I built CSS Criton 1TD-X and this is my impression

[@q0w1e2r3t4y5]

Holy shit man, you're speaking very well and with such detail and color. You provide a feeling as well as CLEAR AS DAY meaning. All this without having every 15th word to be 'okay?' or 'allright?'. Excellent job!

[@gilbertogon1962]

You are my favorite reviewer. You get to the point of what matters. Thank You.

[@audiorick841]

You are really good at expressing how things sound with the ability to explain why. Great reviews, really enjoy them. Thank you!

[@jameslester6785]

As an owner and builder of these speakers, I find your review spot on. They are truly a best buy and hit way above their weight. I have finished mine with ribbon mahogany veneer. Well done!

[@Firebottleman]

Thank you for another excellent review! I love the way that you make us discover so many good tracks that are very well recorded. Please keep doing this.

[@terryhk99leung36]

Have been watching your channels since 2020 when we could not see your face, and still enjoy very much and looking forward for the next video. I always find ( or more like feel) your comments trustworthy and unbiased, which I really appreciate. Thanks so much for all the good works

[@robanderson6173]

Thanks for the videos and reviews. I built GR research Xstatik open baffle hybrid 3 way speakers that are in kit form with flat pack. A powered sub woofer fills in the lower levels. I used your review to pick the amps which are the Acoustic Invader power and pre amps. The sound is very open and lifelike, now I'm much more aware of great recordings. Bargain prices for the sound quality to my ears.

[@fletchermunson6225]

During COVID jail time I built three of CSS audio's kits. They offer excellent value, in particular for people with brighter electronics, a good choice. The kit uses Audtek OFC interior wiring. Audtek makes an in wall cable with four 14 awg wires that is a very good bargain speaker cable costing about $100 for a 100 foot spool, jut pair two of the 14 gauge wires together for the + and -. If I did these over I would mount the binding posts on an aluminum plate and mount that to the speaker. It would make wiring up the binding posts a lot easier.

[@jeffjohnson3504]

My neighbor is a cabinet maker and made me a set of Ported 3 ways solid oak plywood 15 inch woofer 4 inch mid range 1 inch titanium tweeter 70 lbs a piece sounds awesome! They have impressed many listeners!

[@hirikarunia]

Salute to Jeff Bagby design😊. He was a legend in DIY speakers

[@dr_gus2111]

Really nice review ; you're really good at describing the caracteristics of what your ears perceive. The comparisons you made were pertinent, and you didn't just accumulate superlatives but nuanced your statement. Oh, and you made me discover 2 greats artists. :) I would love a comparison between the 1TD-X, the 2TD-X Tower and the 2TD-X MTM (not use as a center channel but as a bookshelf speaker).

[@vladimirjovanovic2803]

Thanks Srbo for another great review! Warming up the soldering iron and ordering the clamps :)

[@cenkisil574]

Thank you. I think good quality faux leather wrap around the sides and flush cut marble cut slab for the top plane.

[@EnriqSandoval]

fantastic review!

[@cheeky1664]

The amount of work you put into each video is astonishing! Thanks for another brilliant one!! 😁👍😁

[@terranovaestudio]

You are one of the greatest audio reviewers.

[@Brighamdoc]

I built these and loved them. Gave them to my daughter and built the Criton 2TD-x MTM - like the 1TD-X on steroids. Amazing speakers and so fun to build.

[@michaelcorlet2998]

Another insightfull and realistic review. I also learnt alott.

[@donswords6671]

Great review. Excited to try these as I'm building my system. BTW. Where did you get those cool looking wall dampeners? Aesthetics are important. :-)

[@iiWiReviews]

Those are Sonitus Bigfusors but they're sold in either black or white. These you see behind me are black but I hand-painted them.

[@4thewinir344]

Great review! I built a pair of x with the upgraded x-over, veneered in Walnut. Just as you describe, I have my endgame bookshelves.

[@RedSinter]

Veneering is somewhat easier than people think glue and an iron for clothes to adhere the skin. But there is some easily applied paint that works well. CSS is an excellent company who build speaker components for others than themselves. They also make an excellent small 5 inch and 4 inch speaker with flat pack cabinet if needed you can easily add a sub woofer. I'd add if building any speaker No Rez an Acoustic Material for lining your cabinets it's I believe $50 for a sheet enough to do several speakers as big or bigger.

