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SPEAKER FORUMS >> Betsy Open Baffle >> New betsys
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Message started by Tripwr1964 on 02/16/17 at 14:34:43

Title: New betsys
Post by Tripwr1964 on 02/16/17 at 14:34:43

Couldnt resist hooking these babies up prior to finishing them!
I think ill be able to live with these. They are a joy to listen to at lower volume, near field listening (when family is asleep). very articulate and quick. Cant wait to break them in and get some liseed oil on them!
Might make these part of my 2.1 ht setup. I like the ability to move them around easily. I dont have a ton of space so nice to move them into the room while listening, then put them up agaist the wall when fiished.

Oh and Randy is a joy to do business with! Thk you

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 02/16/17 at 18:08:56

Hi Tim,

Very nice audio system .....

Thanks for the kind words and sharing your thoughts about the Betsy baffles.

Happy listening,
Randy

Title: Re: New betsys pluse augie update
Post by Tripwr1964 on 03/05/17 at 22:25:32

been working on my augie and finishing up the betsy's.

added a block which has some dayton audio 5ways and WE 16gage wire.

the addition of the augie is a keeper... might as well put the sub amp in the rack!

got about 40-50 hours on the betsy's they are starting to come into their own very nicely.

truely enjoying this combo!!

Title: Re: New betsys 5way block
Post by Tripwr1964 on 03/05/17 at 22:28:41

just made this out of some homedepot poplar wood and srewed it together with brass wood screw (little glue) and added some western electric 16 ga that i had in the parts box.

Title: Re: New betsys footers
Post by Tripwr1964 on 03/05/17 at 22:33:22

also had some mapleshade footers left over from my gallo speakers (yes larry and lr they should look familer!).

only had 4 of them so added some smaller dayton footer to the rear. this gives 3 pts to ground and a little tip back.

i haven't screwed up the sound yet... lol!

oh and these haven't made it over to the HT system yet!!!

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 03/06/17 at 02:15:02

Hi Tim,

Wow ..... I really like the things you have done with the speakers and the system and room are looking very good .....

As I mention on the Betsy Questions page of my website, there are several things that can be done to possibly improve the performance of the speakers.
Not all of them will work for everyone, so I neither discourage nor endorse any of them.
I make the speakers simple for cost effectiveness and ease of shipping and let the end user decide if they want to do any mods.

Please keep everyone posted on the things you are doing .....

Best wishes,
Randy

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Tripwr1964 on 03/07/17 at 02:53:36

yes randy i'll keep you informed.... these things are totally wasting my life! every time i sit and listen i can't get my a$$ up for 2hrs (or more)!

tonight i messed around with the toe in. in my room they like a pretty aggressive toe in, like others have mentioned. i have mine crossing over a foot or 2 feet in front of me. that's the ticket! completely removes any edginess and creates a very liquid/smooth sound that has a deeper stage. the stage is still a foot or so above the betsys, but much more depth. it's as if sitting on the edge of the stage with the band. very cool.

just my thoughts for the evening...

btw the disc that got this all straight was exodus quartet, way out there. highly recommended if you like that latin acid jazz stuff. and the augie thumps it out!

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Tripwr1964 on 03/09/17 at 02:26:51

and life keeps getting better! these augies make it all come together.
i need to start moving things around... running out of room.

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 03/09/17 at 14:23:22

Hi Tim,

First ..... thanks for the heads up on the Exodus Quartet album.
I don't have anything like that in my music collection and am always looking for ways to "expand my horizons" .....

Your listening room is looking good.

A full range OB speaker system can be pretty amazing.
It has been my experience that some folks take a while before they really wrap their heads around what they are hearing ..... but once they do, they do a lot of smiling .....

Happy listening,
Randy

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Tripwr1964 on 03/12/17 at 17:06:31

yeah these augies (2x) are the way to go. they compliment the betsys so nice and fill the room with luscious low end. and it isn't that boxy shakin the floors and walls low end either. two of these babies really moves some air! stand next to them and they have your pants flappin' in the breeze! never thought an ob would do that.

i am going to experiment with some other room locations today and see what happens.

i don't see boxed plate amp subs in my future any longer.... this is something every audio guy should try. and you don't need augies either, DBC's alpha 15a's rock the room too. so no need to spend a bunch of cash.

