CSS Audio's new flagship speaker,the Typhon.

[JATC]

It looks like CSS Audio teamed up with Jay's iyagi from YouTube to create a flagship speaker,although its not a kit it's a fully built speaker. I'm not sure what to make of this one. There's a lot of talk about the sonic differences between caps in his video on it.

Typhon | A CSS and Jay Lee Collaboration

The Typhon is a loudspeaker collaboration between Jay Lee and Creative Sound Solutions. A true, world class 3-way speaker designed from the ground up to destroy everything at it's price.

www.css-audio.com

Shop | CSS

Shop our great selection of high quality speaker kits and fully finished options. Our DIY speaker kits cover a wide range of prices for every audiophile budget.

www.css-audio.com

 

[voodooless]

7” woofer crossed at 2.4 kHz is probably not ideal directivity wise. The tweeter waveguide is also tiny.

This looks just like any pretend high-end speaker from the last 20 years. Nothing new.

 

[kemmler3D]

Agree with @voodooless , plus I find it odd that CSS makes and sells a very well-regarded 10" woofer and they went with a bunch of 7"s for this and explicitly try to say it's as good as a 10".

They look kinda cool but $5500/pair for passives, they're going to need to measure really well for me to even think about starting to reach for my wallet.

 

[fineMen]

... to even think about starting to reach for my wallet.

Bass down to 20Hz ... in-room! Which room? My caveat as with the Buch.. 400(?): if the front has to be tilted, it tries to solve a problem at the wrong end. Better to adjust the crossover a little. To make the tilt adjustable even is a red flag.

 

[RMW_NJ]

$5500 seems like a risky bet when you have more established companies producing outstanding towers for less. The various towers from Revel, KEF, Ascend, Philharmonic, etc., make this a tough sell, IMO.

 

[Chrispy]

I wouldn't expect much from Jay in the first place, a bit of a kook from what I've seen.

 

[FrankW]

7” woofer crossed at 2.4 kHz is probably not ideal directivity wise. The tweeter waveguide is also tiny.

This looks just like any pretend high-end speaker from the last 20 years. Nothing new.

Well, it could be worse, if you go back 35 years and see that audiophile reviewers don't necessarily make great speaker designers. The near short at 2k was a nice touch though.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-watt-loudspeaker-measurements

 

[JATC]

$5500 seems like a risky bet when you have more established companies producing outstanding towers for less. The various towers from Revel, KEF, Ascend, Philharmonic, etc., make this a tough sell, IMO.

I agree. I built their 1TD-X kit last year but recently bought a pair of BMR's and Ascend Sierra LX's to demo and they both bested the Critons,and by a wide margin in some areas. It seems like an odd thing for CSS to take a step in the direction of the YouTube subjective/snake oil type speaker crowd when they started out just selling DIY kits.

 

[Ricardojoa]

I agree. I built their 1TD-X kit last year but recently bought a pair of BMR's and Ascend Sierra LX's to demo and they both bested the Critons,and by a wide margin in some areas. It seems like an odd thing for CSS to take a step in the direction of the YouTube subjective/snake oil type speaker crowd when they started out just selling DIY kits.

Now the bmr vs AA LX sounds more interesting . Which one was better ?

 

[RMW_NJ]

Now the bmr vs AA LX sounds more interesting . Which one was better ?

I also own both and prefer the BMR. The LX is really inefficient and while the bass is probably the most abundant I’ve ever heard from a true bookshelf, it does come with some port noise on certain tracks. The BMR probably can’t play as loud and the bass isn’t quite as forceful, but IMO it’s the more well-rounded of the two. I use the LX for the front 3 of my HT powered by a Hypex NC502 based amp, and there it does very well.

 

[Doodski]

a bit of a kook

That's a bit of a understatement...LoL

 

[Chrispy]

That's a bit of a understatement...LoL

I was trying to be civil.

 

[JATC]

Now the bmr vs AA LX sounds more interesting . Which one was better ?

I eventually picked the LX but I honestly can't say one is better or worse,they both are great and have their strengths and weaknesses,if you even want to call them weaknesses. I thought about posting my demo experiences here, eventually. I had the BMR's,KEF R3's,Criton 1TDX's and the Ascend Acoustics Sierra LX's all in room at the same time and did a lot of measuring and listening to pick the eventual winner.

 

[JATC]

I also own both and prefer the BMR. The LX is really inefficient and while the bass is probably the most abundant I’ve ever heard from a true bookshelf, it does come with some port noise on certain tracks. The BMR probably can’t play as loud and the bass isn’t quite as forceful, but IMO it’s the more well-rounded of the two. I use the LX for the front 3 of my HT powered by a Hypex NC502 based amp, and there it does very well.

You and I both came to an equal conclusion for the most part then. I picked the LX overall,based on a few preferences, but I think the BMR was better in 2 channel in general,the 3 way design and RAAL tweeter really gave it an edge in that category for me. I also chose the LX for my LCR.

 

[sejarzo]

I also own both and prefer the BMR. The LX is really inefficient and while the bass is probably the most abundant I’ve ever heard from a true bookshelf, it does come with some port noise on certain tracks. The BMR probably can’t play as loud and the bass isn’t quite as forceful, but IMO it’s the more well-rounded of the two. I use the LX for the front 3 of my HT powered by a Hypex NC502 based amp, and there it does very well.

I eventually picked the LX but I honestly can't say one is better or worse,they both are great and have their strengths and weaknesses,if you even want to call them weaknesses. I thought about posting my demo experiences here, eventually. I had the BMR's,KEF R3's,Criton 1TDX's and the Ascend Acoustics Sierra LX's all in room at the same time and did a lot of measuring and listening to pick the eventual winner.

Thanks for those insights, as I have been keeping an eye on the used market for both of those. After reading your comments, I am fairly certain that the BMR would be my preferred speaker due to being a 2 channel only enthusiast, and I was a bit concerned about the low sensitivity of the LX.

 

[AwesomeSauce2015]

My response to that website:
CoughBull****cough.
There is no way that 4x 7" woofers can hit 20, 30, or even 40hz with significant impact in room.
The adjustable tilt is neat, since you can point the mid-tweeter at your head. It will help deal with the inevitable vertical dispersion disaster.
If they are using a dedicated 7" midrange, then they will probably have good output there, but looking at the pics it looks like just another of the woofer drivers which isn't ideal.

Looking at the baffle, and lack of waveguide, I don't see how this can measure well when compared to its competitors like KEF, Revel, and JBL.
I mean, I can get a pair of JBL HDI-3600 (2100 USD ea) and an SVS SB-2000 for the price of a pair of those towers...
Or I could get a pair of JBL's new studio 698 and get enough subwoofer power to get evicted!

 

[jonfitch]

I wouldn't expect much from Jay in the first place, a bit of a kook from what I've seen.

He used to be a Wilson dealer so it makes sense..

 

[voodooless]

There is no way that 4x 7" woofers can hit 20, 30, or even 40hz with significant impact in room.

It’s double 10” per side. 20 Hz in-room is definitely possible with that.

 

[maty]

CSS Typhon

I Made CSS Audio's Flagship Audiophile Speaker into an Absolute Monster! 20Hz !

 

[maty]

I wrote a long thread about the CSS Typhon, capacitors and Arendal alternatives. And YouTube videos with good sound where you can listen to the improvements in a cheap chinese tube amplifier with Miflex KPCU-01 as bypass cap.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1641485699311448079