Beta Tester for New El Cheapo Speaker Needed

[Dennis Murphy]

Parts Express went and raised my wholesale price for the Andrew Jones Pioneer speakers by 20% across the board, and I've been forced to retire the Affordable Accuracy line. Mostly out of curiosity, I experimented with the super-cheap Parts Express Dayton line--the T652 tower and the little B652 monitor. There was nothing I could do with the, uh, minimalist cabinets other than to put 2 braces into the tower. And the toy tweeter had to go--I found am excellent Vifa unit that's a drop in and allowed me to cross at 2500 Hz. The tower woofers are much better than I thought. They really do go down below 50 Hz, and have much more power handling than the woofs in the Pioneer tower. Who knew. Anyhow, I would like to get some feedback on the tower before I make a decision. (Pricing would be around $175.pr.) If anyone would like to play with them for a week, let me know and I'll ship you a pair and arrange for Fed Ex pickup when you're done. The monitor mod is kind of up in the air. They sound fine, but unless I can find a cheap source for the woofer inductor, the crossover will be too expensive to make them practical.

 

[Steve81]

Hey Dennis,

If you're interested in opinions and have the time, I could stop by Friday or Saturday to give them a whirl.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Hey Dennis,

If you're interested in opinions and have the time, I could stop by Friday or Saturday to give them a whirl.

That would work. I'll be here either day.

 

[Adam]

Dennis, I've always been interested in your designs, but I'm not sure that I'd be a good reviewer. For years, I've been using NHT 1.5s. Do you have any sense of how your new towers might compare to those? Thanks.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Dennis, I've always been interested in your designs, but I'm not sure that I'd be a good reviewer. For years, I've been using NHT 1.5s. Do you have any sense of how your new towers might compare to those? Thanks.

I've never heard the 1.5. My mod for the little Dayton monitor sounds very much like the NHT Super Zero, with perhaps a tad more bass extension. The problem is--my crossover has 9 components, which cost more than the stock Dayton.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I'm far from being expert but it seems like these guys make and sell all kinds of inductors with prices much cheaper than PE.
http://www.coilcraft.com/

 

[Dennis Murphy]

I'm far from being expert but it seems like these guys make and sell all kinds of inductors with prices much cheaper than PE.
http://www.coilcraft.com/

Thanks for the link. I couldn't find any inductors that were meant for passive crossovers--these all appear to be meant for high power applications. What I need is a low-cost 1.5 mH steel laminate or an air core if it's really cheap.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Thanks for the link. I couldn't find any inductors that were meant for passive crossovers--these all appear to be meant for high power applications. What I need is a low-cost 1.5 mH steel laminate or an air core if it's really cheap.

like this one ? : http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/555-25715

btw: what's really cheap means?

 

[Dennis Murphy]

like this one ? : http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/555-25715

btw: what's really cheap means?

That's better, and I appreciate the lead. I really need to find a steel laminate for less than a dollar. I found one source, but the minimum order will probably be too high. The stock Dayton B652's are only about $33/pair retail, and my wholesale price is virtually the same. The new crossover and tweeters will cost a minimum of $45, so obviously I can't sell them for less than $100/pr. They do sound very refined, but the cabinets are really cheap and there ain't muich bass, so I'm not sure they're viable at that price.

 

[KEW]

If you want to send a pair down my way, I'd love to check them out, and could probably get one or two other guys to check them out as well.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

If you want to send a pair down my way, I'd love to check them out, and could probably get one or two other guys to check them out as well.

OK. I'll keep the pair I have up and running for Steve to here when he comes over Friday or Saturday, and I'll put together another pair for you and ship it on Monday. Roughly where are you located?

 

[rojo]

Didn't @afterlife2 get a pair of the Pioneer AA bookshelfs? I can't remember whether his are stock or modded. If modded, he'd be a great person to test the Daytons, comparing and contrasting the Pioneers.

I'd love to hear them myself, but I'm going to visit the in-laws for a week or two and can't commit to quick feedback.

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

 

[Steve81]

Hey Dennis,

Did you see my PM from last night?

 

[KEW]

OK. I'll keep the pair I have up and running for Steve to here when he comes over Friday or Saturday, and I'll put together another pair for you and ship it on Monday. Roughly where are you located?

Georgia, will PM address!

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Hey Dennis,

Did you see my PM from last night?

Just sent you a pm.

 

[highfigh]

That's better, and I appreciate the lead. I really need to find a steel laminate for less than a dollar. I found one source, but the minimum order will probably be too high. The stock Dayton B652's are only about $33/pair retail, and my wholesale price is virtually the same. The new crossover and tweeters will cost a minimum of $45, so obviously I can't sell them for less than $100/pr. They do sound very refined, but the cabinets are really cheap and there ain't muich bass, so I'm not sure they're viable at that price.

I assume you saw the Erse at Parts Express, or are you done buying from them because of the price increase?Too bad it's a lot more than a dollar.

Part # 266-552

Which Vifa tweeter are you using?

 

[tyhjaarpa]

Would be interested but I don't live in states so that is a little problem! Will be nice to see how they are going to be tho.

 

[theJman]

If you still need another volunteer Dennis I might be able to help. I've got all manner of subwoofers here for review, so I can pair your speakers with almost anything you'd like.

 

[slipperybidness]

So.....is El Cheapo gonna be the official name when these go on sale?

Model # L-CHP-0

 

[Dennis Murphy]

So.....is El Cheapo gonna be the official name when these go on sale?

Model # L-CHP-0

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