DIY HiFi Audiophile Budget KING!

[@Psycherz]

No table saw or router, just finished my build of these. Jigsaw, Dremel, and pre cut pieces at home Depot, fronted with a walnut laminate. Glorious.

[@dilbyjones]

Post a short vid

[@kdomster9141]

....even few pics will help 😉

[@khunopie9159]

Post a long video please good sir if you will

[@mikaelstafstrom803]

And.....? How do they sound? 🤔 😁

[@mikehuntington4440]

Take apart your speakers and do several step by step videos of the rebuild.

[@stevelueb7787]

You're CORRECT Danny. I purchased this kit & It KILLS!! The Depth, Detail & Sound Stage will leave you Speechless. I upgraded to tube connectors & the No Res. I'm driving them with HK Citation I preamp, HK Citation II, Schiit Modi DAC & AR XBII turntable. If you plan to paint the MDF prime it 1st to block out. I am Extremely Pleased with my purchase of this kit

[@RobWhittlestone]

I love listening to Danny. I've been into hi-fi for 50 (yes, fifty) years and it's easy to recognize he knows what he's talking about. I'm intrigued. Maybe I'll just have to get a kit. :-)

[@ericengle6975]

First time electronics build for me which was a fun challenge. I'm a wood worker so building the X-static boxes was great. These things sound better than any speaker I've ever listened to. They easily exceed $5,000 speakers. My hat is off to you gents for providing an amazing value to your customers! Can't say enough about how well these reproduce music!

[@randallcollura]

I ordered these a while ago and I'm very happy with the results - very good sounding and attractive speakers. If you have the right tools this kit is a great deal too. Thanks Danny!

[@thomshere]

Thank you so much for this! DIY is THE way to go not only to save money but also the absolute pride that goes with building your own!

[@dannyrichie9743]

We had about 500 assembled crossover for the X-Statik that were made in China. We were basically giving them away for free with that kit until those crossovers were gone. So the kit was only $399. Now we are having to provide them with higher quality US made parts. And we have to charge for that now. So the price went up accordingly.

[@DodgyBrothersEngineering]

Any way you look at this, that reads as a massive con job. You were showing crossover components and talking them up, and then not supplying that crossover for the price you were going out of your way to advertise. That is shifty in anyone's language. No spoken or onscreen caveat to say these are not the crossovers you are going to get for $399. Really poor form. I was going to subscribe but after seeing this, you are lucky I don't give the video a thumbs down.

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@DodgyBrothersEngineering So giving crossovers away for free until they're gone and then having to charge for the replacements is a con job? And the crossovers shown in the video are the ones we gave away for free. There are 250 customers out there that were super happy to get the $399 deal. Pretty bad when you get blasted for giving good products away for free.

[@DodgyBrothersEngineering]

@@dannyrichie9743 there is no such thing as giving something away for free in business... Let me ask you this, would you, or could you afford to give away the crossovers for free if you didn't sell the rest of the kit with it? If you answer no then you never really gave them away. Let's say you got them dirt cheap, If you charged a nominal fee to cover your costs, you never really gave them away. You paid money to buy the crossovers, you paid money to ship the crossovers to you from China. Do you honestly expect us to believe that you are in the position to just "give away" product? Free give aways are just a marketing ploy, the same way house builders throw in all these "free" extras. You get nothing for free in life, they are merely building the cost into some other price that you don't see. Let''s say you are the world's worst businessman and you do give away products that cost you money for free, how long are you going to stay in business if you aren't putting a massive markup on the kit like you claim? You are giving away something that costs you money and you aren't making profit to cover the loss. The story just doesn't add up. If you got the crossovers cheap and you could cover the cost in the first units then perhaps you should be disclosing that what you are advertising as a pair for $399 can't be sustained for more than a couple of months before the price nearly doubles. I notice on your website that you were forth coming with information that you had to add cost to cover better quality components, but I notice it says that for the base cost of $749 you get standard caps, where is the additional $350 worth of quality components, if it is still shipping with standard caps and you have to pay more to upgrade? Don't get me wrong I am not questioning the value of the kit at $749, I have spent way more than that on a single tweeter. I just don't believe you have fairly represented what you were selling.

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

@@DodgyBrothersEngineering Danny's explanation is sound. He got into business on this kit by buying out the inventory of a manufacturer left holding the bag. He would get this stuff for pennies on the pound. Everyone who bought the kit at $399 was part of a lucky group. Danny could sell it at a price roughly equivalent to parts cost because he had the savvy to buy up the inventory. He took the risk and it worked out for him and the 250 lucky customers who bought them. But once that inventory is gone, he has to buy at current cost, mark them up and sell the kit at a much higher price. What is wrong with that. If you don't want it at that price don't buy it. Those that do will still end up with speakers that perform like commercial units costing 3x as that's the DIY deal.

[@DodgyBrothersEngineering]

@@user-od9iz9cv1w we are all good now. That comment was made when I first discovered the channel. I have since learned from subsequent videos that is not what Danny is about. He is a straight up guy. In fact if I didn't already have a kick ass system, I would seriously consider buying some of his speakers.

[@jwilson086]

Just finished my pair. I don’t have a dedicated listening space so they will get home theater/living room duty along with the matching X-Voce. Plopped them down where I had my old paradigm monitor 11s and have been listening at low volumes while the rest of the house sleeps. I am absolutely floored. With no real setup or break in these sound amazing. Danny knows what he is doing.

[@__-vo7iq]

Have you posted pics of your x-statiks anywhere?

[@jwilson086]

__ yes, I posted several of the process and some finished here www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=171003.0

[@__-vo7iq]

@@jwilson086 Nice build, they have a nice clean look. How long did they take?

[@jwilson086]

__ thanks. Hard to estimate the number of hours, I have a 5 year old at home and both my wife and I are working from home so I had to sneak away for an hour here an hour there. An experienced woodworker with actual shop space could do it much faster I’m sure.

