Seas a 26 kit. Devore 093/096 style

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by murphythecat, Nov 28, 2018.

  1. waterclocker

    waterclocker Forum Resident

    Location:
    NW Indiana
    Very interesting. I think I started with the 10 ohm and then switched to the 12. I could definitely see using the 15 with the ANK EL84, it seems a touch brighter than my Inspire SE KT-150. What EL84 do you like and use? That ifi looks pretty cool.

    The 8008-Corner kit came with much more substantial fill for inside the cabinet(thick felt and white stuffing pad). That sounds like a nice upgrade to the A26 kit. I'll have to try that if I come back to the A26.
     
  2. DerAlteDachs

    DerAlteDachs Active Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Hi all,

    thats my "A26" : [​IMG]

    Build as Fun-Project ... not "The best Speaker in the World" but it plays since 1,5 Years in my MusicRoom :pleased:
     
    waterclocker likes this.
  3. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    Still getting along with the A26s?

    I've been curious about this kit for a long time and very close to pulling the trigger. Do the cherry Madisound cabinets come with an internal brace?
    And the cabs are not pre-assembled correct?
     
  4. murphythecat

    murphythecat https://www.last.fm/user/murphythecat Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    Hey helom, the cherry cabs do not come pre assembled and without brace.

    Yeah, im still very happy. I dont even use the bass boost anymore. it seems after the complete break in, the bass is enough and extends down to 50hz flat then roll off nicely. Due to the design, the woofer dont have a low pass filter, the woofer is run fullrange and roll off mechanicaly. as you can see from the measurements of the woofer SEAS The Art Of Sound Perfection... on axis, the woofer has a peak at around 4khz, while at 30 degre off axis, its almost a 2nd order mechanical roll off. so, I prefer the sound with the Seas a26 point straight forward, no toe in. my measurements shows that this way, at the listening position, I acheive a almost 2nd order mechanical roll off just like the measurements shows. Last point, the A26 needs to be listened with the tweeter on the inside, closer to the LP.

    They are keepers for sure. For the money, its very hard to complain. The bass has that big woofer kick, jazz basslines are so easy to follow, so clear, never lacking in weight. The treble with the 15ohm is very sweet: i like the 1.5 inch tweeter, the big format tweeter give the treble a realer presence. the drivers integration is seemless: i think this is related to the first order xo between the tweeter and midbass. The tone of the paper woofer is excellent. something live about the tonality of paper woofers. The downside is they dont have the imaging of a Kef LS50. another downside is the sub extension. they dont have the mid magic of bbc speakers, but en revanche, the A26 are groovier and more exciting then the BBC speakers. There's something very satisfying about having a decent pair of speakers for very little money compared to 5k speakers. Its like with a 5k pair of speakers, flaws disturbs me, but with a 1k pair of speakers, the flaws dont seem to bother me at all.

    Definitely worth the 1k outlay. They are in my main system and are not embarrassed at all. it has revived my interest in diy speakers. There's truly no replacement for displacement and the 8 inch woofer in the Harbeth or graham lacks in many ways compared to the Seas a26 10 inch. This makes me even more interested and curious about BIG speakers. Ill build a 3 way with 15 inch woofer this summer.
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2019
    IanL, jonwoody, Dax_Frost and 9 others like this.
  5. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    Thanks for the thorough reply. :edthumbs:
     
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  6. ThorensSme

    ThorensSme Forum Resident

    Location:
    Spokane
    Thinking of building a pair of these. Do you have any updates on your experience with them? Are you still using the iFi amplifier? This seems like a fun build and better alternative than what I am seeing for the cash outlay from most speaker companies.
     
  7. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    FWIW, Madisound told me the supplied cabinets come pre-assembled, at least for US customers.
     
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  8. ThorensSme

    ThorensSme Forum Resident

    Location:
    Spokane
    Very cool.
     
  9. murphythecat

    murphythecat https://www.last.fm/user/murphythecat Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    I love em,.. for the money especially. if they were 5000$, id probably get AN-E or SHL5+, since they do sound slightly better overall, but for 1000$, the A26 have no peers. Period. unless you go into vintage land. The seas driver alone cost 800$ and it sounds like very good drivers indeed.

    the 10 inch sounds big, it give that real instrument size image and body. the 10 inch is also able to sort of pressurize the room in that when you hear a kick drum or electronica bass, you dont just hear the bass, but you feel the air moving, you hear the drama, it has that wham, that pressure, not sure how to describe. but even the shl5 couldnt do that big bass sound. I have had a lot of great speakers here and like everything its all trade off, and these fit right in and are not ashamed by Graham, Harbeth, JBL, or Tannoy for me. Paper cone and soft dome is where its at. these speakers really changed my whole speaker vision. I will only consider paper cones from now on, there's something about good paper cones that is very musical. They sing with a 15 wpc amp, they sound good at low volume and the ability to "EQ" them via the resistor is truly a game changer for me. ive settled on the 15 ohm resistor.

