Wd25t (&a)

[Andyman]

In order to overcome the difficulties inherent in (not) auditioning kit speakers and in a similar vein to Shellac's previous thread, I would be interested in responses to the following:-

Which widely available loudspeaker would you say the WD25T's (and A's although it's the biguns I'm most interested in) most closely resemble in terms of sound quality, overall balance etc.?

and

If the exact same speakers were made and marketed as a commercial product (for example by Mission or Heybrook) then at what ballpark figure would they sell in the UK? (Obviously a Peter response would be most welcome.)

...and then slightly off topic

Much has been written about the bass response of both models - extended yet not overblown etc. etc. What is important to me though, is can they do the hits-you-in-the-chest kick drum thing?

I look forward to your many and varied responses.

Thanks,

Andy

[Andyman]

Aaagh! What happened to my upper case D,T and A?

Andy

[Ianm2]

hmm, don't want to 'steal' someone else's, but over £1k, perhaps £1500 to £2k.

I haven't heard them, but I think you may find them similar to a heybrook designed by pjc, old altecs, where they draw inspiration from, possibly, too

I haven't found any speakers below 12" that do that, you really need big 15s and 18s, esp. in a horn

look for excursion and area of cone as big as poss. to do that. you need excursions towards inches, not a few mm each way. that's the secret, big spx, big sound, the wd are domestic, so it is possible to bigger them

I am sure they would be quite nice tho' I wonder, are there any forum members using wad speakers considering changing to them?

[Greg.]

Hi Andy,

Welcome. Sorry, I can't answer your first question. On the second, comparison with an over the counter purchase would be at least twice the price for a finished product and probably considerably more from what I've witnessed (made comparison with) at shows. Furthermore, the DIY aspect makes WD25's readily upgradable if you wish to tweak to improve performance. On your third, yes, they'll thump you well and truly in the chest with bass if you have the appropriate recording. I have a dance mix that does this very well and used it at this years Bristol Show to demonstrate this very quality. You won't find them lacking in this department

Best wishes,

Greg

[Richard]

Hi Andy and welcome.

I'd contact WD and arrange a listen with your own music. I've only heard the smaller ones at a show but they're certainly very good with a big, easy, sound and loads of detail. Fast too, but all this will vary with the partnering equipment and music.

I'd like to hear them again myself, as I now know them to have been showing the qualities of the partnering equipment at that show. That can only be a good illustration of how well they reveal things.

[naimart]

Originally Posted by Andyman

Which widely available loudspeaker would you say the WD25T's (and A's although it's the bi guns I'm most interested in) most closely resemble in terms of sound quality, overall balance etc.?

and

If the exact same speakers were made and marketed as a commercial product (for example by Mission or Hey brook) then at what ballpark figure would they sell in the UK? (Obviously a Peter response would be most welcome.)

...and then slightly off topic

Much has been written about the bass response of both models - extended yet not overblown etc. etc. What is important to me though, is can they do the hits-you-in-the-chest kick drum thing?

Hi Andy,

I can only offer some rambling offerings about the WD25a - STD version.

I built the cabinet as an exercise just to see if I could - no experience of 'real' woodwork before - I'm not sure it was a hobby - too much sweat and tears! Anyway after lots of routing, sawing and veneering I finally put it together - and was totally surprised , one that Peters (WD's) design had survived by ham fisted woodworking skills and two that it sounded so clear and detailed. I have been using them for about a year and my Heybrook Sextets are now (reluctantly) confined to the loft after 12 years.

Told you this was rambling - in my opinion they major on dynamics, swings from highs to lows are what this speaker is all about, I find the treble clean and never aggressive but totally detailed.

Bass is a major difference between them and the Sextets, not as low and not as much physical impact, but cleaner and clearer, I know it's an old stereotype :p but I can hear bass notes much more easily and more tunefully.

Another thing I have noticed is that the sound is just as musical and dynamic at very low levels (maybe because the speakers (a&T) are very efficient?) and increasing the volume does not seems to phase them at all.

Not sure the WD25a would give you the bass clout your looking for but I suspect the WD25T might - I've never hear them - but if you can get a demo, it could be well worth your while!

Good Luck!

Robert

[hal55]

That's interesting, you obviously rate them higher than the Sextets. How do you find the high frequencies after being used to the Tonigen ribbon in the Sextets? I'm about as handy at woodworking as a house brick, was the construction really THAT bad and how many hours do you reckon it took?

hal55

[petercom]

The WD25T has more bass extension and power than the WD25A without sacrificing the bass clarity and tunefulness.

If you can't stand the woodwork then we do supply woodwork kits which are easy to glue together.

As for comparison with commercial speakers - there aren't any that currently use this type of aperiodic loading, and very few with a 26 cm bass unit, so it is difficult to draw comparisons.

[naimart]

Originally Posted by hal55

That's interesting, you obviously rate them higher than the Sextets. How do you find the high frequencies after being used to the Tonigen ribbon in the Sextets? I'm about as handy at woodworking as a house brick, was the construction really THAT bad and how many hours do you reckon it took?

Hi ,

Yes, I do prefer the WD25a to the Sextets - but in small ways - I have always preferred the balance of Heybrook speakers - not sure why (I have tried others though not in recent years!). The WD25a has, to me, a similar clarity and balance in the upper frequencies compared to the Sextet (perhaps a tiny bit less smooth with the STD Seas but still lovely) with a cleaner but leaner bass - but there are many 'local' factors - small room size - hearing - approaching 50 which may be affecting my choice.

On the woodworking front - no it wasn't really bad - but it took me ages (2-3 mths - family and work kept getting in the way ) and there is a lot of sawdust - gets absolutely bl***y everywhere! The biggest stress was cutting the circles and rebating them - learned about routers and using a circle cutter (used a Jasper 200 template) - the front baffle is 270mm and the bass unit needs a 270mm diameter. The good news is it's quite cheap (I even had enough wood left over to make a second cabinet) and you can change the construction if you want to.

But if I can do it - anyone can!!

Regards
Robert

[Cycleallday]

I use Ruark Preludes in a smallish room at home and find I like the fairly neutral sound which means they do nothing which stands out but just dissappear and let the music come through. These are the fisrt speakers I have bought having always made my own but do find they have a deepish boomy bass in my room.

I have been looking at the WD speakers for some time and have heard them on a number of occaisons. They never impressed me at the shows but that was because they maybe have that 'neutral, sound I refer to and do not stand out like some demos which seem to want to grab you with some frequency extreme but then become grating for long term listening.

However, I heard the full height versions at Peters powered by the WD88VA and a Naim CD and the sound was amazing. Again nothing stood out but the sound simply made you take a deep breath and relax - I could have fallen asleep on the sofa the sound was so beautiful and relaxing. The bass is not at all boomy and comes through tight and fast just like a previous post stated and the mid is just perfect to me, for boxed speakers. I have decided I will build a pair once the dark nights stop me doing other things. I would definitley recomend getting to Peters to listen to WD kit presented in a normal sitting room environment - its really different to stark empty hotel rooms.