Hi Steve,

I have been giving some thought to possible additional finishes ..... we will definitely have to discuss the options when I'm in East Peoria.

So far, everything I have done has turned out pretty well ..... but the "Darth Vader" look is very appealing in my he shed listening room .....



I made another pair with contrasting (light colored) base screw buttons and they look pretty nice as well. That is probably the pair I will bring for audition to the Decware Fest.

Happy listening,
Randy

Greetings Everyone,

I thought I'd post my exploration and listening impressions of the Lii Audio F-15 drivers and purchase of a pair of Caintuck Audio Lii 15 baffles.

To begin I highly recommend the Caintuck Audio Lii 15 OB speakers. I listened extensively to the Lii Audio F-15 and Crystal 10 drivers at this years Decfest. The majority of the time was focused on Steve's wonderful Zen Master baffles, with an all 25th Anniversary Zen amplifier and CSP3 preamplifier. Some additional time was spent with a combination of a 25th Anniversary modified Mystery amplifier and 25th Anniversary CSP3. I also spent more limited time (a few hours early Saturday morning) listening to Randy's Lii 15 speakers with the same amp & preamp combinations as noted above. 

I really became enamored with the sound of the F-15 drivers, particularly in the open baffles. They handled all types of music and source equipment extremely well. Tonally these speakers sounded very natural on acoustical music and vocals. They also provided a solid bass foundation to the music which is sometimes lacking in single driver speakers. Steve's larger, 2" thick open baffles were absolutely amazing, but pretty large and heavy. The Zen Masters are definetly statement speakers anyone would be proud to own. Randy's smaller Lii Audio 15 baffles exhibited the same musical qualities, excepting the huge soundstage compared with Steve's Zen Master baffles. Soundstage height in particular seemed affected by the smaller baffle.

Given my interest in getting a second pair of speakers for my main system, I asked Randy to build me a pair of the Lii F-15's with sapele hardwood sides and a center maple board. The speakers look terrific and most importantly sound AMAZING in my small listening room (13.5'W x 15.5'L x 7.5'H).

I now have about 120 hours on the drivers, so they aren't fully broken in yet. In my listening room, the speakers present a super wide & deep soundstage with very realistic soundstage height. So any of my initial concerns about soundstage height were eliveated. Also, I tried placing the speakers on 10" high sand filled MDF boxes to see what would happen. Soundstage height did increase a bit, but the speakers simply lost their magic. These speakers need to be coupled to the floor to sound there best, right Randy😊.

In closing the Caintuck Audio Lii 15 OB speakers are one of the most satisfying stereo equipment purchases I've ever made. They represent an incredible value proposition for those wanting to simply hear great sounding music. Coupled with a Decware amplifier (mine being a Decware Mystery amp) and good source equipment you have system that sonically rivals the very best available at a cost most of us can afford.

HK

Waxburger and HK - Thank you for the informative reviews - lots of good information there.  I am curious about a couple of things:

(1) Have you used a ZROCK with the speakers, and if so how did the speakers respond?  Or is there plenty of bass without the ZROCK?

(2) Are the "high end" frequencies satisfying?  I believe that the Lii-15 frequency response is pretty flat up to about 14,000 hz.  From what I read, that is about as high as a "mature persons" hearing goes, but am curious about your thoughts.

Again, thanks for providing these reviews

HockessinKid - Thank you for the reply - very useful information!

I am closing in on 200 hours with Randy's Lii-15's. They just keep sounding better. The treble has really smoothed out. The bass, well that is something truly amazing.

I spun my new 45RPM MoFi Dire Straits "Love Over Gold" release yesterday. I was simply overcome with the intensity of deep bass notes on several songs. These speakers sound so incredibly fast with Decware 25th modded amplification that nothing gets lost in complex musical passages. It's absolutely magical.

I am looking forward to blowing a few minds of family members on Thanksgiving. Something tells me few guests will be watching football games here on Thursday.

HK

Hi Casey,

First of all ..... many thanks for taking the time to experiment with your system setup. Component matching and system setup can make a HUGE difference in the overall sound .....

The customer feedback on the Lii 15 baffles has been very positive.

Based on the emails I have received from customers, the Decware ZROCK can be a very useful addition to the Lii 15 baffles to customize the tonal balance.