    I now only look at truly big speakers for a "upgrade", something with at least a 12 inch woofer.

    if you decide to go for them, i highly recommend covering the inner walls with about 3 inch thick roxul safe and sound, this really helps the SQ.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2019
  10. ThorensSme

    ThorensSme Forum Resident

    Location:
    Spokane
    Thanks. Helpful insight.
     
  11. Jules.Ottawa

    Jules.Ottawa Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Ottawa
    I've read through the threads (I'm a Dynaco A25 and A35 fan). I'm taking a risk and a friend of mine is building some cabinets for me...based on the drivers from the A26 kit.
    Our design harks back to the bigger brother of the A25, ...the A35. So we are going to clone an A35....with the A26 SEAS kit.
    I'm going to call it ....the A36!
    I'm not sure how it will turn out, but we'll play with fill and maybe some additional venting if required.
    If anyone knows the A35, to my ears it is....a tighter faster sound. I find the A25 more...mellow (and there is nothing wrong with that).
    If anyone is interested, I'll let you know how our project turns out.

    PS: My friend Susan has a mint pair of Dynaco A35s...this is how I discovered that speaker design (a more complex box than the A25).

    I recently purchased a Dynaco ST-70, series III tube amp (Canadian made by Radial Engineering). Very sweet amp and I'm looking to pair them together.
     
  12. Jules.Ottawa

    Jules.Ottawa Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Ottawa
    Helloooo.....is anyone still on this forum, board?
    I've completed the A36 and I had my first listen tonight. It is an amazing sounding speaker. I am really happy with the results.
    I can post pictures if anyone is interested.
     
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  13. bajaed

    bajaed Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I am, post away!
     
  14. Raylinds

    Raylinds Resident Lake Surfer

    Please post the pics!
     
  15. Salectric

    Salectric Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    Yes, please post pictures! Like you I am a longtime fan of the A25 and A35. I bought my first A25 pair when they first came out, foolishly sold them, later got a pair of A35 in a trade and very foolishly sold them after only a couple months. That was all back in the 1970s. Fortunately I bought a second pair of A25 speakers around 2000 and have enjoyed them greatly in my video system ever since.

    But I keep thinking I would like to try the A26 as a possible modern upgrade over the original.
     
  16. Folsom

    Folsom Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eastern WA
    What kind of stuffing/lining did you use?

    I've been really curious to try doing side lining only, with something like ultratouch denim. This has worked well on other stuff to leave the back bare. I'm not going to try to explain it or justify why, it just has.
     
  17. murphythecat

    murphythecat https://www.last.fm/user/murphythecat Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    I used ultratouch denim for the side panels of the A26, but thicker roxul safe and sound for the back and top wall.
    I feel in the A26 padding the cabinet sides really improve SQ
     
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  18. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    Helloooo.....where are those pics? Lots of interest, especially now that we have time on our hands.
     
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  19. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    No. :p
     
  20. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    Link(s)? For cab & for kit? (I feel too tired to wade through their site...indulge me...). Glad Madisound is still putting along!
     
  21. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    And the DeVore are 93 and 96? Where are these figures coming from, since
    - everyone's methodology is different
    - 89 would be way different from 96!
     
  22. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

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  23. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    Ah thanks. Looks nice! My friend would love shallow speakers, I wonder how these would be in a transmission line. Really an undertuned ported box would probably me smarter...but it would be cool to make a transmission line :D

    Looking at the 10 ohm resistor and raw sensitivities, it kinda seems you could do an MTM if you ditched the resistor...maybe not on the low end, I wonder if anyone makes a waveguid that would fit this tweeter and go low enough.
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2020
  24. waterclocker

    waterclocker Forum Resident

    Location:
    NW Indiana
    I used the denim that came with the kit, and there was a layer of white batting that went over it. Seemed to work well. Still loving these speakers!
     
  25. murphythecat

    murphythecat https://www.last.fm/user/murphythecat Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    iirc, the stereophile measurements actually showed the Devore being more around 90-91 db/w for 096 and 093.
    DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 loudspeaker Measurements
     

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