oh wow. At least its just a fart and not diarrhea! Jokes aside, thank you for your fair and comprehensive review. I can tell you put a lot of effort into this video.
Jay to be honest, now that I have begun making my own speakers, I think it’s best to design with optimal driver integration and off axis performance. While making the speaker as linear as possible. Then anyone can use a touch of EQ to match their own sonic ‘ taste’. Hope that made sense and please I mean no offense. Dig your channel and Ron’s. Thanks for taking the time to listen to ‘ another opinion’. Cheers
@@Nightjar726 There's more than one aspect to speaker designing and how you go about it. If you think for a minute, if it was that easy, you would just not even entertain eq or passive crossovers... you'd just got with electronic crossover and/or DSP. EQ also is "not always" the best choice to make nor does it yield great results every time as with any other tool, in other words, its a good tool when used correctly in certain situations but there's a difference between fooling around with EQ and mastering EQ to use it in a professional way, I may make make a future video on this and it is a area of debate but one thing is for sure; there's different brands of speakers and tunings for the varying tastes out there. I am not trying to start a debate OR say you are wrong OR say my way is the only way, buy the Typhons... absolutely not. I'm always learning and I do not pretend to know everything. I've been on the reviewing side of the fence for few years now and still is... and it was really nice to express my enthusiasm and love for certain designs and sound signatures that brought me great joy and peace in my life. It was a surprising and humbling bonus that viewers from around the world who had similar taste as me related to my experiences. Through my collaboration with CSS in the Typhon Project, I wanted to create something my viewers and music lovers alike could appreciate coming from me, Dan and Kerry that has a lot of the attributes I talk about in my videos on what brings me joy. I'm really glad to hear that you have started making your own speakers. I've made lots of diy speakers in the past, some failures and some really good success. I plan to make more vids on making diy speakers in the future just for fun! all the best to you and hope your first project turns out amazing and if not, you'll learn from it. It's never a loss
@@Jayiyagi yeah no worries man. I hear you and that is also something I didn’t think about. Active speakers do offer insane versatility is those aspects. But of course you cannot use your own amps and DACs. So it’s limiting that way. Agreed man. Thanks for the chat
WOW, this is the type of review I would like to see more often! Having sounds clips as a reference is a must. It is a lot of work, but been able to compare other speakers, side by side, gives us a pretty good impression on how the speaker should sound like, well, compared to others listed. It is amazing how different songs highlight different qualities in those speakers. This methodology needs to be adopted across the board when evaluating equipment and we, the listeners, need to be able to hear it and not just take your word for it 😉. Big thumbs up and keep them coming!!!
They are still useable as comparisons as you listen to all in the same room with a binaural mic. Now, do they sound the same in my room? -Nope. But we do get to hear the difference in the response@@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah
Love the short sections of music samples across multiple speakers to more clearly emphasize the differences between them. It works so much better than long sections of songs being played before switching to the next speaker.
To be honest in starting to make my own speakers , what I see is that it’s best to make the speaker linear, and have the drivers be as well integrated as possible and then use EQ to do any ‘ tone shaping to taste’ that someone wants. As simple as that. Does that mean the speaker will have a generic sound? Not at all. Dispersion will differ from speaker to speaker, so will design. PEQ EQ used wisely is amazing to get a to taste sound without sacrificing driver integration and off axis response. Good review and video!
Thanks Ron, for pointing out that the vast majority of speaker reviewers, most of whom ( or many anyway) are even older than you, are not going to hear much in the top octave from any speaker. I'm 69 and my ears top out at around 12-14khz, depending on the online test i use and what headphones I use too. And, even though I can hear those frequencies they are much reduced in level compared to lower frequencies below 5-6khz.
Thanks for the review and don't give up on life, we like you here. =) I've been watching the reviews for these for awhile, looking forward to hearing them someday. Always fun to see someone "in the community" pour their ideas into a cool product that actually gets released.
Jay has an impresionant future as speaker designer. I will wait for his next creation that without of doubt will be much better and more affordable for many of us. Keep the good work Jay.
I think Jay's speakers look great. I don't know how they sound, and probably will never know...as I own Arendal 1723 THX towers w/ tons of clean power on tap, so I'm very happy w/ my mains. ...but as far as looks are concerned, Jay killed it.
To my ears, the CSS has an echo quality, like the "hall" mode on older systems where you could choose preset equalization. The GR-research Brute sounds best overall in my opinion, though I expect the CSS would sound awesome at spicy listening levels when playing rock and roll, where critical listening isn't as important.
Ron, this is awesome. Knowing what a speaker sounds like given all the variables makes it literally impossible to really know what a speaker would sound like in our own rig/room. Your description is good but highly subjective. HOWEVER, your selection of material, close mic method, and use of comparative models is as good as I have ever seen. I have herd some of these speakers and this technique helps a ton in knowing the RELATIVE sound of Jays speakers, by comparison. Bravo!!!!
