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Calling all Linkwitz LX 521.4 owners in Southern California (CA at large, too)...

bugg_nn_out

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Hi!

Pardon me for creating a mint-new account for this, but I'm not much of a forum user. I think I'm in the right place with this particular request, however.

I have purchased construction plans for the late Linkwitz's flagship speaker design, the LX521.4. I'm sure many of you know about this speaker, or indeed may know someone who has built a set for themselves. Each driver requires amplification routed via a DSP or ASP to ensure maximally efficient extension. I understand that the sound is truly remarkable, on a par with speakers that sell for many times the LX's building costs.

Might any owners of this speaker be willing to share the fruits of their labor with me, and indulge me in a demo? I am in Los Angeles and looking preferably for someone close to me, even more preferably for someone with turntable capable of playback through the speakers. If I can't find such a right person within proximity, I would be willing to make a little trip out to you. I can offer you money or a vinyl record in exchange for your time, and would abide by whatever COVID protocols you think necessary (within reason); I am vaccinated. I can email you a scan of my driver's license to ensure safety.

It used to be that one could go to Mr. Linkwitz's home and demo his personal set of speakers, but no more, given obvious reasons. For better or worse, this makes y'all who have built these speakers their new ambassadors, and I hope I can meet one or several of you soon!

TB

PS: If there is a thread of this nature that already exists, I'm happy to delete this post if you can refer me to it. Thx.
 

phoenixdogfan

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There is a user group for Linkwitz owner/builders. Just Google Orion Pluto User Group (OPLUG) and it should come up. Someone on this forum (Davey) Dave Dreite is a principal in it. It has information on how to build all of SL's designs, what vendors supply flat pack cabinets, speaker cablling, as well as how to test it out, decide on suitable amps, alternatives to the miniDSP 4 x 10, etc. There is also an overseas company called Magic LX521 which actually sells assembled units, and complete electronic units including crossover, and Hypex N Class amplification. Run by Dr Frank Brenner.

Good luck. I've never even had the pleasure of hearing one, but if the late Peter Aczel is to be believed (of course) it's one of the very best designs out there.
 
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bugg_nn_out

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Ah, that's what it was! OPLUG. I knew there was a group like that because I came across it a couple years ago. Thanks for reconnecting me to it. I am familiar with Dr. Brenner's business and have been intrigued. I confess however that I'm as cost-shy as they get, so if DIY can help me keep the cost down, DIY is the way I will go. I've assembled Hypex amps before. I'm also hoping that by assembling this speaker design I may learn a little bit more about how to build out a bigger LX521-like system in the future, something beyond two-channel, if that's possible (probably isn't without re-coding the DSP). The dragon I am chasing is something not unlike what Taguchi-san installed at VENT club in Tokyo -- still one of the best sound systems I've ever heard, and one I encourage anyone who has the chance to visit the city, whether or not they like club music, to try.

Anyway, THANKS!
 

Phorize

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Ah, that's what it was! OPLUG. I knew there was a group like that because I came across it a couple years ago. Thanks for reconnecting me to it. I am familiar with Dr. Brenner's business and have been intrigued. I confess however that I'm as cost-shy as they get, so if DIY can help me keep the cost down, DIY is the way I will go. I've assembled Hypex amps before. I'm also hoping that by assembling this speaker design I may learn a little bit more about how to build out a bigger LX521-like system in the future, something beyond two-channel, if that's possible (probably isn't without re-coding the DSP). The dragon I am chasing is something not unlike what Taguchi-san installed at VENT club in Tokyo -- still one of the best sound systems I've ever heard, and one I encourage anyone who has the chance to visit the city, whether or not they like club music, to try.

Anyway, THANKS!
If you are cost conscious the LX521 may not be the way to go. Granted they are considered by many to be an endgame speaker and obviously the amplification and is included in the cost, but never the less I think one can achieve both extremely good (objectively validated results) and ‘pride of ownership’ for far less.
 

phoenixdogfan

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Ah, that's what it was! OPLUG. I knew there was a group like that because I came across it a couple years ago. Thanks for reconnecting me to it. I am familiar with Dr. Brenner's business and have been intrigued. I confess however that I'm as cost-shy as they get, so if DIY can help me keep the cost down, DIY is the way I will go. I've assembled Hypex amps before. I'm also hoping that by assembling this speaker design I may learn a little bit more about how to build out a bigger LX521-like system in the future, something beyond two-channel, if that's possible (probably isn't without re-coding the DSP). The dragon I am chasing is something not unlike what Taguchi-san installed at VENT club in Tokyo -- still one of the best sound systems I've ever heard, and one I encourage anyone who has the chance to visit the city, whether or not they like club music, to try.

