Living With Linkwitz

[phoenixdogfan]

Sadly NLA as miniDSP stopped selling the nanoSharc. I was lucky to find one second hand.

It is also possible to take a miniDSP 2X4 HD and mod it to output spidf from the I2S output on its board. From there's it's just a matter of connecting the OCTO 8 with a spidf to AES/EBU converter.

 

[JP]

Yep, that was plan B.

 

[Rick Sykora]

no, my kids use it too, but there’s no good way to rig up a center with an lxmini!

Linkwitz did not use a center either. See:

http://www.linkwitzlab.com/my_setup.htm

He had mixed results when he tested with music and in conclusion, did not use. Note his seating area did not seem to be for a larger group. Out of the sweet spot, he does mention, that the center helped.

I have had close to a dozen centers over time and none really integrated well for me. The anchoring was so much that I would hear the speaker as the source rather than the sound seeming to come from the person speaking. The best result I have had is using a Mirage OMD-5 omnipolar as a center. It is small, so it could sit on table under my tv. The OMD-5 is NLA, but there were some comparable nanoSATs on ebay last I checked.

 

[dshreter]

Linkwitz did not use a center either. See:

http://www.linkwitzlab.com/my_setup.htm

He had mixed results when he tested with music and in conclusion, did not use. Note his seating area did not seem to be for a larger group. Out of the sweet spot, he does mention, that the center helped.

I have had close to a dozen centers over time and none really integrated well for me. The anchoring was so much that I would hear the speaker as the source rather than the sound seeming to come from the person speaking. The best result I have had is using a Mirage OMD-5 omnipolar as a center. It is small, so it could sit on table under my tv. The OMD-5 is NLA, but there were some comparable nanoSATs on ebay last I checked.

I think in general that center channels don't play well with music, or for that matter what can be achieved in a home system.

Good movie theater sound is certainly impressive, but it does not from my experience provide the sense of stereo imaging that comes from sitting in the sweet spot of a good two channel system. While it is multi-channel surround and creates a good sense of immersion, I still liken it more to a wall of sound coming through the screen than holographic recreation.

So if good theater sound is a meaningful benchmark for home theater sound, I will take good 2.1 any day over surround sound.

 

[xarkkon]

Now that I've got my Linkwitz LXmini more-or-less final, simplified down to a MiniDSP 4x10HD and a 4-channel Hypex-based amp from Nord, I feel I ought to report how truly amazing these little things are. I have heard and owned so many different speakers and speaker designs since the late 1970's, and nothing, for me, comes close to the transparency and holographic quality of the Linkwitz designs. I had Orions for many years and came to take them for granted. After I sold them last year in anticipation of newer and better things, even very expensive box speakers still sounded like boxes to me. I've never been able to live with the limitations of planars and electrostatics.

When operated at reasonable volume levels and with nothing more than a quality subwoofer to pick up the lowest notes, the LXMini are just mind blowing when it comes to imaging. I don't have the ability, right now, to locate the Linkwitz subs around the room, so the transition from active sub to LXMini could be better, and the naturalness of open-baffle woofers isn't there. But for the money and the payoff in imaging, you owe it to yourself to build these if you can scavenge 4 channels of modest amplification to run them.

any chance we could see a photo of the setup? very curious as to see how it looks!

 

[suttondesign]

yup. will do this tonight.

 

[bogart]

yup. will do this tonight.

impatiently waiting for glamour shots here!

 

[suttondesign]

Ta-da! To explain, when I built this house, I installed 2" PVC through the slab foundation running from various places into an equipment closet. That's why you don't see the speaker wire. I installed an IR repeater in the ceiling above the TV. The MiniDSP 4x10, Mac Mini, and Nord 4-channel amp are in that closet. (I just recently had to re-do the connections behind the TV which feed a new Xbox below, so I haven't yet cleaned up those cables under that cabinet).

 

[xarkkon]

Gorgeous! great idea running that PVC, you've taken cable management to an insane level! What sub are you running in that corner? I guess you've chosen 4x10 (instead of 2 x 4) for the minidsp because of it?

 

[suttondesign]

Right, it's a Rythmik 12" active sub (those guys are local in Austin), and it gets a pair of the MiniDSP 4x10 outputs. We designed and built the house in 2006-2007, and I already planned to build Linkwitz Orions at that time, but I also knew I might need corner subs. It cost comparatively nothing to lay the PVC when the drains were being laid out. I attach the plan I drew up at that time. We used IsoMax clips to achieve sound isolation in walls and ceiling.

 

[xarkkon]

great long term planning all around. What made you move from the orions to the lxmini? Would you recommend the lxmini to DIY newbies? My only DIY experience has been a bottlehead crack (and some mechanical keyboards) and have been interested in getting a second project going

 

[bluefuzz]

Would you recommend the lxmini to DIY newbies?

