CSS Audio TYPHON Review | Full-Range, Compact Tower Speakers

[@ZeroFidelity]

FTC Disclaimer: I'm almost sorry to say that Jay and I are friends, and have been for many years. I consider it a tax write-off. Despite our friendship, Jay was made aware of the fact that if he submitted the Typhon for a formal review, he would receive no special treatment from me. I made it clear, in writing, that all he was guaranteed is an honest, objective performance summary. Read further... Please note that throughout the evaluation process, neither Jay or CSS was given the opportunity to preview, influence, or modify my review in any way - nor did they attempt to do so. They are finding out what I had to say about the product at the same time as everyone else. Having said that, there was one incident that's worth noting: CSS Audio *did* in fact include a pack of original Oreo's with one of the speakers. Had they sent me a family pack of Double Stuf or Mint flavored Oreo's, their attempt to swoon me may have been somewhat successful. Better luck next time, boys! To conclude: While I'm confident in my ability to provide a neutral, reliable performance summary of the CSS Audio Typhon, it is up to the audience to determine whether or not I'm capable of separating the man from his product, and if the review is worthy of trust.

[@Audiomainia2310]

Great seeing you back! I was curious if the decoupled top module may cause some resonance or vibration at the hinged point at higher volumes - say 90 DB? Last question bro - from a objective opinion, would you think cost wise the KEF R11 are a better value? I've listened to these at a friend home and was literally in awe at the performance.

[@bobb.9917]

@@Audiomainia2310Meta?

[@Jayiyagi]

@@Audiomainia2310 vibration at the hinged points at higher volumes with bass intensive music was a concern that has been addressed through many hours of R&D between CSS and I.

[@larryh9525]

I completely agree about the Mint Oreos. They've been running the 1lb single-serving packages on sale that are very hard to pass up.

[@Audiomainia2310]

@@bobb.9917 Of course!

[@Jayiyagi]

Hey Sean. Firstly, thank you so much for the review, just wanted to say that I appreciate both the positives and caveats you brought up as well as staying neutral and professional throughout the review process. Second, the spiked up upper treble is within the margins of where the "air" is and not much music information is stored there but like you have stated, we are all sensitive with different preferences for the treble and so if a user is facing these problems (whether they want more treble or less of it), I suggest contacting CSS for the correction (either by shipping only the top module or if you are handy yourself, CSS can guide you through it) and when you do, please include some music pieces you found the problems with so that we can test it in-house to correct it for sure before sending it back to you Third, thank you for giving me so much credit in the work put into this speaker but I just want to take this chance to also thank CSS for their equal efforts, time and resources spent on designing and voicing the Typhons. Truly a wonderful team and I couldn’t have done it without them. Lastly, the k-pop music and unflattering photos killed me 😆

[@ZeroFidelity]

Disclaimer for everyone: I made Jay edit the outdoor pics that he hates so much. Yes it was a power move. No it didn't influence the review. And no I don't feel bad for it in any way. This little brat has been giving me sh*t for years.

[@Jayiyagi]

@@ZeroFidelity LOL. Yes... because I can color correct your nasty blue thumbnails. Let's also make sure to mention this wasn't the first time where I edited your thumbnails

[@ZeroFidelity]

@@Jayiyagi - If by color correct you mean over-process the ever loving sh*t outta the original image, then sure! haha But yeah, those original outdoor shots were some of the worst I've ever taken. And you KNOW I wasn't about to haul them back out to the park for a second photoshoot! I have to confess that while I'm extremely proud of rarely having to edit any of my in-camera jpeg shots, those needed lots of love! So thanks for that, along with the couple others that I used over the years (Polk R500, the latest Pearl Sibelius thumb, and some topical video thumbnail).

[@Jayiyagi]

@@ZeroFidelity ;) any time

[@aceofspades6667]

@@ZeroFidelity lesson #1 establish dominance

[@bigambientdeath]

Can't thank jay & Sean enough for the work they do, I was able to get on/off the hifi merry-go-round quickly thanks to their informative reviews without spending a fortune on gear that ticked all my boxes, keep up the good work guys 👍

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks man. I'm glad you've arrived to a system that you can thoroughly enjoy!

[@DrSinisster]

Fantastic. I like the separation for review and position/equipment section. It is a great addition to your video style/skills. Super fan of that.

[@Maxiinti]

Hi Sean good to see you again 🤘🔊😎

[@NeverCryWolf64]

Nice review. I have very neutral and accurate speakers and would probably not spend $5500 on these, but I would build them from a kit for fun for $4000 or less.