Anyway, THANKS!
One of the cheaper ways to do it is to find a used AV receiver with external inputs for its amps. If you can find a seven or even better a nine channel one, you can get all eightchannels for a couple of hundred dollars. The miniDSP 4 x 10 is only around $500, less if you can find it used. i would recommend you get Canare 4s11 speaker cable which has two sets of 14 guage speaker cable (adequate for any length l.t. 20 ft) and terminate them yourself with speakons. Finally Madisounds offers flat pack cabinet kits.

With a little sweat equity, you could probably get it done for somewhere between $2500-3000.
 
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bugg_nn_out

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One of the cheaper ways to do it is to find a used AV receiver with external inputs for its amps. If you can find a seven or even better a nine channel one, you can get all eightchannels for a couple of hundred dollars. The miniDSP 4 x 10 is only around $500, less if you can find it used. i would recommend you get Canare 4s11 speaker cable which has two sets of 14 guage speaker cable (adequate for any length l.t. 20 ft) and terminate them yourself with speakons. Finally Madisounds offers flat pack cabinet kits.

With a little sweat equity, you could probably get it done for somewhere between $2500-3000.

Yes, this. I have an old JVC receiver I plan to use exactly in this way to test out the system once I've assembled those very Madisound flat pack cabinet kits w/ drivers etc. Was hoping to save money for a proper ATI amp, as I do love my mini-me Hypex 252MP that I built to drive my Klipsch La Scala IIs, but obviously money is the rate-limiting step there. The inefficiency of dipole speaker designs means that my 50wpc or whatever JVC is not exactly going to blow my pants off, but it will give me a way to experiment with the 'sound profile,' if you will, of OB designs.

@Phorize: I'm aware of the theoretical possibility that there are other systems to best this one, and for less. Time is also money, however. So I need help being directed to those systems' measurements, positive reviews, and clear DIY instructions, if you care to share what exactly it was you had in mind when you penned your comment.
 
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bugg_nn_out

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Yes, this. I have an old JVC receiver I plan to use exactly in this way to test out the system once I've assembled those very Madisound flat pack cabinet kits w/ drivers etc. Was hoping to save money for a proper ATI amp, as I do love my mini-me Hypex 252MP that I built to drive my Klipsch La Scala IIs, but obviously money is the rate-limiting step there. The inefficiency of dipole speaker designs means that my 50wpc or whatever JVC is not exactly going to blow my pants off, but it will give me a way to experiment with the 'sound profile,' if you will, of OB designs.

@Phorize: I'm aware of the theoretical possibility that there are other systems to best this one, and for less. Time is also money, however. So I need help being directed to those systems' measurements, positive reviews, and clear DIY instructions, if you care to share what exactly it was you had in mind when you penned your comment.

Also I appreciate people trying to help me with my cost-saving, but I probably should have disclosed that when I talk about 'cost-consciousness' here, I'm speaking in relative terms. I'm not talking about affordability, as such, but rather trying to get a certain sound that is typically only available for much, much more money. A great example, at much larger scale, of that: http://vent-tokyo.net/soundsystem/ . I imagine the drivers of this system alone being quite pricey, although I have never contacted Taguchi-san for an estimate.
 

Phorize

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Yes, this. I have an old JVC receiver I plan to use exactly in this way to test out the system once I've assembled those very Madisound flat pack cabinet kits w/ drivers etc. Was hoping to save money for a proper ATI amp, as I do love my mini-me Hypex 252MP that I built to drive my Klipsch La Scala IIs, but obviously money is the rate-limiting step there. The inefficiency of dipole speaker designs means that my 50wpc or whatever JVC is not exactly going to blow my pants off, but it will give me a way to experiment with the 'sound profile,' if you will, of OB designs.

