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March Audio Sointuva Speaker

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pjug

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They are clearly solid wood. MDF has no grain through the routing.

Amazing...

View attachment 115434

Grain tends to run in one direction in my experience.
Yes, and he states it is solid wood on the web site. But I still want to ask if he can measure any sound difference. I thought some speaker makers liked veneers so they can keep the properties of MDF (maybe that line of reasoning is somewhat an excuse to use cheaper materials).
 

restorer-john

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Yes, and he states it is solid wood on the web site. But I still want to ask if he can measure any sound difference. I thought some speaker makers liked veneers so they can keep the properties of MDF (maybe that line of reasoning is somewhat an excuse to use cheaper materials).

If he can do it with solid timber, I'm all over it. Nothing more beautiful than solid wood. The grain however runs around the entire box- must be a serious chunk of wood. The top must be end-grain...
 

pjug

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If he can do it with solid timber, I'm all over it. Nothing more beautiful than solid wood. The grain however runs around the entire box- must be a serious chunk of wood. The top must be end-grain...
I agree. I am seriously interested in these. But I will check myself until they are measured on ASR (@amirm any willingness to let these cut in line if @March Audio sends one?)
 

Martin

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Very nice. I guess I missed it somewhere. What was the reason you went with the aluminum tweeter instead of the beryllium one you were using?

Martin
 

MZKM

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I agree. I am seriously interested in these. But I will check myself until they are measured on ASR (@amirm any willingness to let these cut in line if @March Audio sends one?)
Amir said he doesn’t want to measure these (the hassle of reviewing a prominent member’s product for sale, he will measure @Rick Sykora‘s speaker project as that is a DIY deal), I think Erin said he is game to measure them though.

_____

Very nice. I guess I missed it somewhere. What was the reason you went with the aluminum tweeter instead of the beryllium one you were using?

Martin
Huh, I asked why he didn’t use the better measuring (in my view) 34A to start off with, and he said the beryllium one gave a better crossover, maybe he was able to remedy that. And/or the 34A is cheaper, so maybe a profit margin deal.
_____

@March Audio, lovely looking speakers! I don’t see on the order page any indication of whether the price is per speaker or per pair.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...arch-audio-sointuva-speaker.17162/post-572823
 
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bluefuzz

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But I still want to ask if he can measure any sound difference. I thought some speaker makers liked veneers so they can keep the properties of MDF
I doubt there would be any measurable difference on such small cabinets. However, I would be more concerned with splitting. Those sides look to be an inch or so thick. I don't know how stable She-Oak is but it would need to be really well seasoned to survive repeated humidity swings of a typical centrally heated house in the northern hemisphere. They are very pretty boxes but I'd be afraid of quickly seeing cracks between the driver cutouts where the box is weakest.
 

Thomas savage

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Amir said he doesn’t want to measure these (the hassle of reviewing a prominent member’s product for sale, he will measure @Rick Sykora‘s speaker project as that is a DIY deal), I think Erin said he is game to measure them though.

_____


Huh, I asked why he didn’t use the better measuring (in my view) 34A to start off with, and he said the beryllium one gave a better crossover, maybe he was able to remedy that. And/or the 34A is cheaper, so maybe a profit margin deal.
_____


https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...arch-audio-sointuva-speaker.17162/post-572823
Don't think Bristol Alan is a prominent member anymore, now he's got his own forum maybe he could send a pair of his speakers to Amirm or @hardisj can give them a spin .
 
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March Audio

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I doubt there would be any measurable difference on such small cabinets. However, I would be more concerned with splitting. Those sides look to be an inch or so thick. I don't know how stable She-Oak is but it would need to be really well seasoned to survive repeated humidity swings of a typical centrally heated house in the northern hemisphere. They are very pretty boxes but I'd be afraid of quickly seeing cracks between the driver cutouts where the box is weakest.
Your concerns are unfounded, the wood is quite stable and strong. We also have about 35 deg C temp swings in Albany Australia over winter to summer ;)

Technical info on the wood can be found here:

https://www.wood-database.com/western-sheoak/

Please note that this is just one of the woods available to us.
 
