This La Dolce Audio / Abx-Audiophile DIY baffle is an INSANE performance for the price. 🔥WOW!! You need to build a set ASAP!!! Terry at La Dolce Audio - www.ladolceaudio.com/ Contact Terry for drivers and build your own baffles. Come talk to him live on Discord. THE WORLDS ONLY NON-PROFIT CHARITY REVIEWER!! 100% OF PROCEEDS GO TO YOUTH MUSICAL PROGRAMS OVER $8,500 DONATED TO CHARITY 🔥😍💪 #openbaffle #audiophile #reviewer NEW WEBSITE - abxaudiophiles.org/ DISCORD - discord.gg/U8tkTczn2m PATREON - www.patreon.com/user?u=81133993 INSTAGRAM - instagram.com/abxaudiophile/ UA-cam - ua-cam.com/channels/SHz.html... FACEBOOK- facebook.com/profile.php?... ABX-Audiophiles Playlist on all your streaming services - sdz.sh/eBTib5 Affiliate Links - Emotiva - emotiva.com/?aff=21 Geshelli - geshelli.com/?ref=14 Orchard Audio - orchardaudio.com/abx-audiophi...
I would encourage anyone considering building any version of the baffles to join the discord. Any skill level. The group is very helpful. I built the ABX OG version and I am very pleased with the results. It’s shockingly good. The discord is full of great guys willing to assist you along your build. Great take on the many baffles James. Thank you for the video.
I recently built a pair of the compact baffles.Took my time over several weeks and practiced patience. Made a few mistakes, but my skills definitely improved throughout the project. Very happy with the sound and performance, and i may make a fancier baffle as a project in the future. Live stuff like this. Thanks y’all
Some baffle suppliers at the Capital AudioFest were using baffles that were NOT SQuare to mess with the harmonic phenomenon where the width of the baffle vibrates and sends out a sound wave that is equal to the width of the baffle. By making it shaped and non-square the defeat that problem. Maco from Toronto was working with high quality components and different shapes for their open baffle products. And they also sounded very good.
I went to Capital AudioFest a few weeks ago. Open baffles were being shown quite a bit. Several sounded fantastic, especially the TRIO10 HeilAMT by Pure Audio Project. The AMT tweeter really sparkled.
I traveled to Decfest 2024. I was able to spend 2 days listening to Open Baffles powered by Decware UFO and Sarah. I was blown away by the Caintuck Fast-15’s. They are small (slightly larger than a medium sized subwoofer). I’ve had my Caintuck (Lii Song Fast-15 drivers) for a couple of months and I couldn’t be happier. I’ll be waiting a year or two for my Decware UFO2’s. I’m powering my Open Baffles with a Audiolab 6000a Play Amp. It sounds very good with the Open Baffles but still a couple levels below what I heard at Decware. At Decware there was no problem with a low Sound Stage (though I am experiencing that a bit). My room is not treated and I’m still working on speaker placement. Bottom line, Caintuck/Lii Song can get you awesome sound for about $1,200 (assuming no tariffs) all in. This includes a $175 “notch” (not sure what that does). When I listened at Decware, my impression was “this is all the sound I’ll ever need). So far, I’ve not changed my opinion.
Great video James! Very comprehensive. It should inspire more people to get on board and experience the quality of sound we know and love. Funny to see my mad scientist baffles😅
Love your work, I have to get into this. Been putting all everyone’s ideas through my mind. Have used 5W ceramic resistors instead of the L pad to tame drivers, just cut the pos and test they dry not soldered.
I love the fact that you guys are so passionate about OBs and are pushing the designs forward. What's interesting is that it looks like some of what you're doing is going down the path Linkwitz did in his designs. This goes to show that its the journey and not just the end game that is important.
@@CarlVanDoren61 I got to see them at AXPONA and they did fill the room. Granted the near field experience was better than when in the back of the room. My point was more about some of the experimentation and evolution of designs. That said, Linkwitz speakers are active and need DSP. These OBs don't and that's a huge plus. Also design goals are different. Great sound on a budget. (Well maybe his LXMinis are similar in that respect.)
Thanks for the video, open baffle sure give a dimensional sound that's much more convincing. I built a kit (open baffle line array sealed base hybrids) from GR research. These speakers are a 17 year old design that are a great value and impress me every time I play a great recording.
I would love to see someone like Thomas and stereo audition a set of these! He recently did a video showcasing someone else's diy open baffle setup $1200 in drivers, separate bass drivers from front setup rivaling $100k setups for certain music genres.
If you watch the first three seconds of my video, that’s the guy Thomas was interviewing. His channel is called Hi-Fi cave, which I also mention in the video. His name is Loic and he’s also in our Discord. He will be building a pair and reviewing this year. I am sure that Thomas will come over and do the same. 👏🏼👏🏼😁😁
I love this collaborative design experimant. Everyone has a shared objective that can potentially help us all get closer to perfect hifi. No competition... let the good ideas prevail and the obsolete assumptions die.
