Hi GR research, it is not true when you say (@17:40) that MDF is less sensitive to humidity than hardwood. In reality, it's the opposite: MDF is much more sensitive to humidity than any other wood. In this case, Plywood, especially birch plywood, is the wood to use. Anyway.........these Sonus Fabers were produced in 1987 and at the time almost all crossovers used electrolytic capacitors, so a simple upgrade with polycaps, such as the Mundorf/Jantzen capacitors, will make a huge improvement in sound. However, despite these disadvantages, these speakers were very musical and sounded very very well. If I owned these speakers I would ONLY change the capacitors keeping the same values and saving the money GR asks for the kit!! Danny is competent for sure, but he has to sell his products

@hoth2112

26 күн бұрын

Good luck getting to the crossover to just replace caps under the goop that is smothering it..

@SheikhN-bible-syndrome

25 күн бұрын

It's not uncommon for his upgrade kits to cost 800 bucks for two speakers that just makes me roll over in my grave that I didn't know I was in

@iansalmond726

21 күн бұрын

Actually Danny is correct. Me and Danny have butted heads in the past. But in this he was correct. You are correct as well. Let me explain. Solid wood is referred to as live wood. MDF is referred to as Dead wood. The reason all comes down to wood grain. Wood grain moves more with the changing of the seasons because of the grain. MDF is bonded wood which will soak up water it doesn't move as much. His point of using 2 materials was good advice. Also MDF is more consistent. Birch Plywood is considered a dead wood. They alternate the grains to minimize movement. They also use a bonding agent that helps. Its basically the same as using 2 different materials. I agree with you Birch plywood would be great for a speaker.

Yes. Every loudpeaker is flawed in one way or another. Call it character. When we choose a loudpeaker we like, we are buying the character we like

@JR-ho5qm

26 күн бұрын

It sure is nice to make the best out of something though, I think most would favour Danny’s version.

@hifiman4562

25 күн бұрын

@david, keep in mind that the speaker was sent in by a customer who wanted better. You can't blame that customer for their choice.

@andreabincoletto8609

25 күн бұрын

​@@hifiman4562 It's like sending in a vintage Rolex "to better it" with modern technology and materials. Quite a nonsense. That speaker is a testament of a specific moment in hifi history, and deserves to be kept as original as possible. It's not a random Pioneer 15" woofer crap.

@hifiman4562

25 күн бұрын

@@andreabincoletto8609 Nonsense. We have freedom in America.

@andreabincoletto8609

25 күн бұрын

@@hifiman4562 It's not a matter of freedom, it's a matter of respect, little man.

Another success. Well done

When I was at Sumiko years ago they explained to us that Franco Serblin designed his speakers with those cabinet resonances in mind. So rather than trying to fight against them and control/ dampen them, he embraced those resonances in his designs so the enclosure would contribute to the sound and body of the speakers performance.

@yellow_noise3

26 күн бұрын

I think this concept is wrong and against logic. see the spectral decay. why you want to have this cabinet resonance to add to the speaker own response? this can work with violin (which was Serblin import to the speaker cabinet concept) but seem not to work with speaker. unless somebody likes such a unrealistic sound....

@abboberg

26 күн бұрын

​@@yellow_noise3Tell that to Klipsch.

@wa2368

26 күн бұрын

In that case, Franco Serblin is filled with bullsht.

@jukingeo

26 күн бұрын

That's a lousy excuse to compensate for an overpriced speaker that is clearly more show than go. You heard Danny in how the cabinet is designed and the choice of a "lumpy" woofer. It is cost cutting at best and laziness in acoustic design. It seems that Sonus Faber rather puts their efforts into a pretty looking speaker, rather than one that is sonically sound and while many other speaker manufacturers do that, it is unacceptable on a speaker that is priced at four figures. While they do have a nice tweeter, that will only get you so far. I've seen better, for far less.

@TTTzzzz

26 күн бұрын

A very Italian thing to do. We must love them for it.

Well done, as usual ! Very informative.

Let's keep in mind these speakers were designed in the 80s. Pretty good for the era. I have the modern day version of this speaker (Electa Amator III) and it is outstanding.

@joeygonzo

26 күн бұрын

I bet ADS speakers would do well

@jukingeo

26 күн бұрын

You didn't pay attention to what Danny said that he comes across these issues, even with newer Sonus Faber speakers. They have a good tweeter and a nice looking cabinet, but they don't seem to be as good as a performer given to what the company charges for them. Sinus Faber is a pass for me.

@scottmackey4182

26 күн бұрын

@@jukingeo- I love my Sonus Faber’s but it’s because Danny designed a proper crossover setup for mine. Made a HUGE difference.

@DodgyBrothersEngineering

26 күн бұрын

@@jukingeo you can't compare these with the garbage Sonus Faber is putting out today in this price point. These were made in a very different time, with very different company structure, and a very different mindset.