[@TonyKindred-pd8kw]

That's great. I never knew what iiWi meant. I built John Krutke's SR71 kit in stock at Madisound for my brother a few years ago. I don't know why it gets so little press. It's a wonderful speaker. The SR71 is well known and trusted among speaker builders. The 1/2 cuft cabinets can be had from Parts Express.

[@DraganPenev]

Nice review, Srba. For paint: Ferarri Red.

[@Nick-sk1qp]

Excellent review, detail information about this speaker kit and amp pairing. Thank-you.

[@jeffjohnson3504]

There is such value in Building your own speakers I saved a ton over the Klipsch Forte units I was looking at. So nice to be friends with professional cabinet maker saved over half! He liked them so much he made himself a pair!

[@Stephanthesearcher]

i looked at the data on the css website, the woofer has 85 db and the tweeter has 90 db. they dampened the tweeter to fit the woofer and they might have over done it. so if you prefere a more brilliant and forward presentation of the upper mids and highs you simply need to change a resistor at the crossover to a verry slightly different ohm value

[@caletzm]

Do share that. Please

[@benoitdelamoriniere2168]

@@caletzm interesting, i'd like to hear about that too

[@martytoo]

I built these with the more expensive tweeters and the standard crossover. I really like them and because I didn't want to learn to veneer, I bought the birch flat pack. Also, I bought them on the week before Thanksgiving in 2021 when CSS had sale pricing.

[@thomasschafer7268]

There is only one speaker hf

[@cineaudiophile4465]

Great review. I'm sure CSS can recommend some different tweeter resistor values to make the Tritons less dark with minimal effort.

[@rafaoblaszczyk402]

I was thinkink just the same. Will definitly try to do that.

[@DMonZ1988]

thank you for a great review, the way you describe sound really resonates with me and always paints a clear picture of what you mean in my mind. for a field with so much fluffy jargon thats absolutely astonishing because almost every other reviewer misses the mark completely. very well done on your communication. its a joy to hear you describe the nuances of the audio experiences you encounter and to live vicariously through your audio journey. your description of these in particular made them very appealing well before you rounded off your conclusion so positively. that said, i am already very proud to own a pair of the for me rather luxurious and therefore probably endgame oneclassics by oneaudio out of HK which really fascinated me when i heard about them, and i genuinely do enjoy them so much that i'm glad to have spent the money. i'd be so interested to hear what you think about them. little that i know, they seem to play vaguely in a similar ballpark, sizewise and with silk tweeters but with a few fairly unique attributes of their own, such as their clear 12mm cast acrylic housing, DECT wireless connectivity and some other supposed phase sync tech. have you ever heard them by any chance? i'm in austria if you ever want to come and have a listen. i will do my best to remain contented with what i've got but you have definitely put these on my radar and i do hope i may get to build some at some point down the line, as a frame of reference to your descriptions and also because your descriptions make them sound absolutely wonderful. let me know if you have any opinions, observations or interest in the oneclassics should you read this and if not i'll catch you in the next one. best regards!

[@iiWiReviews]

Thanks! I have never heard about those speakers before but I just googled them and they look like nothing I've ever seen. 😊 There's a lot of good staff that active speakers can do easily compared to passive ones. Enjoy them. Cheers!

[@DMonZ1988]

@@iiWiReviews ah i guess thats true, fair enough. completely different ballgame after all. but thanks! i do enjoy them alot. still i hope i'll get to hear or even have these CSS speakers one day, you have made them sound really nice, with sound sensations i know i'd like! great job and thanks again :)

[@peterbaugh51]

Very spot on. Agreed, rather have smaller speakers with plenty amp power to get good, deep bass. No sub for me when speakers go to 30 htz in room (like my reference speakers). Just need clean power ...

[@peterbaugh51]

Charcoal Grey stain for me ...

[@cameronrector178]

Great review! I’m building a 3way currently with the 1TDx and the 10in CSS sub

[@1trailwalker]

I would love to hear your review of comparable GR Research!!