CSS Typhon has two obvious flaws that are also intentional. 1º The logo is too big 2º The lower box rumbles, it needs internal reinforcement. The speaker furniture must be INERT no matter what. If we want to color the sound, let us do it later via DSP, tubes (preamp).. 👉Those two problems are easily solvable. I would release a new edition, CSS Typhon II. I have listened to the clips with my modified KEF Q100 speakers (which sound much better than the originals), in near field, that is, without the need for headphones (which bother me). By the way, I am not convinced by the sound of the GR Research The Bully. I like more the MoFi (I love my little coaxial), but it needs a sub in a big room. - Greetings from Tarragona (SPAIN/EU) -
Hey maty, Logo being too big is being addressed as we speak and I can agree with that some just don't like that big logo. However just a bit of correction here; while I am not claiming the cabinets to be perfectly inert as there is no such a thing, the Typhons have "more than sufficient" bracing inside the cabinet to accommodate for the amount of bass and extension the Typhons put out.
A DSP bump at 100Hz will give a hefty phase change there, tuning the cabinet to do it will not. Having a bump at 80-100Hz is often preferable for a lot of genres.
But in comparison I found the rumble annoying. It is not a boost in the response at 100 Hz (according to Ron), there is something else. Internal resonance or incorrect bass-reflex design or.. Ron could plug them to verify it. It is your product but you should consult with the owners of the CSS. Present and FUTURE users will value the commitment to EXCELLENCE.
How I wish GR-Reseach understood the part aesthetics play in this game. Those Brutes sound really good, but they look like they were made for the back of a pickup truck.
For someone sensitive to sibilance👀 This is the response curve you want😊 I found an abandoned patent online for a crossover that does exactly this. Great review Ron. 👍
The brutes seem a bit more detailed, but i prefer the presentation of the typhons. Not a fan of the mofis and ive spent a good a good amount of time with them in multiple different systems. The saphires i also enjoyed from the demos but open baffles sound very different in person than over youtube videos
Thanks for another great video, Ron. I am very particular about vocals sounding nasally. I don't think I have ever had a speaker that I didn't have to EQ it out. As far as this lineup of speakers, and of courses knowing that they may sound different to me in a live situation, the Typhons were the only set that I did not hear a hint of it on the male vocals. Chesty definitely.
Great review! I would never send back a speaker to have a resistor 'adjustement' ! I would do it myself because the possibility of damage in transport plus losing my speaker for maybe more than a month is unacceptable to me. Having a switch or something with a + or - 2 db on the back would have been a better solution. Thanks!
Given that the bass/midrange crossover is spec'd at 230Hz, the 100Hz being discussed is definitely (mostly) coming from the woofers and their cabinet. The midrange is being rolled off a little more than an octave above this.
. Well, their interesting. LQQKs like the crossover is in two parts. Seems their a good candidate to bi-amp. Ron mentioned Tubes up top. Maybe a Class D (yuk) for those woofers which, although Jay correctly choose paper, are probably a little sloppy with rubber surrounds & porting (edit) needed to get to 30Hz'ish. . I do like the 2 piece cabinets. for sure.
Different flavors of ice cream. Sounds good. Last song sounded more realistic on CSS. The sapphire was the clearest but the guys voice in the last round sounded best on CSS. Source Points seemed closest to the Sapphires in clarity
I'll be damned. Chesty was the exact word I was using for some of those. Especially the MOFI's. Those seemed to be beaming as well in the midrange. I was really surprised how well the GR's did and wished that you had a pair of Caladan's. It was a revelation when you got to the male singing. It was like the guy had a cold and it was gone with the Typhon. Pretty impressive.
It is hard to believe that some presenters get away with simply talking about gear and having a zillion views. I appreciate your method. Saffire, CSS, black ones, MoFi. MoFi has a boost similar to the boost frequency area of a Neumann U87. That would definitely get old quick in playback . Desired In tracking though. Crisp like an apple bite in Autumn air. Could be charming for a while but annoying in the long run. PS, I bought a pair of 4309's from Safe and Sound on your recommendation. I have 4430's in my main rig. 4309's in my bedroom system
I have the Paul Carmody designed Tarkus speakers which are a tribute to the Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy. These CSS are very similar. My lower cabinet uses a 10” instead of the dual 7” here. Amazing ❤
CSS sent an Email today (8/7) as to Typhon Closeout. Why...We are shifting our focus this year back to kits, custom speakers, and sharing knowledge with the DIY and audiophile community.
Sounds like the speaker I wanted. I enjoy my Polk R700 but wish they had more top end push like these. I like bass heavy, treble heavy. I hate forward, bright, and fatiguing speakers. I did not know I liked Jay so much.
Great review Ron like only you can provide. I absolutely love how you present and discuss your reviews with detail. Even listening through YT I could hear the characteristics you noted. I just want to say, thank you sir for your great and enjoyable reviews!
Best review and demonstration I have seen on the web, do more!! My favorite sound were probably the M3's and then Danny's. Worst looking Danny's. Can't wait if you do the same with Clayton's new speaker, way to go!
Excellent review, and I especially appreciate the sound samples, which were very well recorded and gave us several speakers to compare. But ... two or three of the samples were almost entirely vocal -- it would be great to get recordings of more different instruments, and across the entire frequency range. Also interesting how the well-reviewed SourcePoint 10 sounded so tubby and congested compared to the others. Thank you.
Tweaking around instead of listening to MUSIC... yeah you have a point there. I'll take your advice, put on some favorite music und listen to my current stack. Enjoy with a glass of wine...🍷
They aren't warm. They just have paper woofers and dome tweeters. I have the 1TD-X and I believe they are voiced close to the same. Listening for hours with no fatigue is what they are about. They still have great detail, soundstage, and imaging. Bass is plenty for a small speaker.