[@michaellundy3551]

Looks like an X-Statik cabinet over your left shoulder by the door. For people who have never heard these speakers, Danny is not exaggerating. Bang for the buck is an understatement. This goes for all the X series speakers. When you visit the website you will see the X-LS mini monitor and X-CS center channel speakers can also be built as floor standing towers with the additional low end extension that comes with bigger cabinets. The X-series aren't just budget speakers. The basic kits punch way above their weight class. As you upgrade the crossover (and there is more than one level of crossover upgrade available) you are rewarded with increasingly better levels of performance. Something else about the X series kits is they scale really well. By that I mean they sound great with budget level electronics but the better the signal that feeds them, the better they sound. You won't go wrong with any of the X series kits, I've hear them all. That said, if you can pull them at least 3ft away from the wall, the X-Statiks are definitely the King.

[@dannyrichie9743]

That is actually an old OB-7 model back there.

[@michaellundy3551]

@@dannyrichie9743 Ahh. I forgot the OB7 used a round tweeter opening also.

[@danielesbordone1871]

Holy mac , now that's a crossover on that table.

[@infinite1der]

I *still* love my X-Statiks. When I had a smaller room setup, I was using the x-cs-encore as a center channel. I just completed building the x-Voce (with the crossover upgrades) now that I have a MUCH larger theater/listening room. The open baffle x-Voce sounds fantastic and blends perfectly with the x-Statiks.

[@1968krug]

The very sensible idea of stepping up my speaker joy without spending silly money sounds very appealing... thank you for sharing your passion and helping rekindle mine

[@theunderwoodhifichanneland486]

Wonderful Video - very nicely done Danny and thanks for the memories which are beautiful. The original x-ls cost us about $140 landed way back when. NONE of this would have been possible without your INCREDIBLE Engineering Prowess. You know me man - I wouldn't say it unless I meant it. I feel very proud of what we created here. Good seeing you today BTW.

[@davep2945]

Hey Danny, I know what people think when anyone touts their own products but what you offer in this video is exactly what I've been suggesting to those wanting the best bang for their buck when they wonder if an upgrade is worth it in your other videos. Basically, if you're going to spend the sort of money an upgrade often costs plus invest the time and effort on such an endeavor then you'll always beat even an upgraded commercial offering with a kit for the same money and usually for far less. Open baffles aren't really my thing in part because of the placement issues involved. However, knowing the performance kits provide and knowing Peerless drivers in general I have no doubt this kit with a small sub or two would end the search for the ultimate speaker for a great many audiophiles. Guys, for $399 you will not get better performance. On an unrelated note, if you do read this comment perhaps you could answer a question. So many newer commercial designs are coming with tweeters set into what the manufacturer is calling a wave-guide. Wave-guides are not a new idea but some of these wave-guides are getting so deep and broad that they might be more accurately called a horn. At what point do you consider a design a wave-guide versus a horn?

[@yttean98]

Fellow DIYers GR Research parts are excellent, I bought many parts, mainly drivers they are all excellent and easy to drive, put some expensive drivers to shame. More importantly, they all, M130, M165, etc sound great. For that price they are a steal.

[@dg1341]

Just finished my X-LS Encore (Fantastic!) build and looking for a replacement for some older L/R Klipsch in our media room (we have an Elac Debut 2 with the GR upgrade kit installed for a center). I have been looking at the Danny's AV series then I started watching this video. I was all set to place my order when he mentioned that because of the open baffle they need 3 feet of room. That would put them almost in our laps so back to researching (although, I am sure I could find a use for these elsewhere in the house, as long as my wife doesn't find out).

[@d.l.2401]

I built a pair of these awhile back in early 2020. I am currently powering them with a Yamaha DSP-A1 and they sound excellent. I am using subwoofers crossed over at 80 Hz.

[@markroze3641]

Wow, these went up in price since April! $669 now vs. the $399 price mentioned in this video.

[@Jonathan-ff4wo]

Yeah that's not entirely a marginal increase. I'd rather hope that's because the build quality or component quality was altered or improved in some ways. But I would assume that they're absolutely fine for the price.

[@mikehuntington4440]

Yes, I'm curious as to why the price went up so much...but I'm sure even at the higher price they are probably still a good deal.

[@dannyrichie9743]

We had about 500 assembled crossover for the X-Statik that were made in China. We were basically giving them away for free with that kit until those crossovers were gone. So the kit was only $399. Now we are having to provide them with higher quality US made parts. And we have to charge for that now. So the price went up accordingly.

[@ericlund4681]

@@dannyrichie9743 You’re saying an extra $300 for crossovers? Come on.

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@ericlund4681 Yes, it involves quite a few parts and it is a three way design. The crossover parts total $270 before upgrades. And they aren't a bunch of budget level parts.

[@neccros007]

I still need to order new drivers for my X-LS upgrade and start working on it!!!!! Been lazy and life also took over... I love hearing the origin on the X-LS speakers. Bought mine used with the factory stands for $125 a pair.... glad I did!

[@tomkocur]

Open up some 2000USD speakers and look at the crossover, it will look nothing like this one. This is a real high end, LOVE IT! And 400 for a pair? That's a fantastic price

[@donquixoteupinhere]

What sort of price range would this actually be similar to would you say? (In this context)

[@MrLiquidhallo]

Nice!! can't wait to get a pair of these flagship killers. Danny at his best. Good job

[@zbroyc11]

Danny, you are a wealth of common sense and higher order experience and music reproduction wisdom. Keep it up!

[@Alexandru-Mihai]

I would really like a speaker like that. The problem is that I do not have a room big enough to set them up properly. I live in a small apartment building. I really need to move to a bigger space 😩

[@michaellundy3551]

In that case consider the X-LS Encore bookshelf or it's smallish floor standing version, the X-SLS Encore.

[@CausticCreations]

fuck space! i want dem boomers!

[@e.kent.d9561]

Just discovered you yesterday. I have a lot of watching to do. Great!

[@gino3286]

the crossover is amazing I wonder if keeping it out of the speaker cabinet far from drivers magnets and box vibrations could provide any benefit

[@phoenixrising4073]

I am x-static about ordering these speakers.