[@jefftrout7697]

I've built the CSS 1TD-X with improved x-over and the 3 way bass add on with improved x-over. I've not heard the Typhon but for about $3000 mine sound better than any other $3000 speakers I've ever heard, IMHO. Plus they were fun to assemble.

[@thomasschafer7268]

Sorry 4 Chassis for700$ plus crossover. So diy is more cheaper.

[@timball4892]

@@jefftrout7697 I'd love to hear more about your experience with the bass modules. I have, in the past, built the 2TDX MTM's and towers. I now have the 1TDX's as I had sold the previous and missed them. I am seriously considering the bass modules. I love to build these kits and find CSS to be an incredible company in that their quality and customer service is incredible. I plan on making a trip (3 hours) to their business in the near future and will listen to both the Typhons as well as the bass modules but would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

Eagerly awaiting the Typhon mk2, where all the faults of the original are fixed 😂. Great honest review, respect

[@pongyang8705]

The K-pop intro and pic of Jay at 2:49 😂. That’s how I know you guys are friends.

[@mariopenzo]

Lol. That picture was hilarious

[@Jayiyagi]

XD

[@jeremyr722]

The more I hear about the Typhon the more I think this could be my ideal speaker! Everything you mentioned about it’s sound signature is exactly what I’m looking for.

[@Jayiyagi]

you know, it's comments like yours and seeing people's jaw drop at Axpona is what makes all this work for the past 2 years totally worth it. So, thank you for that

[@BetterISupposeYeah]

honest to the point and most neutral fair and impartial as one can get. using your reviews to purchase never disappoints.

[@savadeelephantes2773]

He is the best reviewer.

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks for watching! I'm glad you find value in what I do!

[@elbebe1000]

My preferred reviewer in the web. I bought those BUCHARDT S400 after his review and speaker don't disappointed.

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

That picture of Jay you used and taking pictures in the field 😂😂😂 Brought a few iem reviewer colabs and an happy with them so it can work. 6k is way outta my league though , hope it's a successful for CSS and Jay.

[@hi-fihaven2257]

Hey Sean! Really enjoyed the video, watched it until the end. Those are some beautiful speakers. I really like the “not huge” footprint. I also love that top module adjustment, can really dial in maximum performance for your room.

[@raphaelmeillat8527]

So nice to see your review pop up on my KZbin feed Sean! Despite your existing relationship with Jay, review feels very fair and as thoughtful as ever ! Hoping to see your review for Thomas’ Galion amplifier…is it in the works by any chance ?

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks Raphael! About the Galion: Thomas's amp is going back without a review. There has been a revision, and I see no point in reviewing a product that people will not get should they chose to buy one based off a recent review. I will revisit the Galion once I'm further along in my review queue.

[@raphaelmeillat8527]

@@ZeroFidelity thanks for your response Sean. Makes sense to wait indeed! Cheers!

[@charleskatz2606]

Sean-great review that was dully detailed and balanced with no regard to hurt feelings etc.I especially liked the written summaries with the amps keep that up if you can

[@waltsmith9583]

Thanks for your thorough review of the product and how it is likely to present itself to a range of viewer taste and audio system capabilities. Great job!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks man! That's the goal!

[@michaelcorlet2998]

Thanks for honest and insightful review.

[@erniejade]

I heard them at Axpona on a few different amplifiers. When paired with the Norma 140, I thought they sounded great and agree with your take on the speakers.

[@ZeroFidelity]

I hope you had a good time! I was told that the Norma/Typhon pairing was real special at the show.

[@raphaelmeillat8527]

I currently use 5 different amplifiers and the Norma 140 is also my favorite. High current, refined, dynamic…it’s got it all! Wish I could have heard it with Jay’s speakers….

[@ivanfilatov7913]

Great review, finally you're back.

[@phenomtyree]

Let's not forget that Jay wanted a $3,000 price point and the parts he wanted would put the price out of the bar park, but settled on parts putting the price at $5,500. J

[@fletchermunson6225]

I like a little honey in my sound. I've built and liked three of their kits. Always been pleased and no disappointments. If I could use floor stander, I'd a customer at least for an auction. So many amps lean towards the lean, neutral side. Im guessing the mix of this speaker and those character amp would be good.

[@michaelgatti3811]

Nice evaluation and appreciate listing comments about the other amps. Good overall feedback.

[@twenty4seven368]

Heard these speakers at Axpona and really enjoyed them. At first they sounded dark, but once my ears adjusted, I realized it’s my type of sound.

[@Jayiyagi]

haha yes we got that comment a lot. It wasn't really designed to have a "show room sound" but for a longer listening experience without fatigue but it's all there once you get into it :)

[@pm4898]

Really like the new review format. Thanks for the hard work and time you spent on this fair review. BTW, would you say this is the BEST Jays Iyagi/CSS speaker?

