Ariel's

Hi All,

I have been looking at articles on the web regarding buiding a pair of Ariel's. However, to date I have been put off due to what looks like a pretty complex cabinet structure. Prior to my Ariel thoughts I had really fancied a pair of Living Voice Avatars, though price was a bit of an issue. I have been able to hear Avatars being driven by a Border Patrol 300b PP amplifier and they sounded very very good.

My amplifier is a 2A3 PP with about 8W per channel driving a pair of Monitor Audio PM703's (90db/W)

Can anyone comment on any comparison between the Ariels and tha Avaters and the possibility of synergy between my amp and the Ariels.

I have had some discussion with Ed who is selling his Ariels and he thought the Ariels need some space round them to give there best.

I look forward to comments,

Cheers,

Ian

[James D]

Before buying either have a serious audition... Particularly of the Ariels as they seem to polarise opinion a bit some love then but equally some hate them...

For me an Open Baffle works best but it will be big - but its simple to build so you can send the money where you get maximum return - on the drive units and filter components. It easy to do a 94dB open baffle that is extends to 45Hz at the bottom end and is cheap. Size is an issue - think 135cm tall, 45cm wide and 50cm deep. You don't get something for nothing unfortunately

[The Shadow]

Hi Ian

For not much money you could have a go at a pair of quarter wave pipes such as my Metronome speaker. It uses the Fostex FE108 Sigma full range driver and sounds lovely with 2A3s.

There is not a lot of bass below 70Hz but it works very well indeed with an active sub to fill in the bottom end.

Plans here

Steve

[dave dove]

i have a pair of auditoriums
they are quite good too
sensitive and tolerant
much more dynamic than ariels
but not as detailed
an issue addressed by the avatar

i have the crossover diagrams somewhere
if you want to build a pair
the box is just that

but jamesd is a very bad man
and extremely persuasive
like a dealer hanging outside a school
and if you listen to him you'll not go back

dave

[James D]

Well I've been called many things...

And compared to many things...

but I've never been compared to a drug dealer before!!!

Still OBs are strangely addictive.... and I've sure got Dave and Paul hooked!

I would like to stress as part of a Public Health announcement that full range OBs are large, seriously large but are widely recognised as significantly lowering stress levels amongst those that listen to then for a least an hour a day

James

[Andrew]

James' OBs have me sold too, but I've got way too much other stuff on at the mo'.

cheers,

-- Andrew

[Paul Barker]

Yes I through together some OB's designed by James, based on the fostex fe108e

Σ

out of cheap local plye. Got away with it because wife is so used to me creating big stuff for Eggborough she talked herself into these by saying "gosh they're big, they must be for one of your meetings".

No comment on Ariels.

Wow that's a wierd way of showing sigma! I thought it would just insert the html code without a big boarder and a new line.

[andrew ivimey]

What's a ball park figure for size and shape for OB with Fe108sigma? And Shirley, there is no bass?

I'd just do a folded horn design of about 64 feet and build the house around it. OB, use the living room as 'infinite baffle' and listening room as ...well listening room, speaker built onto the wall. DAft DaFT dafT, too hot

[Cobblers]

I have not heard the ariels, but I have used the basic Auditoriums (which belong to my Dad) with my amp and these are superb speakers.
The vifa cones used in both these speakers and my old Heybrook Heylo's sound very nice, on vocals especially. Of course the Living Voice speaker is vastly superior.
The Auditorium family are some of the best speakers I have listened to, the avatars and OBX are excellent speakers from what I have heard.

Despite having used these superb speakers I do not feel in any way short changed by the WD25a's which are actually better in some respects. IMHO even the OBX speakers could not hope to compete in terms of dynamics, and these are very dynamic boxes. As you might expect the LV speakers are better at creating a deep soundstage as their freespace positioning would suggest. Having said that the WD's do not sound in any way flat (in soundstaging terms) unlike most speakers that are designed for close wall operation.

[James D]

Andrew,

Pauls version is roughly Quasar size and uses a 12" wideband helper a la Quasar. But both drivers are inexpensive so it won't go loud but it does 95% or more of what the Quasar does at sensible listening levels. With OB botton end response is a function of driver and size. In fact for an OB size really matters

James

James