[@SoundsFantastic]

$399 a kit now $699 a kit... sucks when getting late to the party.

[@markwilding3828]

On the bright side, for 699 , you get speakers with components you would have to spend 10K and up, when buying manufactured audio.

[@bdrepin]

Its over $1000 now! Snooze to loose....

[@aarneuuk9601]

Preparing to build my first ever pair of speakers. Some of the things I hear on this channel is blowing my mind. Thank you for the work you do.

[@pandstar]

DO NOT HESITATE to build these! With no exageration, you will end up with a finished set of speakers that will rival any commercially available speaker costing 4X as much. If not more.

[@bradkaral1188]

A great video, Danny. I appreciate your honest a great deal. Just a nitpick: At times, the camera was a bit out of focus, esp. when you showed the crossover.

[@MustPassTruck]

It would be amazing to see what some artistic wood workers could do building speaker boxes for these kits. You should contract some of the big KZbin wood workers and see what they think.

[@flyingjeff1984]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGSbaoqPjsyGgrM

[@1mctous]

Kudos for buying the remaining stock from your supplier in Colombia. We keep hearing about the supply chain but it's really a supply web in this digital age.

[@andrewkelly1225]

Thank you. Trying to visualize a way to use open baffles in this small apartment. Even pulling them out to listen, then stowing them away is not feasible. So I better have a close look at those bookshelf models.

[@markphilpot4981]

Table saw or router, don’t have. No clamps or any other worthwhile woodworking tools. There will come a time, but that time is not now. Soldering equipment is no problem, got that in spades! Good video Danny!👍🏻😊

[@galessi1226]

Then maybe an xls encore with the mdf flatpack?...just need clamps glue and paint....and soldering gun...

[@BB010864]

I built a XLS encore and I will tell you what .... It was the finest budget speaker I have ever heard ... Ordering more of Danny's awesome Loudspeakers :)

[@galessi1226]

Brian Dino....did you do all the upgrades...or just some?....and do you play them only a couple of inches from the wall?...or a few feet from the wall?

[@BB010864]

@@galessi1226 I did the full upgrade.. Norez, High end Crossover parts.. This is a bookshelf type speaker so it does not need to sit far from the wall ... It is worth every penny ..

[@lglstudiosbend]

QUICK QUESTION: I’m sorry if this is a dumb question. I noticed that original price of these was only $400 and they’re now $1000-$1400. I see other comments have mentioned the increasing price. I’m on a serious budget, and I noticed in the vid you mentioned this is great for the price. Now that you have different parts in this kit and the price has increased dramatically, with these upgraded parts is the bang for the buck still somewhat similar as to what you mentioned in the vid or are these now just on par with other $1400 speakers, especially something used? I truly and honestly don’t mean to come across as trollish - I’m not being sarcastic in any way, I’m just a bit ignorant in this arena and my budgetary constraints don’t allow for a wrong decision. You have some fantastic vids and products and I really appreciate what you do! It’s just I’m nervous about making a mistake, especially in a DIY project where getting my money back on a bad decision is difficult in the used market. I fell in love with a friend’s Spatial Audio M3s and am a fan of open baffle design, I just haven’t seen anything in that arena I can afford except maybe this. Thanks in advance for any insight you might be able to provide

[@dannyrichie9743]

We had hundreds of the premade crossovers used in these and we were including them for free. We got them as old inventory from when AV123 went out of business. They are now long gone and we now include higher quality crossover parts that require point to point wiring, and we are not giving them away for free. We have to charge the standard retail price for the parts. These are still a great value and sound even better than ever.

[@lglstudiosbend]

@@dannyrichie9743 That’s GREAT! Thanks for letting me know - They look like the real deal! P.S. I hope everything went well on your trip! Thanks again

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@lglstudiosbend It was a good trip. You can see videos of my races from the links found here: www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=185497.0

[@michaelhastie7324]

Danny: This video is sooo appealing that it 's almost addictive. You have the audio credits proven by online Audio Personalities. Quote of the day by Danny; "If you are a DIY guy, go straight to the kits" So Danny; can I get 2021 pricing?

[@knobbshots]

Now almost double the price he discusses here. I was really excited but $800 is a different ballgame. I’m sure it is still a great value, just gonna have to save a while.

[@dannyrichie9743]

Originally we had pre-assembled crossover for these that we inherited from AV123. We were including those crossovers for free. Those are now long gone and we have to charge for the parts we provide.

[@kenbowser5622]

I've done a little digging and these things also can look FANTASTIC.

[@dilbyjones]

Pam Terry links? Photos?

[@alexh4843]

@@dilbyjones charlest.zenfolio.com/img/s5/v118/p1486774009-5.jpg www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=127479 www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=207301 www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=207302

[@shean-koklim4197]

My kit is arriving on the 15th of June!! Bang for the Buck!

[@RyKoMedia]

That xover is HUGE! Cant wait to build this kit!

[@64fairlane305]

yeah, and then feed it through tiny stranded speakerwires

[@RyKoMedia]

@@64fairlane305 Let me guess you use 4g wire for your x-over? lololol

[@99thDimension]

Excellent info truth be known the hardest part is the sanding and finishing on bigger floor standers it can cost more than the parts.

[@jacobmar2797]

Thanks for another great video Danny! I've been wanting to order a set of these for a while. The biggest thing holding me back has been my lack of experience with the routing needed for the flush mount tweeter.

[@joshua43214]

Don't let that hold you back. It is far easier than you think. I use a clear plastic thing I purchased at Home Depot. It works just as well as the more expensive jobs, except yo don't get fine adjustment (just change the bit diameter). A single practice circle on a piece scrap and you will have the confidence you need. Don't fuss over the fit, a small gap around the driver is fine, and it only needs to be very close to flush.

