e-Lips

[richidoo]

Thanks for the offer Charles. Is it a loose ribbon element, or is it a whole tweeter assembly with magnets and frame, etc? I don't really know how Maggies are built, but I thought the ribbons all shared one frame.  I can't use it but it sounds interesting.

Keep smiling, spring is almost there!  It's already here...

[tmazz]

Hey Rich, Did you see the Orion 4.0 speakers at Axpona Atlanta?they have an interesting method for stabilizing heavy drives in an open baffle design.



Of course interesting in theory (and to look at) means nothing if the speaker does not sound good. I was wondering if you had a chance to sit down and listen to them.

For those of us that could not make it to Atlanta here is a link to their website.:

http://www.theorionspeakers.com/speakers-and-cabinets/release-orion-4.html

If you are interested and in the Northeast be aware that Orion's parent company Wood Artistry L.L.C is scheduled to be an exhibitor at the Axpona show in NY this June.

[richidoo]

I did stick my head in there for a quickie. I am a sucker for over the top hyperbole like Linkwitz preaching to his choir. I do hope that Orion's potential will someday be revealed. I was disappointed but not surprised that it sounded similar to the other 3 times I have heard them. Ultra clean and dense tone, music is coherent and very literal, no euphonic distortions - but lacking microdynamics, excitement and life.

I attribute the lifelessness to the ultra complex analog crossover with many high feedback opamp buffers and standard quality passive components, and the ultra high feedback Bryston 9BSST2 amps used in this demo. Too much negative feedback. I think there are many people who like that detailed but emotionless sound and Orion is very popular. I think with digital crossover and light hearted amps Orion could be a tear jerker. Or even more joy from a passive crossover. But it is serving a valuable purpose just the way it is. Max stimulation, min feelings.

The rear support for the big mid driver is actually not just a stabilizer, it is the only thing holding up the driver. No baffle screws on the mid, it's just kissing a rubber gasket against the baffle, reducing baffle resonance at the lower freqs which would muddy the upper bass. Mechanically, the speaker is great design. It is worthy of better electronics.

[tmazz]

The rear support for the big mid driver is actually not just a stabilizer, it is the only thing holding up the driver. No baffle screws on the mid, it's just kissing a rubber gasket against the baffle......

Yikes! 

[richidoo]

I decided to mount the new drivers into the Elips frame while I wait for the damping material to arrive for the new DTQWT boxes. I just need to route new holes in the OB frames and hook it all up, so hopefully that will go fast and easy. I saw a post on AC last month about how to resize baffle holes. The bass drivers fit perfectly, even screw holes lineup.