I just found a great match for my 1TDX. The new Musical Fidelity A1. These two are a great match in terms of tonal balance, and not being overly detailed.
@@Temmple The MF A1 is definitely a giant killer, if you can live with its limited output. Another amp I have at the top of my list is the Schiit Aegir(now the Aegir 2). It’s one of the most musical amps I’ve ever heard, while retaining a neutral/warm signature. It’s smooth, transparent, and extremely immersive. It’s also the cheapest amp to make Stereophile Class A rating.
In Italian, vowels do not change their sound the way they do in English when combined with other vowels (like how fad becomes fade with the addition of the e). The Faber in Sonus Faber Is pronounced F-ah-ber.
Sonus Faber is actually Latin. No such words in Italian. The word Sonus is obviously sound, and Faber was a common name of craftsman in the 16th century and before, sort of like "Smith" in English.
It’s not easy to compare the true articulation of the details on a video. There was a difference in the Typhoons presentation. I might call it laid back. It was almost like they weren’t in the front of the audio presentation. Hard to get the real sound using a recorded then reproduced audio recording. Nonetheless, they sounded good from what I could tell.
It caught my attention that when I closed my eyes on the Sound Clips just by listening every time I said that "it sounds nice" when I opened them there was always the MoFi Electronics - SourcePoint 10 or the 8, I really don't know how to recognize them . Always in comparison, the CSS Audio Typhon sounds much more bassy, in fact they sound so bassy that it reminds me a lot when I'm in a corner of the room, I'm going to ask a perhaps somewhat stupid question, the microphone in all the clips was always on the same location? Because perhaps that would explain the not so controlled bass, the good but a little silvant treble is very obvious in the recording, compared to the others it gave more body to the singer's voice.
Compared to all the other speakers in the sound demo, the Typhone has less clarity and it is reflected in the frequency response. The drop of of almost 3-4 dB between 1kHz-7kHz took out that clarity but too much of that will make the speaker sound bright and harsh.
So long as one has a sonically optimal listening room, especially behind the speaker to optimally handle the rear reflections, then open baffle speakers may win, but it also depends on the specific recording one is listening to, as some recordings sound more natural with a lot of reflected sound, and some recordings sound better with only forward firing speakers. It's not simply a matter of the music genre, but the way the recording was done. Unfortunately, with regard to open baffle vs forward firing, and tube vs solid state, there is no single system that sounds best for all recordings.
Listening to the sound of the CSS, what I'm hearing sounds "exactly right"; I know what speaker I'm hearing in the sound tests without watching the video. The speakers without 'bloom' sound flat but also dry, grayish and unnatural by comparison. While the CSS Typhon speakers may have the smallest bit of vocal proximity effect, they sound like being close to the performer in real life.
What makes a speaker sounds bright is in the 3000 Hz area . People seem to think it's in the 10000 zone but it's hard to hear above 14000 and also there's not a lot of instruments and information being made in the 10000 frequency range. If you look at a frequency analyzer and watch what frequencies are actually being produced you don't see hardly anything in the 8000 and above area. What makes it fatigued is around 3000 and they have that dip and that's why it sounds warm.
Ron bringing the goods as always on this review! As a Maggie 1.7i owner I love the open baffle sound but the sapphires just weren’t shining on this audio clip. I’ve heard them before and love them in person. The typhoons were my 2nd favorite with the vocal weight and texture. I can hear some smearing but it’s a smooth sound. The GR research speakers sounded the perfect blend of the technicals and resolution of saphires but had weight and impact similar to typhoons but no smearing. The gr research looks like crap and built for a dorm room.
What! How dare you say I shouldn't spend so much time measuring the distance between the little chairs I use to suspend my speaker wire which keeps it from touching the floor! I can almost hear an audible difference.
CSS Audio Typhon or Danley Sound Labs SM96? From 80hz-20khz, the SM96's are the better deal by far. Looks? The CSS are probably nicer since even though Danley's can be aesthetically customized, I've never actually seen someone take Danley up on that deal. So, I have nothing to compare. I know the question I posited above was never considered in the point of this excellent video. I just couldn't bring myself to buy a pair of the CSS Typhon speakers especially with a purposefully added cabinet resonance.
4:40 ... alternatively they could have included a tweeter level control and saved their customers the time, money and hassle of shipping stuff away for minor adjustments.
Depending on the crossover an L-pad may do more than just change the tweeter output, possibly changing the tonal balance. An off the shelf L-pad is typically low quality in comparison to the higher quality components used in this kit. Offering this level of service is pretty exciting and sets the bar high for other manufacturers. I have bought more than a few speakers I would send back for a change of the service was offered.
@@rhodes2you The entire point of a variable L-Pad ... a rheostat, basically ... is to change the tonal balance of the speaker. It will increase or decrease the tweeter level, which can have only one effect. There are high quality L-Pads that can be used... I don't know that shipping half of a speaker away for absentee adjustment when a simple knob on the back would solve the problem is a bar that I would like to see set. Twist the knob to your satisfaction, job done, then and there... and, lookit that.. you didn't have to ship anything anywhere.