[@michaellundy3551]

If you get a Jasper jig for your router you can easily route circles with 1/16" accuracy. The depth is just as easy to set with a plunge base. Push the bit down until it rests on the uncut baffle and lock it down. Then use the tweeter to set the depth stop. That's all there is to it. If you go to Danny's GR-Research forum on Audio Circle you will find tons of help www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=16.0 If it wasn't for the folks on this forum I would have never built my first kit. Unlike a lot of forums, the people on Audio Circle don't bite.

[@joshfoss7407]

DIY has been of interest to me for a few years , and pre-assembled crossover seemed like a huge value add here. With very limited understanding of Electrical Engineering, I'm not very excited about the potential of electrocuting myself or starting a fire.

[@sherpadelgatos]

Thanks for another great video and product. I want to get this kit and put the top half into the doors of my celica and build the bottom half into a boxed rear deck pointing up and forward toward the cabin from the top of the hatchback :)

[@dannyrichie9743]

They will need a completely different crossover design for that application.

[@sherpadelgatos]

Yeah you are totally right.. It would probably be easier to use in-wall or actual car speakers. Tempting though

[@TommyLoaded]

Oh man, I wish I stumbled into this 3 years ago. 399 per pair! They're over 1,000 now!

[@dannyrichie9743]

Three years ago we were giving the factory crossovers away with them for free.

[@Pksparty2112]

Price increased. Did any parts change from the time of the video?

[@dannyrichie9743]

We had about 500 assembled crossover for the X-Statik that were made in China. We were basically giving them away for free with that kit until those crossovers were gone. So the kit was only $399. Now we are having to provide them with higher quality US made parts. And we have to charge for that now. So the price went up accordingly.

[@Pksparty2112]

Danny Richie $699 would be what I would expect. $399 made me wonder if there was something I was missing.

[@engjds]

Was looking at speakers and ended up on the shopping channel.

[@Smood47]

I'd love to see how this compares to a much more expensive speaker like a Magico a3 or a5 or wilson sabrinaX.

[@Shalmaneser1]

Love the concept. Love the results. Considered doing a pair or two till I got to the unsealed cabinetry. Hmm... I might be able to work out room treatments that let me back them up to walls/corners. Other thoughts: I will probably find someone to assemble for me. As much as I want to DIY, with my skillset, it might take two or three kits to get it right. Even then, the ROI will be amazing.

[@dannyrichie9743]

As with any open baffle speaker they have to be at least three feet or more out into the room. Back any speaker up to a wall or corner and they will sound as if they are playing from the wall forward. With them well out into the room they will create a layered three dimensional sound stage.

[@redgum1340]

Try ribbon speakers. They will amaze you better than any other driver.

[@dannyrichie9743]

We've worked with all of the best ribbon tweeters.

[@joeygonzo]

9:28, calling that a crossover is an understatement

[@NightFlight1973]

$339.00 in 2020 - FF to 2023 and this kit starts at $974.00 USD. In 3 years the price more than doubled. That's crazy.

[@tvtime1505]

Thank Joe Biden.

[@dannyrichie9743]

We had hundreds of the premade crossovers and we were including them for free. We got them as old inventory from when AV123 went out of business. They are now long gone and we now include higher quality crossover parts that require point to point wiring, and we are not giving them away for free. We have to charge the standard retail price for the parts. These are still a great value and sound even better than ever.

[@NightFlight1973]

@@dannyrichie9743 Thanks Danny. I'm not pointing fingers at you. Good components aren't cheap. I'd love to see where you just sell the drivers, as those are made of actual unobtainium. Share the crossover schematic and values. Its not like the crossover isn't married to the cabinet and drivers. I'm in Canada, we spoke on the phone once and even you were kinda floored about the total cost to get everything shipped here. Now, I think that was back in 2021 and I have yet to get my hands on one of your kits because of import costs. With spiralling inflation, I don't think I'll ever really be able to afford to shop that price cross border. I'd rather see if I can get the flat packs, crossover components and wiring inside my own borders to bring the kit cost down. My only other option is to buys someone elses used kit (unfinished/botched/etc) and go from there. For now I'm doing ok with a nice set of Elacs that Jones designed that a wholesaler dumped as new old stock. Their nothing to sneeze at, but I have a strong feeling the x-statiks or X-LS will do better. While I like the Elac's, you know how it is... there's always something better.

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@NightFlight1973 The drivers are not hard to find. We stock thousands of them. The Elacs were well designed, but designed with in a really low price point. So the crossover parts are fairly poor. The X Series models are in a different class. It is cheaper for us to send up a base level kit than for you to shop for comparable level parts up there.

[@NightFlight1973]

@@dannyrichie9743 ok thanks. I put out an ad on the local canukaudiomart to see what I could find. Got a response, maybe a flat pack found. I'm considering the NX-Studio. Thanks for all the input. :)

[@stogie525]

Love these videos on your own speakers Danny, great stuff👍

[@Roo-n9j]

Would love to try this, but being in Canada our loonie doesn't go far, then tack on shipping and customs...ugh.

[@blackie75]

same in australia, but the freight makes me shudder lol

[@freakybeats2]

Dynamic Hypnotic Same its depressing. Not to mention gst and that godawful exchange rate. Then start building the cabs! Oh but I can dream 😂

[@erichoberg3502]

@@blackie75 there's a guy that does kit speakers in Adelaide. Adelaide Speakers worth checking out. I got a large pair of Timberwolves.

[@darrengillesdarrengilles8336]

I was interested in the X-static until I saw the flatpack price of near $800 USD what is that all about? all the other flatpacks are 1/3rd the price and the X-static looks to be the most simple, a box and a plank $800 US

[@dannyrichie9743]

That one is more complex to cut and package for shipping.

[@Dreez76]

Been considering ordering this kit, but the shippingcost would probably be more than the cost of the kits themselves.

[@LogiForce86]

I would love to make a 5-way speaker some day... supertweeter, tweeter, 6" mid-range speaker, 8" woofer and 12" subwoofer in a single enclosure that is either front or bottom ported. But my wallet always brings me to tears when I even start thinking about it well before I look into how to do it. 😅

[@dannyrichie9743]

Splitting up the upper frequency ranges into different drivers causes some problems.

