• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Human Speakers 81 dk Review

Rate this speaker:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 205 88.4%

  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 18 7.8%

  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 1 0.4%

  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 8 3.4%
  • Total voters
    232
kemmler3D said:
You mean like they didn't just choose the parts based on looks?
Click to expand...
Well, it depends. Parts for SoundArtist "aliexpress version" are suspected to be chosen by the look:D
British ones are better news for a little more (~$4000) money.
 
kemmler3D said:
You mean like they didn't just choose the parts based on looks?
Click to expand...
The best makers worked damned hard on each batch to maintain consistency and yeah, those fifty year old boxes worked well for the job they initially had to do. It's the audiophool reverence that came after that was the real killer.
 
Hart said:
Feel better A...why would you take all the trouble of creating a speaker company, modify drivers, spend the money on good cabinets...and end up with a really uneven product? It seems like you would create a really good sounding prototype first, then you have something to take to market. Seems backwards.
Click to expand...
Wait until S’Phile or TAS review these or similar and you’ll understand.

Happy New year!

Peace.
 
Thank you for this review, @amirm ! I've been aware of Huw Powell and his association with Winslow Burhoe for years, but I never had a chance to hear one of Powell's products. I was always curious.
Now I'm not. :oops:

Jim
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ta240 said:
This one looks like a job for Danny Richie.
Click to expand...

Lol, please add a winking emoji as that would be an expensive approach and would mean piling one mistake on top of another!

These simply need to be returned for a refund ASAP.
 
The speaker clearly failed the premise of the Burhoe module from which it is derived. The woofer is supposed to naturally roll off at 1.8 khz without any post peak, in order to gentle cross with the tweeter that uses a single capacitor as the whole filter crossover.
This is how two-way EPI models are supposed to have worked.
 
OldTimer said:
Made in the USA
Click to expand...
Well, technically, New Hampshire. Live Free or Die. ;)

My inference would be that Huw's woofer rolls off lower than did Winslow Burhoe's EPI/Epicure 8 inch woofer of the 1970s. Either that, or he moved the XO point up.
It would be interesting to compare a properly rehabbed EPI 100 to these. I'd offer to send one of my 100Vs but they're big and fragile enough to make shipping fiscally and logically prohibitive :( Plus -- at some point, relatively (?) early on, the EPI concave dome tweeters began using ferrofluid. If my 100V's tweeters contain(ed) ferrofluid, they probably don't any more, so their Fs, at the least, will be wrong. :(



On the "plus" side, they do have proper surrounds from Rick Cobb. :)

EDIT: Winslow Burhoe's still around, living in Weston, MA, and might still even be building loudspeakers. It might be interesting to measure one of his own later Direct Acoustics (company) loudspeaker designs.
 
These are, I believe, true acoustic suspension speakers. Not just sealed box.

@amirm could the combination of being measured "With grill" and approximating the tweeter center possibly cause some of the response issues?

Notice I said SOME, not all obviously
 
Guess we shouldn't care about 0.8-2kHz, it was always overhyped!
800-2000Hz who cares.jpg

And to be honest I always felt that >6kHz didn't matter either - I like the bold economy!
 
mhardy6647 said:
Well, technically, New Hampshire. Live Free or Die. ;)

My inference would be that Huw's woofer rolls off lower than did Winslow Burhoe's EPI/Epicure 8 inch woofer of the 1970s. Either that, or he moved the XO point up.
It would be interesting to compare a properly rehabbed EPI 100 to these. I'd offer to send one of my 100Vs but they're big and fragile enough to make shipping fiscally and logically prohibitive :( Plus -- at some point, relatively (?) early on, the EPI concave dome tweeters began using ferrofluid. If my 100V's tweeters contain(ed) ferrofluid, they probably don't any more, so their Fs, at the least, will be wrong. :(



On the "plus" side, they do have proper surrounds from Rick Cobb. :)

EDIT: Winslow Burhoe's still around, living in Weston, MA, and might still even be building loudspeakers. It might be interesting to measure one of his own later Direct Acoustics (company) loudspeaker designs.
Click to expand...
Has to be said, they do look tired!
 
Hart said:
Feel better A...why would you take all the trouble of creating a speaker company, modify drivers, spend the money on good cabinets...and end up with a really uneven product? It seems like you would create a really good sounding prototype first, then you have something to take to market. Seems backwards.
Click to expand...
That makes way too much sense…most of us just want the fame and glory without any of the work…I believe the word they use nowadays is entitled.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

MAB
ADS L520 Vintage Speaker Measurements
Replies
2
Views
875
Joe Smith
J
Ageve
  • Poll
System One S15B spinorama measurements (CTA-2034)
Replies
5
Views
1K
Maiky76
Maiky76
amirm
  • Poll
Mesanovic CDM65 Studio Monitor Review
9 10 11
Replies
206
Views
38K
PGAMiami
P
Ageve
  • Poll
Dynavoice Definition DC-5 Spinorama measurements (CTA-2034)
Replies
8
Views
709
Maiky76
Maiky76
Ageve
  • Poll
Bowers & Wilkins 686 S2 Spinorama measurements (CTA-2034)
Replies
11
Views
2K
Ageve
Ageve
Back
Top Bottom