I just dropped in, to see what condition my condition was in
T/T: Inspire Monarch, X200 tonearm, Ortofon Quintet Blue. Phono: Project Tube Box CD: Marantz CD6006 (UK Edition); Amp: Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated.
Speakers: Zu Omen Def, REL T9i subwoofer. Cables: Atlas Equator interconnects, Atlas Hyper 3.0 speaker cables
T'other system:
Echo Dot, Amptastic Mini One,Arcam A75 integrated, Celestion 5's, BK XLS-200 DF
A/V:
LG 55" OLED, Panasonic Blu Ray, Sony a/v amp, MA Radius speakers, REL Storm sub
Forget the past, it's gone. And don't worry about the future, it doesn't exist. There is only NOW.
KICKSTARTER: ENABLING SCAMMERS SINCE 2009
Hi Gordon,
I started out thinking that buying something in kit form would be a tall order for a numpty like me, but the more I read about this (LX Minis) the more I think "Hmm, maybe I could"
But I would like a decent bass, so I would almost certainly add a sub - the LX Studio looks like a good fit. I thought the bass performance of the subs you brought to NEBO to be all I'd ever need, and then some. Would that be down to the way the units are positioned in their cabinets, or have you ever tried other subs with satisfactory results?
One more question, which may be of particular interest to some folk on here, does the LX521 need as much space around them as (strongly) advised on the Linkwitz website?
Apologies if my questions seem a bit daft, but when it comes to learning about DIY audio projects, this is day one for me!
I just dropped in, to see what condition my condition was in
T/T: Inspire Monarch, X200 tonearm, Ortofon Quintet Blue. Phono: Project Tube Box CD: Marantz CD6006 (UK Edition); Amp: Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated.
Speakers: Zu Omen Def, REL T9i subwoofer. Cables: Atlas Equator interconnects, Atlas Hyper 3.0 speaker cables
T'other system:
Echo Dot, Amptastic Mini One,Arcam A75 integrated, Celestion 5's, BK XLS-200 DF
A/V:
LG 55" OLED, Panasonic Blu Ray, Sony a/v amp, MA Radius speakers, REL Storm sub
Forget the past, it's gone. And don't worry about the future, it doesn't exist. There is only NOW.
KICKSTARTER: ENABLING SCAMMERS SINCE 2009
Unfortunately, like many dipoles the LX521s do need space - at least the 65 cubic metres as suggested on the Linkwitz site. Ideally they need at least 1m to the nearest reflecting surface. My music room which is separate from the house (I can play as loud as I want without upsetting anyone - well, except my slowly developing tinnitus! ) is about 79 cu. m, but is long and narrow (9mx3.5m), so I can't quite meet the 1m sidewall distance, but I can get 2m from the frontwall which helps compensate. The upper baffle can also be toed in a bit which increases the distance to the sidewall. Essentially what I'm trying to do is ensure the direct sound reaches me well before the reflected sound.
The LXMinis on the other hand were designed to work well much closer to any reflecting surface and in a much smaller room. If you can manage a half metre from the front wall (perhaps even less) and the same from a side wall you should be OK. The rear wave is attenuated to a large extent in the LXMini, so the space requirements are considerably less than the LX521. There are people who have successfully used a conventional closed box sub with the minis, so it's not strictly necessary to use the Linkwitz dipole +2 sub or the LX521 sub. I would only recommend the LX521 sub if you can site them at least a metre from the front wall. The LXMini+2 sub is easier to place.
When it comes to imaging and soundstage the LXMini more than equals the LX521 IMO. You can sit way off centre and still get a rock solid instrument/singer placement and soundstage. The LX521 has more weight to the presentation even when using the LX521 sub with the LXMini primarily because of the 8" midbass driver that the LX521 uses. But, even without any low bass unit the LXMinis still provide decent bass in my living room due to some lucky room reinforcement at about 50Hz.
I think if the LXMinis were going to be my main speakers, (and I'd be perfectly happy to have them as my main speakers if I didn't already have the LX521s - the Minis didn't exist when I bought the LX521 plans) I would be looking at getting them set up first and then going for whatever bass unit might best fit. I would look at getting something like this Emotiva 8 channel amp to get me up and running. You might be able to find a used MiniDSP4x10HD or the now discontinued NanoDigi2x8 with which you can use your own choice of DACs (just make sure thay are all the same). You can build it slowly this way without having to invest a lot up front.
Thank you Gordon, all useful information, and the idea that I can introduce it bit by bit without effectively ditching everything and starting over certainly appeals. Probably setting myself up for a new wave of upgraditis though
I just dropped in, to see what condition my condition was in
T/T: Inspire Monarch, X200 tonearm, Ortofon Quintet Blue. Phono: Project Tube Box CD: Marantz CD6006 (UK Edition); Amp: Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated.
Speakers: Zu Omen Def, REL T9i subwoofer. Cables: Atlas Equator interconnects, Atlas Hyper 3.0 speaker cables
T'other system:
Echo Dot, Amptastic Mini One,Arcam A75 integrated, Celestion 5's, BK XLS-200 DF
A/V:
LG 55" OLED, Panasonic Blu Ray, Sony a/v amp, MA Radius speakers, REL Storm sub
Forget the past, it's gone. And don't worry about the future, it doesn't exist. There is only NOW.
KICKSTARTER: ENABLING SCAMMERS SINCE 2009
I will contact gordon and asked him to glance at this thread.