Jump to content

DIYSG monitors/towers vs Klipsch Heritage


thisgsx

Recommended Posts

Lately, I've been thinking about trying a set of DIYSG HTM-12 monitors. Reviews for all of their products are also very well received. Has anyone on here personally heard anything from DIYSG? Let me hear your thoughts...

 

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have heard quiet a few of their offerings.  The value of DIYSG is cost to performamce ratio.  The kits are nice and you can make yourself a nice looking and sounding speaker.  They will sound just a tad different from the Klipsch.  Is it a better sound compared to Klipsch, no IMHO.  Is it worse, again, no IMHO.

 

Many of us have purchase some our Klipsch on the used market so, the cost to performance ratio is not bad compared to DIYSG.:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love the heritage sound and I have been thinking about grabbing either a pair of rp-160m's, the Sixes, or Heresy's to use in my office. Then, I remembered that I've always wondered how the monitors from DIYSG sound. Since they're all in the same price range, I don't know if I should take a chance on a pair of DIY's or stick with Klipsch. I wish I had the funds to try them all!

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have DIYSGroup.com Fusion 10 Pure, Cheap Thrills, two pairs of Overnight Sensations, Reference 15 sealed sub.  Erich is fantastic to deal with, his packing of kits is without equal.  The prices are incredibly low for how much quality sound you get.

 

I have used two flatpacks, the F10's and the sub.  They are expertly designed, CNC cut and the parts don't just fit, they match.  Tolerances are tight and you could literally put them together with masking tape and glue and the edges would fit true.  The flat packs are highly recommended.  I put the XO's together myself but my soldering skills are marginal at best and I recommend getting the pre-assembled XO's if you don't have soldering skills.

 

You do want to go with DIYSoundgroup kits if you want the fun of DIY and if you want to customize the cabs.  The audio bang for the buck is the best out there.

 

You want to go with Klipsch because of the finished cabs, quality of finish and warranty.  Klipsch are easy to resell and hold their value.  Any DIY speaker you would be lucky to sell it for 50% the cost of parts if you could sell it at all.  Most people don't want someone else's project.

 

I've never heard the HTM-12 monitors.  They use the 15" SEOS and an interesting DNA-325 CD which I've never heard.  I have both DNA-360 and DNA-205, both very robust that have high quality sound with great power handling.

 

FYI I also have or had Khorns, La Scala, CF-4, RF-83.  The principle of high efficiency low distortion is evident in both Klipsch and DIYsound group.  I highly recommend both.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, thisgsx said:

I love the heritage sound and I have been thinking about grabbing either a pair of rp-160m's, the Sixes, or Heresy's to use in my office. Then, I remembered that I've always wondered how the monitors from DIYSG sound. Since they're all in the same price range, I don't know if I should take a chance on a pair of DIY's or stick with Klipsch. I wish I had the funds to try them all!

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk
 

 

I had a pair of Heresy IIs in my office (I'm used to Klipschorns, etc. at home).  They were about 10 feet away from my desk on the top of bookshelves  (the tweeters were about 8 feet off the ground).   The bookcases were chock full, so they may have provided some bass loading below the speakers.  They were vertically oriented, and firmly attached to the bookcases, because San Francisco is earthquake country (as is the whole country, sooner or later, except small areas in Texas and Montana).  The bookshelves themselves were attached to the wall (by law).

 

How did they sound?  Great!  I was pleasantly surprised.  People would come in from the hall to listen.  I played mostly classical, film music, and jazz.

 

You probably don't want a lot of bass in an office, unless it is a home office.

 

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Ceptorman said:

I would stick with the Klipsch speakers. I'm not knocking diy, but a professionally designed and built speaker just seems like a better idea, especially if they are priced the same.