Has anyone played with a super tweeter? I’ve heard that if you cross it over above 20k-25k you can’t hear it but it will compress and amplify the higher octaves that you can hear giving you a more open and lively sound. Not screechy or in your face just give more presence.
After I heard the Qualio IQ- I started getting interested in these designs. The Qualio uses a super tweeter- and marries the OB concept in the mids and Tweeter, to a box bass, allowing you to get a lot of bass sound with a much smaller driver. I think the open sound stage really comes from the mids anyway…
It would be really interesting if you built a baffle with the Lii Audio drivers, I'm sure a comparison between the La dolce and the Lii would be something a ton of your viewers would be super interested in!
Heck yea. The lii Audio will be pretty genre specific and fall apart on complex passages. The LDA drivers and baffles are full range and dynamic from 30hz to 20Khz. 😃😃
Hi James @@abxaudiophiles, that’s what I learned from Loic as well: but do you think this is because of LDS vs LiiSong or because of 2-way/coax vs full-range?
Terrific video! Those projects look pretty exciting. I am new to OB DIY and am quite lost as to where to start the journey given the multiple versions, sizes and drivers available. I currently use Magnepan 1.7 speakers and really enjoy the open and airy sound but am looking for some bass and an easier load to drive. Perhaps the newest version of the OG baffle?
Am also a long time Maggie lover and so intrigued to make these. I'm a cabinetmaker🎉. How do they compete with the 2.6/R or 3.7i? I'm guessing they have better bass but what else...
Just found your channel very good I love your style I actually really love open baffle speakers from watching Ron over at new record day. I watched all of your videos in the last year or so you have reviewed some very fine speakers very expensive speakers are you saying these open baffle speakers are better than any of the speakers that you have in your home or reviewed. Thanks looking forward to your response
@@RocknRonni Welcome! Glad you checked us out. I think one of the tell tale signs of a reviewer is what he has in his main system when the camera is not on…. I had the opportunity to easily own any of the speakers I’ve reviewed. The only speaker I actually kept and is my reference tower speaker is the Dynaudio Evoke 50, that tower give me what I want in a speaker. But if you walked into my listening room right this moment, you would see my baffles. They give me the best sound I have heard to this date. When I’m not reviewing, my baffles are in the system, and when I am reviewing, I am missing them.. Hope that helps. Cheers. 🍻
This is exactly the video I need! I'm in the process of looking into making a pair of open baffle speakers and feel like it's over complicated. So thank you for making it sound simple. I'm trying to find the schematic of the crossover that you are referring to but I couldn't find it as well as not able to join the discord group. Can you please help me with both?
Loic stated that Magnapan speakers were his reference goal for his latest OB. How do these DIY baffles compare? I would guess imaging is way better due to the cone drivers. Maybe an A/B test in the future? hmmm?!
Sounds like a good idea! I have heard magnapans and they are great. I prefer our baffles in all cases, but I could be biased, and easily so. But I try to remain pretty aware of those things. The ABX/LDA baffles are much more well rounded from 30hz to 20k in my mind.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but currently MAGNAPAN is working with an engineer in adding subwoofers w/crossover units with its speakers. They are finally listening to why people dislike Maggie's. The sound quality is incredibly improved but at a much higher price. Thanks for sharing.
I've joined the Discord but since my computer goes through Firewalls in the Cloud they don't like that my IP constantly changes. Discord on my phone is next to impossible to read or find anything. I'm interested in building the Budget Baffles. Where can i find the plans and the caps or chokes needed? I have a pair of Heresy 4 horn tweeters laying around so was going to try them with a 12 inch.
If you need bass below 30hz a sub is good, I don't run a sub. You will need a quick, dynamic, and musical sub fore sure!! No SVS here would be my advice
@@johnalexander4946 I’d say, jump in our discord and talk to the handfuls of people who have sold their 15K and under speakers once they built the baffles. And we did post quite a few comparison videos in the discord. At this point it’s not just me saying this, as it’s been two years since we built these baffles. We’ve got about 50 members who have done so and have repeatedly found the same results. 😊😊.
Is there really any need to take that tone? It’s so easy to make negative comments but decent adults have learned how to check ourselves before they press that “send” button. You should remember that you are watching someone else’s efforts here… for free!
@@TheDjcarlos67 Wow... you should be VERY careful on the internet...hell, life in general, as you must be quite easily triggered in everyday life to get negativity from my post.... poor guy.
@@abxaudiophiles New to your channel and after reading all about how much you like OB speakers, I was surprised to see box style speakers in the background... no ill meaning to my post, just a little perplexed.