@tbirdsteve1

25 күн бұрын

Send it to Danny and lets see some independant testing and opinion.

Black Ocean Audio does that real wood exterior with internal MDF.

I built speakers for my fraternity in college. Made of plywood with a horn tweeter, a horn midrange and an 18” EV woofer. Not much for imaging and I have no idea how much stored energy was in there, but I am guessing enough to power a Model Y for 3 or 4 miles. But, they were crazy efficient and could be heard inside Memorial Stadium (4 blocks away) while sitting on the front lawn of the house and being powered by my 50 watt Rotel RA-840BX2. It is all about use case.

@jukingeo

4 күн бұрын

It is definitely a different case. I was into commercial and pro audio and generally a speaker like that is designed for output and not imaging. So they are far more efficient than speakers for the home. They probably have very lumpy response curves and yeah, cabinet resonances galore. BUT they are built for a specific purpose and to that is to deliver decent sound at much higher volumes. So they had to be built to handle compression well, and also higher power amplifiers. However, I have come across some pretty darn good sounding commercial speakers, and EV is one of my favorites, especially when it comes to mids and highs.

It's amazing that a speaker which most (non audiophiles) average people would think Sonus Faber is flawless and yet....not the case. GR, rock's on!

@vegaslimoguy2376

26 күн бұрын

Yeah a $10K speaker that was built with about $300 worth of parts. I understand company pricepoints, but this big of a spread???

@DodgyBrothersEngineering

26 күн бұрын

What you need to bare in mind is that speaker is probably about 25 years old, and it was the first of three in it's series. There were big changes with its predecessor.

@net_news

26 күн бұрын

Average person in society doesn't know what the hell is Sonus Faber... 😂

@scottlowell493

25 күн бұрын

I've listened to models of SF and always heard over romantic, rolled off , mushy and in short- underwhelming. Extremely overhyped.

@markparker7778

25 күн бұрын

@@net_news Very true, I didn't factor that in and that's a hilarious comment. Thank you 👍

Another fantastic re-work! Thanks for sharing! I love these content dense, to the point, crossover redesign videos. The before/after is always fantastic. In the process of designing a 2.5 way speaker and am letting the tweeter do the same thing. Rising from ~5k towards 20k by a few dB. Should work out nice. I enjoy building speaker cabinets from "real wood" and butcher block type wood products. Just sand an oil quick finish. I always line the interior or place several strips or patches of sticky-back asphalt type sound deadening material to the inside of these cabinets, then add various foam and polyfill materials. This seem to work well enough to keep the cabinet reasonably quiet.

Always an eye opener. Thanks Danny!

If Danny has a wizards hat he should wear it just by looking at any speaker he can diagnose all the trouble. I perfectly agree with everything he says .No speaker is perfect for everything.The best midrange I’ve ever heard was a Scan Speak Revelator the one with the slits in the paper I think it’s the damper in the black goo they put on the slits .Hey Danny blow our minds build a 3 way with revelator drivers and you pick the guts would love to buy a pr with the pinnacle of your dreams

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

I've used the Revelator drivers. I actually like them down low, but the heavy moving mass of those models loose out quickly in ranges above 800Hz or so to our drivers. Yep, ours sound better.

Think you might’ve misspoke. 3db louder is twice the power not perceived as twice as loud.

@DudeMcFace

26 күн бұрын

Right, typically it's 10 db that is percived as twice as loud, 3 db is best described as a perceivable difference in loudness yet taked twice the power to achieve.

@TriAmpHiFi

26 күн бұрын

. Oh great, now someone's 'gotta look it up. I thought it was. to raise 3db at 1 meter more took twice the power. And 6db up, from the same distance, is twice the amplitude.

@joeclayer5282

26 күн бұрын

No, he is correct!

@drgjs

26 күн бұрын

Danni is wrong. Navid and Dude are correct. Empirically, doubling/halving the power changes the dB by 3. Perceptually, a 10 dB swing doubles the perceptual /qualitative experience

@stefanweilhartner4415

26 күн бұрын

correct. 6dB is twice as loud. * loudness is proportional to the amount of moved air times the frequency. * double the amplitude results in double the moved air. * double the voltage is double the amplitude. formula: 20*log (U2/U1) in dB. double the voltage means 20*log(2/1) = 6.0206 dB, usually rounded to 6dB. for people who are not electrical engineers: power is not proportional to voltage. double the voltage results in 4 times the power ==> P = U² * R. if you double the power you get sqrt(2) of voltage. 20*log(sqrt(2)/1) = 3.01 dB

Keep up your good work Danny. Forget the naysayers and keep enjoy doing what u r doing. Keep these vidz coming ❤

@kevintomb

25 күн бұрын

So you only want "Positive" comments? I would think all sincere and honest views would be welcome, as long as they are stated in a polite way. I have news for you: NO speaker or audio site is going to have all opinions agree.