@@Douglas_Blake_579 Outside of a first order crossover its not that simple. Use the software of your choice (I use xsim) to model response changes with the use of a generic L-Pad. Throw in a series notch filter and model it again you see that this can get complicated quickly. We don't know the circuit used on this tweeter so we don't have any way to truly model what would happen if you installed a generic L-Pad on this speaker. My above argument is why most companies will go to rotary switches or jumpers to change the tweeter attention. Rotary switches and jumpers offer the engineers the ability to control the effect and quality of components. For this design I think they use Mills or possibly Mundorff resistors, I don't think anyone offers an L-pad that matches that quality.
I don't see why one should be at all concerned about the frequency response 12 to 16 inches above the tweeter. Given the height of the speakers, and that the angle of upper unit can be adjusted, I don't see how that would even be a concern. I was trying to analyze the waterfall report from the video, and it is a bit confusing to me compared to the ones that GR-Research does, which are more intuitive.
I usually associate farting with ports making nosies. Sounds like this is a cabinet resonance or similar? (Which coincidentally might be leaking out the port, but not necessarily caused by the port. Resonances can be tricky to track down.)
It is common for rooms to bloom at or below 100Hz so never a good idea to intentionally do it in the speaker. With that said, I don't see the 100Hz bloom in your graph of your room response. If anything it's at 50Hz to 60Hz which again is common in many rooms.
The Typhon's sound much like the Wharfedale Evo 4.4 speakers I own based on the sound demo. It has that slightly muted sound in the vocal range. Not a fan.
I am not Danny's biggest fan but admittedly the GR Research sounds best, That tall thing does not differentiate the bass and vocal well it smears together. GR research you can hear the edge between the two easily and is much more natural and easy to listen to, Those tall boys need a lot more work to equal Danny's creation
What am I missing? Is the price given at any point? I'm 13 minutes in and have no idea of the cost. And wouldn't it be pronounced "Tie-phon" like "Python"?
oh wow. At least its just a fart and not diarrhea! Jokes aside, thank you for your fair and comprehensive review. I can tell you put a lot of effort into this video.
Jay to be honest, now that I have begun making my own speakers, I think it’s best to design with optimal driver integration and off axis performance. While making the speaker as linear as possible.
Then anyone can use a touch of EQ to match their own sonic ‘ taste’.
Hope that made sense and please I mean no offense.
Dig your channel and Ron’s.
Thanks for taking the time to listen to ‘ another opinion’.
Cheers
@@Nightjar726 There's more than one aspect to speaker designing and how you go about it. If you think for a minute, if it was that easy, you would just not even entertain eq or passive crossovers... you'd just got with electronic crossover and/or DSP. EQ also is "not always" the best choice to make nor does it yield great results every time as with any other tool, in other words, its a good tool when used correctly in certain situations but there's a difference between fooling around with EQ and mastering EQ to use it in a professional way, I may make make a future video on this and it is a area of debate but one thing is for sure; there's different brands of speakers and tunings for the varying tastes out there.
I am not trying to start a debate OR say you are wrong OR say my way is the only way, buy the Typhons... absolutely not. I'm always learning and I do not pretend to know everything.
I've been on the reviewing side of the fence for few years now and still is... and it was really nice to express my enthusiasm and love for certain designs and sound signatures that brought me great joy and peace in my life. It was a surprising and humbling bonus that viewers from around the world who had similar taste as me related to my experiences. Through my collaboration with CSS in the Typhon Project, I wanted to create something my viewers and music lovers alike could appreciate coming from me, Dan and Kerry that has a lot of the attributes I talk about in my videos on what brings me joy.
I'm really glad to hear that you have started making your own speakers. I've made lots of diy speakers in the past, some failures and some really good success. I plan to make more vids on making diy speakers in the future just for fun!
all the best to you and hope your first project turns out amazing and if not, you'll learn from it. It's never a loss
@@Jayiyagi yeah no worries man. I hear you and that is also something I didn’t think about. Active speakers do offer insane versatility is those aspects. But of course you cannot use your own amps and DACs. So it’s limiting that way.
Agreed man.
Thanks for the chat
@@Nightjar726 no worries. Keep exploring!
HA!😀
WOW, this is the type of review I would like to see more often! Having sounds clips as a reference is a must. It is a lot of work, but been able to compare other speakers, side by side, gives us a pretty good impression on how the speaker should sound like, well, compared to others listed. It is amazing how different songs highlight different qualities in those speakers.
This methodology needs to be adopted across the board when evaluating equipment and we, the listeners, need to be able to hear it and not just take your word for it 😉.
Big thumbs up and keep them coming!!!
Sound clips do nothing as you're not actually hearing the speakers and ke know this
He puts a ton of work into these
They are still useable as comparisons as you listen to all in the same room with a binaural mic. Now, do they sound the same in my room? -Nope. But we do get to hear the difference in the response@@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah
@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah Yup. Ke knows this. Ke knows this well.
Love the short sections of music samples across multiple speakers to more clearly emphasize the differences between them. It works so much better than long sections of songs being played before switching to the next speaker.
To be honest in starting to make my own speakers , what I see is that it’s best to make the speaker linear, and have the drivers be as well integrated as possible and then use EQ to do any ‘ tone shaping to taste’ that someone wants.
As simple as that.
Does that mean the speaker will have a generic sound? Not at all. Dispersion will differ from speaker to speaker, so will design.
PEQ EQ used wisely is amazing to get a to taste sound without sacrificing driver integration and off axis response.