Open baffle is a completely different characteristic sound and in my opinion, its far superior to any conventional box. I've never heard a conventional box speaker at any price that can match a well designed and optimized open baffle system. You're statement really shouldn't be, "$10,000" or, "$15000", it should be, "Blows away conventional boxes regardless of price". My two channel system utilizes two MCM 12" woofers that were $14/ea when I bought them around 2015. I think they are around $20 and change now. They produce cleaner tighter bass than most high end conventional box speakers. The mid-range is an 8" Tang-Band full range and the tweeter an AMT-Pro4. They look like crap, I threw them together in an apartment with limited tools but I wouldn't trade them for any high-end commercially built box speaker I've ever heard. As for bass, open baffle bass is far more natural sounding than any box, especially ported boxes. The bass is cleaner, tighter, more musical and this can be achieved with inexpensive drivers. I've been building open baffle for just about 30 years and I could never go back to conventional box especially for critical music listening. The CBT line arrays I built for my home theater are all open baffle. The only thing in my theater that isn't open baffle are the subwoofers and they are infinite baffle which is the 2nd best approach to bass. You are not familiar with Altec Lansing? They practically invented loudspeakers. Until the mid 1980's or so, probably 75% of commercial cinemas had Altec, "Voice of the Theater" speakers behind the screen. The Altec's in your video are the 846B, I grew up with a pair of those in the living room. Unfortunately Altec Lansing consumer products went out of business in the mid 1980's and pro audio in the late 1990's. The name was purchased by Spark-o-matic and that's what became the little plastic PC speakers you see today with the Altec name.
Good stuff!! You should come hang out with us in Discord... :) When I say "not familiar" just means I have never owned a pair or really auditioned them.. Cheers and thank you for all the great info!! You are SPOT ON...
Thanks for the info... That gives me optimism. I'm about to try building a pair with cheap drivers. Generic 15" with dayton RS100P as mid and top. My ears cut off at 10k so I'm not going to bother with tweeters.
@@abxaudiophiles sure I would like that…I have the Pass XA-25 and pass preamp and a couple dacs Denafrips Venus and New Ontech Dac 07 from the Netherlands…I live close to Graham…
Always enjoy and inspired by your ob videos. This gives the opportunity to resource tight enthusiast to have a stab at quality sound with affordable investment. May I know where to get the choke and the 3.3uf capacitors. Thanks
@@abxaudiophileshi I went over to the LDA website...under "crossover" it states "coming soon". If it is not an inconvenient hope you don't mind pointing me to your crossover page as I also tried the abxaudiophiles website with no luck. Thanks
I am curious if anyone is utilizing these types of speakers in a two channel home audio system for watching movies? My speakers have two serve dual purpose due to limited space.
Tell me what happens to the rear wave coming out of the woofer.??? It is out of phase and will go bouncing around the room.???. Apart from that I am listening. You could half-round the edges of all the baffle types. Also it would be safer for the little ones when they are poking holes in your speakers.
If Loic slot-loaded his Lii Song W15 drivers, how would that sound? Have you, and/or persons in the ABX discord, trialed any other drivers other than La Dolce?
Yea we have tried a handful of drivers.. Slot loading is for a specific reason based on specific things about a driver, it really does not just copy and paste to all drivers. :)
James, I was wondering if you or somebody in your crew could give your viewers an explanation behind the science of slot loading and why it benefits these open baffle designs. Up until til your videos, I was concerned about the acoustic hindrances that mere cloth grills were having on the sound. Now you're telling me to actually block off significant amounts of the drivers with hard wood. Don't get me wrong; I believe there are good reasons why you and a growing number of people are implementing it. It's just that it runs counterintuitive to one's thinking. Thanks for any clarification you can add.
Man… you and me both buddy!! It boggles my mind my brain and goes against everything I’ve been told or thought. 🙂 In this case the slot loading on these specific drivers adjusts the QTs to our desired .707, increases sensitivity to match the 15 coax and gives us a nice 3db bass shelf down to about 32hz…. I know it makes the brain hurt, but damn if it isn’t truth. 😊😊
For somebody that is not very handy, not very rich, but appreciates good sound, which plan do you recommend following? Some of these versions look cool but are way out of my skill level. Edit: I should add, I do want bass though.
You cannot get the same bass from the same drivers in open baffle compared to bass reflex so it’s not really a lie is it? I get sub 30hz from one 12” full range driver in a 270 litre bass reflex cabinet. Yes they sound different but different is not better. An iPhone placed in a bucket playing Spotify can sound great! Maybe that's a $20k hifi system destroyer?🤣
Well of course you can’t get the same bass from the same speaker placing it in a cab vs baffle. That makes sense. But you can get sub 30hz bass from a speaker designed to do so in a baffle designed for the driver. Baffle bass in my experience gives a much more organic, and natural bass with better texture and detail. Just is what it is really, and until someone actually hears these speakers it’s just all speculation and assumption really. Cheers. 🍻
I'm not a fan of the hype. If the content is good, then you don't need it. Anyway, I run Magnepan LRSs with DIY 18" dipole woofers, crossing over using a Minidsp SHD. I'm super happy with the system. OB can certainly do bass. Just think of the Apogee, Carver Amazing, and many other dipole bass systems....Yes, they don't give as much output as a well-designed box system with a comparable driver, but OB also activate room modes much less than a box design. I prefer my OB bass in my room to any of the box speakers that I've owned.