[@LogiForce86]

@dannyrichie9743 Depends if it is required to hard split the frequencies, no? You could just have overlap and taper off any undesired frequencies per driver. Just as long as you make sure the drivers operate at the same volume level, that is if you aim for a flat frequency range so that you can use a EQ or full DSP to adjust the frequencies to the ambience of the room and colori g of the sound you desire.

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@LogiForce86 The biggest problem with splitting up high frequencies into multiple drivers is the center to center spacing of the drivers and the wavelengths that they cross. As soon as the driver spacing approaches a distance greater than the wavelengths that they cross, then there will be out of phase cancellation in the vertical off axis. No amount of EQ or DSP correction will fix that. It is also never a good idea to put devices like that in the signal path of a high end system.

[@LogiForce86]

@dannyrichie9743 That also happens naturally, though, and is the reason why when listening to a big orchestra live, you are unable to hear certain instruments in certain spots of the concert hall or theater. That type of frequency cancellation can't be completely avoided from my point of view, but you are right. The more audio sources (drivers (but also instruments in an orchestra)) in a room, the more likely it is to occur. In which case it also happens when using a home cinema setup with an ever increasing number of speakers.

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@LogiForce86 When you take into account a room response you will have peaks and dips that are in fact wavelengths arriving in phase and out of phase. That stuff will need to be controlled with room treatment. From a design aspect looking only at the speaker, I try to minimize those affects to create a more balanced in room response.

[@briansimmons5363]

Seems like a lot have issues with them being out from the wall. I see you recommend them pulling out for listing session, I get that. Sort of hard with spikes and having to lift :) Anyway could describe to your fans, what if they are say 2' away, what can one expect? How about 1', what are we going to miss or mess up?

[@1mctous]

I have plenty of Magnepan experience but it applies equally to open baffle speakers. Forget 1 foot out entirely. 2 feet out is still quite compromised. 3 feet is the bare minimum.

[@briansimmons5363]

@@1mctous Or what will happen? Please describe the issues that will be encountered.

[@1mctous]

@@briansimmons5363 Severe phase cancellation and image blurring. If you can't place them at least 3 feet out you're frankly wasting your money.

[@StewartMarkley]

Martin Tousignant You can put a lot of absorption on the wall behind or on stands behind the speakers to absorb much of the mids and highs to make them more like boxed speakers but with the transient performance of open baffles. Best of both worlds!

[@1mctous]

​@@StewartMarkley ​1) Effective, uniform absorption will cost a lot more money. 2) The room still reinforces the bass. That's designed into the frequency response and they'll sound too thin without reflections.

[@RealHIFIHelp]

Interesting, this guy seems legit.

[@toddm9957]

He totally is

[@kenbowser5622]

I just saw this. I really like your channel and ideas.

[@dark-eternalknight3379]

ok Danny. seen enough vids to know you are a expert! point taken. But I AM A WOOD PIDDLER and love my exotics, how would say solid 3.5" Ebony Purpleheart or like the BLACK OAKS or Bubinga sound against MDF?

[@phrosda]

I'm thinking of selling my klipsch rp8000f and buying one of Danny's speaker builds.

[@SoundsFantastic]

How much :)

[@rodrigocastillo872]

Dani, what's the size and weight of the shipping package. Once it's built, what are the HxWxD final dimensions. I don't have room to set them 3 ft apart from the wall, how that would impact on performance Great video, please keep all the good you've been doing Thanks

[@johnnilsen2097]

Build a good ceiling speaker for atms systems.

[@JaniLahtinen]

Have them available outside US so we can follow your advice. If not possible, sell the plans, there are no customs and shipping costs for data.

[@dannyrichie9743]

I ship these outside the US all the time. My shipping quantity with UPS gets me good negotiated rates. So it is not too bad to send them to other countries. And all of the drivers are proprietary. They aren't available anywhere else.

[@keithbickerdike4621]

I wish we had this sort of thing available in England ...

[@jwilson086]

He ships internationally

[@peterbonotan3654]

I’m saving to buy xstatic … is there a way to post a sound demo? It will be highly appreciated…..

[@dalehargreaves5196]

Evee heard about response by Clements Silk tweeter whith an eight inch transmission line loaded woofer and simple crossover. Provided countless hours of bliss . Only thing that beat it was eighties khorrns with alnico magnets. Type whatever crossovers were just wrong but a bit of tweaking and an se45; amp can do wonderes.

[@chrisusher7638]

Just ordered the X-Statik and the X-Voce after researching all the reviews I could find. Unfortunately I couldn't afford the upgrades but maybe can add them in the future. I am hoping my woodworking skills will be up to par to do these justice and I can't wait to see how these perform. Mr. Richie, any leads on the metal grills or a great substitute? Mostly concerned with the top of the X-Voce. Update, I finished these and have a month of listening to them. I did add sonicaps to the highs and the bypass on the lows. I'm running tidal through a audioquest dragonfly red directly Into two denon class A amps. While these are quite a bit more finicky to set up for proper imaging, once set the vocals and crispness of the highs is a reach out and grab you experience. I am very happy overall and just sold my klipchs vf35's that these replaced. A warning though, as a newly developing stereo enthusiast, these make me want to try them on other digital front ends and really want to invest in a tube or hybrid tube amp to see how it will come across on these transparent mids/highs. I would love to see other's reviews on thier purchase of this kit. Thanks again Dannny!

[@dannyrichie9743]

I don't know of any place that sells those metal grills, but I do have a few fully assembled X-Voce models left in stock and a few of them may still have the metal grills. I am blowing them out for $250 each.

[@chrisusher7638]

@@dannyrichie9743 If I was a better wood worker and able to match the X-Statik enclosures to the built X-Voce I would certainly go that route. Thank you for the quick response!

