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Emotiva B1+ quasi-Spin & measurements | Archimago

MZKM

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https://archimago.blogspot.com/2021/02/measurements-emotiva-airmotiv-b1.html?

I was gonna say it looked poor, until I noticed he only used a 30dB scale. Taking that into mind, this is really good for $230 (the original B1 was $300). Do not use the grilles though.

Oh, and he also goes on to talk about Robinson‘s video about specs, he also shows his measurements for the Fluance XL8S which Andrew raved about, but the Spin is pretty poor.
 
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MZKM

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Not bad. Ill take the r162 that always go on sale over this though
Yeah, they are on sale now for $160/pair, a steal! I picked up the R263, RC263, and RS152 to replace my existing 5.1 setup (my only con is that these speakers are pretty lightweight, the center it replaced weighed a good deal more even though it was a smaller 2-way MTM, and the floor is wood and the towers wobble even if nudged). Amir has in my pair of RS152 to measure, they supposedly use a patented technology that creates uniform sound as opposed to a bipole/dipole.

The RS162 is larger though (~15.5x8x11.25 vs ~10.75x7x8.25), he is using them as desk speakers. Even the R152 is ~13.25x7x9.25.
 
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Dennis Murphy

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https://archimago.blogspot.com/2021/02/measurements-emotiva-airmotiv-b1.html?

I was gonna say it looked poor, until I noticed he only used a 30dB scale. Taking that into mind, this is really good for $230 (the original B1 was $300). Do not use the grilles though.

Oh, and he also goes on to talk about Robinson‘s video about specs, he also shows his measurements for the Fluance XL8S which Andrew raved about, but the Spin is pretty poor.

I found this kind of surprising. Someone sent me a pair of the original B1's to see whether i could improve the midrange sound, There was a fairy prominent hump between 1 and 2 kHz, which I assumed was just due to a woofer with a cone-surround resonance problem, combined with a minimalist crossover that couldn't flatten it. When I examined and traced through the stock board topology, I discovered that it already had a 3-component series trap circuit, which is very unusual in this price range or even substantially higher. The problem was they had simply used the wrong values. I fiddled and flattened out the response fairly easily. This, along with a little tweaking of the very top end produced a transparent speaker, albeit one with very little bass response.

Not long after that I stumbled onto the Emotiva web page and saw that there was a new + version with an improved crossover. I naturally assumed that the Emotiva folks had reworked the trap circuit to get rid of the hump. But when I looked at these measurements of the + , I basically saw the same speaker I worked with. Puzzling. Below are measurements for the old stock B1, and one for my modded version. The latter has the bass cut off at 200 Hz, but the response is identical to the stock below that.

EmotivaStock.png


EmotivaB1 Mod.png
 
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cursive

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I found this kind of surprising. Someone sent me a pair of the original B1's to see whether i could improve thView attachment 115396View attachment 115397e midrange sound, There was a fairy prominent hump between 1 and 2 kHz, which I assume was just due to a woofer with a cone-surround resonance problem, combined with a minimalist crossover that couldn't flatten it. When I examined and traced through the stock board topology, I discovered that it already had a 3-component series trap circuit, which is very unusual in this price range or even substantially higher. The problem was they had simply used the wrong values. I fiddled and flattened out the response fairly easily. This, along with a little tweaking of the very top end produced a transparent speaker, albeit one with very little bass response.

Not long after that I stumbled onto the Emotiva web page and saw that there was a new + version with an improved crossover. I naturally assumed that the Emotiva folks had reworked the trap circuit to get rid of the hump. But when I look at these measurements of the + , I'm basically seeing the same speaker I worked with. Puzzling. Below are measurements for the old stock B1, and one for my modded version. The latter has the bass cut off at 200 Hz, but the response is identical to the stock below that.

Doesn't look like your attachments are working Dennis, I'd be very interested to see the results of your tweaks. Are you saying you completely cut off any bass below 200hz, that seems crazy high, even for such a small speaker. I'm a newbie with a soldering iron, but I'd love to attempt some tweaks on it as it's such a nice priced speaker.

Amir currently has my Emotiva B1+ for measurement with the Klippel, so we can see how it compares there, but it's probably still a few weeks out.
 

Dennis Murphy

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Doesn't look like your attachments are working Dennis, I'd be very interested to see the results of your tweaks. Are you saying you completely cut off any bass below 200hz, that seems crazy high, even for such a small speaker. I'm a newbie with a soldering iron, but I'd love to attempt some tweaks on it as it's such a nice priced speaker.

Amir currently has my Emotiva B1+ for measurement with the Klippel, so we can see how it compares there, but it's probably still a few weeks out.
Thanks for the alert. I think the plots will make my comment about the 200 Hz cut-off clear. The bass response is identical for the stock and mod. I just cut the Praxis plot for the mod off when I saved it. Praxis transitions to a room measurement starting around 250 Hz and I often delete that part because it tends to confuse people.
 

cursive

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Thanks for the alert. I think the plots will make my comment about the 200 Hz cut-off clear. The bass response is identical for the stock and mod. I just cut the Praxis plot for the mod off when I saved it. Praxis transitions to a room measurement starting around 250 Hz and I often delete that part because it tends to confuse people.

Ah, yep. Definitely see what you meant now, they actually turned out surprisingly flat with your mods. Are the crossover mods something that you still offer?
 

Dennis Murphy

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Ah, yep. Definitely see what you meant now, they actually turned out surprisingly flat with your mods. Are the crossover mods something that you still offer?
It was just a one-off, but you're welcome to the schematics for the mod. I don't have any documentation, and you would probably have to start over with a new crossover board, but if you can follow basic Xover schematics, just email me at [email protected] and i'll send them to you.
 

gfinlays

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It was just a one-off, but you're welcome to the schematics for the mod. I don't have any documentation, and you would probably have to start over with a new crossover board, but if you can follow basic Xover schematics, just email me at [email protected] and i'll send them to you.

Hi Dennis, I've been looking for a pair of desktop speakers for a while and after reading Archimago's measurements and listening impressions, I'm currently trying (supply situation in the UK is currently uncertain) to source a pair of the Airmotiv B1+. Would you mind also sharing your midrange modifications with me? I'm familiar with crossover construction having built a number of speakers of my own.
 

gfinlays

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Well, I couldn't track down a pair in the UK, so have ordered direct from Emotiva in the US. Just have to wait impatiently on their arrival now :)
@Dennis Murphy - Have emailed you re the Xover mods. Many thanks.
 
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