@@CarlVanDoren61 - Well, I have heard a lot of open baffles, many many different characteristics and sound profiles. I think just like box speakers, they all sound different. Maybe just never heard the right pair under the right scenario. Lots of variables at play. I would never say I don't like a thing as a whole, heard baffles I did and didn't like, as well as speakers, amps, dacs, pre amps, DACS's, you name it.. :)
You probably beat out MAGNAPAN's future speaker system of adding subs w/crossover units. They are currently working with an engineer and the sound quality is incredible, but at a much higher price. Thanks for sharing.
Why do people use metal in these construction projects, use copper and wood etc. dudes, the ring will be a lot lower, also round a curve on the inside, where you place the speakers, see ya
without EQ the baffle size decides the rolloff, you can never get low-end from a passive dipole. you may believe that you have, but you dont. 30hz? forget it.
You're wrong! Obviously you have not heard slot loaded OB 18" bass drivers. Just because you have never done it, doesn't mean it can't be done. It's been done very successfully.
when will you people understand that it does NOT matter what people think they hear. no low-end is possible with loads of EQ. go measure your speaker anechoic and we will both see. also i had the silver iris myself, its one of the worst speakers iv ever listened to. i have seen the hypetrain countless times over the past 20years and its the same every time. new fancy, some mystery properties -gone within a few months when good speakers are tried.
This La Dolce Audio / Abx-Audiophile DIY baffle is an INSANE performance for the price.
🔥WOW!! You need to build a set ASAP!!!
Terry at La Dolce Audio - www.ladolceaudio.com/
Contact Terry for drivers and build your own baffles.
Come talk to him live on Discord.
THE WORLDS ONLY NON-PROFIT CHARITY REVIEWER!!
100% OF PROCEEDS GO TO YOUTH MUSICAL PROGRAMS
OVER $8,500 DONATED TO CHARITY 🔥😍💪
#openbaffle #audiophile #reviewer
NEW WEBSITE -
abxaudiophiles.org/
DISCORD -
discord.gg/U8tkTczn2m
PATREON -
www.patreon.com/user?u=81133993
INSTAGRAM -
instagram.com/abxaudiophile/
UA-cam -
ua-cam.com/channels/SHz.html...
FACEBOOK-
facebook.com/profile.php?...
ABX-Audiophiles Playlist on all your streaming services -
sdz.sh/eBTib5
Affiliate Links -
Emotiva - emotiva.com/?aff=21
Geshelli - geshelli.com/?ref=14
Orchard Audio - orchardaudio.com/abx-audiophi...
I would encourage anyone considering building any version of the baffles to join the discord. Any skill level. The group is very helpful. I built the ABX OG version and I am very pleased with the results. It’s shockingly good. The discord is full of great guys willing to assist you along your build. Great take on the many baffles James. Thank you for the video.
Thank you. 🙏🏼
I recently built a pair of the compact baffles.Took my time over several weeks and practiced patience. Made a few mistakes, but my skills definitely improved throughout the project. Very happy with the sound and performance, and i may make a fancier baffle as a project in the future. Live stuff like this. Thanks y’all
Heck yea!! 🥰🥰
Some baffle suppliers at the Capital AudioFest were using baffles that were NOT SQuare to mess with the harmonic phenomenon where the width of the baffle vibrates and sends out a sound wave that is equal to the width of the baffle. By making it shaped and non-square the defeat that problem. Maco from Toronto was working with high quality components and different shapes for their open baffle products. And they also sounded very good.
I have heard them all.. Good stuff. ;)
Maco also got caught for using hidden subwoofers at caf im pretty sure.
@
Yea, our baffles don’t need subs. 😊😊
I went to Capital AudioFest a few weeks ago. Open baffles were being shown quite a bit. Several sounded fantastic, especially the TRIO10 HeilAMT by Pure Audio Project. The AMT tweeter really sparkled.
We had a room at Pacific Audio Fest, and many said our baffles were the best in the show. ;) Lots of those brands were there. Wink. ;)
Fantastic, James! Really comprehensive, just what I needed. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
I traveled to Decfest 2024. I was able to spend 2 days listening to Open Baffles powered by Decware UFO and Sarah.
I was blown away by the Caintuck Fast-15’s. They are small (slightly larger than a medium sized subwoofer).
I’ve had my Caintuck (Lii Song Fast-15 drivers) for a couple of months and I couldn’t be happier. I’ll be waiting a year or two for my Decware UFO2’s. I’m powering my Open Baffles with a Audiolab 6000a Play Amp. It sounds very good with the Open Baffles but still a couple levels below what I heard at Decware.
At Decware there was no problem with a low Sound Stage (though I am experiencing that a bit). My room is not treated and I’m still working on speaker placement.
