Ep. 5 - DIY Volt 10 speaker REAL review! | Home Theater Gurus

[@chrisrudek2076]

Hi...do you have experience with the 1099s vs the HTMs?

[@DearSX]

I own the volt 6 and another coaxial the Kef LS50 and in many scenarios I prefer the Volt 6. Perhaps they dont measure create but they can sound pretty good.

[@bartowflorida]

I think people go too far with the measuring equipment. I understand if you audibly hear issues that need to be figured out, but when it sounds good to the ear, but you measure it and find issue, i just think that's weird

[@hometheatergurus]

This isn't a cheap hobby and things like understanding toe in of atmos can save people lots of money and wasted time trying to get better sound. Imagine having these downfiring and hearing someones room that has them aimed and thinking the other guy has better speakers, so you sell yours, buy more speakers etc. All along you just need to aim them.

[@ericmoss6110]

I would love a review on the new vortex speakers. They seem to measure much better.

[@boomerps2]

So if you like how the HTM12's measure, I'm guessing the Elusive 1099's should measure well?

[@hometheatergurus]

Yes the 1099s also measure well. I also like the look of them and would happily run those where they're visible and I needed a narrow dispersion speaker.

[@boomerps2]

@@hometheatergurus Thats exactly what I'm doing. Getting ready to build my theater room and was going to hide my 1099's but now will show them.

[@XudenGroupLLC]

@@boomerps2 where are you placing the 1099’s, LCR or surrounds also?

[@boomerps2]

@@XudenGroupLLC LCR

[@XudenGroupLLC]

@@boomerps2 what are doing for surrounds to possibly match the 1099’s?

[@chadsmith951]

I own Volt 10s and Volt 6s and love them..as do many others..

[@hometheatergurus]

Yep I used to have a room full of them.

[@wechnivag]

I own 4 volt 6 and they sound phenomenal, especially the solid and distinct phantom center image. The thing to keep on mind about the measurements is perhaps that it looks worse than it sounds. The critical midband from 700-7k is relatively even spaced except for that chasm of a 'BBC' dip. But more importantly, the coax can pan seamlessly in all directions, which is important for surround and atmos sound bubble. So while these are far from perfect measurements, they sound really good in application than the measurements alone would suggest. And for the price, the represent a tremendous price / performance opportunity for the diy builder. Yes there are higher performance options out there, but please don't rule these out completely. They suffice for all but the best builds, and there is the vortex for that.

[@JosephCrowesDIYSpeakerBuilding]

Great video. You can use ARTA measurement software to create very visually identifiable coloured polar maps of the off-axis. Also the burst decay waterfall plot is a very useful tool that demonstrates what’s really happening in the time domain that’s contributing to these issues your pointing out. Not only is the frequency response effected but also low level detail retrieval since it’s obscured by the slow decay of the acoustical stored energy (a time domain issue).

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks. I will be getting into REW measurements, alinging subs, house curves etc soon. I have thought about measurements on axis and at various degrees and gating to remove room interaction if guys want me to start reviewing speakers in that way as some speakers don't have measurements that can be found. I don't want to get too complicated with the channel. Keep it as simple as possible to help the average enthusiasts or beginner get the most performance possible from the gear they choose. Room treatments and manipulating reflections will also be down the road.

[@joelopez7459]

never knew what that off axis graph was for

[@guitarchitectural]

This is terrific - I would have never thought about the woofer-as-waveguide issue. Something I will keep in mind as I embark on a first build! Any idea how a MTM/WTW compares to something with a waveguide, when it comes to dispersion?

[@hometheatergurus]

There are good coaxial speakers that pull off good off axis but it's definitely something to pay attention to as it is an extra challenge.

[@BAM-ee2jm]

Any thoughts on if the diysg HT series is comparable to the HTM12's you used?

[@hometheatergurus]

I haven't heard them but every one of their speakers I've heard with a seos and eos waveguide was very very nice. I'd expect them to be the same.