Another option for those who are considering components for a new system is the Decware Rachael amplifier. The EL34 tubes give you a totally different sound than the EL84 / SV83 tubes in the lower powered Decware amps and the Rachael sounds superb with either the Betsy baffles or the Lii 15 baffles.

Just something to think about ..... it's good to have options .....

Happy listening,
Randy

I also have Randy's Lii 15 speakers and have the Sophia Electric 274B Aqua's in my system. Everything sounds better in my system with the Aqua as my rectifier tube. I highly recommend it.

I thought it might be helpful to share some suggestions based on advanced listening observations of the Lii Audio F15 speakers. Suffice to say this open baffle speaker and Steve's offerings have simply been revelatory.

Suggestion One: My 13.5' x 15.5' listening room had some limited Eighth Nerve room treatments prior to purchasing a pair of open baffle speakers. The room worked fine with my Omega SAHO XRS box speakers, which have a rear firing back port. The Lii Audio F15's really benefited from a set of good diffuser panels.

I used a set of 4 Pi Audio Group 2'x4' high density foam diffusers to start. One set placed directly behind the speakers and the other centered on the rear wall behind the speakers. I played around with several positions of the panels, this worked best in my room. The result was a super clean sound from my system, along with pin point voice and instrument placement with the expanded listening soundstage.

The diffusers seem to reduce/eliminate time smearing from the OB speakers. Diffusers made such a huge difference, I ordered a second set as previously recommended by Lonely Raven.

Suggestion Two: This morning I inserted a Pi Audio Group uberBUSS power conditioner. I seasoned it for 10 days with various appliances plugged in per recommendation of Dave Elledge (Pi Audio Group guru). All of my source equipment is plugged into the uberBUSS now. While the new power conditioner caps are not yet fully seasoned, I experienced the most enjoyable Holy Crap listening session of my life this morning. It's pretty amazing what room treatments and power conditioning improvements bring to a system and listening room.

My system sound quality now rivals what I heard at this years Decfest. With the possible exception of an upgraded turntable and phono preamp, I have reached that seemingly unobtainable level of listening pleasure that I really never thought possible. The level of true audio Zen.

Thanks to Steve, Randy, and so many Decware forum posters for the invaluable advice and guidance along my journey.  It's been an incredible ride and most enjoyable hobby pursuit for sure.

Enjoy the journey my friends. Hoping you all find your audio Zen moments.

HK

Archie,

Here you go. I plan on mounting the panels above the floorboard when my 2nd set comes this week.

HK

Hockey pucks under the IC's and speaker cables??? Who knows

HK

hello folks

5 weeks ago i didn't know open baffle speakers could sound good.  today i just finished building my first set using the F15 drivers.  they are pretty weird looking and have removable wings for tuning.  the drivers are sandwiched between the two panels using surgical tubing for isolation.  i just joined and have no clue how to attach a picture.

thanks to all for the inspiration

m

Hi OB nubie,

Very cool .....

When i first started building open baffles, it seemed that every week there was something new.

Your baffles reminded me of one of my projects .....





Larger photos here and here.

Happy listening,
Randy in Caintuck

Randy, did you find better bass coupling with woofs closer to the floor?
Lin, thank you for "right sizing" my pic.  i wasn't sure how to do that

OB

i really appreciate the wealth of knowledge that is here and i hope i don't try your patience with my questions.  what sort of music (or noise) is best suited to the break-in period and at what volume.  is there anything i should avoid doing for the first 40 hours or so?

i'm attaching a pic of the rear of the baffle showing the 4" side wings.  i'm compressing it this time....

thx

The low frequency output can actually be "tuned" by changing the distance between the driver and the floor.

You can also tune the bass a little by toe-in, i.e. pointing the back wave more towards the corners.

Hi Randy
I wonder what the magnum style adds to the baffle for the Lii 15?  Sound wise as well as portability wise?  Thanks. I think I may order the L15 unless you guys like something else for the Se84ufo25 I have coming now.
Thank you!
Andy

+1 on the magnum baffles for the UFO25th that you have coming.  That is what I have and an excellent combo.  Very easy to move around for a >60yr old guy.
Bob