[@ZeroFidelity]

The BEST he's done so far. haha

[@iluvsweaterpuppets9166]

I appreciate the honest and thoughtful response to this question. I wonder how it would compare if put against something like the Zu audio DWX’s with the supreme upgrade. I watched the making video of the CSS typhons and it was always mentioned that they limited the internal components based on desired sound performance and price. A shootout between both speakers would be nice 👍🏾

[@svensvensson627]

What a great story! Good luck guys!

[@mmdusa]

Thanks for another great review my friend. Hope to see more soon. No one does it better (imho). Peace.

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks!

[@vittoriomartinidonati]

Hello Sean, congratulations for the review and especially for the amplifier comparison that is very useful to better understand both the speakers and the amplis, it would be great if you could continue with these comparisons with the future reviews, also the amplis are a good cross section of different types, voicing and prices. also it would be very helpful if you could give us advance warning at least 12 H before your lives so that people like me with time difference (Italy) don miss them while sleeping as you also take them down shortly afterwards.

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thanks Vittorio! My live streams are *completely* spontaneous and only exist in the moment. That said, I have recently made a greater effort to host them at times that are more convenient for people in different parts of the world. I look forward to seeing you in the next one!

[@mariopenzo]

Haha. Great intro Sean! 👏

[@seanb3303]

I think a lot of people would just want the top part to use with their subwoofer. The fact that it’s a sealed design means that the rolloff will be easy to blend with a sub.

[@Jayiyagi]

crossover point is around 200hz, some subs don't offer a crossover point up that high and from talking with many subwoofer companies in the past (partially because most people use their subs to cross over around 50-100hz) they usually have different line ups that accommodate better matching with bookies that needs higher crossover points AND floor standers that usually needs a lower crossover point.

[@seanb3303]

@@Jayiyagi i guess the real question would be…how down is the response at 80hz and 100hz if used as a two way?

[@dilbyjones]

Yerp.

[@RennieAsh]

@@Jayiyagi There's always room for a small option; you could still keep the tweeter tuning but allow that woofer to play all the way down. Or even potentially allow the bass modules to be added later, but that is probably a niche thing

[@privateuser7726]

they look good, remind me a little of focal speakers, they seem a good value, I would possibly buy these in an all black finish at this price.

[@liamporter1137]

Great and light hearted review.

[@bobb.9917]

GOOD balanced review!

[@tfk40]

I liked the side by side comparisons of the different speakers, it's hard to see the difference in scale from just a picture.

[@marcus1970]

Fair, honest, accurate.. Perhaps the review is more to my taste than the loudspeakers... Though surely a bargain for the right use case.. 👍🏻

[@kouichi4]

Really appreciate the time and effort took for the pairing results. This brought a lot of value for viewers.

[@randalllawkin]

Hey a speaker review!! Miss your reviews.

[@mikegoddard7354]

I think a benefit from this speaker is being able to bi amp the units. Class D the top and A/B the bottom and you can probably get beast sound. The treble did not bother me and honest with some decent room correction this speaker would definitely work for me. I heard it at axpona and it was fairly impressive, but the price tag did definitely bug, I was expecting 4500 tops. This speaker needs to be measured so that EQ can be better understood.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

Normally class A/B on top and class D on bottom sounds best but it's not a carved in stone rule.

[@thomasstanfel7589]

Great job Sean.

[@josephstark4944]

Would then 1TDX give that dark, warm, all around easy listening sound as well? I’m looking for new stand mounts for my office. I already have R700’s I love, but don’t really want the same thing in every room (R200). Buchardt’s are a little outside my budget.

[@kennethward4985]

That sensitivity rating of 87.3db is scaring me away and I imagine others too.

[@justingriffin2546]

Hey Sean its been almost a year since you did a review. I hope all is well with you, miss your reviews, I'm going thru your old ones...God-bless...hope to see more content in the future...

[@markkilpatrick7951]

That was the best intro to your video!! Ha ha. Awesome

[@TheGenohead]

Great and honest as always! Let me ask you a question about the pads you've mentioned in that review. How do you use it? I have seen some panels for bass corrections, that are beside the speakers, but what to do with these?

[@ZeroFidelity]

The pads I'm referring to are small. You would place them directly under the speakers floor spikes. Or, if you're worried about damaging the pads, you could simply remove the spikes and place them under the outriggers. Just click on the description box, and follow the Amazon link to see what I'm talking about.

[@danwheetman6914]

Clear and concise, as always.