[@marcopozza1608]

Hello! I really enjoy your videos! I would like to build a home theater room in my house and I'm looking for affordable cinema like speakers. I've seen that the htm series could be ok, but I've noted that I cannot find online because not avaible anymore. Have you any suggestions? Something like lcr ? The jbl lsr308 is powered so I don't know if it's the best choice with the AVR. Thank you for everything you are doing with the channel!

[@kevinpeters1944]

Best site to get the off axis response graphs?

[@hometheatergurus]

The really well designed speakers are usually easy as the manufacturers proudly post this info. If you can't find it request it from the manufacturer. If they won't or can't produce it that's a red flag! For the diy sound group stuff they have a forum where this info can be found. Just Google diy sound group forum.

[@dreamdiction]

Did you know that higher frequencies are ALWAYS more directional and this simple law of physics means wider diameter speakers are more directional. You are blaming Volt for something that is common to all speakers of the same size.

[@hometheatergurus]

Go look at the polars of a wide dispersion that has just as much energy off axis up into the high frequencies, some even up to 70 degrees off axis. That's the definition of a wide dispersion speaker. A wide dispersion can be a large speaker or a small speaker. But no one including myself should bash a narrow dispersion just because it's narrow. It's just a different type of dispersion that has its place just like a wide dispersion has its place. For instance a narrow is great where you want to limit off axis energy because maybe you can't properly treat it. I have and will continue to have narrow dispersion in my living rooms for this reason. For some odd reason people think the volts are wide dispersion. But again a narrow dispersion isn't a bad thing unless it's improperly used and people are mislead to think it's wide. The only time I talk negative the volts are when looking at accuracy of its on and off axis is its quite bad.

[@dreamdiction]

@@hometheatergurus There are no "wide-dispersion" or "narrow dispersion" loud speakers. The off-axis decibel reduction is caused by comb filtering which is dependent on the diameter of the speaker cone regardless of which brand of speaker you are using. Higher frequencies are ALWAYS more directional so they are always quieter off-axis and louder on-axis. The off-axis high frequency decibel reduction of the volt is typical of all twelve inch speakers. You can't show me a 12 speaker which has less off-axis high frequency attenuation because they don't exist - unless you horn load the speaker.

[@hometheatergurus]

@Dream Diction um... Wide dispersion does exist. Google it. It's not about highs being directional which they are but about the speakers dispersion characteristcs. Audioholics has recently made a video explaining wide vs narrow with polars. And btw the woofers are not handling upper frequencies so 12 vs 8" woofer is irrelevant to high frequencies. Here ya go kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYeumJadf7xrbKs

[@Renrondog]

@@hometheatergurus Let it go, some people (DD) just like to argue and prove how smart they think they are. If he ever looked at the dispersion of a 3/4" dome vs. a 1 1/8" dome he would see the difference. Just move on...

[@hometheatergurus]

@@Renrondog this isn't an opinion. The video just explains how the off axis in no way looks like the on axis. We want to educate people so they make good choices. If this upsets you well you need to work on that.

[@Hitokiri_Ace]

Good to know, and glad you shared this info. I'll definitely do more research before deciding to upgrade any surrounds to volt10's or anything. I've now got 2 v.b.s.s. units, and 3 1099's. I suppose, needless to say, the DIY crowd has my attention. ha Thanks again. :)

[@danjacobsen7645]

The volt is an awesome speaker. This dude obviously has a hidden agenda.

[@Renrondog]

It may sound OK but with that big suck out in response it is far from awesome. Go listen to some high end speakers

[@jjdente7666]

Love this video Steve your the man

[@hometheatergurus]

No JJ, you're that man!

[@Brandon-h2z]

Thanks for saving people

[@hometheatergurus]

Haha you're welcome!

[@turdfurgason8476]

You were saved from a high performance.awesome speaker that destroys anything from a commercial speaker maker. Tons of people absolutely love volts. Especially for Atmos duty. How about you tell us what you bought instead and how much you spent. I'd like to have a laugh.

[@turdfurgason8476]

For the price

[@Renrondog]

@@turdfurgason8476 $400 or $40, wrong is wrong. I can't hear above 14K but I know it makes a difference if it drops or climbs out of control. Lower frequency harmonics I can hear.