Bottom line, Caintuck/Lii Song can get you awesome sound for about $1,200 (assuming no tariffs) all in. This includes a $175 “notch” (not sure what that does).
When I listened at Decware, my impression was “this is all the sound I’ll ever need). So far, I’ve not changed my opinion.
@@RobertClements-z9r
Great stuff. Heard a bunch of it. Would not consider much of it true full range like our baffles. They’re next level. 😊😊😉👌
Excited to see where you guys get with the baby baffles. Would be an ideal DIY opportunity for my room. Great content, thank you.
Our pleasure!
Great video James! Very comprehensive. It should inspire more people to get on board and experience the quality of sound we know and love. Funny to see my mad scientist baffles😅
Glad you enjoyed it! Fun stuff. 🤣🤣
Love your work, I have to get into this. Been putting all everyone’s ideas through my mind. Have used 5W ceramic resistors instead of the L pad to tame drivers, just cut the pos and test they dry not soldered.
We’re here for ya. 😊🙏🏼
Hahahahahahahahahhaha was that me in the first 3 seconds???
Luv ya man! Hilarious.
I was hoping you would catch it. 🤣🤣🤣
You think other youtubers will make videos about our feud now?
@@hificave 100%
Very inspiring content
Excellent
Having a smaller space, the Baby Baffles makes a lot of sense to me
Thank you! - It was hard to keep it all straight in my mind, so much damn info... HA
I love the fact that you guys are so passionate about OBs and are pushing the designs forward.
What's interesting is that it looks like some of what you're doing is going down the path Linkwitz did in his designs.
This goes to show that its the journey and not just the end game that is important.
@@CarlVanDoren61
I got to see them at AXPONA and they did fill the room. Granted the near field experience was better than when in the back of the room.
My point was more about some of the experimentation and evolution of designs.
That said, Linkwitz speakers are active and need DSP.
These OBs don't and that's a huge plus. Also design goals are different. Great sound on a budget. (Well maybe his LXMinis are similar in that respect.)
Just purchased the speakers and wood. Starting out as soon as the speakers arrive.
NICE!!!! Keep us posted.
Thanks for the video, open baffle sure give a dimensional sound that's much more convincing. I built a kit (open baffle line array sealed base hybrids) from GR research. These speakers are a 17 year old design that are a great value and impress me every time I play a great recording.
Sounds great!😊
I would love to see someone like Thomas and stereo audition a set of these! He recently did a video showcasing someone else's diy open baffle setup $1200 in drivers, separate bass drivers from front setup rivaling $100k setups for certain music genres.
If you watch the first three seconds of my video, that’s the guy Thomas was interviewing. His channel is called Hi-Fi cave, which I also mention in the video. His name is Loic and he’s also in our Discord. He will be building a pair and reviewing this year. I am sure that Thomas will come over and do the same. 👏🏼👏🏼😁😁
Oh wow nice, I recognize him now! Cool that would be an awesome video. Love the concept of these speakers, thanks for taking on this endeavor
@@mcjonner it’s our pleasure. 😁👏🏼👏🏼
Great rundown on the project so far
Thank you sir.
I love this collaborative design experimant. Everyone has a shared objective that can potentially help us all get closer to perfect hifi.
No competition... let the good ideas prevail and the obsolete assumptions die.
Totally!!! You get it. 😊😊
Has anyone played with a super tweeter? I’ve heard that if you cross it over above 20k-25k you can’t hear it but it will compress and amplify the higher octaves that you can hear giving you a more open and lively sound. Not screechy or in your face just give more presence.
We talk about it often, but never have.
After I heard the Qualio IQ- I started getting interested in these designs. The Qualio uses a super tweeter- and marries the OB concept in the mids and Tweeter, to a box bass, allowing you to get a lot of bass sound with a much smaller driver. I think the open sound stage really comes from the mids anyway…
Be great if you could actually hear them and do a comparison 🎉
I really need to try a pair of open baffles. I come from planar speakers so im hoping it should be similar.
You’ll be in heaven.
Great content my friend. Thanks.
Thank you sir!! :)
It would be really interesting if you built a baffle with the Lii Audio drivers, I'm sure a comparison between the La dolce and the Lii would be something a ton of your viewers would be super interested in!
Heck yea. The lii Audio will be pretty genre specific and fall apart on complex passages. The LDA drivers and baffles are full range and dynamic from 30hz to 20Khz. 😃😃
@@abxaudiophiles that makes total sense.
I'm going to jump back into the discord those compact baffles look like the way to go for me.
@@chelillingworth9466 awesome. We will see ya there. 👌👌
Hi James @@abxaudiophiles, that’s what I learned from Loic as well: but do you think this is because of LDS vs LiiSong or because of 2-way/coax vs full-range?
Terrific video! Those projects look pretty exciting. I am new to OB DIY and am quite lost as to where to start the journey given the multiple versions, sizes and drivers available. I currently use Magnepan 1.7 speakers and really enjoy the open and airy sound but am looking for some bass and an easier load to drive. Perhaps the newest version of the OG baffle?