The LXmini is probably the easiest speaker in the world to build since there is essentially no woodworking involved. If you build from scratch there is routing a couple of circles on the top and base but these parts can be obtained from kit sellers. Otherwise you barely need any tools.

 

[suttondesign]

great long term planning all around. What made you move from the orions to the lxmini? Would you recommend the lxmini to DIY newbies? My only DIY experience has been a bottlehead crack (and some mechanical keyboards) and have been interested in getting a second project going

Long story. Let's just say that for now, the tiny footprint of the LXmini suits our lifestyle better right now. I do think Siegfreid was correct that the imaging is somewhat improved over the Orions, but SPL is plainly not.

The LXmini is easy to build apart from the fussy securing of the full-range driver in the small pipe; that requires some fiddling. However, getting a nice spray-painted finish (I used a metallic bronze) requires patience over a few days, and you really do have to follow all the steps. Then, the instructions you buy are not truly complete -- you have to also consult the owner support page. I was a design-builder for many years, so DIY projects which require step-by-step and care are second nature, but I know lots of people who cannot mentally break down seemingly complicated finished projects into small steps, each of which is cinchy. Each step of the LXmini is cinchy because you don't need expensive tools or a big shop, so as long as you're the kind of person who can do the steps, it's sort of hard to believe how simple the LXmini really is.

 

[bluefuzz]

However, getting a nice spray-painted finish (I used a metallic bronze) requires patience over a few days, and you really do have to follow all the steps.

This is true, although finishing is often the most challenging aspect of any speaker build. Raw PVC pipe is perhaps more æsthetically pleasing than raw MDF ... ;-)

 

[FrantzM]

Was close to an audition of the LX 521 and LX mini but had a cold ... perhaps another time.

I may just dive in and build a LX Mini. I've been on the fence for too long.

 

[Deleted member 2944]

I may just dive in and build a LX Mini. I've been on the fence for too long.

I don't think you will be disappointed. I've demo'd my system numerous times and have talked to at least fifty people (either on the phone or email) who have constructed the LXmini, and I can't think of anyone who was dissatisfied with the result.

They are limited in SPL/bass capability (as you might expect), but other than that a very satisfying speaker system for well-recorded music material.

Dave.

 

[Burning Sounds]

I'm OK at woodwork, but never was very good at getting a good paint finish - especially on plastic. So with my LXMinis I used 3M "carbon fibre" wrap - it's tough and goes on quite easily - minute air holes make it easy to get any bubbles out. It might not be to everyone's taste, but I find the "high tech" look suits the LXMini.

 

[suttondesign]

I saw that when I was building mine, wasn't sure where you got it. I think it looks great, only I liked the spray bronze metallic for my particular setup. I like how you concealed your FR driver's wire.

 

[xarkkon]

I'm OK at woodwork, but never was very good at getting a good paint finish - especially on plastic. So with my LXMinis I used 3M "carbon fibre" wrap - it's tough and goes on quite easily - minute air holes make it easy to get any bubbles out. It might not be to everyone's taste, but I find the "high tech" look suits the LXMini.

View attachment 50614

that's really sweet. well done!

 

[xarkkon]

I don't think you will be disappointed. I've demo'd my system numerous times and have talked to at least fifty people (either on the phone or email) who have constructed the LXmini, and I can't think of anyone who was dissatisfied with the result.

They are limited in SPL/bass capability (as you might expect), but other than that a very satisfying speaker system for well-recorded music material.

Dave.

would you recommend getting the +2 / studio subs that go with these?

Long story. Let's just say that for now, the tiny footprint of the LXmini suits our lifestyle better right now. I do think Siegfreid was correct that the imaging is somewhat improved over the Orions, but SPL is plainly not.

The LXmini is easy to build apart from the fussy securing of the full-range driver in the small pipe; that requires some fiddling. However, getting a nice spray-painted finish (I used a metallic bronze) requires patience over a few days, and you really do have to follow all the steps. Then, the instructions you buy are not truly complete -- you have to also consult the owner support page. I was a design-builder for many years, so DIY projects which require step-by-step and care are second nature, but I know lots of people who cannot mentally break down seemingly complicated finished projects into small steps, each of which is cinchy. Each step of the LXmini is cinchy because you don't need expensive tools or a big shop, so as long as you're the kind of person who can do the steps, it's sort of hard to believe how simple the LXmini really is.

Thanks for the detailed writeup! The manual with the bottlehead crack was really good but there were still a few steps i needed forum support on (what can I say, i'm still an utter newbie at DIY, heh). i love the idea of metallic paint though. is the minidsp a must-have? measurements from amir seemed pretty abysmal so i was wondering if going the nanodigi route would make much more sense (though i would then need many many dacs...)