[@vtkz]

Subwoofer always adds quality to the system, doesnt matter what speaker size or type you use. Because you can avoid big room modes on your listening positions and find the best spot for the lowend without cancellations, and the Peaks you can lower with the dsp software.

[@ZeroFidelity]

More or less agree.

[@JMN_ALC]

Enjoyed your review as always Sean. I would appreciate a few words of comparison from you regarding this one and the Rosso Fiorentino Elba 2. Pretty close in price unless they’ve gone up since your review. Thank you. Pax 🕊️

[@ZeroFidelity]

I honestly don't know. It's been too long since I last heard the Elba. That said, I DO have in the new Certaldo 2's. :D. Haven't listened to them yet.

[@michaelcollins2473]

So many options at that price range. Personally, I'd go with a used pair of higher end speakers. You know, something that doesn't have issues right out of the box. JM2CW.

[@ZeroFidelity]

That's fair. But what issues are you referring to?

[@RennieAsh]

Any speaker may have "issues". I would like to see some measurements so I know better how this speaker has been voiced. I guess the target market isn't people who like stats

[@Justwantahover]

9:06 My B&W 706s are also a bit soft on the lower treble and spiked up at the top a bit. Makes the voice sound "muffly". You can't '"see" their throat like you can with my home built speakers. I like to be able to "see" their throat.

[@Firebottleman]

Danny should have just put a -2db attenuator on these speakers rather than going through all that back and forth. He should know how to do it without compromising sq. We need more speakers that are voiced this way, because so many amps nowadays are on the thin side of neutral. These towers sound like a more expensive version of the SVS Prime Pinnacle. Thanks for the video.

[@carlsitler9071]

My speaker box holding two 15" woofer is 2' wide, 1' deep and 5 1/2' tall. I have a separate MTM box. They are bi-amped. I have towers with multiple 6 1/2" drivers and it just can't compete (obviously).

[@luisjavierchevere]

Good review! The brand label in front of the speakers can be attenuated in some way?

[@ZeroFidelity]

haha Actually, I hear that they have plates with dark grey text instead of white text.

[@RennieAsh]

Neatly cut out some black card and stick it there with a small amount of water base tacky craft glue or thin double sided tape

[@ericbrown5744]

Haha - that photo of Jay is rude, man! 🤣

[@Jayiyagi]

yooooo I almost spat out my coffee this morning watching this review

[@superdougie10]

When these babies are warmed in, probably around 200 hours honestly that tweeter will smooth right out and everyone will be real happy with their performance.

[@Lobo243]

😂The photo of Jay 🤣🤣🤣

[@themastroiannis]

looks wise between the pearls and the typhons...they are really the beauty and the beast. yes, those typhons are 'clunky' looking. thanks for the review!

[@calaf_725]

I enjoyed this a lot because lets face it at the end of the day this is by and large an awesome review!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Frankly, and to get right to it, I see what you did there.

[@madcrabber1113]

They sure do look nice.

[@hamidrezahabibi8111]

Personally with that kind of money I’ll go for : MAGNEPAN MG-1.7i or EPOS ES14N or Geithain ME150 or Jean Marie Reynaud Lunna or Gradient 1.4

[@joeythedime1838]

I am wondering how they sound compares to Focal Aria 948's?

[@mattphang2477]

How does this speaker compared to the Rosso Elba 2 which is a good all rounder?

[@ZeroFidelity]

I honestly don't know. It's been too long since I last heard the Elba. That said, I DO have in the new Certaldo 2's. :D. Haven't listened to them yet.

[@mattphang2477]

@T.ELEGM-ZeroFidelityofficialpa hello

[@mattphang2477]

What’s the surprise? 😀

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

From how you are describing things, they sound like Sonus Fabers with strong ass bass. Maybe something like the Lumina V?

[@RennieAsh]

Jay does have a favourite pair of speakers which is SF I think so it makes sense

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

Good review. Sounds like they made a Sonus Faber Olympica III at 1/3rd the cost.

[@RennieAsh]

Yes I was thinking it was SF tuning with that tipped up high treble

[@Techman2ch]

I didn’t catch even a hint of favoritism… I’ve been listening to Sean and Jay for years and I feel like this review is as straightforward as any he’s given. In fact I’d like to see more from Sean going forward, as selfish as that seems. Sean, is still imo top of the list when it comes to audio review. This speaker isn’t for me, and because I’ve actually purchased and tried reviewed equipment by Sean, I feel like I understand his reviews better as a result. I’m personally excited for Jay and hope that the audience for this product enjoys his work and future endeavors but I’m not gonna slam him or the review because I’m still into a different sound.