[@wickie2222]

Great Review. @17:34 wrt the Critons dispersion and Airyness.. Do CSS talk about Rounding over the Edges of the front baffle, It might be worth considering to create improvement in that area.

[@sloboat55]

Solid. Cool runnings

[@weeverob]

Very interesting and informative. I'd be interested in hearing reviews of CSS's larger speakers, too. Thanks

[@anthonymiriello5029]

Hey bro, loved your review. I also built pair of these and your review was totally on point. I was torn between getting standard crossovers or upgraded ones. Css told me best bang for the buck, was getting TDX with the upgraded tweeter over getting the upgraded crossovers. That would make the bigger sound improvements. I also added an SMSl su1, your review played big part in that. It really is a nice sounding, low cost DAC. Still I'm curious to purchase a Geshelli J2 akm chip with upgradeable op amps Keep up the great reviews.

[@2madamimadam290]

I built the tower 2td-x and never could match my Rythmik sub into the low bass. They just didn't need it. Ditched my sub and never looked back. Love those speakers as the highs never sound shrill. I listen for hours. Quite musical.

[@seanb3303]

I hope you get your hands on one of Schiit’s new tiny power amps.

[@cobar5342]

I have made some GR Research speakers where I made the enclosures. The latest is a pair of X-Static part open baffle. They are the best DIY I have made. And great value. Regarding CSS, I do like their crossover layout board idea. With the GR you have to be vary careful of you can mess up the manufacture. CSS are well-regarded of course. But as soon as you order a flat pack, you are taking a leap in price due to postage (at least). Great review

[@kerryarmes2786]

We ship for free in the US and have good rates to most other countries.

[@seanb3303]

Hifi journeys never end. It’s part of the disease we share. 😀

[@EntropyConcept]

Nice review! My favorite finishes are B&W California burl gloss, and Sonus Faber wenge

[@yellow_noise3]

Thanks for great review. I am curious if you are able to get GR Research's X-LS Encore to compare. The same concept - 2way kit and flatpack. price vise little higher, but it seem to be direct competitor on US market. And Danny from GR Research is known as great constructor, not to say CSS guys are not! This is also great and prominent builder....

[@iiWiReviews]

I never tried GR Research speakers but I do enjoy watching Danny from time to time talking about cheesy parts. :D

[@peterlarkin762]

So how much is this exact kit in Europe?? Over €2000 is my bet. Is that good value?

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

Thanks! For us in the EU it would be helpful if you could tell us roughly the price of shipping (and I presume VAT/sales tax gets charged on arrival). Most sites will only give prices of shipping when you've filled in all your details -- which is a pain when you're undecided.

[@iiWiReviews]

First of all thanks for your support! In my case, CSS covered the shipping cost because they were forthcoming to make this review happen. So I can't tell you how much it was. VAT and tax are high in Serbia so I paid 30% of the product value during import. I think that's lower in most other countries.

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

​@@iiWiReviews thanks Srboljub. Wow, 30% is _very_ high. 19% here in Germany (also high). All the best, Tom

[@ekjellgren]

25% in Sweden so I think that's almost normal.

[@manylch7964]

I ordered from the USA to Switerland and shipping plus local VAT/ import tax added another 300$ US to the price. CSS will give you a shipping cost but local import charges and taxes you need to contact the shipping agent FEDEX or UPS and they can calculate it based on the value stated.

[@Temmple]

I have this exact speaker paired up with a Kinki Studio amp and R26 DAC into a A6 streamer. Pretty crazy valued system!

[@williamcanada6195]

Very good as Usual !! How did you deal with shipping costs and, especially, VAT ?!? Thanx, Bill from Northeastern France.

[@peterlarkin762]

Yep speaker kits from the USA are great and all but in Europe, with shipping and vat, they don't make financial sense. It's funny he didn't mention how much they would actually cost

[@frankknoll664]

Gute Vorstellung der Lautsprecher 👍 Was den Wirkungsgrad angeht, hat es sich leider in den letzten Jahren eingebürgert, dass alles mit 2,83 V in 1m Entfernung gemessen wird. Wenn es sich also um 4 Ohm Lautsprecher handelt müssen drei dB von der Herstellerangabe abgezogen werden. Da 4 Ohm Lautsprecher eigentlich mit 2 V in 1m Entfernung gemessen werden müssen.

