Beta Tester for New El Cheapo Speaker Needed

[afterlife2]

Just saw this. Since I have the T652 tower. I'm am more than willing to do a trade Dennis let me know. Yes Rojo I sent my 52's to Dennis to get them modded last year. Really weird I put the Dayton box in the closet today after having it out in the dining area since I got them last year.

 

[Steve81]

Well I'm back from Dennis' home with my impressions. Dennis had a pair of upgraded T652s hooked up for me as well as stock set of B652s and a single modded B652. Suffice it to say the contrast between the stock B652 and the modded T652 was pretty drastic. Bass aside (which is expected), the stock B652s exhibited a fair degree of hash from the woofer. Conversely I thought the modified T652s did a solid job with Dennis' selections and a pair of tracks from Piano Man which I brought over. Mind, I didn't spend hours upon hours evaluating, but in the time I had I didn't notice anything offensive. Bass, while not extending to subterranean depths provided a tangible kick, and the overall sound was relatively smooth and well balanced to my ears. About the only drawback as Dennis alluded to is the cheap cabinetry; however, given the projected pricing, something had to give.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Thanks for making the trip Steve. In case anyone is wondering why we were comparing the little B652 monitors with the towers, it's because my stock pair of towers didn't arrive until after Steve left. They're not as bad as the monitors. The monitors are case studies in woofer cone breakup. Although the woofers in the T652 look identical to the one in the monitor, they have much higher inductance and the breakup is further down in volume. The problem with the towers is that there's a gap between the main woofer and tweeter output, and some interference where they do overlap. There's less sizzle and more blur. I'll get the towers that just came modded over the weekend and sent out on Monday.

 

[Steve81]

Thanks for making the trip Steve.

Always a pleasure Dennis, and interesting to see all the toys you have on hand. Fortunately, its only a 20 minute drive, so I'm not undertaking a major trek

 

[zieglj01]

So many names come to mind. The Yugo. Biscayne, maybe. Just so long as it's classy.

Well you can always call them Daylight - since you brought them to life.

At least you would have part of the Dayton name in them.

I did not catch this thread, or I would have jumped in - since I have
reviewed 2 of your mods in the pass. However, you have some people
with good ears checking them out.

 

[Steve81]

Well you can always call them Daylight - since you brought them to life.

At least you would have part of the Dayton name in them.

Two Buck Chuck came to mind for me.

 

[zieglj01]

Two Buck Chuck came to mind for me.

That would be an interesting alternative twist.

 

[Thomoz]

Call them "David" since you're building a giant-killer.

I would volunteer to test them, but you guys don't know me or my gear.

A Google search would tell you a fair amount about "Thom Osburn"

Haha, I should make that last sentence my tagline.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

So many names come to mind. The Yugo. Biscayne, maybe. Just so long as it's classy.

And how could I forget the ever-popular Econoline? That's what I'm talking about.

 

[highfigh]

So many names come to mind. The Yugo. Biscayne, maybe. Just so long as it's classy.

Cimarron? The Cavalier of Cadillacs.

Maybe you could employ the marketing tactics of the Dudley Moore movie 'Crazy People', where they cut out all of the BS and described various products honestly. "Volvo- they're boxy, but they're good".

 

[highfigh]

Call them "David" since you're building a giant-killer.

I would volunteer to test them, but you guys don't know me or my gear.

A Google search would tell you a fair amount about "Thom Osburn"

Haha, I should make that last sentence my tagline.

Are you related to Ozzy Osburn?

 

[highfigh]

When I worked at a stereo shop, we used to get all kinds of used speakers and one of the guys was asked (told) to make price tags, with make and model numbers. One of the tags had 'New! CBA-1000, $199' on it. Someone asked what that meant and he said "Could Be Anything".

 

[KEW]

And how could I forget the ever-popular Econoline? That's what I'm talking about.

You could dub them "The Econotowers"!

If you retired the Accurate Audio name, I might suggest "The Alchemy Series" for future products based on modding a pre-existing product.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

You could dub them "The Econotowers"!

If you retired the Accurate Audio name, I might suggest "The Alchemy Series" for future products based on modding a pre-existing product.

Well, we'll see if you come up with any other suggestions when you get them on Wednesday. Anything with "cheesey" in it is a non-starter.

 

[highfigh]

'Fromage'? 'Queso'?

 

[highfigh]

Since the source of cabinets has temporarily killed the project and you plan to bring them back, why not call them 'Lazarus'?

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Since the source of cabinets has temporarily killed the project and you plan to bring them back, why not call them 'Lazarus'?

Way too subtle for my clientele. I'm thinking more Quarter Pounder. Avec Fromage.

 

[rojo]

Call them Smurphs. Or how about Flips, since you're buying cheap, gutting them, and installing modern upgrades, just like flipped real estate?

Sent from my LG-VS980 using Forum Fiend v1.3.1.

 

[highfigh]

Way too subtle for my clientele. I'm thinking more Quarter Pounder. Avec Fromage.

CBA-1000/CBA-2000/CBA-3000 are available- the guy who made the price tags is no longer with us and the store has closed.

 

[KEW]

Dennis,
Nicely done!
Can I just go ahead and buy them?
Or do you need to get this pair back?

Quick and dirty review:
While not as forward as I like, it is a very well-balanced speaker!
Bass is very impressive; much more than the Pioneer FS-52 (if memory serves). I would not need a sub for music. If I understand the mods correctly, you didn't really do anything to enhance the low end except for the bracing to prevent it from getting mushy. I suspect measurements would show a little bass hump in the low end to compensate for not going down to 30Hz, but it is well executed.

The cabinet/construction is definitely one place that costs have been cut, but ultimately, it is the sound that matters and with the bracing and Dennis's mod's, these speakers exhibit great control. I noticed (a precious few) challenging places where some of the finest detail did not come through, but these speakers never made an offensive sound. That is unusual for speakers at $1000/pair, and truly exceptional for a speaker in the $200 range! I am serious about buying them if they are available.

Caveat: Thus far, I have listened critically for about 2 hours. I will post an update after I get more listening time on them (looks like next Tuesday).