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thank you for your balanced perspective! It seems to be a rare thing nowadays.

[@AggMeisTer28]

You mentioned it briefly, but you didn't emphasize the fact that as the owner, you have the option to send it back to CSS and have it tuned to your preferred genre. This level of service is the epitome of audiophile and customer service, and it would cost an additional $5,000 as a separate service.

[@arunpaul2301]

Hi Shaun, I been following you, Steve Guttenberg for years now. Here's my first ask. Can you please review The Philharmonic BMR HT Tower? I really dont see a human understandable review of that yet. Hope my message reach you. Thanks, A. Paul. Chicago.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

These days it seems there is an increase in reviewers " co-designing " gear. Often it's like a singer who adds a couple of words to a song and claims to be a song writer. Interesting to know if Jay designed the crossovers with drivers he designed or chose, or did he just listen to prototypes and steer the sound with input to CSS. Lastly, tilting a dome tweeter forward with a cone mid doesn't help with time alignment, it actually does the opposite.

[@ZeroFidelity]

As I understand it, the Typhon is Jay's design. Everything else was co-developed. Crossovers. Driver Selection. Tilting mechanism. To be fair, I think its unreasonable to expect Jay to know how to develop a driver from the ground up, and for CSS to invest the hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop it just for this speaker. Not only does that make zero economic sense, but the truth is that very few loudspeaker engineers know how to actually make a transducer from the ground up. As for the tilting mechanism and time alignment, I personally feel like the Typhon isn't quite time aligned to begin with. With that foundation stated: it helps. And if you heard it, I think you'd be hard pressed to disagree.

[@Harley1Lovegrove]

@@ZeroFidelity Hi, fabulous review! Just to add my 2 Cents to this topic. Designing, developing and manufacturing transducers (drive cones & tweeters etc.) is way beyond the scope of nearly all 'loudspeaker manufactures'. It's an extremely specialised business. So much so, many, many brand names do not do this but indeed work with trusted specialist suppliers. This also happens in the watch industry and the car industry (there is not a single car manufacturer that makes all their components, most do not even make their own chasis or engines). + How far should a loudspeaker manufacturer go, make the capacitors, resistors, binding posts too? The big advantage of true design collaboration (not just re-badging) is that the diversity of approach nearly always results in a superior result.

[@css_audio]

Carlos,i We designed the speaker with a 5 degree backwards slant, which physically aligns the voice coils of the drivers. This allows us to do some different things in the crossover that aren't possible with a regular flat baffle, namely symmetrical 2nd order acoustic and electrical crossovers points between the mid and tweeter. However, when you go off axis vertically, as with all non-coincident drivers, the summation starts to have issues. The tilt mechanism allows the listener to maintain that proper 5 degrees below the forward radiation of the tweeter regardless of listening height. Technically there are only 2 ways to actually "time align" a speaker (as in transient perfect phase. One is with DSP with FIR filters, the other is with 1st order acoustic slopes, which almost never actually work outside of theory. In fact, almost every company that claims first order is only talking about electrical order. The acoustic slope can't be matched to 1st order on any driver I know of without a significant amount of parts.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@@css_audio Are you saying the upper cabinet (mid/tweeter) tilts back 5 degrees? The woofer cabinet appears to be, but the upper cabinet appears perfectly vertical or am I mistaken? One pair of speakers that I own also tilts back 5 degrees on the front baffle.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@@ZeroFidelity I agree, but collaboration is more like it and someone like an Andrew Jones, Ian Paisley or Andrew Welker is really a speaker designer. Let's not redefine words here as frankly I could design anything if I don't actually design it. I chose every part that went into a muscle car I had in my youth, both in the engine and had the body panels modified but not by the wildest imagination would I say I'm a car designer even though it was a unique one off.

[@elbebe1000]

Well have to send a speaker back to get the right tune doesn't looks great. Provably you have to pay more than 5K for JJ name in something that don't created a WOW factor in Zero Fidelity. Great review, that's what I love this guy always unbiases with his review. Good job.

[@hoobsgroove]

Should really have the speaker turned upside down on the tops so the tweeters in the middle try that, or even on its side if possible. How much would it cost them to put a jump in the back about 5p so they could attenuate the top end by +/-3DB I mean really. Sean put a pillowcase over the top speaker that reduce cabinet resonance should sound better than just the grill not a heavy one 200- thread

[@ZeroFidelity]

In my experience, an attenuation circuit only adds a little bit to the cost, but will add a lot more complexity which *can* negatively impact the overall performance of the speaker. And naw, I'm not going to recommend that people put an actual pillow case over their speaker - though I openly encourage people to try whatever they want! :D.