Hi Danny. Very interesting commentary on this video and great explanation of the resonance shown in the charts. I learned something. QUESTION: For this build you're adding filters, but are you keeping the existing crossover in the circuit since it was covered with black goop and bonded to the back panel? Or, are you bypassing it and just adding the new circuit you came up with? Thanks.

@hoth2112

26 күн бұрын

yes, in this cake the stock crossover was left inside the speaker, as removing it would have been a ton of work. So, you would just remove the old wiring and bypass it altogether, using the new crossover.

Good job Danny. Really like to do Sonus upgrade. Always liked the looks. I think the black stuff was to hide stuff and try to cut down resonance. In some of my DIY I use roofing paint “tar paint” that is sold for mobile homes. Actually works pretty good for the price.

That woofer is an early Audio Technologie. From a developer that worked for Dynaudio and has now his own company. Flexible units, if you want a specific set of parameters, he will build it for you. Far beter membranes these days.

@puciohenzap891

24 күн бұрын

It's AudioTechnology / Skaaning from before the C-Quenze lineup.

I've heard various iterations of the Electa, and usually loved them. Always sounded coherent and incredibly resolving to my ears. Actually, now that I think about it, most of the models I've seen had those carbon fiber mid woofers (scanspeak?).

Minor correction. Twice as loud is +10dB, not +3dB as stated by Danny

Those speakers were $10,000 a pair back in '95. (OUCH!!!!)

@jukingeo

26 күн бұрын

Yeah, that's trolling. I don't even spend that much on a WHOLE SYSTEM, let alone one component. There is a point where it just gets way out of hand and $10k for speakers is well beyond that.

@scottmackey4182

26 күн бұрын

To each their own. Some people spend a lot more on their system and even their speakers. I looked at a turn table the other day at $350K + = definitely not for everyone but those who appreciate that kind of value/quality are willing to pay for it.

@RacingAnt

26 күн бұрын

​@scottmackey4182 a $350k turntable tends to be an engineering masterpiece, and almost a work of art. The value is in the object itself, not in the sound reproduction. I love high-end turntables, and would buy one given a suitable lottery win, but they struggle to match much cheaper digital sources in terms of absolute sound quality. But, a bespoke, all analogue, tube powered system in its own room would be a dream come true. Pure theatre to operate, and worth the money for that alone.

@stefanoallari2154

25 күн бұрын

According to Stereophile, they had a list price of $4500 / pair in 1992...

@jukingeo

24 күн бұрын

@@scottmackey4182 I saw that turntable too and to pay that amount for it demonstrates an intellect that borders on the imbecilic.

Damn ur good!!!

It would be nice to know what the sonic improvements have been gained from not just this but all of your upgrades? I don’t doubt the sound has improved, it would be nice Danny, if you could just elaborate a little with how much did the sound actually improve.

I own the Electa II’s Love them. Have you had this version in your shop?

@dannyrichie9743

4 күн бұрын

Nope.

The video thumbnail is an Elector Amator 2, EISA speaker of the year 1998, and Dannys taking apart what looks to be an Elector Amator 1. Tweeters are different.

@matthiasmartin1975

26 күн бұрын

Electa, not Elector.

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

The thumbnails are created by my editor. I usually don't see them until you do.

@puciohenzap891

24 күн бұрын

The Electa Amator II is an entirely different design. It has a ScanSpeak tweeter, ScanSpeak midwoofer and a passive ScanSpeak radiator on the back which, knowing SF, could as well be a full sized unit wired as some kind of passive radiator as they did with the Extrema.

I soldier, cut leads as short as possible, and space components apart,brace cabinets like a skyscraper, build my stands and fill with sand. 2 wires per + and - lead. Use air core and good capacitors in crossover. My attention to details placement and 50 years experience helps to build systems that leave folks Stunned. I am decorating the cabinet with 1 in baffle board of aged heart pine mounted like a cover. Panty hose pro tect the open baffle duo vertical 2 in vifa on top , 600hz to 6000hz then the ribbons on upper baffle.the point to have a shortest line from top to bottom of baffle. You don't need big open baffles or drivers big subs for bass, 8's for mid bass, ribbons for top end . These Systems I've built are still being used and the owners are happy. Most have died now and my work jams on. Always do your best work

@jonathandavis9507

7 күн бұрын

Send it in to Danny he’ll fix it.

These were about 4 or 5 grand back in the early 90s. Stereophile went on and on about how good they were.

@obeahuk

19 күн бұрын

I’ve been running a pair for the last 15 years. The Amators are still going 💪 👌

So you're saying tonewoods are not good for speaker cabinets? Who knew?!

