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Buchardt S400 Speaker Review

LTig

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I like that idea also, however, I don't like the idea of trying to fix, or completely replace it just because the amp failed. Speakers tend to last longer than amps.
So far none of my active speakers has failed. The oldest are now 17 years old.
 

muad

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Is that really the only reason Amir listens? I hope not. You can't judge precisely how a speaker will sound just by looking at the measurements. For example, look at the results for the KEF LS50 Meta. It's pretty smooth overall, but the upper midrange and lower treble are a little rough and the trend is recessed somewhat, and there's a peak just below 5 kHz.. Do those departures from linearity really color the sound? I wouldn't know without listening. I have a definite opinion after listening, and it's not what I would have guessed beforehand.
Out of curiosity... how did the LS50M measurements compare to what you heard?
 

Mark_A

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Amir clearly answered to that. He got the "but do you like it?" question again and again, hence the listening test.
See Amir's comments here:
 
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Looking a bit at this speaker 2nd hand. Can someone who remembers the thread sum up some info regarding changes in the production of this speaker? I read somewhere in the thread that Buchardt made changes to the crossover on later productions or something like that?

Otherwise I may just have to dig in all 50 pages..
 

RMW_NJ

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Looking a bit at this speaker 2nd hand. Can someone who remembers the thread sum up some info regarding changes in the production of this speaker? I read somewhere in the thread that Buchardt made changes to the crossover on later productions or something like that?

Otherwise I may just have to dig in all 50 pages..
Early runs of the original S400 had a crossover point of 2000hz. At some point there was an update and the crossover point changed to 2600hz. The SE versions maintained a 2000hz crossover point, for whatever reason. Measurements appear to be slightly worse with the higher crossover point.
 
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D

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Early runs of the original S400 had a crossover point of 2.0hz. At some point there was an update and the crossover point changed to 2.6hz. The SE versions maintained a 2.0hz crossover point, for whatever reason. Measurements appear to be slightly worse with the higher crossover point.
Thank you!:)
 

Ricardojoa

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Early runs of the original S400 had a crossover point of 2.0hz. At some point there was an update and the crossover point changed to 2.6hz. The SE versions maintained a 2.0hz crossover point, for whatever reason. Measurements appear to be slightly worse with the higher crossover point.
I am sure you meant 2.0khz.
 

Daverz

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Impulse response

index.php

Has anyone encountered an S400 that is wired with inverse polarity? I measure a very similar impulse response *if* I invert my speaker wire. I've checked every other step in my audio chain, and none are inverting:

* I checked the pin wiring of the TRS to XLR cable
* tested with 2 different balanced amps, neither inverting
* tested with 2 different microphones and two different audio interfaces

Both of my S400s have the same polarity.
 

Rick Sykora

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Has anyone encountered an S400 that is wired with inverse polarity? I measure a very similar impulse response *if* I invert my speaker wire. I've checked every other step in my audio chain, and none are inverting:

* I checked the pin wiring of the TRS to XLR cable
* tested with 2 different balanced amps, neither inverting
* tested with 2 different microphones and two different audio interfaces

Both of my S400s have the same polarity.
I would check your audio interfaces. Some of mine invert the signal.

Would not trust NRD measurements. His impedance measures do not match Amir’s and the rest look as though were done using equipment from the previous century. :facepalm:
 

Daverz

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I would check your audio interfaces. Some of mine invert the signal.

Would not trust NRD measurements. His impedance measures do not match Amir’s and the rest look as though were done using equipment from the previous century. :facepalm:

Thanks. I checked the interfaces by doing sweeps over a loopback from the TRS outputs to the front panel inputs. The interfaces are a Moto M4 and a Behringer UMC 202HD. I suppose if all outputs and inputs are inverting on both devices, I wouldn't be able to tell.

I guess the next thing to do is test some other speakers I have in storage, but they are not small, and I'm not looking forward to schlepping them out. Also, suppose I could open up the Buchardts to check the wiring, but don't really want to do that when they are still under warranty.
 

BrokenEnglishGuy

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i was seeying the complain about the lack of bracing, but i do see buchart launched the MKII version with bracing...

That explain a lot..

That should add weight?


I am missing something? just readed some pages, i tinked this was a very good recommended speaker lol
 

Rick Sykora

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Thanks. I checked the interfaces by doing sweeps over a loopback from the TRS outputs to the front panel inputs. The interfaces are a Moto M4 and a Behringer UMC 202HD. I suppose if all outputs and inputs are inverting on both devices, I wouldn't be able to tell.

I guess the next thing to do is test some other speakers I have in storage, but they are not small, and I'm not looking forward to schlepping them out. Also, suppose I could open up the Buchardts to check the wiring, but don't really want to do that when they are still under warranty.

Please post your measurement and state your measurement equipment and conditions.

Agree it would be good to have a known baseline from another speaker. How do your other measures compare to Amir’s?
 

Daverz

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Please post your measurement and state your measurement equipment and conditions.

Agree it would be good to have a known baseline from another speaker. How do your other measures compare to Amir’s?

Sorry for the confusion, my intent was not presentable measurements, I'm not set up for it. I just wanted to nail down the polarity of my mains vs. my subwoofer -- a subject for a different thread -- and the impulse response posted here is what I found with a search.
 

Rick Sykora

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Sorry for the confusion, my intent was not presentable measurements, I'm not set up for it. I just wanted to nail down the polarity of my mains vs. my subwoofer -- a subject for a different thread -- and the impulse response posted here is what I found with a search.

In that case to check the wiring, if you could briefly touch a battery across the speaker input, the woofer should move forward. However, in-room phase can be more complex. Most AVR room correction tests will check speaker phase and inform you if a speaker is out of phase. If not using an AVR, you can use REW. There is thread posted here on how to use REW.
 
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Chromatischism

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i was seeying the complain about the lack of bracing, but i do see buchart launched the MKII version with bracing...

That explain a lot..

That should add weight?
Buchardt set out to improve the driver blend of the S400 beyond what the crossover could do. This led to choosing a new bass driver. This driver needs a slightly larger cabinet and the new cabinet benefits more from bracing than the original, smaller cabinet.
 
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