Very cool! Thanks!! Newest version of the OG is my jam!! Love it. 😊
Am also a long time Maggie lover and so intrigued to make these.
I'm a cabinetmaker🎉.
How do they compete with the 2.6/R or 3.7i?
I'm guessing they have better bass but what else...
Just found your channel very good I love your style
I actually really love open baffle speakers from watching Ron over at new record day.
I watched all of your videos in the last year or so you have reviewed some very fine speakers very expensive speakers are you saying these open baffle speakers are better than any of the speakers that you have in your home or reviewed. Thanks looking forward to your response
@@RocknRonni
Welcome! Glad you checked us out.
I think one of the tell tale signs of a reviewer is what he has in his main system when the camera is not on….
I had the opportunity to easily own any of the speakers I’ve reviewed. The only speaker I actually kept and is my reference tower speaker is the Dynaudio Evoke 50, that tower give me what I want in a speaker.
But if you walked into my listening room right this moment, you would see my baffles. They give me the best sound I have heard to this date. When I’m not reviewing, my baffles are in the system, and when I am reviewing, I am missing them..
Hope that helps. Cheers. 🍻
@@abxaudiophiles Yes it does help Thanks for answering the question.
This is exactly the video I need! I'm in the process of looking into making a pair of open baffle speakers and feel like it's over complicated. So thank you for making it sound simple. I'm trying to find the schematic of the crossover that you are referring to but I couldn't find it as well as not able to join the discord group. Can you please help me with both?
Oh, I found my way around on both now.
@@montreetechapapa1679 Awesome!! Jump in the discord for sure! :)
Loic stated that Magnapan speakers were his reference goal for his latest OB. How do these DIY baffles compare? I would guess imaging is way better due to the cone drivers. Maybe an A/B test in the future? hmmm?!
Sounds like a good idea! I have heard magnapans and they are great. I prefer our baffles in all cases, but I could be biased, and easily so. But I try to remain pretty aware of those things. The ABX/LDA baffles are much more well rounded from 30hz to 20k in my mind.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but currently
MAGNAPAN is working with an engineer in adding subwoofers w/crossover units with its speakers. They are finally listening to why people dislike Maggie's. The sound quality is incredibly improved but at a much higher price. Thanks for sharing.
@@walterpen371 You are welcome.. :)
I like the baby baffle lot easier to manage and fit into a system.
Totally. 👍🏼 Pros and Cons to each build. 😊😊
I've joined the Discord but since my computer goes through Firewalls in the Cloud they don't like that my IP constantly changes. Discord on my phone is next to impossible to read or find anything. I'm interested in building the Budget Baffles. Where can i find the plans and the caps or chokes needed? I have a pair of Heresy 4 horn tweeters laying around so was going to try them with a 12 inch.
My website or LDA website. Both listed in the description
Does adding a subwoofer to the mix help, hurt or make no difference in the overall sound?
If you need bass below 30hz a sub is good, I don't run a sub. You will need a quick, dynamic, and musical sub fore sure!! No SVS here would be my advice
Love the info in this video.! How versatile are these with different types of music?
Thanks
You are welcome! Thank you. :)
Please post a video with sound samples comparing your DIY to $15k speakers
@@johnalexander4946
I’d say, jump in our discord and talk to the handfuls of people who have sold their 15K and under speakers once they built the baffles. And we did post quite a few comparison videos in the discord. At this point it’s not just me saying this, as it’s been two years since we built these baffles. We’ve got about 50 members who have done so and have repeatedly found the same results. 😊😊.
@@abxaudiophiles
All the hype for DIY open baffle speakers, then what is with the two different pairs of box speakers behind you?
Uhhhh. I’m a reviewer. I have 16 pairs of speakers In house. What do you even mean?
Is there really any need to take that tone? It’s so easy to make negative comments but decent adults have learned how to check ourselves before they press that “send” button. You should remember that you are watching someone else’s efforts here… for free!
@@TheDjcarlos67 - Well said sir.. :)
@@TheDjcarlos67 Wow... you should be VERY careful on the internet...hell, life in general, as you must be quite easily triggered in everyday life to get negativity from my post.... poor guy.
@@abxaudiophiles New to your channel and after reading all about how much you like OB speakers, I was surprised to see box style speakers in the background... no ill meaning to my post, just a little perplexed.
Open baffle is a completely different characteristic sound and in my opinion, its far superior to any conventional box. I've never heard a conventional box speaker at any price that can match a well designed and optimized open baffle system. You're statement really shouldn't be, "$10,000" or, "$15000", it should be, "Blows away conventional boxes regardless of price".