[@mrenlightened]

Another great pairing that I am evaluating right now is 1TDX w/Superior CO and Peachtree Gan400 as it is being offered currently by Peachtree at half MSRP. The speed and spatial imaging provided by the Peachtree Gan400 beautifully complements the 1TDX despite being a Class D amp while offering plenty of clean power. The 1TDX, Peachtree Pre-DAC and Gan400 might be a killer package for under $5K. My preferred finish for 1TDX is a $10 wallpaper covering. Super simple and looks like real veneer!! 😊

[@t.j.bennett6454]

FYI, the newer 702 s3 is a much more refined speaker with no issues on shouting or forwardness compared to the s2

[@palominokid3002]

Awesome kit

[@Audfile]

I have the highest spec model of this with the better tweeter. Speaker is incredibly high end sounding. Orchard Audio amplifiers.

[@SuperMcgenius]

Cross over parts make a difference, I would make a better cabinet with braces and thicker walls and damping as mdf can ring.😊

[@anthonymiriello5029]

How about Ascend Acoustics newest Sierra bookshelves? Have you ever heard them?

[@Wuppie62]

To have some reference, does anyone know how these Critons compare to i.e. a pair of Wharfedale Lintons 85th Anniversary Heritage?

[@guacamole7493]

I wish someone would do a review of madisound satori ara 2 way and the bromo 2 way. I wonder how they compare with this css kit.

[@williamcanada6195]

Finally, how do they fare compared to your Star DIY speakers ?!?!

[@steven2809]

Whaaaaat?

[@EnriqSandoval]

I remember watching your Spirit Wind Build video, and I recall you using the same manufacturer for caps but you chose the Silver caps, and I don't remember the other components very well. Do you think those components could bring these a little closer together? And I mean in any significant way not a difference you really have to dig for to notice. Thank you for your opinion.

[@iiWiReviews]

I don't think that those parts that differ make a huge difference. Capacitors are basically the same, mine in SW are just the version with silver lead outs instead of copper ones, those differences are subtle. I did use better resistors for tweeter (Path Audio) and coils in wax... But once again, I belive those make for subtle differences. Most of the gap is probably coming from drivers themselves. That Audio Technology woofer and Scanspeak tweeter are mighty good drivers pushing for strong dynamics and very high deteil retrieval. Anyways, one thing I can suggest you to try if you like experimenting is take a smallest Miflex copper foil capacitor (like 0.022 uF) and use them to bypass these big Jantzens in Tweeter crossover. It should open and enrich the upper midrange and highs noticeably. Just beware that they need looong time to settle in to their real sound. 300+ hours.

[@souldigits_9545]

Crazy ! I have a Atoll in 80 se and was instincly thinking those would match well

[@mikethebeginner]

Walnut veneer. I love it.

[@elcarlissimo]

CSS vs your scan speak revelator speakers?

[@swheeler6848]

I’m a huge fan of Minwax stains…choose from ebony to red oak to clear. Every commercial vinyl speaker has peeled or chipped after just a few years.

[@danielh12345]

My favourite finish is veneer. I find painting hard to get perfect / right. Takes me forever to get a paint finish that I'm happy with. Maybe others have better options to paint, but I cant set up a dust free + ventilated space etc. Have to go with a roller, maybe I need better paint, area to work in or just need to get better at it idk. Spray painting is probably best but not an option for me. Veneering ive done twice now and its easy with good preparation and looks fantastic straight away.

[@Victrola777]

I wonder how these would compare to Dynaudio evoke 20?

[@jcisme]

Was shipping expensive to your part of the world ?

[@Williamchan87]

if you want to paint it, you should use sealer first before painting it, as it's mdf

[@varunagunawardane4816]

As always, you do a very professional and objective job at your reviews. Simply put, you are pretty good at this. If you get a chance, try to have a listen to the Musician Knight One speakers. Chinese built, I feel it's better than the Dynaudio, Special 40 for 1/3 the price.

[@KeenAesthetic1]

The Spirit Wind looks like Diapason Adamantes while the Diapason rear is not slanted.