[@Jayiyagi]

CSS and I talked about that and we didn’t want the added cost, issues and complexity that would further drive up the cost for something that most ppl would use once. We adopted more of a purist model that is more intensive work on our part. (Where we will address and correct the highs for u if u need but 99 percent of the time it won’t be needed) also please do not put the speaker upside down or to the side.

[@hoobsgroove]

@@ZeroFidelity there's no real complexity it's only couples resisters and a IC component socket, the execution can be done in two ways through tweeter or mid-range or both, using a six pin socket. SMD resistor that's how Wilson's do on their flagship models. don't knock the pillow case till you try it is what I say lol

[@hoobsgroove]

@@Jayiyagi you tried it upside down on it side synergy didn't work? Yeah ideally it wants to be designed like that in the first place or changed it electronically by using an active crossover you could do it through the passive crossover. Is it a three-way or two-and-a-half way speaker?

[@Jayiyagi]

@@hoobsgroove It is a 3 way speaker. We could do multiple things but me and CSS have our reasonings as to why we unanimously made the decisions we did.

[@jebrehbaker8613]

Can come full circle and have GR research redo the crossover

[@NemoPropaganda]

Why? He’d just make them dead flat like he always does. We can all just buy Revel if that’s what we want :)

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@@NemoPropaganda Dead flat is not a bad thing for a speaker to be. A dead flat impedance is desirable also. Either one doesn't make a speaker sound flat. A flat frequency response will be modified by your room at any rate.

[@williammorales8204]

I always thought Jay liked more of a neutral, analytical , and transparent sound type of speakers.

[@singram1978]

Would these be good for home theater as well as 2 channel listening?

[@ZeroFidelity]

Absolutely.

[@jonathanginofilippi]

I mean, how well did you adjust the speakers? Sounds like it could have been setup better.

[@ZeroFidelity]

It took me literally seconds to pick up on the voicing of the product (as confirmed by Jay). I'm guessing that wouldn't happen if my setup was flawed to the point of skewing the sound of the speaker.

[@HungryEatNow]

Dont forget about the elaborate acoustics treatment you need to dump in 😅

[@NeverCryWolf64]

Maybe these would pair well with high end class D amps?

[@ZeroFidelity]

Yep.

[@crossoverchef]

2.2uf and 8 ohm resistor across the tweeter terminals will fix the top end of the treble.

[@RennieAsh]

Step 1 : 3D print a black cover for the CSS logo.. It looks kind of cheap imo and distracting Alternate option ; A carefully cut square of black card

[@ryanschipp8513]

Here's one thing I've got to know with these speakers. Do they truly get down to an audibly 20 hertz frequency range? I'm highly doubting it. I've never experienced a speaker with only duel 7 inch or even 8-inch drivers that digs down to 20 Hertz. Physics just don't allow it. In my experience you would need a much larger cabinet with multiple smaller drivers or large 10in and 12in drivers to get down to 20 Hertz. Who has some feedback on this?

[@ZeroFidelity]

You'll likely have to wait for qualified, independent measurements to be released. What I will say is this: Even a 4 inch driver can achieve an in-room response down into the low 20's with the right cabinet. The Sibelius is a prime example of that. It's not the extension that's unbelievable. Rather, it's a question of whether or not the output is significant at the lower end of the advertised frequency response. Again, independent measurements will shed some light onto that matter. I will simply maintain what I said in the review, the bass is strong and deep for a speaker its size, but it will not replace the visceral nature of a dedicated, powered sub, or a speaker with a larger cabinet that uses much bigger drivers.

[@Jayiyagi]

We will get a professional third party measurement at NRC eventually but 20Hz wasn't really a goal, it was just something we got when we measured it in-room. Both at CSS, my room and some of my friend's rooms.

[@ryanschipp8513]

@@ZeroFidelity 👍

[@ryanschipp8513]

@@Jayiyagi 👍

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

From a physics perspective, not true. It would have low sensitivity and higher distortion measurements but doable.

[@kdomster9141]

Sounds like all of these CSS tweeters are sounding focused on inoffensive character and low listening fatigue at cost of some resolution and harmonics where lot of detail, harmonics and spatial info is hiding . I wish they tried some AMT or ribbon tweeters what combined with their awesome robust woofers would offer better extension at both ends of frequency spectrum.

[@RennieAsh]

Using ribbon/AMT with such a big woofer may be difficult.

[@TexasCorgiGun]

No need to defend it over and over again, in the comments. If the speaker is so good is going to sell wonderful. Let's "the consumer speak" before we make any assumptions, good or bad. People who are ready to drop 5K+ on it are going to listen to them, and are going to keep it or not, only time will tell.