@hoth2112

26 күн бұрын

You can use them, just not on their own.

@hom2fu

26 күн бұрын

when i was NEW to speaker cabinet, i was think MDF is cheap. there is a reason for that. wood have high resonate frequencies

The mod looks like it might be very bright/forward with the 4-10k bump? And to nitpick, 3dB is not perceived as a doubling of level.

@hoth2112

26 күн бұрын

If the mids (200-1000Hz) were the same output level as the 1-3Khz range I could see that being a problem, but generally speaking most "brightness" is found in the 1-3Khz range where human hearing is typically most sensitive. With the 1-3KHz range being soft compared to the other ranges you're more likely to hear it a less having less "attack" or "presence" rather than the treble being bright.

I had those speakers back in 1996. They were amazing back then.

@vegaslimoguy2376

26 күн бұрын

For 10 grand a pair, they should suck you off

@DodgyBrothersEngineering

26 күн бұрын

@@vegaslimoguy2376 you really should see if you can get a listen to a pair before you trash them so badly. I owned a pair of the Electa Amator II's, and I can absolutely assure you that they do not sound like $300 worth of parts. Even back in the day those DynAudio tweeters were going for more than that.

@net_news

26 күн бұрын

they are an absolute classic... take it or leave it.

What do you use to stuff cabinets? I have some Forte's that I lined with no-res and I've used some polyfill is there something you like better?

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

I personally like fiberglass a little better than polyfill.

Hay everbudy, if'n that old Einstein had consulted me before puttin' out that old theory of relativity, I coulda improved it.

@net_news

26 күн бұрын

next... let's redesign Mozart 😂

@scottlowell493

25 күн бұрын

Absolutely inept metaphor. The SF are badly flawed with cheap parts. The theory of relativity will eventually be enhanced like all science.

Have always wondered what you would think of the Focal 1038 be.

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

Typically they have a sharp sound to them. Parts quality is fair to poor. There is some room for improvements.

@5:45 I'd swear that with a 10 base logarithm, +10dB would be twice as loud, not just 3dB. +3dB usually needs double the power, but doubling the power doesn´t double the perceived volume.

@Old_Sailor85

25 күн бұрын

A 3 dB change is typically what it takes for a human to "hear there was a change".

Danny, does lining the internal walls of an enclosure with No Rez take away from it's internal volume? If we take for granite that the manufacturer chose the woofer based on the size of the box or tuned the port for a specific amount of airspace (bass reflex). Will the No Rez effect the port's tuning?

@azar3006

26 күн бұрын

The short answer is no, he has explained it a few times before !

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

No Rez uses a foam layer that slows down the airflow in the box making it seem bigger to the woofer (by a small amount) and counteracting the space taken up by the damping layer.

Why did you not install a couple of internal braces??

I seen some crossovers from higher end at there website I saw sandcasters also saw sandcaster in rows in amplifiers high end amplifiers

I recently bought two brand new ATC SMC150 pro active speakers. Long story short: Drivers are near perfect. The case and cabling sucks. Build a new case with same dimensions, using better and thicker wood, laminated with resonance damping kit. Used silver coated copper cable, lots of NoRez. Now I am happy.

Remember, it’s Italian. So looks and appearance matter the most. There, I said it (and I’m half Italian btw)

@stefanweilhartner4415

26 күн бұрын

i would not say that these speakers are bad in context of the 80s. second half of the 80s was all about fake watt numbers, sometimes claiming 1000Watt peak. competition was not the same in the high quality hifi compared to now. but yes, they where not cheap either.

@net_news

26 күн бұрын

music is about beauty and these speakers look and SOUND beautiful.

@drazenbabich

25 күн бұрын

@@net_news Of course they are.

Danny would you pop over to the UK and design a crossover for my speakers please

For the amount of parts you had to add and I assume it's going to be pretty expensive a woofer swap with a single order high-quality filter it's probably a better path.

@hoth2112

26 күн бұрын

1st-order slopes rarely ever work as well as one would hope, regardless of how the driver's quality appears on paper.

interesting review. Sonus Fabers from this era were mostly built with 1st order slopes. Believe 1st orders were used to minimize phase shift through the crossover point. Back when these were built, a lot of the high quality parts available today were not present back then. Would be an interesting listening comparison to do: A. the new GR research xover with 2nd and 3rd parts vs. B - the stock crossover rebuilt with equivalent quality parts (caps, resistors, inductors). The latest version of these speakers actually has a clear window over the crossover parts so the buyer can see what quality level of parts are being used.

@dannyrichie9743

24 күн бұрын

These drivers needed a LOT more than a first order filter to control the response issues. So regardless of the quality of parts, those issues would still remain.

maybe a combination of hard wood with a low density fiber panel is a good idea as well. a low density fiber panel has probably more inner damping than MDF.

