and I really like it a lot too!

 

[GranteedEV]

Is it a 12awg foil inductor?
......Do you have any pics of the Status 4" mid?

 

[gene]

Is it a 12awg foil inductor?
......Do you have any pics of the Status 4" mid?

I'd have to check with Shane on the AWG of the inductor.

The mids are 6" not 4". It's the same driver as the Special Edition Signature Series but with the Beryllium cone instead of Aluminum.