@Phorize: I'm aware of the theoretical possibility that there are other systems to best this one, and for less. Time is also money, however. So I need help being directed to those systems' measurements, positive reviews, and clear DIY instructions, if you care to share what exactly it was you had in mind when you penned your comment.
I was thinking about the Philharmonic BMR, which is a very good design with excellent support and can be done for around $1500 DIY. Else Wayne Parham releases on and off axis measurements for his Pi speakers, such as the uniform directivity four pi bass reflex. You still need an amplifier of course, but a simple 2 channel hypex would drive these very well.

I’m definitely not trying to put you off doing the Linkwitz, but there are a few choices. Others may have other suggestions.

This is worth reading:
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/philharmonic_bmr/
 
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bugg_nn_out

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I was thinking about the Philharmonic BMR, which is a very good design with excellent support and can be done for around $1500 DIY. Else Wayne Parham releases on and off axis measurements for his Pi speakers, such as the uniform directivity four pi bass reflex. You still need an amplifier of course, but a simple 2 channel hypex would drive these very well.

I’m definitely not trying to put you off doing the Linkwitz, but there are a few choices. Others may have other suggestions.

This is worth reading:
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/philharmonic_bmr/


Thanks for this!

Ok, I think I see where you are going. Yeah, the Philharmonic is a beautiful speaker. If I were just looking to build a high-quality box enclosure-type speaker, something like this would be perfect. I am, however, looking for something slightly different and more specific. My interest in the Linkwitz isn't just in it as a high quality component as a DIY project, but as an open baffle. My understanding is that the virtues of an open baffle would coincide with what I need: an extraordinarily wide range of 'good' listening positions combined with a more natural, if you will, mode of sound reproduction. I also would like to experiment with dipole bass. Be it a fault of my ears or of box-enclosure speakers at a conceptual level, I generally find most speakers in boxes only able to reproduce sound in a way that, well, sounds like it is coming from a box. Cabinet resonances, standing waves, etc., seem to bother me. Hence why I am focused on the LX521.4 design.
 

phoenixdogfan

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One of the other ways, to get an LX 521 powered is to use a computer crossover software eq-crossover like Ekio to implement SL's crossover and eq settings, and then sending it via usb to a multi channel dac before sending it to the amps. Octo Research has a terrific multi channel DAC for around $1400 which handily exceeds the miniDSP 4 x 10's performance envelope. Also Motu has a 10 channel interface which does both D to A and A to D conversion for only $600. It's called the Motu Ultralite Mk 5. Both products has been reviewed by Amir and found to offer superior performance to the miniDSP unit. Personally, if I were building an LX 521, I'd want to stay away from the ASP and miniDSP 4 x10 as well, and implement the whole Xover-eq thing on a PC with software, and transfer the already divided-eq'd digital signal to a multichannel DAC.
 

AudioJester

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Well, you can spend an extra $1000 on a pc, software and the "best" measuring dac in the Okto.
Dont think you will get an audible improvement over the humble minidsp though.
 

mac

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I'd recommend seeking information from experienced LX521.4 builders instead of those making assertions lacking such.

Using AV receivers has been quite problematic. "Unsupported" DSP platforms can work but may be challenging and/or problematic too. YMMV.
 

Burning Sounds

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As a 7 year LX521 owner who built them from the plans here's my experience and suggestions:

Build it exactly according to SL's instructions - that way you will know what it is capable of. The Madisound flatpack will ensure that, but if you want to make a more attractive hardwood upper baffle then there are CNC files that you can download on the OPLUG site once you have purchased the plans. My upper baffles are made of 5 pieces of bonded oak - little chance of any warps that way. By all means make the cable routing neater, but don't change anything else. Don't get hung up on connectors and cabling (sorry! :D) - speakons are as good as they get.

There's not much wrong with the miniDSP4x10HD - see Tom Christiansen's review here. I have an ancient MiniDSP 2x8 board with digital input daughterboard (essentially a DIY 4x10HD) which I used when I first built the LX521. It enabled me to see what the various x-over/eq filters etc are doing. If I was building the LX521s for the first time and thinking I might want to go down the ASP or software DSP and multi-channel DAC route later I would try to get a used 4x10HD if possible to get you up and running. Again, you will be hearing the LX521 as intended.

There are 2 caveats to building the LX521 regarding your room. The speaker likes space and as it is designed to sit on the floor (no spikes, please) the floor must be solid. I have heard mine on a soft, springy suspended wooden floor -bass wasn't good.