That speaker is one of the most beautiful small speakers I have ever seen, the wood design is a work of art, they choose that woofer maybe because is more beautiful than others, but a Vifa polypropylene woofer would measure and sound better as polypropylene gives smother frequency response, I know Vifa is gone but I made a speaker using a Vifa P21WO-20-08 which is the same as Vandersteen 2 and it sounded fantastic

Danny your thumbnail looks to be the Electa Amator II's, whereas the speakers you reviewed seems to be the Electa Amator I's. The major change between them was that the II's had a flush mounted woofer. Memory is fading now but I think a set of Electa Amator II's were the first Sonus Faber speakers I owned. I absolutely loved them, other than their lack of low end grunt, but that top end was so sweet. I am really bummed that you couldn't get the crossover out, because I would have loved to have seen the differences between it and the photo I sent you via email of the crossover I had in the Sonus Faber Cremona's I used to own.

@stefanoallari2154

25 күн бұрын

The Electa Amator II had a passive woofer on the back, while the original model had a bass reflex. They were quite different.

@DodgyBrothersEngineering

25 күн бұрын

@@stefanoallari2154 there was a passive radiator on the back from memory. presumably to eliminate any port noise.

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

My editor grabbed a picture from the Internet for the thumbnail.

@jonathandavis9507

12 күн бұрын

The II had scanspeak woofers which are quite nice.

@DodgyBrothersEngineering

12 күн бұрын

@@jonathandavis9507 are you sure? I am fairly familiar with a lot of the Scanspeak drivers and I don't recognise it.

The video thumbnail shows an Electa Amator 2 but the actual speaker in the video is Electa Amator 1. These are different speakers. The 2 has scanspeak drivers with a passive radiator and sounds different (and better in my opinion). The 1 does sound like having a shouty quacky midrange and a one notey bass to me.

@obeahuk

19 күн бұрын

I have the mk1's which IMHO has a better tweeter being the Esotar 330 which was used for the marvellous Sonus Faber Extremas

@hansendy3708

18 күн бұрын

@@obeahuk I agree the 1 has better tweeters but it sounds detached from the mediocre sounding mids.

@dannyrichie9743

16 күн бұрын

Sorry about that. My editor just grabbed a picture that he found online.

why on earth did they make a wavy cutout for a circular woofer

I'm surprised the kit didn't include a new woofer. ;)

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

If I only had a woofer that would fit that hole....

Which is better for speaker cabinet material, MDF or HDF?

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

HDF is even denser, but both are good materials.

@hom2fu

25 күн бұрын

technical answer: it depend how the woofer frequencies response and the resonance frequency of material.

Do you never measured problems with older Esotar 330 because of his ferro fluid? Thanks!

@salvadorrodenas3071

26 күн бұрын

I own a pair of TAOC FC3000 and I had problems with the foam inside the esotar TD-330 tweeters because the stuff was disintegrating like dust. The sound became harsh and beamy, disjointed between highs and mid to lows. This happened gradually so it is difficult to detect. One day to another I thought that the loudspeakers sounded worse than shit so I determined to see if I could fix them or die trying 😅. My taoc moniyors sound awesome, but the operation is very risky and the outcome could have easily ended in a lot of wasted money. I replaced the foam with something similar. I think Dynaudio knew these issues and that could be the reason why they use now a perforated dome mesh just behind the outer fabric dome. They use that technology instead of stuffing the vented pole with deaden fiber of foam. It's my hipotesis anyway.

@dieterleonard2309

25 күн бұрын

@@salvadorrodenas3071 Ok, but I really don’t see where there might be foam in this tweeter. I saw pictures of dissembled esotars, where the ferro fluid was changed, but I never saw… foam.

@salvadorrodenas3071

25 күн бұрын

@dieterleonard2309 the ferrofluid is in the magnetic gap and the foam is in the center hole just behind the dome. The esotar TD-330 tweeter have a big hole stuffed with foam. Look for in the internet and you'll see it.

@dieterleonard2309

25 күн бұрын

@@salvadorrodenas3071 Ok, but in my Esotar 330d there is really no foam, because I am able to look through the dome to the center of the magnet, and I can see the black circle on it. Perhaps it depends on the age of the Esotar? My Esotars are about 15-18 years old.

@salvadorrodenas3071

25 күн бұрын

@dieterleonard2309 you can't see it because the foam is dark. Also, the white circumference around the black circle, is white felt pad. The translucent dome doesn't let you distinguish what's really behind it. I warn you do not open it unless it is absolutely necessary. In case you opt to open it, ask for a professional or take your time to prepare yourself to do accordingly to the procedures. It's very easy to break the thin wire that feeds the coil when you remove the front plate. Be very careful if you do.