Good review and video!
Agree.
Thanks Ron, for pointing out that the vast majority of speaker reviewers, most of whom ( or many anyway) are even older than you, are not going to hear much in the top octave from any speaker. I'm 69 and my ears top out at around 12-14khz, depending on the online test i use and what headphones I use too. And, even though I can hear those frequencies they are much reduced in level compared to lower frequencies below 5-6khz.
Thanks for the review and don't give up on life, we like you here. =) I've been watching the reviews for these for awhile, looking forward to hearing them someday. Always fun to see someone "in the community" pour their ideas into a cool product that actually gets released.
Jay has an impresionant future as speaker designer. I will wait for his next creation that without of doubt will be much better and more affordable for many of us. Keep the good work Jay.
I think Jay's speakers look great. I don't know how they sound, and probably will never know...as I own Arendal 1723 THX towers w/ tons of clean power on tap, so I'm very happy w/ my mains.
...but as far as looks are concerned, Jay killed it.
All the speakers are great. The CSS audio are fun would love to have a set. . The brutes really hold their own. I was really impressed with them.
Thanks for watching!
Ron, Great review. Loved the short demos segment, good choices and good ears! Still blown away by the Sapphires. Keep it up buddy.
Thanks, will do!
I like your faster cadence in your presentation- much more listenable 🙌
Thank you! 😃
To my ears, the CSS has an echo quality, like the "hall" mode on older systems where you could choose preset equalization. The GR-research Brute sounds best overall in my opinion, though I expect the CSS would sound awesome at spicy listening levels when playing rock and roll, where critical listening isn't as important.
Now this is a fantastic review. This is how all speaker reviews should be. Well done Ron.
Appreciate that Mike!
Ron, this is awesome. Knowing what a speaker sounds like given all the variables makes it literally impossible to really know what a speaker would sound like in our own rig/room. Your description is good but highly subjective. HOWEVER, your selection of material, close mic method, and use of comparative models is as good as I have ever seen. I have herd some of these speakers and this technique helps a ton in knowing the RELATIVE sound of Jays speakers, by comparison. Bravo!!!!
Great review! Love the review format. The detail with subjective and objective broken out by audio bands.
Glad you enjoyed it!
CSS Typhon has two obvious flaws that are also intentional.
1º The logo is too big
2º The lower box rumbles, it needs internal reinforcement.
The speaker furniture must be INERT no matter what. If we want to color the sound, let us do it later via DSP, tubes (preamp)..
👉Those two problems are easily solvable. I would release a new edition, CSS Typhon II.
I have listened to the clips with my modified KEF Q100 speakers (which sound much better than the originals), in near field, that is, without the need for headphones (which bother me).
By the way, I am not convinced by the sound of the GR Research The Bully. I like more the MoFi (I love my little coaxial), but it needs a sub in a big room.
- Greetings from Tarragona (SPAIN/EU) -
Hey maty,
Logo being too big is being addressed as we speak and I can agree with that some just don't like that big logo. However just a bit of correction here; while I am not claiming the cabinets to be perfectly inert as there is no such a thing, the Typhons have "more than sufficient" bracing inside the cabinet to accommodate for the amount of bass and extension the Typhons put out.
@@Jayiyagi Making the logo a less bright shade of white will help also.
A DSP bump at 100Hz will give a hefty phase change there, tuning the cabinet to do it will not. Having a bump at 80-100Hz is often preferable for a lot of genres.
But in comparison I found the rumble annoying. It is not a boost in the response at 100 Hz (according to Ron), there is something else. Internal resonance or incorrect bass-reflex design or.. Ron could plug them to verify it.
It is your product but you should consult with the owners of the CSS. Present and FUTURE users will value the commitment to EXCELLENCE.
"The Dude who talks to dead people." You earned my respect with that.
How I wish GR-Reseach understood the part aesthetics play in this game. Those Brutes sound really good, but they look like they were made for the back of a pickup truck.
Ah, dude, they are a kit and you can finish them any way you want.
@@bayard1332 I know, but these are an example of the assembled and finished Brute that's also available.
@@bayard1332 Yea, but these are the assembled and finished version that's also available.
@@bayard1332 Yes, but these are the assembled and finished versions that are available at a higher price.
Yes, but these are the assembled and finished versions that are available at a higher price.
I think the only speakers that came even close to the openness of the Sapphires were the Mofi 10 speakers.
I thought the Sapphires sounded the worst with the Mofi next. Sapphires are open sounding but the tonality just sucks.
Thanks to your review, Ron, I picked up the Yamaha NS-2000A for an awesome deal. Phenomenal.
Those M3 Sapphires are astonishingly good makes you realise just how coloured boxes make the sound
🔍Time Stamps:
00:00 Start
02:28 Treble Impressions
09:10 Midrange Impressions
15:35 Bass Impressions
19:35 Soundstage Impressions
20:53 Sound Clips
28:37 Speaker Measurements
30:07 Final Thoughts
For someone sensitive to sibilance👀 This is the response curve you want😊 I found an abandoned patent online for a crossover that does exactly this. Great review Ron. 👍
Lol if you're sensitive to sibilance, this is exactly what you don't want
Thanks for your hard work on this Ron. The Typhons came in last of all of these speakers. And I watched till the end, because you have not given up.