[@kalmahman48]

looks like the price of the x-statik went up almost triple on the website

[@dannyrichie9743]

We had hundreds of the premade crossovers used in these and we were including them for free. We got them as old inventory from when AV123 went out of business. They are now long gone and we now include higher quality crossover parts that require point to point wiring, and we are not giving them away for free. We have to charge the standard retail price for the parts.

[@raynabozny2338]

I own a pair of Watkins Gen 4 with a JL Audio e112 sub for low end support.The Watkins have a Peerless Woofers try to beat that! I would be interested in a build with NO COMPONENTS FROM CHINA.from Ray in Michigan

[@devstation18]

Rest assured, Peerless drivers are made in India.... Commenting from India, the peerless factory is im Mumbai

[@paullaughton3440]

Thanks for sharing, your kits are amazing.

[@steveseattle6791]

Those look amazing! Then I went to go buy and realized the price has almost than doubled in the last year!!! And they say there is no inflation...lol

[@dannyrichie9743]

We were throwing in the pre-assembled crossovers for free until they were all gone. Now we have to provide them with US made crossover parts.

[@steveseattle6791]

@@dannyrichie9743 Still looks like a good deal! And the prices for everything are up this year, so to be expected.

[@mw4609]

Awesome video Danny! Thank you for bringing your expertise to KZbin. I know from previous conversations, that you have reservations about using miniDSP for active crossover, so if Nelson Pass' Active Crossover Network (ACN) designed specifically for Linkwitz' LXmini DIY speakers was used - how would the Xstatic compare to LXmini? Also, do they have a similar cardioid response? I've come to appreciate that 'live' sound of LXmini (even with miniDSP). These seem similar to one of Linkwitz other older DIY designs - the Orion. Certainly you've encountered one or more of the various Orion versions over the years/decades. Where Xstatic has open-baffle MTM with sealed woofers, Orion has fully open-baffle bipole and woofers. How does Xstatic compare to the somewhat similar Orion? Are response measurements available for Xstatic, including polar radiation map?

[@dannyrichie9743]

The LXmini is just not in the same league especially when being held back with the D/A conversion and sound of the MiniDSP. A more even comparison would be to compare the X-Statik to the Orion. The X-Statik uses better sounding drivers and a smaller baffle that offers better imaging and sound stage layering. The Orion is also more often held back by the electronic crossovers. They are also very inefficient. and they require eight amplifier channels. Ugh! The X-Staik has much higher sensitivity and needs only a single low powered stereo amp. The Orion will play down a little lower and is full open baffle down low, but the X-Statik kit is a fraction of the price and with the money left over you can add a dual stack of our 12" servo controlled woofers (also in an open baffle) and have the best sounding bottom end that money can buy. And the X-Statik is very smooth. I have measured responses on an off axis, but not a polar radiation map. Those are tough to read anyway.

[@mw4609]

@@dannyrichie9743 Xstatic seems like a great value. What is the preferred wood to use for the front baffle. Is Baltic Birch recommended? I noticed the metal grills in some pictures - are those available? Those original AV-finished versions looked very good.

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@mw4609 I recommend MDF, but a Baltic Birch could be used for the front baffle.

[@mw4609]

@@dannyrichie9743 Do you have any leads on the metal grills? I'd like to get something made for Tekton DI's too.

[@patstrack861]

M W o

[@Gioxtream]

JESUS!!! LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THOSE COILS !!!

[@ufarkingicehole]

The ones on the sub is tiny

[@deanrouleau8403]

What does Jesus have to do with these speakers??

[@Gioxtream]

@@deanrouleau8403 JESUS KNOW THEY'RE AMAZING. :-)

[@1997inspire]

Since the rear output of the open baffle woofers reflect off the rear walls to provide ambience wouldn't the addition of a rear mounted tweeter help?

[@michaelvangeldergelderland4239]

well, the price really went up since the crossovers sold out...

[@dannyrichie9743]

We had about 500 assembled crossover for the X-Statik that were made in China. We were basically giving them away for free with that kit until those crossovers were gone. So the kit was only $399. Now we are having to provide them with higher quality US made parts. And we have to charge for that now. So the price went up accordingly.

[@cdelapaz5]

Holy cow, the price jumped on these. From 400 bucks for a kit, with drivers and a crossover that was already put together, to 669 and you have to put the crossovers together. I would rather put it together with better parts, but how cheap were the original parts? Also yet another 185 dollars for another cap and resistor upgrade, which I don’t personally know is worth it, it could be, there’s no reviews or anything we’re people compare differences. I’m having much the same issues with the X-MTM model. By the time you spend the money and time putting building the speakers, I’m not sure if it makes logical sense. Love the idea though, sounds like fun.

[@jwilson086]

The $400 price was due to Danny having a large number of pre-built crossovers on hand from years ago when these speakers were commercially offered by a company that went out of business. He was basically giving those away for free to clear out the inventory, so when they ran out he had to start putting together parts kits and the price went up. Having built and listened to these speakers they are more than worth it to me even at the higher price. Of course there's a good amount of labor involved to have the finished speaker and the calculation of whether you want to spend that time or pay for someone else to do the work by buying pre-built speakers is an individual choice. If you comb through the GR forum you can find people that provide reviews/impressions of upgrades to many different speakers to try go gauge whether that aspect is worth it to you. I have the pre-built standard crossovers and the only upgrades I did were to install no-rez and tube connectors. The finished product is lightyears ahead of my Paradigm Monitor 11s that I previously had in the same place. The clarity is shockingly improved, as is the imaging and soundstage. Good luck in your decision making.

[@Eagleoneradiogod]

I am watching all your videos on my only tx 866 with a techneics sh-8046 eq through my old jbls and kenwwods from 1986. I don't have a rich girlfriend in fact I don't have a girlfriend. But I do like vintage stereo hunting. Especially with all the adaptors such as blue tooth to rca which is how I am bluetoothing my note 9 to my old streros such as my only tx sv90 with an eq550. Yes I know that what I have is consumer electronics from the 1989s. But I believe that these electronics where made better back then and not so mass produced even though there onkyos.

[@Finn-McCool]

New sub based on your attitude alone. As a cabinet maker I'm really considering this route.

