Any reviews of the Vifa/Dayton Aluminum MTM Kit?

[abefroeman]

I haven't been able to find a review of this kit. Has anyone tried it? I think it would be fun to get the hands dirty and build this.

 

[abefroeman]

this is for home theater,

thanks

 

[Swerd]

I did hear them briefly about 2 years ago. They seemed good. There was nothing wrong about them that I can remember. I'm sorry I can't be more specific, I was at a DIY speaker builder's meeting, so there were other speakers I remember better.

These speakers are, at 86.5 dB, relatively insensitive, and at 4 ohms impedance, might be a difficult load for most HT receivers to drive. You might need a more powerful and stable amp to drive them at higher volumes. At nearly $500/pair you should be aware of that.

Also note that these speakers are not shielded. For HT, that is a problem only if you put them within 1.5' of a cathode ray tube TV set.

The build quality of the PE cabinets is excellent. Their other kit components and directions are also very good. If this is your first DIY this would be a good way to start. Depending on how good your woodworking is, or your electronic board assembly skills, I could recommend other kits that might be more efficient, but would require you to build cabinets or to layout a crossover board from a skematic.

 

[abefroeman]

I would like to start with a kit that is pretty well assembled, to save time and because it will be assembled in my apartment. I have been considering as many kits in the $500 range as I can find, so your suggestions would be appreciated. These are the ones I am looking at so far:

Audax Front MTM
PE Aluminum MTM Kit
Cygnet MK2
Vifa Big A/V Kit

 

[Swerd]

I would like to start with a kit that is pretty well assembled, to save time and because it will be assembled in my apartment. I have been considering as many kits in the $500 range as I can find, so your suggestions would be appreciated. These are the ones I am looking at so far:

Audax Front MTM
PE Aluminum MTM Kit
Cygnet MK2
Vifa Big A/V Kit

Tough choice… all those are probably pretty good. They have been around for some time, so they have stood the test of time. All are supported by Madisound or PE, both very good kit vendors.

As a personal choice, I am not partial to the sound of polypropylene woofers in the Vifa Big A/V kit and the Cygnet Mk2. I prefer the sound of coated paper or aluminum better. But these are broad generalizations, and the details of a design can make or break it despite the variations in sound due to materials of a cone.

The Cygnet Mk2 is a 2-way design with an 8" woofer and 1" dome tweeter. Most 8" woofers are hard to crossover at high enough frequency to mate well with a 1" tweeter. At a crossover freq of about 2000 Hz a typical 8" has lost much off-axis response. As a result the midrange in the crossover region can sound like there is a hole-in-the-middle, and you don't see many 2-ways with an 8" woofer. Again, this is a generalization, and despite this, both drivers in this kit are made by Seas, which are almost always excellent. I haven't heard this kit, and your preferences may vary from mine.

So, if it were my choice, I would take either the Audax or PE MTM kits. Both use two 6.5" drivers. The Audax aerogel driver cones had a very good reputation. They are no longer available for DIY sales, and the existing stock that Madisound has is all that is left in the US.

Another good MTM kit in your price range is the A/V2 from GR Research. See the web page for more details http://www.gr-research.com/kits/av2.shtm

Hope this helps.

 

[jcPanny]

Bookshelf speakers

For $500, get a use pair of Onix Reference 1's. They include a Vifa tweeter and Atohm mid, and I gaurantee that you won't be able to build a cabinet that looks as good as the real rosewood finish.

Build a sub for a DIY project.