Eclipse and other single driver speakers

[MrRadish]

Hi all, has anyone had any experience with the Eclipse TD 508 speakers, or something similar?

I'm in a room that's 12' x 10', with the speakers firing across the short length (so I'm about 7' away). It's a semi-detached with a thin stone wall between houses so I can't listen to music much over 65dba without annoying the neighbours. I've discovered the best size and frequency range of speaker is the Mission 760iSE or the Harbeth P3esr SE in terms of bass response, whereas a floor stander such as the Monitor Audio Studio 20 SE has too much bass (sadly). The room is also very live, even with foam panels attached to every surface, so a lot of stuff can sound a bit shrill at times. I can tame that to some extent with a soft amp, such as the Musical Fidelity A1, but then the Harbeths sound a bit small. I'd also like a bit more speed and drive in the sound than with the Harbeth.

So what I'm looking for is a speaker that rolls off at the top and bottom of the frequency range but is really good in the middle, whilst also being as transparent and musical as possible. The other thing I need is for it to sound big (soundstage wise) at 65dba. The A1 and 760 combo does this rather well but the 760 lacks the finesse and sweetness of the Harbeth.

So what I'm wondering is whether a single driver speaker such as the Eclipse would meet my needs and work in a small room, or if they'll sound bright? I'm also interested in the Zu Cube, which will probably be impossible to audition, and there are some other DIY options, which I need to rule out due to my incompetence at handiwork. Is there anything else that should be on my list?

[CageyH]

Electric Beach FH3?

[walpurgis]

A smallish speaker that offers very nice sound quality at a sensible price is the Usher S520.


I'd also suggest having a look at the Wilmsow Audio and Falcon Acoustics sites:

http://www.wilmslow-audio.co.uk/

https://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/

Both companies offer full range drive units and cabinet kits and even ready made cabinets I believe.

[mr sneff]

Never heard the Eclipse, but for slightly less you could get the wonderful Audience The One (http://www.highendcable.co.uk/Audience%20The%20ONE%20speaker%20system.htm).
I was lucky enough to pick up an ex-dem pair at just under half price. Easy to drive, I use a Quad 303, but I've also had good results with an Ampastic Mini-1. They're not fussy about positioning either. Other than that I'd recommend the John Blue JB3, not quite as good, but it's half the price!

[paskinn]

I'm one of those odd people who use single full-range drivers...in my case Hungarian drivers from Sonido, in big Polish speakers. I sympathise with your problem, but I doubt you can solve them by changing speakers. If all you want is diminished bass, buy a small speaker. Sound is sound, however generated.
To be brutally honest, a decent pair of earphones might be a better solution. They have got a lot better, and while I prefer speakers, with headphones you could listen as loud and as late as you want...... without upsetting anyone.

[struth]

I'm one of those odd people who use single full-range drivers...in my case Hungarian drivers from Sonido, in big Polish speakers. I sympathise with your problem, but I doubt you can solve them by changing speakers. If all you want is diminished bass, buy a small speaker. Sound is sound, however generated.
To be brutally honest, a decent pair of earphones might be a better solution. They have got a lot better, and while I prefer speakers, with headphones you could listen as loud and as late as you want...... without upsetting anyone.

Me too. Telefunkens... Bass is better controlled even though theres a port at front. They are high sensitivity and low power but go loud and clean with just enough bass for my liking.

[sidmini]

hi I have a pair of eclipse 712z i can tell you they don't need much power from the amp, they are very accurate and give great imaging but you need to get the speaker placement just right. The cabinets are solid and don't vibrate. The bass is surprisingly good too..

[agk]

A simple open baffle design is a cheapish and simple solution you might look at. Good but not heavy bass and great mid range, add a tweeter and problem solved. Drivers are easily sourced as is wood and a body with the skills needed to make round holes in it. a simple high pass filter and off you go. I have taken mine out of the system while I choose tweeters but these things sound incredible.

[walpurgis]

Pair of Kans. (well some people like them).

[daytona600]

https://static.avforums.com/styles/avf/editorial/products/6f134d974bb06fe950c0047325034cd0_292.jpg

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/elipson/3.png


Elipson Planet L are excellent in a small room & NFM near field monitors
& they fit on shelves , wall , ceiling , stands etc

[jandl100]

I'm not usually enamoured of single driver speakers, finding them a compromise too far.
But I was mightily impressed by some Eclipse speakers at a Show 2 or 3 years ago. I suspect they would fit the bill admirably, Andy.