[@orlandosmith4859]

Thanks!

[@ZeroFidelity]

Thank you!

[@Spierdalajyoutube]

For 5k you can get wilson benesch speakers second hand 😜

[@RennieAsh]

I haven't seen any for sale in my country

[@leo11877]

I personally think the $5k price tag is a bit too much for a wider adoption. $2500 per pair is more like it. Maybe have a cheaper version with just black paint, cheaper crossover parts and one less woofer?

[@leo11877]

At 5K there are way many choices out there.

[@ZeroFidelity]

The whole point of a flagship product is to put your best effort out there. While I agree that releasing a more affordable speaker would likely be met with less resistance, they wanted a statement piece and knew it wasn't going to sell en' mass. Besides, I think at $2,500, it will be extremely difficult for CSS to compete against the likes of KLH, Polk Audio, etc.. companies that have resources and economy of scale that absolutely dwarfs what they have access to.

[@leo11877]

@@ZeroFidelity Agreed. I am glad they did this, shows what's possible with nicer parts and thoughtful design.

[@doctormidnight]

It sounds like you're reviewing my Wharfedale Rubiance 27s. Which I will take to my grave.

[@roccobruno8027]

I'm hoping they create a second version using an AMT/Ribbon tweeter one day.

[@charlesnr]

A big deal in the long design video was the ability to align the top box as a lower priced Wilson feature. But neither Jay nor here discussed this feature and the extent of aligning it for the best imaging and treble balance in his discussion or this review. Not even a clear picture of the mechanism nor its incremental angle change.

[@bornces]

I love your reviews and value them when making purchase decisions however you have confused me a little with the description of warm and dark, and spiked upper treble to describe these.

[@Jayiyagi]

the speakers are warm but we spiked up the area where "air" exists. This in our testing allowed for a more open and airy sound and not a closed in muffled sound that some warm oriented speakers may face. This is actually pretty common on speakers I've heard that has "air" and nice spatial cues. Case in point, if anything to do with the treble bothers you, that adjustment for the treble is a service CSS promised to provide but we think 99% of people won't need to change it.

[@ZeroFidelity]

The description is due to the Typhon being a little bumped up in the midrange and bass. Or at least, that's the in-room behavior that I believe most people will experience. The net result is what most people describe as being a 'warm' sound. The treble is separate from that. It's possible to have a 'warm' speaker with exciting treble. This is actually a fairly common voicing strategy. A good example being speakers from the Polk Audio Reserve series.

[@sudd3660]

the problem that a "public personality" making a speaker that if you do not like that person you wont buy the speaker. and Jay said some stupid shit over the years since he is young, in general he is on the right track.

[@ZeroFidelity]

I'm pretty confident that both Jay and Thomas are aware of the fact that there are people out there who both like and dislike them. Some of the people who like them will purchase their products off faith alone. Some of the people who dislike them will never *ever* consider their product valid due to the association alone. Kinda goes with the territory of being in the public space. I wish em' both the best.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@@ZeroFidelity I wish them the best as well even though they BOTH have said "stupid shit" over the years. BTW your reviews are better than ever, keep it up.

[@jasonsupinger6985]

I had the 1TDX for a while. Great speakers, sound like higher end Dynaudio to me. I think partnering with a KZbin reviewer who is not a speaker designer is just hokey as hell. 😂 . But whatever.

[@RennieAsh]

Many audiophiles put great faith into people who can talk well. More people seem to know these reviewer guys than any speaker designers

[@zefrog7482]

DIY is the real way for the perfect speaker. Plus nothing more satisfying than spending the whole budget on actual good components and knowing you then have a build that can annihilate speakers costing many times more. My current build is my end game speaker, I've had it up against speakers costing far more and absolutely trounces them.

[@ZeroFidelity]

The primary benefit of DIY, outside of the pride that some people feel for having built something themselves, is that it gives you the opportunity to create something that is a precise fit for your room and listening preferences. It's also, in my opinion, the best way to gain education through first-hand experience. Now, calculating the savings/value proposition of a DIY project over commercial options gets a bit muddy once you factor in the cost of tools, material, time, labor, and the fact that most DIY projects hold no value regardless of 'good' the owner thinks they are. When judging your DIY project, remember that you're essentially comparing a products raw build-cost against a commercial product that's globally distributed and warrantied. Frankly, it SHOULD 'trounce' just about everything around it given the circumstance.