Software DSP does have several advantages IMO and I have used software DSP for several years now, but making the change from miniDSP is not that straightforward. Software DSP may not be using the same definition of Q as the miniDSP unit. JRiver for example has a very good parametric equalizer, but there is no visualization of what you have input and their definition of Q for shelving filters is not the same as miniDSP's. Luckily, a recent third party development has helped in this regard and it is now possible to check the transfer function by using Beqdesigner. You can input the filters in JRiver and export them to Beqdesigner and check the transfer function or design them in Beqdesigner and import them into JRiver and the correct definition of Q and cascaded Butterworth filters will be generated automatically. See what I mean about the complications of software DSP? :D
Regarding amplifiers a good implementation of a multichannel Hypex-based NCxxx-MP works well IMO. I have an Apollon, but these are perhaps a bit expensive in the US.

Build it to SL's instructions and you won't be disappointed - this is an outstanding speaker. I've taken mine to several hifi meetings - it always seems to impress - this unprompted comment was actually about my speakers.

Best holographic soundstage I have heard was 'Jeff Beck Live At Ronnie Scott's' through Linkwitz LX521

it was initially disconcerting as my ears were telling me I was standing somewhere near the back of said club whereas my eyes were telling me I was seeing a blank wall and two odd-looking loudspeakers.

Afterwards I bought the album, even though I am not much of a Jeff Beck fan, just to see how my system would compare. Short answer - it didn't.
 

hex168

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I'm a fan of well-designed dipole systems in general although I have not heard the LXs yet. One caution: if you are eventually planning on multichannel, the required room size for a properly placed all-dipole system may become enormous.

To my mind, one of the major benefits of dipole systems is in the presentation of an illusion generated from a two-channel signal. I am not sure if it is a helpful effect for multichannel, nor do I know what happens if you mix dipole fronts with monopole (or cardioid) surrounds. I'm hoping someone with experience with dipole multichannel will weigh in.
 

phoenixdogfan

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As a 7 year LX521 owner who built them from the plans here's my experience and suggestions:

Build it exactly according to SL's instructions - that way you will know what it is capable of. The Madisound flatpack will ensure that, but if you want to make a more attractive hardwood upper baffle then there are CNC files that you can download on the OPLUG site once you have purchased the plans. My upper baffles are made of 5 pieces of bonded oak - little chance of any warps that way. By all means make the cable routing neater, but don't change anything else. Don't get hung up on connectors and cabling (sorry! :D) - speakons are as good as they get.

There's not much wrong with the miniDSP4x10HD - see Tom Christiansen's review here. I have an ancient MiniDSP 2x8 board with digital input daughterboard (essentially a DIY 4x10HD) which I used when I first built the LX521. It enabled me to see what the various x-over/eq filters etc are doing. If I was building the LX521s for the first time and thinking I might want to go down the ASP or software DSP and multi-channel DAC route later I would try to get a used 4x10HD if possible to get you up and running. Again, you will be hearing the LX521 as intended.

There are 2 caveats to building the LX521 regarding your room. The speaker likes space and as it is designed to sit on the floor (no spikes, please) the floor must be solid. I have heard mine on a soft, springy suspended wooden floor -bass wasn't good.

Software DSP does have several advantages IMO and I have used software DSP for several years now, but making the change from miniDSP is not that straightforward. Software DSP may not be using the same definition of Q as the miniDSP unit. JRiver for example has a very good parametric equalizer, but there is no visualization of what you have input and their definition of Q for shelving filters is not the same as miniDSP's. Luckily, a recent third party development has helped in this regard and it is now possible to check the transfer function by using Beqdesigner. You can input the filters in JRiver and export them to Beqdesigner and check the transfer function or design them in Beqdesigner and import them into JRiver and the correct definition of Q and cascaded Butterworth filters will be generated automatically. See what I mean about the complications of software DSP? :D
Regarding amplifiers a good implementation of a multichannel Hypex-based NCxxx-MP works well IMO. I have an Apollon, but these are perhaps a bit expensive in the US.

Build it to SL's instructions and you won't be disappointed - this is an outstanding speaker. I've taken mine to several hifi meetings - it always seems to impress - this unprompted comment was actually about my speakers.

Best holographic soundstage I have heard was 'Jeff Beck Live At Ronnie Scott's' through Linkwitz LX521

it was initially disconcerting as my ears were telling me I was standing somewhere near the back of said club whereas my eyes were telling me I was seeing a blank wall and two odd-looking loudspeakers.