[@danielh12345]

If you want to do more DIY, i'm very curious what you think of the Overnight Sensations Kit. You can order it in europe too, its pretty cheap, flatpacks available too.

[@pavlo687]

Do you have any friends who have built the Zaph Audio 2.5 system using Scan-Speak drivers? I am close to finishing mine, but haven't worked on them for a year now. The cabinets are built mostly, and the crossovers were pre-built by Madisound. I would think that they would be very close to the Spirit Winds. I also have started a pair of the Criton towers, and need to get back to them and finish them.

[@iiWiReviews]

I don't so I can't say much about it. Good luck with finishing it soon. 🤞

[@davidrivera2165]

Very nice and fair review of this speaker kit. I completely trust your comments and observations. Thank you for your contribution to our audiophile community. As for me, I prefer the LS50 Meta with a quality 10" powerful sub. You will get great soundstage width, height, depth and cleaner transparency. Yes, likely cost will be around $2K at least. The only two way bookshelf speaker, that I've heard, that is fantastic across the board (quality build, aesthetics, excellent sound quality) is Joseph Audio Pulsar 2 Graphene. They're almost full range with fantastic soundstage and full body delivery in midrange and bass. Of course you pay for what you get, as they start at $10K and go up to $12K. They are definitely worth every dollar, as they are true high end two way bookshelf speakers.

[@chrisd1405]

How do they compare to the Spirit Wind design?

[@iiWiReviews]

15:18 vs Spirit Wind

[@seanb3303]

LS50 is bright if you are young but if you are middle aged you won’t notice 😉

[@rikardekvall3433]

👍, but for me, these are fatiguing because of my tinnitus. The ears are working 200%, so the crispy top ain’t good.

[@steven2809]

They are bright in the 3 to 5kHz range so you definitely WILL notice....

[@seanb3303]

@@steven2809 3-5k looks like a 2dB gradual rise but a sharp rise at 15khz. See stereophile measurement

[@steven2809]

@@seanb3303 But that rise in the 'presence' region gives an unnatural harshness to the sound. I agree that I cannot really hear 15kHz...not much music at that frequency anyway. 🙂

[@wokthetalk3079]

Agreed….well said, a speaker one’s ears can grow old with😉

[@richm4402]

Thanks for the review, I’d love to hear them to see if they justify the cost.

[@leodesforges161]

Could you compare them to the Triangle BR03? I'm mostly curious to gauge how recessed the highs are. (I understand that the CSS will crush the BRO in bass, overall quality, for instance). Thank you!

[@iiWiReviews]

Triangle BR03 are noticeably brighter and sharper sounding. They actually need darker and sweeter pairings to tame them a bit. These are the opisite, darker, less harsh, smoother, and generally cleaner sounding. In a direct comparison BR03 would sound splashy in highs.

[@leodesforges161]

Thanks very much. I love the splashy highs and the overall tone of the triangles. I do have them matched to neutral A/B amp and a wolfson dac. My room seems to jive with them very well.

[@charleskatz2606]

You know the more reviews iii here of the Kef R3 Meta the more I think it would be the best Kef stand mount to compare

[@EvenHarmonics]

‘ All about those 20-25hz ‘ Natural comedic timing! ‘

[@emotive7]

I am curious if this speaker would be better to build a home theater around than Arendal monitors.

[@iiWiReviews]

I never heard Arendal monitors, but if they have same character as Towers then that's quite different tonality to CSS Critons. Arendals are noticeably brighter and have better sound dispersion probably due to a big waveguide on the tweeter. That makes for the bigger wall of sound. CSS has much tamer highs, deeper soundstage with darker background. It's difficult to know what will suit you more, it depends on your preference and system matching too. And any of these requires attention with matching if you want to get the most out of them.

[@Philip-xk5ui]

Yep,my audio vampire!

[@AverageNiceGuy]

Very nice review 👍 Thank you

[@bobb.9917]

I have a pair of DynAudio Contour 20 Speakers with plenty of power behind them. I really LOVE them and would be so curious to know how they might stand-up to both the Spirit Winds and CSS Criton Kits…My Contours are much more expensive…but they seem "on par" in size and sensitivity. That Victor Wooten album is AWESOME! 😀👍🏼

[@buriburizaem0n]

Hi there. Do u happen to have any recommendation other than atoll in100 to pair with this speaker? Something with airy high frequency I live in asia. Is very hard to find second hand for that product and i live in a 220v country. Thank you very much..🎉

[@GrinchenkoAA]

The Wharfedale evo 4.2 costs the same, but it is a 3-way system in natural veneer and a bent body with an AMT driver. What is the point of this KIT then?