[@gamecockspalmetto]

Finn McCool you should go to audiocircle web page and see the OB5 cabinets by VonCarlos in the GR Reasearch box.

[@azharzaidi3264]

Hi Danni, I am impressed with this video and your approach towards next level. Here is the challenge. I want to upgrade my vintage Kenwood KL-999Z 5 way speakers. What should I do?

[@dannyrichie9743]

There is no way of designing a crossover for those that will maintain any level of accuracy. If you move in any direction there could be some comb filtering issues. I know they were a really cool speaker back in the day, but sometimes it is better to start over.

[@azharzaidi3264]

Danny Richie thanks. I thought so too. Now I know. Could upgrading caps & coils help?

[@dannyrichie9743]

It won't fix the problems, but it can make them sound cleaner.

[@azharzaidi3264]

Thanks. Should I send you a picture of crossover. Perhaps then you could send me the parts, wires, tube connectors, boards, etc.? I am 70 years old and have a lot of time.

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@azharzaidi3264 Show me what you have and the values used and I'll recommend some things that will take them up a notch.

[@harryburnett7086]

Question , why not add a 8 in or 10 in woofer and i would buy , extra subwoofer isnt a option here

[@renatogonzalezmora4191]

Fantástico Danny!

[@cybergod77]

Hi Danny, I would really like to try out your speakers but I'm not sure whether I've got the chops to assemble and varnish the cabinets. Can you do a video on the assembly process? Also, do you have an appointed trusted contractor who can do up the upgrade parts, complete the speakers and ship it out? Moreover, the X-Voce does not come with a cabinet so I'll need help to build one. I could not find the speaker's dimensions.

[@alexh4843]

Check out Mike Lundy on GR Research Audio Circle.

[@archiemacdonald553]

love watching your videos danny .i live in the UK have you ever looked at the LINN INDEX SPEAKERS .and if you have are they worth upgrading .wish we had someone like yourself back in the uk .merry christmas from perth scotland 🙂🙂🙂

[@mzondi1970]

Thank you for answering my questions thus far on the elac upgrades. My question to you is how come the parts for the elac upgrade are almost as much as the whole speaker kit? Is the elac parts all ready the higher quality stuff you spoke of ? A friend of mine was/is very sharp on this stuff as well. He now owns his own car audio company with his own brand. Years ago he built me speakers with the air core and other parts you mention and used Scanspeak and Morel drivers. Best set of speakers I ever had. He build the cabinets as well. In your answer to me yesterday you mentioned you has some info on having the elac parts installed? I would like more info on that please. Thank you in advance.

[@dannyrichie9743]

As per your first question about the cost of the Elac upgrade verses the cost of the X-Statik kit. Check the kit page for the X-Statik: gr-research.com/x-statikkit.aspx You'll see that we offer a Sonicap and Mills resistor upgrade for them as well. And a tube connector upgrade. Those to upgrades tot he X-Statik is $295. And the stock Elac parts are very much of the budget nature, and much more so that the base level X-Statik parts. If you want someone to do the Elac upgrade for you then I may have someone that might be interested in the assembly work. I'll check with him.

[@mzondi1970]

@@dannyrichie9743 I would appreciate it. Just watched Ron video on the a v o with the way it comes from you would it sound better or with a elac upgrades sound better than that speaker? Keep in mind I would have to get somebody to cut and build the cabinets for me your answers are very appreciated

[@mzondi1970]

@@dannyrichie9743 and I don't know what difference it would make but my amplifier is a Yamaha 501 one rated baby want for Channel at 4 ohms and Marantz CD player. May add a turntable later but wanted you to know what kind of power I was working with and I wasn't everything from Rock classic rock to Jazz and classical

[@MrSimplesimon007]

I'm really new to the DIY speaker thing, but I'm very shocked at how low the quality of drivers are used in expensive speakers, I have some I won't name them but there from Italy with the initials S.F. And the small magnets on the bass drivers is the same as the mid range, hollow sound when you knock the cabinets with your knuckles, I understand the vast majority in the speaker is the cabinet, and making it aesthetically pleasing on the eye, there's other big costs like manufacture profit, import tax to UK where I live, vat, middle men and the hi fi shops profit, my sf when new were 4000 uk pounds but in reality are probably worth less than a quarter of that due to what I stated above, I'd love to build my own but it's the cabinets where I fall flat on my face, as I could never make them as pretty as sf. I imagine most DIY guys have this issue, regards to all of you.

[@timothyhall7606]

Any comments on the HDA cone material used by driver manufacturers such as Audax of France?

[@gee3883]

Very interesting, any ideas on shipping costs to Lithuania ?. Just to let you know your links in your description aren't working.

[@rockyp5246]

Also Richie, I reviewed the X-Statik Kit cabinet plans. Do you recommend 1/4" rebate channels in the side and rear panels for internal panels marked A, B, & C? And shouldn't the double thickness baffle extend beyond the open section and down to the enclosed section to better handle woofer resonance. Do you drill holes through sections marked C for wiring from XO? Finally, with sealed boxes, should the enclosed area behind the woofers be filled with damping material? thanks Rocky

[@jwilson086]

Rocky P hi Rocky, I’m not sure about the rebate channel but I can give some responses on some of your other questions. In the past Danny has said you can go with a full length 1.5” baffle, but it will work either way. The composite frame of the woofers really doesn’t resonate and if you also use No-Rez to line the cabinet it will be extremely inert. The C panels are braces and you’ll need to cut a couple holes to keep the interior volume correct (see page 3). On your final question, yes, he recommends you add some acoustic stuffing as well to loosely fill in the space.

[@pvanb291]

Hey Danny, I've dabbled in building speakers for a while and yours look REALLY good! Have you reviewed anything with a Balanced Mode Radiator top end? Currently using Cambridge Audio Aero 6 floor standers with a BMR tweeter. Such a huge soundstage!