My two channel system utilizes two MCM 12" woofers that were $14/ea when I bought them around 2015. I think they are around $20 and change now. They produce cleaner tighter bass than most high end conventional box speakers. The mid-range is an 8" Tang-Band full range and the tweeter an AMT-Pro4. They look like crap, I threw them together in an apartment with limited tools but I wouldn't trade them for any high-end commercially built box speaker I've ever heard.
As for bass, open baffle bass is far more natural sounding than any box, especially ported boxes. The bass is cleaner, tighter, more musical and this can be achieved with inexpensive drivers.
I've been building open baffle for just about 30 years and I could never go back to conventional box especially for critical music listening. The CBT line arrays I built for my home theater are all open baffle. The only thing in my theater that isn't open baffle are the subwoofers and they are infinite baffle which is the 2nd best approach to bass.
You are not familiar with Altec Lansing? They practically invented loudspeakers. Until the mid 1980's or so, probably 75% of commercial cinemas had Altec, "Voice of the Theater" speakers behind the screen. The Altec's in your video are the 846B, I grew up with a pair of those in the living room. Unfortunately Altec Lansing consumer products went out of business in the mid 1980's and pro audio in the late 1990's. The name was purchased by Spark-o-matic and that's what became the little plastic PC speakers you see today with the Altec name.
Good stuff!! You should come hang out with us in Discord... :) When I say "not familiar" just means I have never owned a pair or really auditioned them.. Cheers and thank you for all the great info!! You are SPOT ON...
Thanks for the info... That gives me optimism. I'm about to try building a pair with cheap drivers. Generic 15" with dayton RS100P as mid and top. My ears cut off at 10k so I'm not going to bother with tweeters.
THAT'S THE WAY YOU DO IT BABY! Kenman
LETS GO!!!! 🤩🤩🤩
Where is the forum or best place to share thoughts and plans to build a pair od OB speakers? Thanks
Discord link in the description
@@abxaudiophiles Thank you, I did register with discord but cannot activate my account because the I didn't receive any confirmation email
I just ordered the Volti Razz should be interesting to see how it sounds and build quality compared to the Forte IVs I have…Charles in Puyallup
We need to hook up when you get the razz. I could bring my modded forte too.
Have you heard them at shows?
Yep. Loved em.
@@abxaudiophiles sure I would like that…I have the Pass XA-25 and pass preamp and a couple dacs Denafrips Venus and New Ontech Dac 07 from the Netherlands…I live close to Graham…
@@abxaudiophiles should get the Razz end of next week, Greg the owner has to burn it in for 100 hrs before shipping
Always enjoy and inspired by your ob videos. This gives the opportunity to resource tight enthusiast to have a stab at quality sound with affordable investment. May I know where to get the choke and the 3.3uf capacitors. Thanks
Parts express mostly. And eBay. The crossover order sheet is on our website. Let me know if I can help more.
@@abxaudiophiles thanks 👍...can you pont me to the website for the crossover thanks again
@@johnsnowlow1883 crossover parts are on my website and LDA website as the video shared. 🙏🏼🙏🏼👏🏼
@@abxaudiophileshi I went over to the LDA website...under "crossover" it states "coming soon". If it is not an inconvenient hope you don't mind pointing me to your crossover page as I also tried the abxaudiophiles website with no luck. Thanks
I am curious if anyone is utilizing these types of speakers in a two channel home audio system for watching movies? My speakers have two serve dual purpose due to limited space.
I had them in my home theater and they’re fantastic really.
Super cool stuff guys
Thank you. 🙏🏼
Is there a genre of music you prefer to pair these with, or are they a proverbial swiss army knife?
They are one of the least genre-specific baffles I have heard, covering everything from Bach to Zeppelin, Megadeath to Coltraine.
Tell me what happens to the rear wave coming out of the woofer.??? It is out of phase and will go bouncing around the room.???. Apart from that I am listening. You could half-round the edges of all the baffle types. Also it would be safer for the little ones when they are poking holes in your speakers.
@@acimbobby sounds awesome.
If Loic slot-loaded his Lii Song W15 drivers, how would that sound? Have you, and/or persons in the ABX discord, trialed any other drivers other than La Dolce?
Yea we have tried a handful of drivers.. Slot loading is for a specific reason based on specific things about a driver, it really does not just copy and paste to all drivers. :)
@@abxaudiophiles how much lower does your speakers go vs the driver spec.s? All of this is really interesting!
@@pfunk34 It’s more about adjusting the qts and sensitivity.
How do you contact Terry , I have been to Ladolcea Audio and I do not see a place to contact him ?
He’s in our discord. Other than that I’m not sure. No “contact us” on his website?
I started a discord account but where do I go from here. Can not figure how get into your discord account? I am 72 and not a computer person.
@@greglucas5194 - discord.gg/saEcRRZW
@@abxaudiophiles Thanks for your help.
@@greglucas5194 Anytime.
Do we have to run these through tube equipment? How do they sound through solid state ?
My atoll class AB and Orchard Audio GaN class D sounds excellent. These baffles are NOT gear or genre-specific.
Great vid!