Matt, one of the designers for DIYSG is amazingly good.  I have heard quite a few of his designs and he is a professional.  He use to work with Mark Seaton prior to DIYSG.  A second point, if you already have Klipsch, switching to a similar spec/size DIYSG is more a lateral move. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I think that what is missing from just about every discussion like this is whether the performance characteristics of the speaker fit your room.  This is primarily driven by whether you have a single seat listening environment, or need to cover a listening area and how big that listening area is.  Secondly, you have to make sure that the speaker is large enough to produce comfortably at the spl you will require right down to at least 80 Hz.  I lived with and loved KL-650-THX LCRs for a number of years, so I use that as a reference for comparison.

 

I do have an area to cover.  I require smooth coverage across four seats at a 15' throw from the Center.  The KL-650s did a pretty good job with this, but the left and right definitely required some toe-in to cover the row.  My room is a large open floor plan media room of large volume (impossible to calculate).

 

On a lark I took a chance to experiment with DIYSG.  So impressed with them, I now utilize the HTM-12 for L/R mains, and an 88 Special center (due to architectural limitations).  So impressed with the LCRs, I replaced the KS-525-THX surround speakers around the room with DIYSG Volt-10LX coaxial speakers.  The minimum throw of the surround speakers is 12'.  I also run four subwoofers, but not DIYSG designs.  I utilize MultEQxt32 for room correction, including the separate Audyssey Sub Equalizer.  I cross the LCRs at 60Hz.   For this large room an the DIYSG LCRs, this is a perfect match.

 

Before diving into the DIYSG LCRs, I tried a single new Heresy.  These are very similar to the HTM-12 in footprint and concept, but...the directivity of the Heresy was too great for my requirements.  Although it could cover two middle seats, it could not cover smoothly all four in the row.  The DIYS SEOS-15 waveguide is noticeably wider and smoother at the limits of its dispersion pattern.  That waveguide with the large compression drivers in those models also retains powerful directivity, but focused in a wide horizontal pattern, and with reasonable vertical dispersion, too.  So, you don't give up the authority that higher directivity provides; you just spread it over a larger area.

 

Although the KL-650s could be fired up plenty loud, there was a bit of strain when you got up there in loud transients.  I didn't really notice it that much...until replacing them with the DIYSG LCRs.  I think the secret sauce of these speakers is the unique design using professional drivers but crossovers customized for the residential environment.  The designer mentioned in another post (Matt)  is particularly good at this.  They take professional drivers capable of brutal power, and tame them to a residential environment while still retaining all the potential for commercial level brute force.  That sound is effortless; never strained...refined but with serious authority.  At least that's how I describe them.

 

The Volt-10LX surrounds would not be a great choice in a smaller room, IMO, because they would tend to sound too directional.  In this large room (I use two side surrounds on each wall and two back surrounds),  their professional beef can really be heard and interweaves with the LCRs exceptionally.  They do not create a surround field or discrete surround sounds that sound like compact surround speakers create!  It is far more realistic in spectral performance and authority when called for.

 

Overall, I would be more likely to compare several of the DIYSG models (HTM-12, HTM-10, 88 Special, and Titan-615LX for LCRs and Volt-10 LX surrounds) to the larger JBL Synthesis models in character of sound and capability to perform in large rooms.

 

Not sure if I was adequate in my explanation, but I think the most important factor is matching up the right speaker to your environment.  The Heresy could have been great if I didn't need the wide coverage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fusion 12 Tempests vs. slightly updated forte II (crites networks, ti tweet diaphragms, stand mounted)

 

Overall voicing:  Tempests are on the warm side of neutral, where the fortes are less so and need some eq (mainly due to my using them on stands, which is not how they were intended to be employed).  

 

Directivity: Fortes are slightly more beamy than the Tempests, which equates to less uniform coverage at shorter distances.  In my big room the fortes are fine, but I can get away using the Tempests almost near-field in the office rig.  I follow the heavy cross-fire orientation on each to take advantage of time-intensity trading.

 

Bass: Fortes dig deeper, and seem tighter or more 'dry' in their bass capabilities.  I still find the fortes to be one of the best compromises w/ Hoffman's Iron Law of any speaker out there.  Tempests roll off in the mid-40's or so, but more pronounced mid-bass kick.

 

I love 'em both.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...