Afterwards I bought the album, even though I am not much of a Jeff Beck fan, just to see how my system would compare. Short answer - it didn't.
I agree with everything that's been said here. No doubt you will get the historically correct LX 521.4 by using trhe miniDSP 4 x 10, but I do think using the software dsp can be an interesting alternative provided someone with experience in knowing what the transfer functions should look like is available to offer wise counsel. Such individuals are indeed available on the OPLUG site.

As for using receiver amp, that should only be done if the amps can be separated from the processor entirely. One of my original AV Receivers was a HK AVR 7000. It was a beast with 100 wpc amplifiers (5 of them), and they had little horseshoe connectors joining each amp to a processor channel. By pulling those connectors, the amps were entirely divorced from the processor and could be used as stand alone amps. Moreover those amps were the only reliable part of the whole unit. My processor broke down 3 times before I gave it away. I've seen the AVR 7000 selling for as low as $100 on secondary venues. All I'm saying is similar bargains are available particularly if the receiver is from the pre-HDMI Dolby True Audio era.
 
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bugg_nn_out

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As a 7 year LX521 owner who built them from the plans here's my experience and suggestions:

Build it exactly according to SL's instructions - that way you will know what it is capable of. The Madisound flatpack will ensure that, but if you want to make a more attractive hardwood upper baffle then there are CNC files that you can download on the OPLUG site once you have purchased the plans. My upper baffles are made of 5 pieces of bonded oak - little chance of any warps that way. By all means make the cable routing neater, but don't change anything else. Don't get hung up on connectors and cabling (sorry! :D) - speakons are as good as they get.

There's not much wrong with the miniDSP4x10HD - see Tom Christiansen's review here. I have an ancient MiniDSP 2x8 board with digital input daughterboard (essentially a DIY 4x10HD) which I used when I first built the LX521. It enabled me to see what the various x-over/eq filters etc are doing. If I was building the LX521s for the first time and thinking I might want to go down the ASP or software DSP and multi-channel DAC route later I would try to get a used 4x10HD if possible to get you up and running. Again, you will be hearing the LX521 as intended.

There are 2 caveats to building the LX521 regarding your room. The speaker likes space and as it is designed to sit on the floor (no spikes, please) the floor must be solid. I have heard mine on a soft, springy suspended wooden floor -bass wasn't good.

Software DSP does have several advantages IMO and I have used software DSP for several years now, but making the change from miniDSP is not that straightforward. Software DSP may not be using the same definition of Q as the miniDSP unit. JRiver for example has a very good parametric equalizer, but there is no visualization of what you have input and their definition of Q for shelving filters is not the same as miniDSP's. Luckily, a recent third party development has helped in this regard and it is now possible to check the transfer function by using Beqdesigner. You can input the filters in JRiver and export them to Beqdesigner and check the transfer function or design them in Beqdesigner and import them into JRiver and the correct definition of Q and cascaded Butterworth filters will be generated automatically. See what I mean about the complications of software DSP? :D
Regarding amplifiers a good implementation of a multichannel Hypex-based NCxxx-MP works well IMO. I have an Apollon, but these are perhaps a bit expensive in the US.

Build it to SL's instructions and you won't be disappointed - this is an outstanding speaker. I've taken mine to several hifi meetings - it always seems to impress - this unprompted comment was actually about my speakers.

Best holographic soundstage I have heard was 'Jeff Beck Live At Ronnie Scott's' through Linkwitz LX521

it was initially disconcerting as my ears were telling me I was standing somewhere near the back of said club whereas my eyes were telling me I was seeing a blank wall and two odd-looking loudspeakers.

Afterwards I bought the album, even though I am not much of a Jeff Beck fan, just to see how my system would compare. Short answer - it didn't.

@Burning Sounds: THANK you for this, so much. Yes, I think I anticipate exactly what you are saying w/r/t room texture. I'm on rather stiff carpet here. Could be...a problem. I think the software DSP solution may be the way to go if flexibility with future upgrades is in the cards, but I share your worry that it could get woolly. I'd need a little guidance, for sure. Re: amps - yes, I don't think my old JVC receiver would last me very long; truly just a tester, something to tide me over until the right $5k ATI is within my budget.