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Jeff of Arabica on 03/12/17 at 18:54:09

Tripwr,
I couldn't agree more. I had a very musical, sealed Vienna Acoustics Subson subwoofer and while it did a decent job, it could never touch the quality of bass of these dual OB Augies that Randy just delivered to me.

Having dual subs was a decision I made not for volume, but for balance. Certainly one of these could produce the volume of bass in my room, but I wanted the bass to be seamless and better integrated with my mains. With my single subwoofer prior, you could always tell it was coming from the one general area of the room. With dual Augies in place, the bass is simply present and fills the room much more like a pair of 2-ch mains do.

Like Randy reported in the Betsy section of the forum, these Augies that he built me using the very dense and heavy Bubinga wood are incredibly "tight and tuneful." Those were his words and there is no point in trying to come up with a more fitting two-word description. It sounds like "real" bass, from a guitar, kick drum, etc. I thought I knew musical bass with my prior setup, but realize now I was clueless.

Right now, I am awaiting my Omega SAHO's, but luckily Randy had built me a pair of Betsy OB's a short while ago that I will eventually purpose elsewhere. But I called them to duty in my living room until the SAHO's arrive. I am not sure what to expect when the Augie's pair with the SAHO's, but I can honestly say, with these Augie-augmented Betsy's, I am no longer watching my calendar - just enjoying the music. This combination is superb! Without the Augies, the Betsy's alone do not reach down low enough and with my system, are a bit anemic. That is my observation, in my room, with my particular system. Together though, they do it for me. I am going to enjoy this arrangement for as long as it takes to get my Omegas, but I will recreate this pairing with the Betsy's and OB subs (with another driver of course now that Augies are gone) in another room.

Here are a few pics showing the beautiful wood and finish Randy did for me on these.

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Tripwr1964 on 03/12/17 at 21:27:19

Jeff,

wow! those look beautiful! like that wood on the augies very much.

i think we're on the same page wrt this combo. hell i have more invested in my maggie xo's than i do this ob system. it's incredible bang for buck (even with additional cost of augies). i am sure the alpha 15a combo is pretty good too (at even lesser cost). these are the first speakers i truly just sit back and enjoy the music. i hardly think about my gear while listening to my OB's (and i am more than a bit OCD).

oh and they like my big cary amp too. so betsy's are very versatile and can be used with a wide variety of amps too. that's a good thing.

i bought these to go into my ht.... not sure they are going to make it. may have to get another set! lol

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Jeff of Arabica on 03/13/17 at 08:29:20

Yeah, I agree completely. They are just a joy to listen to and forget about the dials and knobs - getting lost in the music.

This is bittersweet in terms of the combo as my Omega's are due to arrive end of this month or early next month so this duet will be short lived, at least in this room. This particular pair of Betsy's will be going to a new coffeeshop of mine that I am outfitting with a Decware tube amp and these Betsy OB's. That is why they look on a more rustic look as compared to the refined Bubinga Augies. For now, I will appreciate what they offer in my system and who knows, down the road I may have a need for a pair of these great performing and affordable Betsy's.

Great to hear that they tend to take to a variety of amps. If I do pick up another pair of these "just in case," Im not sure what amp I would connect them to.

The more I listen and tune the gain and crossover, the sweeter they are playing over a variety of music. I spent the majority of the day tweaking the settings on my subwoofer amp finding the sweet spot for these Augies. Its 12:25am and I am still listening away. Regrets will come when my alarm sounds off at 6am!

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Acetone on 03/13/17 at 17:35:09

You guys are making me drool over these Betsy's, and I haven't even heard them yet. Guess I need to purchase a pair and give 'em a go. Seems obvious that you can't go wrong for the price.

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Steve on 03/13/17 at 22:38:34

Jeff... I would love to have a coffee shop nearby with that sound system! ... I just build a pair of Betsy's and a Eminence Alpha 15 sub. Fantastic sound!

... Forgot to add, I had a ported 8" sub prior. Cost more and sounds ok, but not near as nice after hearing this OB sub.

Title: Re: New betsys
Post by Bottlehead on 04/03/17 at 04:27:05

I don't know what else I can add to what's already been said by others about these amazing little speakers. I got mine last Thursday, and have been alternating between breaking them in and listening to (and marveling at) them. I think that it's been said here that there are certainly more detailed speakers out there, and I have a few, but none that I have (or have heard) that are more musical or involving. I'm only @50 hours into the breakin, but color me WAY impressed.