XSA Labs Vanguard Speaker Review

[dogmamann]

I googled this company and found out that XSA stands for: eXtremely Sexy Audio

It has enough curves. Flat ones aren’t sexy.

 

[pierre]

I computed 3 EQs that may help:
1. default answer, optimise the score
2. increase each IIR to a potential 6dB (instead of the default 3dB)
3. optimise for a flat LW

1.

Score goes from 3.4 to 4.9 with this eq and resp. 6.1 to 7.6 with the same EQ and a perfect subwoofer.
The EQ will "cost" you 5 dB which is a lot on a small speaker.

EQ for XSA Labs Vanguard computed from ASR data
Preference Score 3.40 with EQ 4.90
Generated from http://github.com/pierreaubert/spinorama/generate_peqs.py v0.23
Dated: 2023-07-23-08:38:18

Preamp: -5.0 dB

Filter  1: ON HS Fc   237 Hz Gain +2.49 dB Q 1.01
Filter  2: ON PK Fc   378 Hz Gain +0.67 dB Q 1.05
Filter  3: ON PK Fc  1141 Hz Gain -2.58 dB Q 1.56
Filter  4: ON PK Fc  1541 Hz Gain -2.76 dB Q 0.41
Filter  5: ON PK Fc  2380 Hz Gain -2.95 dB Q 1.54
Filter  6: ON PK Fc 10020 Hz Gain +1.49 dB Q 0.33
Filter  7: ON LS Fc 13537 Hz Gain +1.54 dB Q 1.21

The optimiser is cheating a bit by adding multiple IIRs at close frequency to fill the 5dB gaps in the freq response.

2.

The above EQ is limited to 3dB per IIR. If you increase to 6dB per IIR, you get:

EQ for XSA Labs Vanguard computed from ASR data
Preference Score 3.40 with EQ 5.85
Generated from http://github.com/pierreaubert/spinorama/generate_peqs.py v0.23
Dated: 2023-07-23-08:44:43

Preamp: -5.9 dB

Filter  1: ON LS Fc    87 Hz Gain +5.91 dB Q 0.70
Filter  2: ON PK Fc   366 Hz Gain +3.58 dB Q 0.84
Filter  3: ON PK Fc   817 Hz Gain +0.62 dB Q 5.94
Filter  4: ON PK Fc  1220 Hz Gain -2.58 dB Q 2.42
Filter  5: ON PK Fc  2302 Hz Gain -2.12 dB Q 2.71
Filter  6: ON PK Fc  4345 Hz Gain +3.62 dB Q 5.51
Filter  7: ON PK Fc 11843 Hz Gain +5.17 dB Q 0.38

with a pre-amp at -6dB. The score is a bit better mostly because the first LS boosted the bass.

3.

Another option is to optimise for a flat LW which gives you a lower score of 4.9 but should sound better close by.
The gain is now 7dB

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

Company post a DIY style measurement in a forum showing something different:
View attachment 300873

Actually, this is measurement made by the designer, of the prototype of this speaker with foam-core box (not bamboo!). There are no measurements of the actual production speakers made by the company (or the designer). On company's site there is the same frequency response, albeit with no applied smoothing as here.
There was one measurement made by a hi-fi enthusiast (I can't find it in this moment) which indicate much worse frequency response than above, and from my memory, similar to Amir's. As I recall, designer responded to this complain with the usual "There seems to be an unit-to-unit variation of the frequency response of the woofer".
Big overlap in the crossover region is intentional, because designer is using "Harsch crossover" to get quasi-perfect step response - as you can see in the Amir's measurement.

 

[Toni Mas]

In this case using the name of LS3/5A is merely a kind of sexual agression... Intelectual property should be better protected...

 

[Robbo99999]

Waste of time & money for this speaker! I did vote it not terrible (looks like I was lenient on it!)as the directivity was just about ok, and the distortion was ok at 86dB, but you'd be out of your mind to be buying this speaker when there are so many other better options for the money!

(Also no bass!)

 

[amirm]

Seems @amirm posted the spinorama twice, rather than the early reflections

Thanks. Fixed.

 

[Toni Mas]

Too bad that Diyaudio lends itself to be a launching platform for business projects disguised as mere diy amateur ones...

 

[uwotm8]

Diyaudio

Buy DYNAUDIO, not Diyaudio
Pair of larger and active BM5A MkIIIs is actually cheaper and will sonically destroy bamboo speakers lol

 

[Grotti]

They state on their website, that it was the first time ever, that someone implemented a "inverted Harsch crossover topology" in a passive commercial speaker. Must be for some reason, other designers avoided to use it.

But otherwise I somehow like the looks and the absence of a port. A simple redesign of the (quite simple) crossover could save this flawed design.

Thank you Amir: more speaker testing, please!!!

 

[uwotm8]

inverted Harsch crossover topology

...which measures like no filter on LF driver at all...

 

[Toni Mas]

They state on their website, that it was the first time ever, that someone implemented a "inverted Harsch crossover topology" in a passive commercial speaker. Must be for some reason, other designers avoided to use it.

But otherwise I somehow like the looks and the absence of a port. A simple redesign of the (quite simple) crossover could save this flawed design.

Thank you Amir: more speaker testing, please!!!

I have been reading him at Diyaudio and went to the conclusión that this Guy is a bluff, probably trying to convert a hobby into a business... Good luck!

 

[heraldo_jones]

It is expensive for its performance ... maybe, it is not if we think what it is emulating ... not at all. Although not a fan of the LS3/5 kind of speaker, it probably the cheapest option. Hifi grothbox.

 

[Grotti]

...which measures like no filter on LF driver at all...

In fact, they seem to have the crossover points at about 3500 Hertz for the tweeter and over 5000 Hertz for the woofer, which makes them play over a wide range simultaneously. From the pictures it seems to be a simple 2nd order crossover with no compensation of the baffle step or the impedance of the midwoofer.

 

[Toni Mas]

It is expensive for its performance ... maybe, it is not if we think what it is emulating ... not at all. Although not a fan of the LS3/5 kind of speaker, it probably the cheapest option. Hifi grothbox.

But excepting the closed box loading, nothing to see with an LS3/5A, everything is absolutely different, so whats the point of this shamelessly called homage? A marketing bluff, what else...

 

[Toni Mas]

There was one measurement made by a hi-fi enthusiast (I can't find it in this moment) which indicate much worse frequency response than above, and from my memory, similar to Amir's. As I recall, designer responded to this complain with the usual "There seems to be an unit-to-unit variation of the frequency response of the woofer".

So that now we also know that the drivers are crap...

 

[nawfal07]

Thanks for the review @amirm . Cheers.

 

[Geert]

Recovery utility for people who've been exposed to BBC-dip style speakers for to long.

 

[Toni Mas]

Recovery utility for people who've been exposed to BBC-dip style speakers for to long.

Time to innovate! Welcome to the reversed bbc deep!

Pd: maybe has been designed for corner placement, but all the pics show them clearly far away from the walls, avoiding boundary reforcements.

 

[Geert]

Turns out the design of the speaker was actually inspired by the Rogers LS3/5a https://v2.stereotimes.com/post/xsa-labs-vanguard-bookshelf-loudspeakers-by-greg-voth Voodoo style engineering.

 

[Toni Mas]

Turns out the design of the speaker was actually inspired by the Rogers LS3/5a https://v2.stereotimes.com/post/xsa-labs-vanguard-bookshelf-loudspeakers-by-greg-voth Voodoo style engineering.

The one step (response) beyond maaadnesss...

This Guy is really a shameless audiophile bluff...