CSS Criton 1TD-X Kit Speaker Review

[Cars-N-Cans]

$10,000+ USD a pair.
Not exactly Apple to Apple on this set.

I don't believe that the slightly rounded corners do anything here for the KH420.
The wavegided tweeter and mid do not likely see the edge and that roundover is to small to affect much anyway.

Looks nice though.

Ps I have the ES20. It is not exactly an amazing sounding speaker IMO. I be curious to put it up against the CSS.

That's why I had the comment about the narrower listening window in that the waveguides are doing pretty much most of the work, and was just provided as a quick example of what the contribution of the diffraction is. Amir has used several different formats over the years for the reviews so not all of the directivity plots are presented in the same way so some that are "apples to apples" are presented differently and not as easy to visually compare. Basically "Sorry, it's not to scale or painted" sort of deal to keep it short and simple.

 

[Robbo99999]

Not too bad really, I think some actives would challenge it on the value/performance front so I didn't rate it particularly high. Surprised by the cabinet resonance given that it's such a heavy speaker, but it doesn't seem to be affecting frequency response and distortion measurements - unless it's possible it might not show up in those.

 

[norman bates]

oops, 1k for the pair ?

changed vote to fine.

 

[Gio]

It cost 934$ just wood cabinet + basic crossover. If you want the hi-end crossover (I assume the one sent to Amir) it cost 1.334$. Does it make sense for a DIY? In my opinion, no, considering that you could make something wrong (or not good as it should be). For this price I would go for a ready to use product. DIY is connected with low price overwise it not makes sense.

 

[Cars-N-Cans]

It cost 934$ just wood cabinet + basic crossover. If you want the hi-end crossover (I assume the one sent to Amir) it cost 1.334$. Does it make sense for a DIY? In my opinion, no, considering that you could make something wrong (or not good as it should be). For this price I would go for a ready to use product. DIY is connected with low price overwise it not makes sense.

For the cost the whole assembly is a surprisingly simple kit with just a basic cabinet. Would also have been nice to see proper flared ports instead of the cheap PVC pipe style ones I would have used in a car sub box back in the day. Some parts of the kit are nice like the formed plastic frame for the crossover (edit: Not so nice is having to do point-to-point wiring on top of still having to secure components. Also wonder if the 3D printed plastic can withstand the heat of soldering? Some more details here), but I think I'd rather have seen the money been spent elsewhere like the tweeters, ports, and a cabinet design complex enough to justify purchasing a CNC'd MDF flat pack with the kit. The option without the flatpack shaves a rather ungenerous $160 USD off of the overall kit cost, but given how simple the enclosure is that's probably not really a surprise.

 

[Waxx]

It's technically an ok speaker, but nothing special or attractive to me. The price is way to high for this. Because it's just a simple well executed basic bookshelf design in mdf, like that there are many, and many probally better in the details like the kits designed by Jeff Bagby or Paul Carmody sold on various sites..

 

[DanielT]

Thanks Amir for your test. Loudspeakers remain the most interesting tests to read, I think.

Looks fine/ok , maybe a little expensive.

The raise at 10kHz can probably be fixed by most amps with treble tone control as it is usually is set at 10kHz (in many cases, not all).Maybe not the most optimal way to do it but if you have tone controls on your amplifier you might as well try it.

I voted not terrible due to the large directivity error.

Agree with you on that point LTig.

Edit:
Attached image is an example of tone controls on a NAD amp.

 

[amirm]

It cost 934$ just wood cabinet + basic crossover. If you want the hi-end crossover (I assume the one sent to Amir) it cost 1.334$.

No. They were up front that they recommend the basic crossover to people. And only if they ask for it, they will sell them the upgrade. So to be clear, I tested the baseline crossover.

 

[Thomas_A]

Truth to be told, I could not fully identify the source of this. But it did get better when I pulled down the lower treble. As I was writing the review, I remembered the resonances from cabinet and woofer. In the past, pulling those down would help here.