[@yttean98]

This time your analysis of both speakers(CSS and LS50) is closer to the sound to what I would expect from both of them.

[@derekcrosier4088]

anyone know how these compare to SVS ultras?

[@sunilm3181]

Hi, Really enjoy your reviews. Watched selected old reviews that I’m interested. Have you heard the new Sonus faber electa amator 3 or minima? Opinion on them?

[@iiWiReviews]

I never heard Amator 3. A friend of mine, an experience DIYer, compared Amator 2 to Spirit Wind and Kairos, and was not impressed by that particular SF model and its overall clarity and soundstaging.

[@chinmeysway]

seems like they should round those edges much more for less diffraction issues..

[@ziggy8757]

review the gr-research xls encore, and compare it to this one...that would be an awesome battle

[@SuperMcgenius]

It might be interesting if they offered a model with a higher sensitivity, 3 db for those with a sub woofer, that would be equal to double the power.

[@Feliciano12v]

Enjoy your style.

[@misterhlam]

What is your choice if you have to pick between this kit and Warfedale Linton?

[@iiWiReviews]

This one is more resolving, has a deeper soundstage with better layering and pinpointing. Linton has more of that vintage sound, softer but more muddy, so CSS for me.

[@misterhlam]

@@iiWiReviews Many thanks! I am looking for a replacement pair and am undecided between Linton and Kef r3 meta. Your idea is very helpful for me. Thank again.

[@j.m.w.5064]

Would a comparison with the Elac UB-5 result in a similar verdict than your comparison with the KEFs? Do they play in the same ballpark when compared to the CSS? Cheers!

[@iiWiReviews]

Hi, I can't say that really because I never heard those particular Elacs and I wouldn't like to guess.

[@diosubescu]

BW 706 S3 are not aggressive , depends on what amplifier you use , for me with DENON PMA-1700NE works very well .....ther's no high end sound with cheap money ...

[@Av-gurusBlogspot]

Is it an import from the USA or is it available somewhere in the EU? How much does the entire delivery cost (to HR/SRB) with customs and everything?

[@iiWiReviews]

I got mine from the US. Just checked the shipping prices and it's $120 without the cabinets and $220 with cabinets (it's a big heavy box in that case). Don't know about the tax and VAT in the HR but it's 30% on the value altogether in SR. Nothing is cheap to ship and import here unfortunately.

[@stijnvanderlooy5311]

Bravo!

[@jasonhilliker2266]

I've been looking at the Solstice MLTL Reference Tower Speaker Kit designed by Jeff Bagby. These would be a lot easier to build. If I get lazy maybe I'll try the FRITZ CARBON 7 SE Mk 2

[@jazzabana]

Vs. Kef r3?

[@iiWiReviews]

CSS sounds cleaner, has darker background, and deeper soundstage. I would take it over R3 any day. I haven't heard R3 Meta though.

[@jazzabana]

@@iiWiReviews thanks, man.

[@fungt89]

How does this compare to kef r3 nonmeta? Comparisons to the ls50 sounded similar and the price isnt that different in used market

[@iiWiReviews]

Criton 1TD-X has the dynamics of R3, great bass too, but noticeably cleaner and more 3D soundstage overall. Their tonality is not too different, both are darker than LS50... but R3 sounded almost muddy next to LS50. CSS sounds even cleaner than LS50.

[@fungt89]

Thank you for replying! I think I will be saving for the 1tdx or mtm 2tdx with diy cabinets then.

[@ΠαναγιώτηςΠαναγιώτου-μ1ψ]

Hi friend ! I 'd appreciate your opinion on the PYLON AUDIO diamond monitor 18 standmounters Keep up the good work

[@seanb3303]

I think i heard CSS bought Salk Sound.

[@omega125th]

Alas Meniscus Audio have closed doors upon retiring ....Spirit Wind kit no longer available from them