I was elated to hear Danny recommending using dissimilar materials to damp resonances. I have a set of four sealed subs with cabinet walls made with layers of MDF, HDF, Baltic Birch plywood and fiber-reinforced cement board with a half inch outer layer of walnut. It took three months to build and finish the cabinets. It also took two guys to wrestle each one in position using a hand truck once the 50-pound drivers and 1.5 inch granite tops were installed. I just hope I never have to move them. 🙄

A suo tempo ebbi molte occasioni di ascoltare queste Sonus Faber con amplificazioni Electrocompaniet e Bryston e le trovai stupende: con il Bryston LP2 PRO, in particolare, ricordo una sessione di ascolto con "La Folia de la Spagna" di Paniagua (Harmonia Mundi) semplicemente memorabile.

Seems like every speaker has a problem but yours you’re just the car salesman

Be cool if you could measure the actual cabinet resonances to see where they are and their amplitude and Q

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

I have an acellometer that allows us to do that, and we have been using it a lot lately.

How much do up grades cost ?

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

We will have it up on the website shorty.

The speaker is about more than 30 years old, would the age deteriorate and affect the measurements ?

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

Not much. Some capacitors can drift a little, and sometime the compliance of the woofer can change depending on the type of materials used, but that is usually only an issue with foam surrounds.

Could you fix Klipsch la scalia

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

That would be a tough pone, but I can definitely make them better.

The woofer is not Dynaudio but AudioTechnology / Skaaning (same guys). Saying goes Franco Serblin did his speakers by ear, not measurements. Considering the value, I'd say these should be absolutely left alone as they were.

@dannyrichie9743

24 күн бұрын

Yeah, but they way they were was a mess. The cabinet rang, the response was rough, they had ferrous parts in the signal path, cheap parts, etc. Maybe someone should have showed him how to use some measurement tools.

@dannyrichie9743

24 күн бұрын

Also, the stickers on the motor structure said Dynaudio.

Isn't it more feasible to just buy another speaker?

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

In this case the customer had an emotional attachment to them.

BUT how does it sound ?

@thomasschafer7268

24 күн бұрын

Immer schön die Katze im Sack kaufen. Und noch total überteuert!👎👎🇩🇪

@emmet7208

18 күн бұрын

If he tried to describe how they sound, what would that even mean to you anyway, it would be his subjective view in his vocabulary! The best way IS to show you with the graphs!

What's the freaking use of dishing out big money for brand name ultra hi-fi speakers if they have all these defects ?

@abboberg

26 күн бұрын

That's why I've switched to pro audio monitors for all new acquisitions.

@rikardekvall3433

26 күн бұрын

Some speaker manufacturers made great cabinets and they look good, so of pure nostalgia and keen on the vintage look, why not spend some quality on these speakers. Recycle, instead of buying new, that’s mass produced in a big plant in Asia?

@puciohenzap891

24 күн бұрын

They aren't defects, whan Danny essentialy does is killing the charm these speakers have, nobody says that ruler flat sounds best - becuase it sounds dead. It's the same rookie mistake they do with electronics design - it is not supposed to be flat because our ears don't have flat sensitivity. This is why in the real hi-end designs almost nobody does it, or they add distortions in controllable way to achieve a certain sound signature.

@rikardekvall3433

24 күн бұрын

@@puciohenzap891 you are just angry that anyone might tambor with these unique things, changing them to the better, FOR THE ONE PERSON, that did send these speakers to Danny. When these speakers were designed they didn’t have the measurements instruments as Danny has today. They couldn’t measure then. NOW we can. Try to understand this. Old ain’t the best, but nostalgia is big.

@emmet7208

18 күн бұрын

@@puciohenzap891 If "charm" is what you are after that is fine, but the original owner did not like the "charm". As a speaker designer myself I can't begin to explain the error in your post! Everyone knows about the BBC dip and the Fletcher/Munsen curve, our ears are not linear. Designers are not adding distortion, they simply don't address it because it costs money to do it. Now days these same companies are addressing some of these issues, although not to the extent Danny does. I'm hoping you are here for the same reason I am, to learn something new from Danny, because your post tells me you know very little on the topic of speakers or acoustics!

Sonus Faber sold its soul to Private Equity Bean Counters and went all style (gorgeous exterior) and no substance (cheap crossover parts) to wring the last penny out of profits. A friend of mine who's had several pairs of SF abandoned the brand when it stopped using ScanSpeak drivers. It's sad because they're so gorgeous to look at.

@morlidor

25 күн бұрын

Thats BS. Good cossovers does not have to use high end expensive components to sound good.

Sonus faber was the original snob-hyped speaker. They waxed poetic about the glories. I listened, and they all sounded mushy, polite, rolled off. In short, over romantic and inept. Laughably bad parts and construction for so much cash. The only brand where owners brag about cabinet resonance as if it was a Stradivari body.

Mid-fi at hi-fi prices, speaker kits are much better.