Which region is the lower treble (just to be specific)? I my ears this speaker suffers from a bit too little energy 1-2 kHz vs too much 2-5 kHz. Which should make it a bit bright, especially on some recordings (female voices, tenors etc).

 

[amirm]

Which region is the lower treble (just to be specific)? I my ears this speaker suffers from a bit too little energy 1-2 kHz vs too much 2-5 kHz.

You can see it in the filter I put in:

 

[Thomas_A]

You can see it in the filter I put in:

I see, thanks. This would be on-axis related.

 

[Gio]

No. They were up front that they recommend the basic crossover to people. And only if they ask for it, they will sell them the upgrade. So to be clear, I tested the baseline crossover.

Thank you Amir for important clarification.

 

[RickS]

Thanks @amirm for testing these. Have to agree with the overall comments on price/performance here. The parts all have potential but the execution does not live up to demand the price they do. I was hoping they would be better as the designer’s posted measurements demonstrate more awareness of overall design than other aging DIY designs do.

For a bit more, can get the Philharmonitor BMR monitor and is a better performer. Some of Heissmann Acoustics designs look like they may compete better too. Hopefully will get them to supply samples soon.

 

[pierre]

I computed a EQ for far field listening: it optimise the PIR but degrade a bit too much for my taste the LW. The directivity errors are quiet large.
It is not a studio monitor but that's not too bad.

         SPK auEQ
-----------------
NBD  ON 0.51 0.44
NBD  LW 0.40 0.35
NBD PIR 0.39 0.29
SM  PIR 0.77 0.93
SM   SP 0.85 0.94
LFX       34   29
LFQ     0.73 0.73
-----------------
Score    5.4  6.6
w/sub    7.0  7.9

 

[30 Ounce]

No. They were up front that they recommend the basic crossover to people. And only if they ask for it, they will sell them the upgrade. So to be clear, I tested the baseline crossover.

I was just going to ask which crossover you tested. I wonder if the upgraded crossover would measure different.

 

[dasdoing]

first thing I would boost with these is 2800-ish

 

[Thomas_A]

The 2-4 kHz relative boost due to driectivity error is problematic IMO. It will appear bight on certain prrogam material in stereo and in normal rooms.

 

[mtmpenn]

Totally biased opinion here (as I own a pair) but I think this is a pretty good deal.

While there are speakers that measure better, this seems to be a very reasonable result (ie better than many speakers we have seen here). Subjectively I very much enjoy my pair.

As to the value, I think that this kit is great.

First, you have to understand that to do DIY correctly takes time, but that time should bring enjoyment. I don’t count the time cost of my hobbies, because they bring me happiness and that has significant value. If you dislike the idea of building a speaker, skip it, use that time to work and then buy something pre-made using the proceeds. If you enjoy working with your hands and need a distraction from work, then maybe you DIY. Second, this kit is exceptionally friendly for the casual DIYer. Excellent instructions, very cool 3d printed crossover board, and a flat pack that is hard to mess up. I’ve built kits from several other sources and I would absolutely recommend this kit (or another from the same company) to a beginner as a great way to get started in the hobby. Third, with DIY you have the opportunity to make something unique and that has value. When I see my speakers I feel pride. They are frequently praised by people who see them (before they know I made them). This would not happen if they were the generic black or white boxes that most manufacturers put out.

 

[marcom22]

I voted not terrible due to the large directivity error.

I do the same but also for low sensitivity

 

[PeteL]

No. They were up front that they recommend the basic crossover to people. And only if they ask for it, they will sell them the upgrade. So to be clear, I tested the baseline crossover.

Well not that upront, from the what's in the box tab:
"Upgraded crossovers using all heavy gauge Erse Perfect Lay air core inductors, Mills resistors, and Jantzen Superior caps in the the tweeter circuit are available as an add on option. The upgraded crossovers use the exact same part values and measure the same as the standard. In our opinion, the upgraded components provide a bigger soundstage, better instrument separation, and an overall smoother sound."
I would not say that counts as "they recommend the basic cross over".