The brutes seem a bit more detailed, but i prefer the presentation of the typhons. Not a fan of the mofis and ive spent a good a good amount of time with them in multiple different systems. The saphires i also enjoyed from the demos but open baffles sound very different in person than over youtube videos
Thanks for another great video, Ron. I am very particular about vocals sounding nasally. I don't think I have ever had a speaker that I didn't have to EQ it out. As far as this lineup of speakers, and of courses knowing that they may sound different to me in a live situation, the Typhons were the only set that I did not hear a hint of it on the male vocals. Chesty definitely.
I’d agree with that!
Great review! I would never send back a speaker to have a resistor 'adjustement' ! I would do it myself because the possibility of damage in transport plus losing my speaker for maybe more than a month is unacceptable to me. Having a switch or something with a + or - 2 db on the back would have been a better solution. Thanks!
Given that the bass/midrange crossover is spec'd at 230Hz, the 100Hz being discussed is definitely (mostly) coming from the woofers and their cabinet. The midrange is being rolled off a little more than an octave above this.
. Well, their interesting. LQQKs like the crossover is in two parts. Seems their a good candidate to bi-amp. Ron mentioned Tubes up top. Maybe a Class D (yuk) for those woofers which, although Jay correctly choose paper, are probably a little sloppy with rubber surrounds & porting (edit) needed to get to 30Hz'ish.
. I do like the 2 piece cabinets. for sure.
Great speakers all the way around. Danny's Brutes sound quite good also.
Spot on, bloke! The sound comparisons are an awesome addition to your presentations. Sonically clever!
Different flavors of ice cream. Sounds good. Last song sounded more realistic on CSS. The sapphire was the clearest but the guys voice in the last round sounded best on CSS. Source Points seemed closest to the Sapphires in clarity
I'll be damned. Chesty was the exact word I was using for some of those. Especially the MOFI's. Those seemed to be beaming as well in the midrange. I was really surprised how well the GR's did and wished that you had a pair of Caladan's. It was a revelation when you got to the male singing. It was like the guy had a cold and it was gone with the Typhon. Pretty impressive.
It is hard to believe that some presenters get away with simply talking about gear and having a zillion views. I appreciate your method. Saffire, CSS, black ones, MoFi. MoFi has a boost similar to the boost frequency area of a Neumann U87. That would definitely get old quick in playback . Desired In tracking though. Crisp like an apple bite in Autumn air. Could be charming for a while but annoying in the long run. PS, I bought a pair of 4309's from Safe and Sound on your recommendation. I have 4430's in my main rig. 4309's in my bedroom system
I have the Paul Carmody designed Tarkus speakers which are a tribute to the Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy. These CSS are very similar. My lower cabinet uses a 10” instead of the dual 7” here. Amazing ❤
The CSS Audio Typhon sound best to me.
That’s great! As I said, a lot of folks will really like them!
thanks for the extra hard work, might be the most effective sound demo technique ive ever heard.
Wow, thanks!
Waiting on Jay to chime in and say "now tell me how you really feel Ron"
CSS sent an Email today (8/7) as to Typhon Closeout. Why...We are shifting our focus this year back to kits, custom speakers, and sharing knowledge with the DIY and audiophile community.
Sounds like the speaker I wanted. I enjoy my Polk R700 but wish they had more top end push like these. I like bass heavy, treble heavy. I hate forward, bright, and fatiguing speakers. I did not know I liked Jay so much.
I owned a pair of css audio two ways.
Be sure to listen to a pair before spending time building a kit or buying them.
Great way of comparing sound from loudspeakers...
Great review Ron like only you can provide. I absolutely love how you present and discuss your reviews with detail. Even listening through YT I could hear the characteristics you noted. I just want to say, thank you sir for your great and enjoyable reviews!
I appreciate that!
Best review and demonstration I have seen on the web, do more!! My favorite sound were probably the M3's and then Danny's. Worst looking Danny's. Can't wait if you do the same with Clayton's new speaker, way to go!
Excellent review, and I especially appreciate the sound samples, which were very well recorded and gave us several speakers to compare. But ... two or three of the samples were almost entirely vocal -- it would be great to get recordings of more different instruments, and across the entire frequency range. Also interesting how the well-reviewed SourcePoint 10 sounded so tubby and congested compared to the others. Thank you.
Tweaking around instead of listening to MUSIC... yeah you have a point there. I'll take your advice, put on some favorite music und listen to my current stack. Enjoy with a glass of wine...🍷
They aren't warm. They just have paper woofers and dome tweeters. I have the 1TD-X and I believe they are voiced close to the same. Listening for hours with no fatigue is what they are about. They still have great detail, soundstage, and imaging. Bass is plenty for a small speaker.
I just found a great match for my 1TDX. The new Musical Fidelity A1. These two are a great match in terms of tonal balance, and not being overly detailed.
The MF A1 is one of the finest amplifiers I’ve heard in my 55 years of the audio game.
@@ChicagoRob2 I loved the original when it came out so this was a no brainer. Topped some big name integrated amps in my house.
@@Temmple The MF A1 is definitely a giant killer, if you can live with its limited output. Another amp I have at the top of my list is the Schiit Aegir(now the Aegir 2). It’s one of the most musical amps I’ve ever heard, while retaining a neutral/warm signature. It’s smooth, transparent, and extremely immersive. It’s also the cheapest amp to make Stereophile Class A rating.
