GR Research LGK 2.0 Speaker Review (A Joke)

[amirm]

Notability none of these effects seem to be visible in the response or waterfall, nor as distortion peaks, particularly your port response tracks @Rick Sykora measurements very well. I doubt there are any leaks in the enclosure (except for the port ).

Exactly. You can't get that kind of frequency response graph with something wrong with the build.

BTW, this is why I wanted a unit from Danny to remove any doubt about the build. He refused so here we are.

 

[anphex]

Anyway, we were then forced to purchase a pair for testing.

I can't express how much I love the fact that "forced" can mean so many things in this case haha.

1. I think the frequency response shown from the manufacturer isn't THAT off to be honest. The main patterns are still there, maybe just too much smoothing.
2. I didn't know you can reach almost 100 % THD with that little effort.
3. Looking at all of this, I don't understand which problem this speaker was designed to fix. It's worse than about any bookshelf speaker in the price range ever tested.

 

[amirm]

I think it is the belief that a single driver would be more pure than any combination of drivers.

 

[mhardy6647]

Mods, can you please reinstate DannyGR’s post that is being quoted (the one with “guerilla glue”) as I am sure forum members would like to read his comments on the revue of his product?

guerilla glue?!

I wonder if that choice of word was deliberate and clever, a malapropism, or just... umm... dumb?

 

[Flak]

That it is a "little giant killer." It doesn't work as a speaker for hi-fi use so I don't see it killing anything, at it size or larger.

Maybe you read it incorrectly as "little giant-killer" while it's intended as "little-giant killer"... in other words, killer of dwarfs

 

[Gremlins]

If you want a small speaker with full range driver that sounds really nice and still do some bass ( for the size), i would suggest going with mark audio CHR70 for 70e a pair

I did one for my son and honestly it sound reaaaaaaly nice , even close to speaker in the 6000e range . I don't say its better, i just say the full range drivers from mark audio do have nice flavor for ears

Gr reasearch , i watched couple of videos , but did not really catch up with the guy, kind of hard to trust

 

[mightycicadalord]

Maybe you read it incorrectly as "little giant-killer" while it's intended as "little-giant killer"... in other words, killer of dwarfs

 

[mhardy6647]

`Curiouser and curiouser!'

Duck Mushroom would be a good nom de plume*... or name for a manly, Hemmingway-esque character in one of those 1950s pulp men's adventure magazines.

______________
* Although, given the Guerrila Glue subtopic in this thread, perhaps a nom de guerre would be more apropos?

 

[Toni Mas]

I think it is the belief that a single driver would be more pure than any combination of drivers.

It is indeed a very old school, but also a very hard road to go and good drivers are hard to manufacture and find. At least for HIFI use, though we can now find in the market for a handfull of $ plenty of cheapo 3" and 4" so called full range drivers intended for PA use in small line arrays that have become quite common these days and sound ... "okay" for PA use, with of course the help of a subwoofer to gat some bass response.

 

[mhardy6647]

I think it is the belief that a single driver would be more pure than any combination of drivers.

Well, I think (FWIW) the belief of the full rangers out there (oh, and they're out there, although full range mania tends to wax and wane) is that a single driver has the advantages of no speaker-level crossover networks* and point source radiation -- but with the disadvantage of Doppler distortion (I guess that's tantamount to IMD?) since one cone is dealing with, e.g., 30 Hz, 300 Hz, and 3000 Hz vibration, all at once!

___________________
* Although even some of the FR "purists" add BSC, step filters, or Zobel networks, seemingly with gleeful abandon.

 

[AndreaT]

High distortion, lots of resonances, cheapo driver…gosh. Thank you for an excellent review. I will put my hard earned money elsewhere.

 

[dav0043]

Is there a market for 1950's transistor radio style passive speaker in an unfinished pressboard box that you have to assemble yourself, that costs more than a grand? Why? Huh? I understand giving this product a review is a public service to protect buyers, but who has this on their shortlist? So many better options out there worthy of review & purchase.

 

[617]

These impedance resonances are a strong indication that something is not right with this speaker build. I'd take the driver out and sweep it by itself to verify it's not the driver. It could be the driver. Though, based on my experience, what I'm seeing here indicates an issue with the enclosure build, mounting of the driver, or LF panel resonance (which could also be due to the build). Maybe bracing is in order. I can only say that I have never seen this with any other commercial or DIY speaker. And, yes, I am full aware of the resolution of the sweep. I do the same thing. Regardless of what the issue is, something is definitely not right here.

*don't shoot the messenger*

Erin, you know what, I didn't agree with you at first but I think you're right. This is one of the most messed up impedance response I've ever seen. Unless the box design is truly bizarre (some kind of horn loading or something) there is something up with this speaker. You and I both know what typical bad-speaker-impedance plots look like, little wibble wobbles above 200hz, but this kind of chaos doesn't make sense.

GR could be the worst speaker designers on planet earth, but Dayton doesn't sell drivers that do this, and I don't think the crossover is that complex. In other words, either something is wrong with the construction, or something truly bizarre is happening. Let's not forget that a LIMP jig or DATs is one of the diagnostic tools that GR has, along with their radio shack spl meter and 'Brothers in Arms' CD.

@Rick Sykora can confirm, but the speaker looks like a simple slot loaded port, no bracing, and a moderately complex crossover (2 coils, 3 caps and some resistors, which is not what I would consider minimal for a fullranger).

 

[sarumbear]

@Rick Sykora can confirm, but the speaker looks like a simple slot loaded port, no bracing, and a moderately complex crossover (2 coils, 3 caps and some resistors, which is not what I would consider minimal for a fullranger).

What does a crossover do in a full range single driver speaker?

 

[usersky]

IMO what we have here and criticize is not o product ment to be actually sold. It's price is absurdly positioned intentionally, no sane people would buy this fully assembled when you have it as a kit at "such an extraordinarily good price" - compared with what? The abberation of $1000 ment to be just a bite for selling the kits. The fully assembled item doesn't deserve any serios consideration, being priced based on a marketing strategy to sell a different thing, we just felt for the bite and lost time analysing and deriding a chymera.

 

[ta240]

....but who has this on their shortlist? So many better options out there worthy of review & purchase.

I don't know, the new record day guy did a pretty convincing 'review'....

 

[Waxx]

wel, if i see the design i see why. The driver is the Dayton Audio PS95-8 speaker, a midtweeter that needs a woofer below it (crossed at 200Hz or higher). And it's also a very cheap midtweeter that cost 20€ and has a bad reputation in diy land. The cabinet is also very unfit, as the driver has specs for a sealed or aperiodic vented cabinet, not a reflex. And it's build in cheap mdf wood, it doesn't even look like real quality mdf from the pictures. So that price is a bit crazy and put the expectations to high i think.

If you want such a speaker, there are free plans availeble for much better drivers. The price to build it will be way cheaper than this kit (even with cnc and with plywood cabinets). Look at the minionkens of Planet10 with the Mark Audio Alpair 7MS driver or so if you are into this kind of speakers. And if you are into multiway kits, the C-Note or the Overnight Sensation kit at Parts Express is a way better option, easy to build, measuring relative good and build and loved by many...

 

[abdo123]

What does a crossover do in a full range single driver speaker?

Baffle step compensation.

 

[voodooless]

wel, if i see the design i see why. The driver is the Dayton Audio PS95-8 speaker,

It’s not. The surround of the GR is not inverted, the outer ring with the mounting holes looks different.

 

[sarumbear]

Baffle step compensation.

So it’s not a crossover but an equaliser?