@stefanweilhartner4415

26 күн бұрын

these speakers are from the 80s! it was not that easy to get very good kits in the 80s. today you get affordable measurement microphones with a cheap behringer soundcard and free software to measure and optimize that as a hobbyist. that was not possible for a hobbyist in the 80s.

@thomasschafer7268

24 күн бұрын

​@@stefanweilhartner4415Blödsinn. Der Höhepunkt des diy waren wohl die 80er und 90er.

@puciohenzap891

24 күн бұрын

@@thomasschafer7268 Stop spewing nonsense, thanks. Current material and cabinet design is lightyears ahead. It's just the problem that people got lazy and create lazy arse designs that they then 'fix' with DSP.

Just some observations on upper scaled models I have had and I did look. Totem acoustic I had a set back in 1999 and was told and even shown by the dealer. The driver was the famous Dynaudio 6.5 With 3' voice coil. And the tweeter was a well knows seas. The Crossovers we stunning , high end caps and wire... Minimal amount of parts. Very well made cabinets. I found out later that was all a lie... the Driver was made by a chiinese company. I have also looked into dynaudio speakers And for a 3700 a pair of bookshelf speakers, the crossover was about 100 dollars worth of parts. So seeing this with sonus farber is not a surprising revel. Anyone else had and heard this with totem. Please chime in. I would be interested in knowing how true or false that is. The driver do not show the fab. again this would be on old totems...

10dB SPL is subjectively twice as loud says psychoacoustics

Uh oh. I hope this video doesn't start another online flame war with the Korean kid. He reviewed and liked this model (or an SF model that looked about the same).

Patents and budget constraints dont help either. Manufacturers have to focus attention on areas that doesn't infringe on a patent. Imagine a design where all ideas are implemented. DALI (SMC), BORESEN very low inductance drivers, ROCKPORT inert cabinets, AUDIOPHYSICS Spiderless midrange drivers, SONUS FABER DAD Tweeter technology etc etc. No guarantee it will sound good however

I will definitely agree with Danny here about parts quality. It is Fu%k#ng redicoulous for manufactures. To charge these high prices and supply crap crossover parts. Personally, I have never liked Sonus Faber. I have always known Sonus Faber was more about looks than performance. SF is one of those companies that over charge so much. The customer has no choice but to subscribe to confirmation bias. The potted crossover parts should be a clue that something is amiss. Supposedly SF laminates that Hard Wood in a certain way to eliminate resonance. It is not actually a solid piece of wood.....Allegedly! Plus, don't fall for the " these are an old Sonus Faber speakers". SF has more expensive and recent models that donot out perform this model Danny has measured.

Apparently the only speakers that sound good are from GR research? Blah blah blah.

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

I guess you have not been watching our video's. We have giving out quite a bit of praise lately.

Dan, you break my brain sometimes. You literally sell products with same/similar response, but now 2.5 db is out of range>? No reply is wanted or necessary, the numbers are talkin here. Just be silent please while the numbers speak! Cheers 🍻

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

It is not just about whether or not the overall response falls within an industry standard or not. In this case there were stored energy issues, cheesy parts, cabinet resonances, etc.

@Finite-Tuning

25 күн бұрын

@@dannyrichie9743 : Stop I said, please just be silent!

Usher copied this cabinet …718 models

He should be selling used cars

So basically no one makes a good speaker

@D1N02

26 күн бұрын

Danny does! ;)

@Bigirondoug

26 күн бұрын

If you want to pay top dollar for inferior part have at it. The problem I have is these high end companies pray on the consumers that can't afford their top of the line component and use their high end name as bragging rights for the uneducated consumer purchasing their lower cost and lower quality speakers.

@Pete.across.the.street

26 күн бұрын

Good speakers don't get sent in

@Pete.across.the.street

26 күн бұрын

​@@Bigirondougit's even worse in the auto industry

@Philip-xk5ui

26 күн бұрын

Amen....

"redesign" a classic Sonus Faber?! Really? 😱

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

Oh yeah, and it really needed it.

@net_news

25 күн бұрын

@@dannyrichie9743 I don't think so, but hey, not my sonus faber's :D

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

@@net_news Oh yeah, what model do you have?

@net_news

25 күн бұрын

@@dannyrichie9743 minima amator II

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

@@net_news :-) Have a look inside at the crossover, then tell me they don't need an upgrade.

ElectOR, not Electra!!!

@andreabincoletto8609

26 күн бұрын

It's Electa Amator, actually, you are wrong as well.

I only care about how it sounds in a normal european livingroom.... some things are technical perfect and still sound like s@#t.... ah well

Oh look, another infomercial.

@vegaslimoguy2376

26 күн бұрын

He should hire the SHAM WOW guy!!! Martini! Linguine! Bikini!!! Into the matting into the padding!! Sham wow!!!!