[@brannonmcevers1854]

Mr Ritchie... I find it contradictory that you criticize other manufacturers for using electrolytic capacitors and iron core inductors, yet both those components are found in the kit you design.... I guess you found that designing a 3way system proves very difficult without these items😉. I think you should try wirewound sand cast resistors next, you might find that the minimal inductance they have may prove beneficial in certain nodes of a quality crossover filter!🤣🤣 Just a thought....

[@dannyrichie9743]

Originally we had pre-assembled crossover for these that we inherited from AV123. They used those parts, and since the crossover point was at 150Hz, they could certainly get away with it. Now that those pre-built crossovers are long gone we provide the parts for them using higher quality parts.

[@mattmuraski]

What happened to the $399 a pair... website shows they start at $669???

[@jwilson086]

The $400 price was due to Danny having a large number of pre-built crossovers on hand from years ago when these speakers were commercially offered by a company that went out of business. He was basically giving those away for free to clear out the inventory, so when they ran out he had to start putting together parts kits and the price went up.

[@parapobabam]

One more question. I am a fan of sealed cabinets with passive radiators like the vanatoo T1E or buchardt s400 would I be able to build a smaller speaker using your components that incorporates a rear facing radiator?

[@dannyrichie9743]

Not using this speaker design. PR's basically do the same thing as a port. The advantage is that the PR doesn't take up air space in the box. And sometimes a port size has to get pretty large and really long to reach the correct tuning. In those cases a PR is a better option.

[@MW-sw7so]

Would you happen to have an idea on how i could improve my 3 way 15 inch Cerwin Vega VS-150 speakers? Ive already done the recone/voice coil/surround to them, which turned out well. But like a new passive crossover setup i would like to redo them with high quality components made for audio. Maybe, make new enclosures for them with the same internal volume, but more rigid. Maybe change the port style from the 2 round 4½ or 5 inch ports it has to a slot port style . They are rear ported, should i move it to the front? I would like to change the 6 inch mid and tweeter, they're kind of harsh in the upper midrange ant lower treble. They are also missing some in the low mid area as well. Just things like that. Let me know if you can, thanks!!

[@MirkoMancini]

Hi, thanks for your video. I'm not able to make by myself the cabinets, could you provide and ship the cabinet parts too or is it impossible? I'm from Italy, thanks.

[@gwlodgeiteast4254]

I was about to order but then saw the price has more than doubled...... now $750 for the kit. Ouch

[@DodgyBrothersEngineering]

Not quite doubled but most of the way there. $399 to $749 is a big price jump for 1 year.

[@dannyrichie9743]

Originally we had pre-assembled crossover for these that we inherited from AV123. We were including those crossovers for free. Those are now long gone and we have to charge for the parts we provide.

[@oscarjonas5507]

Feeling a bit sad that I'm located in Europe. The shipping and taxes on that kit would be quite expensive. Would love to try them out, but I guess it's a lost cause unless I can find the exact same components here on this side of the pond.

[@dannyrichie9743]

Shipping is not as bad as you'd think.

[@oscarjonas5507]

@@dannyrichie9743 that's good to hear! Do you have a ballpark figure for Seden?

[@mammuthboy]

Oscar kolla med arizona classic. En polare beställde både fälgar samt en åkgräsklippare genom dem. Det tar tid men ok kostnad. Jag tror att på dessa så räkna med 45% påslag på inköpspriset. Det täcker då frakt samt tullkostnader www.arizonaclassic.com/

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@crazyprayingmantis5596 I bet I can ship you a whole X-Statik kit that is 35 pounds for about $180 to $240. And it will be about half of that for an X-LS Encore model.

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@crazyprayingmantis5596 email me an ship to address and I'll get you a quote. [e-mail]

[@vcp93]

Hey Danny (or anyone else that knows the answer), have you ever measured/analyzed any of the Zu Audio speakers. I know that they are full range speakers and don't use crossovers (I think none of them do), so I was curious if you ever had the chance to put any of the Zu speakers through your testing. Thanks for all the excellent videos and for sharing your knowledge. You have really changed my opinion about DIY speakers. Cheers! 👽🖖"Na-nu"

[@kurthoyer2245]

Is there anyone that is providing a flat pack for the detail?

[@dannyrichie9743]

Yes, I have measured and tested several models of theirs. They definitely have issues. There are response problems and comb filtering issues that are not minor. I have designed new crossovers for two of their models so far.

[@tuba74]

I would love to see a DIY that has the same sound quality (or in between x-static and NX-Otica) as X-static but not as open baffle. Nothing against open baffle and I probably speak for a majority of folks who would purchase your speakers but do not have dedicated listening room/theater. With standard setups in the family rooms, WAF, toddlers running around - 3 feet from the wall is not possible. Hopefully, I make your list of speakers for future design. Thank you and please keep the great content coming.

[@dannyrichie9743]

I've been thinking about doing one or two like that. I'll get on that as soon as things slow down a little.

[@ufarkingicehole]

@@dannyrichie9743 I have one question. I am in love with Maggie 1.7i. They are around $2200. Its going to be a while before I can do that. With that said..... how would you say these compare? I know your probably tired of these questions but I really want your honest opinion. I am also a fan of kef r300 which is my second choice.. If these compare or outdo..... I am buying now. If it's not quit there, I am going to wait and save up. Any advice would be really appreciated Also.... thanks for the videos! I'm learning alot from you!

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@ufarkingicehole The Maggies are hard to drive (low impedance load) and need a lot of power. The X-Statiks are easy to drive (6 to 8 ohms) and don't need much power. The Maggies lack dynamics. The X-Statik's have dynamics in spades. The Maggies have a small sweet spot. The X-Statik's sound good all over the room. The Maggies have a rough response. The X-Statik has a smooth response. The Maggies have good transparency. The X-Statiks match that easily. The maggies have a wide playing surface that draws attention to the panel. The X-Statik is narrow and has an enveloping sound stage that does not draw attention to the speakers. The X-Statik also wins out in breathy lifelike vocals and resolution and detail. And the X-Statik's have a more impactful bass.