Thank you 😊😊👌👌
Are these baffles leaning/tilting a little backwards? Or are they vertical? BTW; great video! Regards from the Netherlands.
@@delaporte1230 vertical. Thanks for watching 😉🥰🥰🥰
I hope this is helpful. Have a blessed day, Kenman
Always!! Thank you 🙏🏼
James, I was wondering if you or somebody in your crew could give your viewers an explanation behind the science of slot loading and why it benefits these open baffle designs. Up until til your videos, I was concerned about the acoustic hindrances that mere cloth grills were having on the sound. Now you're telling me to actually block off significant amounts of the drivers with hard wood. Don't get me wrong; I believe there are good reasons why you and a growing number of people are implementing it. It's just that it runs counterintuitive to one's thinking. Thanks for any clarification you can add.
Man… you and me both buddy!! It boggles my mind my brain and goes against everything I’ve been told or thought. 🙂
In this case the slot loading on these specific drivers adjusts the QTs to our desired .707, increases sensitivity to match the 15 coax and gives us a nice 3db bass shelf down to about 32hz…. I know it makes the brain hurt, but damn if it isn’t truth. 😊😊
For somebody that is not very handy, not very rich, but appreciates good sound, which plan do you recommend following? Some of these versions look cool but are way out of my skill level.
Edit: I should add, I do want bass though.
I would say build the OG!! Check out my build video I did with the same thumb nail. Also just let me know if I can help. I’m always here
@@abxaudiophiles Thank you very much! It will be a stretch for my skills but I think I'd like to give this a try. I enjoy your videos.
Sorry, where is the tweeter.... 😅
It is a compression horn tweeter and is mounted to the rear of the coax 15". Clearly, you spent ZERO time watching the review...LOL
Just the back in equipment is expensive.
I have rocked these with the FOSI ZA3 mono blocks and a SMSL DAC.. Rock and Roll.
awsome stuff
Thank you. 🙏🏼
You cannot get the same bass from the same drivers in open baffle compared to bass reflex so it’s not really a lie is it? I get sub 30hz from one 12” full range driver in a 270 litre bass reflex cabinet. Yes they sound different but different is not better. An iPhone placed in a bucket playing Spotify can sound great! Maybe that's a $20k hifi system destroyer?🤣
Well of course you can’t get the same bass from the same speaker placing it in a cab vs baffle. That makes sense. But you can get sub 30hz bass from a speaker designed to do so in a baffle designed for the driver. Baffle bass in my experience gives a much more organic, and natural bass with better texture and detail. Just is what it is really, and until someone actually hears these speakers it’s just all speculation and assumption really. Cheers. 🍻
I'm not a fan of the hype. If the content is good, then you don't need it. Anyway, I run Magnepan LRSs with DIY 18" dipole woofers, crossing over using a Minidsp SHD. I'm super happy with the system. OB can certainly do bass. Just think of the Apogee, Carver Amazing, and many other dipole bass systems....Yes, they don't give as much output as a well-designed box system with a comparable driver, but OB also activate room modes much less than a box design. I prefer my OB bass in my room to any of the box speakers that I've owned.
Well said sir. 🙏🏼😊
@@CarlVanDoren61 - Well, I have heard a lot of open baffles, many many different characteristics and sound profiles. I think just like box speakers, they all sound different. Maybe just never heard the right pair under the right scenario. Lots of variables at play. I would never say I don't like a thing as a whole, heard baffles I did and didn't like, as well as speakers, amps, dacs, pre amps, DACS's, you name it.. :)
You probably beat out MAGNAPAN's future speaker system of adding subs w/crossover units. They are currently working with an engineer and the sound quality is incredible, but at a much higher price. Thanks for sharing.
@@walterpen371 - You may be right, and you are welcome... :)
Why do people use metal in these construction projects, use copper and wood etc. dudes, the ring will be a lot lower,
also round a curve on the inside, where you place the speakers, see ya
Yea we do all of that and more. Great comment. See ya in discord.
Pie-zo
Thank you
without EQ the baffle size decides the rolloff, you can never get low-end from a passive dipole. you may believe that you have, but you dont. 30hz? forget it.
You're wrong! Obviously you have not heard slot loaded OB 18" bass drivers. Just because you have never done it, doesn't mean it can't be done. It's been done very successfully.
Always gonna be couch cryers who blab from the seats with zero work put in. ⬆️. Meh, what ya gonna do? Can’t change some.
Couch criers...Lol😅
@@RonaldHeal-j6f 😭😤😭😤. They get all puffed up because our actual experience doesn’t align with their narrative and belief. 😆
when will you people understand that it does NOT matter what people think they hear. no low-end is possible with loads of EQ. go measure your speaker anechoic and we will both see. also i had the silver iris myself, its one of the worst speakers iv ever listened to. i have seen the hypetrain countless times over the past 20years and its the same every time. new fancy, some mystery properties -gone within a few months when good speakers are tried.