I'm wondering if you've done any SPL measurements on your system? I have heard LX521s can really fill up a room. But I wonder if the same is still true when you add 20-50 "bags of water" (aka homo sapiens) in the middle of it. I know these are not PA speakers, but my goal (read: experiment) is to try driving these speakers at a level that would satisfy a party of people dancing (in my experience, between 95dB-103dB). Obviously there are some risks to doing this - I don't want to overheat drivers or turn up the gain to the point of distortion - so I have considered a quad speaker implementation. Problem with this is what another poster here has already mentioned: I might not have a big enough room. I'd worry about gunking the beautiful soundstage. On a relatively similar note, have you considered adding a sub to your setup? I don't know if anything short of a direct servo/Rhythmik type system could work fast enough to keep up with the dipole bass, but maybe you have more insight on this than I do. I have considered investing in a horn-loaded PA sub to take some of the labor away from my LSIIs, but I don't imagine that would be a good choice for the LX521s(?)
 

AudioJester

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I have the Lx521 for many years, Iam using the original .3 version. This is the wrong speaker for large party/gathering. A highly efficient point source horn and subs would be better. Or some multichannel system, you then avoid the problem of people close to the speakers being overwhelmed by sound and not hearing each other, while those who are far away the music sounds rubbish.

You have to be very careful with software. A friend fried his diy speakers when his young daughter decided to watch youtube and switched speaker output settings in Windows bottom bar, bypassing hqplayer/convolution to direct ouput and hence bypassing all crossover settings....
 
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bugg_nn_out

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I have the Lx521 for many years, Iam using the original .3 version. This is the wrong speaker for large party/gathering. A highly efficient point source horn and subs would be better. Or some multichannel system, you then avoid the problem of people close to the speakers being overwhelmed by sound and not hearing each other, while those who are far away the music sounds rubbish.

You have to be very careful with software. A friend fried his diy speakers when his young daughter decided to watch youtube and switched speaker output settings in Windows bottom bar, bypassing hqplayer/convolution to direct ouput and hence bypassing all crossover settings....

This is very helpful! Thank you. Alas, this is what I was thinking too. I might one day build the LX521s, but it seems like it will be more of a later-life project, when I have more time for critical listening. For party I am considering just putting my money toward another pair of La Scalas with dbx 234xs active crossovers routing a pair of Hypex nc400s (mids/low-mids) and a Hypex 252mp (hi) and a TBD pair of subs. Quad-corner.2, if you will.
 

Burning Sounds

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@Burning Sounds: THANK you for this, so much. Yes, I think I anticipate exactly what you are saying w/r/t room texture. I'm on rather stiff carpet here. Could be...a problem. I think the software DSP solution may be the way to go if flexibility with future upgrades is in the cards, but I share your worry that it could get woolly. I'd need a little guidance, for sure. Re: amps - yes, I don't think my old JVC receiver would last me very long; truly just a tester, something to tide me over until the right $5k ATI is within my budget.

I'm wondering if you've done any SPL measurements on your system? I have heard LX521s can really fill up a room. But I wonder if the same is still true when you add 20-50 "bags of water" (aka homo sapiens) in the middle of it. I know these are not PA speakers, but my goal (read: experiment) is to try driving these speakers at a level that would satisfy a party of people dancing (in my experience, between 95dB-103dB). Obviously there are some risks to doing this - I don't want to overheat drivers or turn up the gain to the point of distortion - so I have considered a quad speaker implementation. Problem with this is what another poster here has already mentioned: I might not have a big enough room. I'd worry about gunking the beautiful soundstage. On a relatively similar note, have you considered adding a sub to your setup? I don't know if anything short of a direct servo/Rhythmik type system could work fast enough to keep up with the dipole bass, but maybe you have more insight on this than I do. I have considered investing in a horn-loaded PA sub to take some of the labor away from my LSIIs, but I don't imagine that would be a good choice for the LX521s(?)

You're welcome, and it looks like you have realised that these are not party speakers...:D even though LX521s can play plenty loud.

Regarding a sub - I have had no desire to use one (or two) as I don't listen to organ music, but I do have a lot of reggae :D- the bass of the LX521s is one of its real strongpoints. Yes, you will find speakers that will go louder and lower, but for me that is not what bass is all about.

Good luck with your quest!
 
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