In Italian, vowels do not change their sound the way they do in English when combined with other vowels (like how fad becomes fade with the addition of the e). The Faber in Sonus Faber Is pronounced F-ah-ber.
Sonus Faber is actually Latin. No such words in Italian. The word Sonus is obviously sound, and Faber was a common name of craftsman in the 16th century and before, sort of like "Smith" in English.
It’s not easy to compare the true articulation of the details on a video. There was a difference in the Typhoons presentation. I might call it laid back. It was almost like they weren’t in the front of the audio presentation. Hard to get the real sound using a recorded then reproduced audio recording. Nonetheless, they sounded good from what I could tell.
Building the distortion right into the speaker design means that everything played through that speaker is distorted.
Wow, the Source Point 10s and Brutes have a unique signature compared to the others. Cant wait for your reviews on them.
So you're saying that these speakers are a little fartiguing? Nice review Ron.
Haha, I see what you did there.
Honestly, feel like there’s a lot wrong with this speaker. Thanks for the unbiased review, Ron! 🎉
Audio clips, comparos are always the best here!
It caught my attention that when I closed my eyes on the Sound Clips just by listening every time I said that "it sounds nice" when I opened them there was always the MoFi Electronics - SourcePoint 10 or the 8, I really don't know how to recognize them .
Always in comparison, the CSS Audio Typhon sounds much more bassy, in fact they sound so bassy that it reminds me a lot when I'm in a corner of the room, I'm going to ask a perhaps somewhat stupid question, the microphone in all the clips was always on the same location?
Because perhaps that would explain the not so controlled bass, the good but a little silvant treble is very obvious in the recording, compared to the others it gave more body to the singer's voice.
Axis, asix, axs...whatever. We won't leave you Ron! Nice review sir. Guns Up!
To me, the Typhons sounded the most natural and balanced in the clips. Weirdly the open baffles had a more "boxy" sound at least in the recordings.
Sapphires all the way,, 🥰
Compared to all the other speakers in the sound demo, the Typhone has less clarity and it is reflected in the frequency response. The drop of of almost 3-4 dB between 1kHz-7kHz took out that clarity but too much of that will make the speaker sound bright and harsh.
So the marketing department didn't come up with that term in the title? Very thorough review.
The upper bass resonance broke the deal for me. I agree with your younger self when it said, the less resonance, the better.
Pretty please review the new Bully from GR Research.
I think the Typhons had better tone in the mid range but the Mofi 10's won out for me overall.
I heard sibilence from everything except the GRs
Same, here
Wow the open baffle is the winner.
But I have to admit that they are close.
So long as one has a sonically optimal listening room, especially behind the speaker to optimally handle the rear reflections, then open baffle speakers may win, but it also depends on the specific recording one is listening to, as some recordings sound more natural with a lot of reflected sound, and some recordings sound better with only forward firing speakers. It's not simply a matter of the music genre, but the way the recording was done. Unfortunately, with regard to open baffle vs forward firing, and tube vs solid state, there is no single system that sounds best for all recordings.
Wow, ok. Really I can't say one way or the other dude. I wasn't in the room and was just compareing over the internet with headphones.😎@@Mark-rw3kw
GR Research for the win.
Listening to the sound of the CSS, what I'm hearing sounds "exactly right"; I know what speaker I'm hearing in the sound tests without watching the video. The speakers without 'bloom' sound flat but also dry, grayish and unnatural by comparison. While the CSS Typhon speakers may have the smallest bit of vocal proximity effect, they sound like being close to the performer in real life.
I thought the CSS audio sounded the most balanced to me, the sapphires sound a bit shrill.
GR-Research Brute - they sound great. (to me anyway!)
the best in fact to my ears!
I’m not crazy about the aesthetics, but they really good to me. I wish I could audition a set, in-home.
The Brute is a truth-teller, in that it is very neutral.,
Besides the very linear response, the Brutes have outstanding dynamics.
Oh no ! Clayton Shaw isn’t bringing the Caladans to the SWAudio Festival ? 😢
GOOD JOB RON!!!!
I would love to try those Saphires, don't think my room is big enough.
Liked the video - thanks for the audio clips!
What makes a speaker sounds bright is in the 3000 Hz area . People seem to think it's in the 10000 zone but it's hard to hear above 14000 and also there's not a lot of instruments and information being made in the 10000 frequency range. If you look at a frequency analyzer and watch what frequencies are actually being produced you don't see hardly anything in the 8000 and above area. What makes it fatigued is around 3000 and they have that dip and that's why it sounds warm.
Ron bringing the goods as always on this review! As a Maggie 1.7i owner I love the open baffle sound but the sapphires just weren’t shining on this audio clip. I’ve heard them before and love them in person. The typhoons were my 2nd favorite with the vocal weight and texture. I can hear some smearing but it’s a smooth sound. The GR research speakers sounded the perfect blend of the technicals and resolution of saphires but had weight and impact similar to typhoons but no smearing. The gr research looks like crap and built for a dorm room.
Hello Ron; great video as alsways :)
How about a brute review ?
Would be awesome
Coming soon!
great; i am watching you since the legendary AS1100 review and your videos have always been imroving @@Newrecordday2013
What! How dare you say I shouldn't spend so much time measuring the distance between the little chairs I use to suspend my speaker wire which keeps it from touching the floor! I can almost hear an audible difference.
