Jim Holtz's:
Mini
Statements
Statements
Design Goals / Driver Selection
Curt: For those who lusted for the Statements, but for one reason or another,
couldn't squeeze them in their listening space or budget, or for those who
wanted a smaller version for surround duties, Jim came up with a nice looking
design that combines 95% of the excitement in 50% of the volume, and shaves
about $200/pr. from the Statements budget. To accomplish this, Jim chose a
TMWW topology and utilized a single Tang Band W4-1337SA, the Fountek
NeoCd3.0 ribbon, and a pair of Dayton RS180S-8's to hold down the low
end.
The big question everyone seems to have is: "How do these sound compared
to the Statements?" Well, they sound... smaller. The RS225's push a lot more
air than the 180's, and the tactile feel of the larger drivers is substantially
reduced here. That said, they have that same spacious sound stage as their
larger siblings, and nearly the same low end extension. Wayne and I went to a
lot of effort to obtain the same voicing as the Statements, and I think we came
pretty darn close. The midrange and highs give nothing up to their big brother,
even though a single W4 is doing the lion's share of the work. For smaller
venues, this is the one to choose.
Jim: The Statements design is one of those speakers that simply exceeded our
expectations. When I formulate an idea for a speaker project, I establish the
design goals I want to achieve and then start to research drivers to see if I can
find ones that meet the criteria. I then get a crossover professional (Curt)
involved examining my idea and tearing it apart looking for flaws. If it makes it
past that stage, chances are, it will be a nice speaker. The Statements came out
so much better than just a nice speaker, the Mini concept started to materialize.
The Mini Statements were a result of feedback after the Statements design was
completed. A center had been planned from the start, so when people started
making comments that they really liked the Statements but they were simply too
big, the Mini project started to take shape. Curt made the comment that once
we published the center design, inevitably someone would build three and stand
two of them on end for mains. That is when the Mini's officially came to life.
The goals we wanted to achieve for both the center and the Mini's were to
retain the Statements open, spacious mid range, the sparkling top end and still
have good solid bass down into the upper 30’s but in a much smaller
cabinet. Using a W/W/M/T configuration for the Mini's with the RS180's
woofers, W4-1337SA midrange and Fountek NeoCD3.0 ribbon seemed like
the perfect combination and an extension of the center so they could be used as
either mains or surrounds. The cabinet is based on a 50 liter ported enclosure
for the (2) RS180's sitting on top of a 3" tall base. However, the RS180's are
quite flexible and a cabinet size as small as 30 liters can be used. Theoretically,
they can be constructed as monitors as well as floor standing speakers with
appropriate adjustments on ports size and tuning.
Curt: For those who lusted for the Statements, but for one reason or another,
couldn't squeeze them in their listening space or budget, or for those who
wanted a smaller version for surround duties, Jim came up with a nice looking
design that combines 95% of the excitement in 50% of the volume, and shaves
about $200/pr. from the Statements budget. To accomplish this, Jim chose a
TMWW topology and utilized a single Tang Band W4-1337SA, the Fountek
NeoCd3.0 ribbon, and a pair of Dayton RS180S-8's to hold down the low
end.
The big question everyone seems to have is: "How do these sound compared
to the Statements?" Well, they sound... smaller. The RS225's push a lot more
air than the 180's, and the tactile feel of the larger drivers is substantially
reduced here. That said, they have that same spacious sound stage as their
larger siblings, and nearly the same low end extension. Wayne and I went to a
lot of effort to obtain the same voicing as the Statements, and I think we came
pretty darn close. The midrange and highs give nothing up to their big brother,
even though a single W4 is doing the lion's share of the work. For smaller
venues, this is the one to choose.
Jim: The Statements design is one of those speakers that simply exceeded our
expectations. When I formulate an idea for a speaker project, I establish the
design goals I want to achieve and then start to research drivers to see if I can
find ones that meet the criteria. I then get a crossover professional (Curt)
involved examining my idea and tearing it apart looking for flaws. If it makes it
past that stage, chances are, it will be a nice speaker. The Statements came out
so much better than just a nice speaker, the Mini concept started to materialize.
The Mini Statements were a result of feedback after the Statements design was
completed. A center had been planned from the start, so when people started
making comments that they really liked the Statements but they were simply too
big, the Mini project started to take shape. Curt made the comment that once
we published the center design, inevitably someone would build three and stand
two of them on end for mains. That is when the Mini's officially came to life.
The goals we wanted to achieve for both the center and the Mini's were to
retain the Statements open, spacious mid range, the sparkling top end and still
have good solid bass down into the upper 30’s but in a much smaller
cabinet. Using a W/W/M/T configuration for the Mini's with the RS180's
woofers, W4-1337SA midrange and Fountek NeoCD3.0 ribbon seemed like
the perfect combination and an extension of the center so they could be used as
either mains or surrounds. The cabinet is based on a 50 liter ported enclosure
for the (2) RS180's sitting on top of a 3" tall base. However, the RS180's are
quite flexible and a cabinet size as small as 30 liters can be used. Theoretically,
they can be constructed as monitors as well as floor standing speakers with
appropriate adjustments on ports size and tuning.
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