[@zefrog7482]

@@ZeroFidelity agreed, especially on the value proposition, and especially so with limited knowledge of what driver's will work nicely with eachother. I reckon I've spent upwards of 300 hours perfecting the crossover in my current build.😂 Please don't think my original comment was knocking Jay's design, was more meant to compliment the idea that somebody can actually engineer a extremely good speaker without being year's in that specific industry. A lot of mass produced expensive stuff at top tier can actually be pretty dire, Jay's design looks like the middle ground for those that want the perks of a lovingly designed speaker not designed by bean counters type affair which surprisingly can affect speakers pretty high up the price range. If I didn't DIY, these certainly look very well done with good quality parts, which for the price, let's face it, would be extremely difficult to find something with the same level, even at double the price. Reviewers designing actually makes a lot of sense really, it's an interesting idea.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@@zefrog7482 complement?

[@billiondollarbaby3276]

All those Oreo's you ate prior to 1998 were made up of ground up PIG BONES. Glad you survived Sean!! :)

[@ZeroFidelity]

Hey now - I wasn't eating Oreos back then! And in a way, I feel like I missed out. :D.

[@billiondollarbaby3276]

@@ZeroFidelity Ive placed a call to Child care services so tell your parents to expect a visit from them for depriving you of Pig Lard during your formative years. The Horror!! :)

[@jameslester6785]

Great honest review. My question is, is the Typhon a 1TDX with a bass module added on? I have the 1TDX and they are very holographic in my system.

[@ZeroFidelity]

I had the same question, and was told that the Typhon is not just a 1TDX with a bass module slapped beneath it. Having said that, I admit to wondering how similar/different both speakers are.

[@Jayiyagi]

it is not the 1TDX. The only thing it shares is the driver so tonality may come across with resemblance but otherwise it is an entirely different design. Holographicness will also depend on gear. I get a really holographic sound in my room with the Typhons using Audio Note gear

[@jameslester6785]

I'm using a Vincent SV700 integrated with the 1TDXs. It's an excellent match. Even though it's 50 watts in class A, I do wish for more power on music that's more dynamic.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@@Jayiyagi Admit it Jay, you made up " holographicness."😁

[@jeffkalina7727]

Jay and Thomas are two great recent examples of why Tuber Reviewers need to steer clear of trying to be both makers and reviewers. Fox in the hen house syndrome. Never gonna work.

[@metalunleashed]

That intro XD

[@hawkins55]

Below 72dB is low volume listening!!!!!

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

Would love to see data.

[@pickyaudiophile]

But the looks...design reminds me of roughly 2008 to 2014 released builds by other brands.

[@ZeroFidelity]

Yep. During my first take, I commented about how I thought they looked like something from 2005. :D

[@DescartesRenegade]

Why don't passive speakers include freq response graphs?

[@ZeroFidelity]

The answer is simple: Most of the people who buy luxury, passive loudspeakers, do not care about graphs and charts.

[@RennieAsh]

@@ZeroFidelity At the same time, most speakers are designed using graphs and charts, so it would be easy to include them in a small text down the bottom where people who do like graphs and charts, will also be the people to see the small text and check it out :)

[@elonmuskrat2830]

Why would anyone buy $5500 speakers "designed" by a KZbinr when they can get Martin Logan, KEF and other reputable brands for around the same price?

[@j-rod6420]

It's all about how they sound.

[@2madamimadam290]

Because CSS! My 2TD-X have boutique crossover components. For an extra $400 it's all premium stuff they usually only put into megabucks 10k-50k speakers well beyond the price point typical in mainstream highly marketed options. Mills resistors, high quality polycaps, precision wound large gauge air core inductors. As far as Typhon goes, designers, builders and aficionado collaborated on picking the specific components to achieve their collective voicing objectives. I think it's a cool collaborative event. Still.... Agreed with other post, "how they sound"

[@kuisin88]

I think you also has to consider it is a collaboration between Jay and CSS. Not like Jay built the speaker himself. He voiced it the way he likes it based on his experience.

[@ZeroFidelity]

The answer is simple: Not everyone cares about buying a brand name product. Some people only care about sound quality regardless of who makes the product. Then you have people who actually enjoy owning something that feels uncommon. There is no right or wrong here. You spend your money however the heck you want.

[@davobmw]

Why would anyone want to spend that much money on commercial brands? You can get small boutique brands like these or Tyler Acoustics, Von Schweikert, Gr Research, Salk, Fritz, Tonian Labs etc that would wipe the floor with commercial brands.

[@superdonk9891]

Back firing port suck, some will never learn. ;)

[@ZeroFidelity]

That's an unfortunate audio myth. Port location doesn't matter nearly as much as the design of the port and the tuning of the loudspeaker.

[@Smood47]

0:14 Next time can you get your camera a bit closer? Its a bit too far out.