@andrewkelly1225

26 күн бұрын

...yet, here you are...

Can't trust practically any speaker manufacturer. It's all Wizard of Oz stuff-behind the curtain. You really have to listen to the speaker however. See if the graphs tell the whole story. These manufacturers are staking their reputation on what they put out, so without giving a listen, possibly A/B/C even with good part speakers with smooth response, decay, impedance etc. you really don't know if you like the sound. I like a good part only if I can hear it, and it's worth paying a time and a half for a speaker I already liked when I auditioned it.

stop talking bad about him. of course you can improve every speaker. knowing there are 30 50 100k speakers out there its not hard to understand everything old or speakers under 10k is easy upgradeable. just like engines are improvable. speakers are made to sell. not to create the best sound . so often you see woofers that do oke up to 2khz and tweeters that do oke from 2hz. so they can use minimum crossover parts. or simply choose simple cabinet design what better for mass production. instead of bracing. round cabinets. rubber bitumen insides. or use cheaper woods. for me it just sounds you dont know what you are talking about.. this man makes kits that beat 5 to 7 times more expensive speakers. no doubt.. he sells them for very cheaply because he loves to do it. not to make a ton of money. and speaking against him hurt me because he is a very good man .

A friend of mine bought a pair of DIY monitors from GR research, my Vienna accoustics Hayn grand sound wayyyyyy better , acourding to Danny there is no better speaker than his speakers , all other speakers are shit , well let me tell you Danny , your DIY speakers are ehhhhh not very good , maybe you should do a video on an upgrade of one of you're own speakers ?

I've been looking at your hair,you can't comb that stuff! Looks like all you can do is beat it into submission! Lol!

@dannyrichie9743

25 күн бұрын

It does what it does... When I was young, I had hair like Fabio. At my age now, I don't really worry too much about it.

I don't doubt this guy is technically correct in his overview, but Jesus, EVERY speaker he looks at is insufficient. His rolls his head and "whoa is me". I mean EVERY speaker needs his upgrades. No speaker you ever buy will be good enough without these upgrades. You got suckered with your speakers. I don't know how people ever enjoy music with this level of critique. Everybody has their own thing I guess.

@MichelLinschoten

26 күн бұрын

I think you're taking it way to personal,he's merely sharing pretty obvious facts. You need to keep in mind, in what price class these speakers hang. I feel you should leave your emotions ( we all have a certain degree of bias) behind, and look at it objectively. He's sharing measurements, shows you clearly the shortcuts they took (better profit margins). Wrong wood choices (that's also in the diy world well known) .. I can appreciate the information, it allows people to make a more educated decision.

@mcgovernjimmy

26 күн бұрын

@@1922peter I'm listening to one of his designs right now. It's awesome. I have been in the room he is sitting in and have heard the black NX-Treme open baffle speakers behind him. You have never heard something like that... of that I am certain. The joke may be on you.

@stonefree1911

26 күн бұрын

@@MichelLinschoten I don’t take it personally at all, I’ve been watching his videos for years. But if you don’t recognize the sales bias here, then you ARE his audience. I appreciate and glean the info I want from this, I can see the value, but can also recognize the downside.

@scottmackey4182

26 күн бұрын

@@stonefree1911- you do realize that this is the WHOLE point of this channel? People don’t send Danny speakers that they don’t believe need improvement. There would be no reason to post it. Danny is incredibly honest about the components and speakers that are performing well. He is specifically asked to test and create a better sound output on every speaker he tests and posts.

@stonefree1911

26 күн бұрын

@@scottmackey4182 Yep and I'm just giving my opinion. I realize I'm doing it on his channel and the fanboys will revolt, but I stand by my observances. I am not alone.

I don't agree with anything this man says.

@stevevaughn299

26 күн бұрын

REASON?

@barneyrubble9309

26 күн бұрын

​@@stevevaughn299he's trying to sell product...these are infomercials... nothing more

@stephenstevens6573

26 күн бұрын

That is your right.

@morlidor

26 күн бұрын

I agree with some of what he says but I feel he is way too interested to hype and sell his kits. And I feel he does not understand that most speakers he criticizes have been acoustically tested for a very long time and that computeroptimization is not as important when making speakers with the manufacturers desired character!

@stefanweilhartner4415

26 күн бұрын

that is a bit unspecific, isn't it? i mean, yes, MDF swells up more than hard wood, but hard wood changes very uneven. but beside that, can you specify?

A bass should be 8 inches max, why... too much space in the woofer makes it difficult to control the bending of the material from center to bass edge [ such as cardboard ] with a good mid and a tweeter, that's my opinion. off a good speaker. the size of the cabinet and insulation is certainly also important, when they are ready let me know lol;l p.s. make sure there is a 3-way active separation filter