Don't know. But, I think that the vertical axis lessen, doesn't that help with ceiling deflections? I don't know.
CSS Audio Typhon or Danley Sound Labs SM96? From 80hz-20khz, the SM96's are the better deal by far. Looks? The CSS are probably nicer since even though Danley's can be aesthetically customized, I've never actually seen someone take Danley up on that deal. So, I have nothing to compare.
I know the question I posited above was never considered in the point of this excellent video. I just couldn't bring myself to buy a pair of the CSS Typhon speakers especially with a purposefully added cabinet resonance.
4:40 ... alternatively they could have included a tweeter level control and saved their customers the time, money and hassle of shipping stuff away for minor adjustments.
Q Acoustics concept 500 jumpers for highs came to me mind
@@maciejsobiesniewski6411
Nope ... a simple L-Pad (a knob on the back) would do the job very nicely.
Depending on the crossover an L-pad may do more than just change the tweeter output, possibly changing the tonal balance. An off the shelf L-pad is typically low quality in comparison to the higher quality components used in this kit. Offering this level of service is pretty exciting and sets the bar high for other manufacturers. I have bought more than a few speakers I would send back for a change of the service was offered.
@@rhodes2you
The entire point of a variable L-Pad ... a rheostat, basically ... is to change the tonal balance of the speaker. It will increase or decrease the tweeter level, which can have only one effect.
There are high quality L-Pads that can be used...
I don't know that shipping half of a speaker away for absentee adjustment when a simple knob on the back would solve the problem is a bar that I would like to see set. Twist the knob to your satisfaction, job done, then and there... and, lookit that.. you didn't have to ship anything anywhere.
@@Douglas_Blake_579 Outside of a first order crossover its not that simple. Use the software of your choice (I use xsim) to model response changes with the use of a generic L-Pad. Throw in a series notch filter and model it again you see that this can get complicated quickly. We don't know the circuit used on this tweeter so we don't have any way to truly model what would happen if you installed a generic L-Pad on this speaker. My above argument is why most companies will go to rotary switches or jumpers to change the tweeter attention. Rotary switches and jumpers offer the engineers the ability to control the effect and quality of components. For this design I think they use Mills or possibly Mundorff resistors, I don't think anyone offers an L-pad that matches that quality.
CSS Audio Typhon sound amazing, my pick if I could afford, I can't.
I wish the Sapphires has the Typhons’ tweeters. That’d be my pairing preference…
Cool soundtest. 👍
I don't see why one should be at all concerned about the frequency response 12 to 16 inches above the tweeter. Given the height of the speakers, and that the angle of upper unit can be adjusted, I don't see how that would even be a concern.
I was trying to analyze the waterfall report from the video, and it is a bit confusing to me compared to the ones that GR-Research does, which are more intuitive.
All the speakers sounded good and pretty close in sound except for the mofi source point 10.
I usually associate farting with ports making nosies. Sounds like this is a cabinet resonance or similar? (Which coincidentally might be leaking out the port, but not necessarily caused by the port. Resonances can be tricky to track down.)
Where's Clayton's latest design from his new company? I thought that you liked it even more than the Sapphire.
Will be here this Saturday.
Sapphires clearly the best
the no box sound is rely different maybe more natural for me..
It is common for rooms to bloom at or below 100Hz so never a good idea to intentionally do it in the speaker. With that said, I don't see the 100Hz bloom in your graph of your room response. If anything it's at 50Hz to 60Hz which again is common in many rooms.
And this isn’t a common room.
I was looking for the same thing. wonder why it did not show up.
Steve huff is such a quack, he’s got soooo many people fooled
in what way?
@@quma001he has a second channel making people believe he can talk to dead sprits…. Do you need anymore explanation.
Haha, I completely missed that. I always enjoyed his camera and audio reviews. I find them very relaxing, but I prefer to let the dead be dead.
@@quma001he gives off a really creepy vibe.
Everything he reviews is the best sounding- fill in the blank- he's ever heard.
your French gets better with every pronunciation of "electrocompaniet" 😉
Are those GR Research speakers to the right of those modular speakers?
Yes
they all sound good enough, although I think i was drawn more to the mofi & GR so which 1 cost the least ?
They're in roughly the same price range fully built. Though if you don't mind going the DIY route, the Brutes can be had for a fair bit cheaper.
@@hoth2112 thank you
Hey human, will you ever review a speaker like the Ohm Walsh or the Larsen?
Thank you 📯
The Typhon's sound much like the Wharfedale Evo 4.4 speakers I own based on the sound demo. It has that slightly muted sound in the vocal range. Not a fan.
I am not Danny's biggest fan but admittedly the GR Research sounds best, That tall thing does not differentiate the bass and vocal well it smears together. GR research you can hear the edge between the two easily and is much more natural and easy to listen to, Those tall boys need a lot more work to equal Danny's creation
I have a pair of Sonus Faber Cremonas. How dare you !! 😂😂
Configure mine to WAP
What am I missing? Is the price given at any point? I'm 13 minutes in and have no idea of the cost. And wouldn't it be pronounced "Tie-phon" like "Python"?
I say "Tie-Fin" which is close enough. "Tie-Phon" is probably more accurate.