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March Audio

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March Audio

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Alexanderc

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Hi @Alexanderc

There is an "Order Now" link button on the product page plus you can go straight to the shop page

https://www.marchaudio.net.au/product-page/sointuva-speaker

However I haven't optimised the mobile page and it appears a little mixed up compared to the desktop page. I will fix it tomorrow.
This is what I see. Quantity 1 speaker or quantity 1 pair? I’m just trying to save you some trouble when people get wind these are available :D
F9AEEB69-0F24-4429-B9DE-4B0999E4B193.jpeg
 
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March Audio

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This is what I see. Quantity 1 speaker or quantity 1 pair? I’m just trying to save you some trouble when people get wind these are available :DView attachment 115445
Yep you are right I will update it tomorrow to indicate 1 pair, plus put a note that they can be purchased individually (centre speakers)
 
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March Audio

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Don't think Bristol Alan is a prominent member anymore, now he's got his own forum maybe he could send a pair of his speakers to Amirm or @hardisj can give them a spin .
Hi @Thomas savage
I will continue to contribute to ASR occasionally within the constraints that I am allowed to ;)

We won't be sending a pair to ASR for review as I have some fundamental disagreements with Amirs subjective assessment methods. The measurements won't be significantly differnt to our own.
 
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bluefuzz

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Your concerns are unfounded, the wood is quite stable and strong.
I do hope you are right. I know you Australians are blessed with some exceptionally fine woods but they are not magic! All woods move no matter how stable they are if the conditions are right (or wrong, depending how you look at it). The properties of the She-Oak look to be similar to many of the woods used to build guitars for example (my other hobby is building acoustic, and occasionally electric, guitars) and I know from experience that they will move at the most inopportune moment however good your prep has been.
We also have 35 to 40 deg C temp swings in Albany over winter to summer
As I'm sure you know it's not so much the temperature but the relative humidity that is the problem. Just today I have had a 40% difference in relative humidity in my house from morning to afternoon and I dare not open any of my guitar cases ... :eek:

The problem with a small and extremely stiff box like your speaker cabinets is that if there is any movement in the wood, the box is so stiff that something has to give. And that will almost certainly be those thin sections between the driver holes. I would be looking to strengthen those areas somehow, if only for peace of mind. If it were me I would probably laminate some carbon fibre cloth to tha backside of the front and back baffles.
 

Martin

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Yep we remedied that :)

The T34A indeed has better directivity above 10kHz.

That's unfortunate. I have a deep rooted hatred for aluminum dome tweeters. I am sure it's due to the brightness of the Paradigm Reference Studio 100 v3's I once owned. They were extremely fatiguing. Measurements from Stereophile:
P100fig4.jpg


My reference track for tweeters is I Love You by Sarah McLachlan:

IME I have found the track virtually unlistenable on speakers with aluminum domes. (It's also a good track for bass extension.)

I find silk and beryllium domes much less fatiguing. This song is wonderful on a good speaker / headphones. I'd love a chance to hear the Sointuva but, alas, Albany, WA is a loooong way away from southwest Florida.

Martin
 
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March Audio

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I do hope you are right. I know you Australians are blessed with some exceptionally fine woods but they are not magic! All woods move no matter how stable they are if the conditions are right (or wrong, depending how you look at it). The properties of the She-Oak look to be similar to many of the woods used to build guitars for example (my other hobby is building acoustic, and occasionally electric, guitars) and I know from experience that they will move at the most inopportune moment however good your prep has been.

As I'm sure you know it's not so much the temperature but the relative humidity that is the problem. Just today I have had a 40% difference in relative humidity in my house from morning to afternoon and I dare not open any of my guitar cases ... :eek:

The problem with a small and extremely stiff box like your speaker cabinets is that if there is any movement in the wood, the box is so stiff that something has to give. And that will almost certainly be those thin sections between the driver holes. I would be looking to strengthen those areas somehow, if only for peace of mind. If it were me I would probably laminate some carbon fibre cloth to tha backside of the front and back baffles.
Hi

Our humidity varies too. We also use heating in winter.

Albany
1614527856894.png



Paris
1614527752448.png


Perhaps not as different as you imagine.

The properties of the wood and its application were discussed at length with our wood machining supplier. They have decades of experience and saw no potential issues.
 
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