[MrRadish]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I've been busy reading reviews and watching Youtuve videos of the various speakers. I've narrowed my choice down to three:

Eclipse, they look great and I want a quick sound, but they're very inefficient and appear to be sensitive to positioning with a narrow sweet spot. I get the feeling they may be on the bright side too unless used with the subwoofer (which sounded great in the video, but wouldn't work for me), but it's hard to be certain without listening to them. I did find one video where Eclipse were demonstrating their speakers and showed how the sound changed with no box, a cardboard box, and their custom enclosure. Would I be a bad person if I said I rather liked the cardboard box version? :mental:

Audience, also look good and are reputedly easy to position and throw up a big soundstage. I really like the fact that my little 760s work anywhere and sound bigger than they are, so that's something I'd like to retain. Of the Youtube videos these were the most impressive, for what it's worth.

JohnBlue, cheaper than the others (I believe) and fell between the Eclipse and the Audience for brightness on Youtube. These are also the most sensitive of the trio which is in their favour.

The other suggestions fell by the wayside either because they were too big, not what I was looking for, or required too much effort, but thank you for suggesting them.

I've been using headphones for the last 15 years (not counting this last year when I got back into speakers) and ended up with some HD800s and a variety of headphone amps. They're fantastic, but I listen to music 4-8 hours per day, including watching movies and TV, so they need some attention now (new pads, inserts, headband etc) and the paint is flaking off. In the old days when I was using cheaper Grados I could just replace them, but with the HD800s that's not an option. It's also nice not having cables dragging everywhere. What's more important is that although the HD800s are famed for their soundstage some of the amp/speaker combinations I've tried have either matched or exceeded them in that regard, so I'm happy to make the change. Unfortunately the HD800s are a hard act to follow when it comes to balance, coherence and detail, so they've set the bar pretty high.

In terms of open baffle DIY speakers I have some old Dynaudio Contour 1.3 in which both bass drivers sound a bit rough when pressed in manually (though they work fine when played at 65dba). I'm guessing they're not worth much in that condition, so I might try using those as an experiment - I don't mind DIY that has no real cost. If the Dynaudios are worth more than £100 though please say as I'd be better off selling them instead.

The next step (unless I buy a soldering iron for the Dynaudios) is trying to listen to them. The dealers appear to be in Spalding, Horsham and Cornwall, so er, ummm... At least I'm centrally located, if I look on the bright side! I'll get in touch with them this week and see what they say.

[Macca]

Let us all know how you get on. I've had a read up on all three and have my wild guess as to which one you will go for but I'll keep that to myself.

[mr sneff]

Audience, also look good and are reputedly easy to position and throw up a big soundstage. I really like the fact that my little 760s work anywhere and sound bigger than they are, so that's something I'd like to retain. Of the Youtube videos these were the most impressive, for what it's worth.



Audience The ONE is what I use in my lounge, they are easy to position and do sound a lot bigger than their dimunitive size. They also have more bass than you could reasonably expect from such a small speaker, no doubt helped by the passive radiator on the rear. Definitely more detailed and a more enjoyable listen than the JB3, but they are twice the price.I 've not found them any more difficult to drive than the JB3. I was lucky to pick up an ex-demo pair at just under half price :) Though, having lived with them for over 6 months now I'd happily pay full price, amazing little speaker.

[MrRadish]

Audience The ONE is what I use in my lounge, they are easy to position and do sound a lot bigger than their dimunitive size. They also have more bass than you could reasonably expect from such a small speaker, no doubt helped by the passive radiator on the rear. Definitely more detailed and a more enjoyable listen than the JB3, but they are twice the price.I 've not found them any more difficult to drive than the JB3. I was lucky to pick up an ex-demo pair at just under half price :) Though, having lived with them for over 6 months now I'd happily pay full price, amazing little speaker.


Thanks, I think I was favouring these already but they're in top position now. One question, and I appreciate it depends on room and system, but would you describe them as bright at all? ie does the treble dominate and distract from the rest of the audio band? I'm guessing not from your enthusiasm, but that's the one characteristic I need to avoid in my current room.

[mr sneff]

Andy, I wouldn't call them bright, I have something of an aversion to bright speakers.

[MrRadish]

Cool. :)

I spoke to the distributor and they're offering me a money-back period in case I really don't like them, so I'll order a pair in a few days and let you know how I get on.