With all of the success and positive feedback surrounding the Lii Audio F-15 driver, I was curious about another one of their reasonably priced drivers ..... the "Fast-8".

So I obtained a pair to see how they would perform in my low profile open baffles .....

The QTS is slightly lower than the optimum value, but at .6 it's pretty close.
A sensitivity rating of 94 db means that they will have around a 97 db perceived efficiency in an open baffle ..... so that is a plus.

Of course, after setting them up and allowing some time for break-in, the obvious question would be "how do they compare to the WBAL Betsy drivers" .....

It's an interesting contrast for sure.

As might be imagined, a question that I am asked (via email) on a regular basis is "which drivers do you use and prefer in your home listening room between the original Betsy, the Betsy alnico and the Lii 15 ?"

My sincere reply (which I shared with several of the attendees of the recent Decware Fest) is "whichever drivers that happen to be playing at the time".  That answer is not a cop out.

Each of these drivers has its own set of charms and they all make music and make me want to spend time in my listening room .....

So ..... how does the Lii Fast-8 fit into the mix ?
My initial impression is that it is well named ..... it is "fast" indeed.
The sound is not as "full" and warm as either of the Betsy drivers, but the speed and detail are a bit better.
The bass is very tight and digs surprisingly deep for an 8" driver.
With a little help from my subwoofer, the overall sound is very good.
As to which is "best", it will be a matter of personal taste and preference as are all things in this hobby.





I am seriously considering offering these as an option on my website.
The cool thing is that the price point would put them just about squarely in the middle between the original Betsy and the alnico Betsy.

For the DIY crowd, this driver should work very well in a two driver baffle paired with a larger driver for bass ..... or with a subwoofer.

I will post something to this thread if these are added to the line.

Larger photos here and here.

Happy listening,
Randy

Randy,
This is right timing as I was just searching for the dimension on the 8" betsy for DIY with my existing alnico 8" FR..

In any chance, would you share the baffle dimension.?

Thanks.

Hi Randy,
Thank you for the sharing.
Just one more info require, what is the center speaker position from bottom or top.

Thank you again.

Randy,
If you inverted the baffle on the Fast 8 what would be lost?
Would get the speed plus some of the additional warmth of the original?
Would the interaction with the floor muddy the sound?

Dana

That's what grills are for.  About that,  what are the chances of a Betsy speaker grill?

Update .....

I have a couple of pairs of the Fast-8 drivers in stock .....

If anyone would be interested in a pair of baffles with these drivers, just add $ 90.00 to the price of any speaker that uses the original Betsy driver.

Options can be found here.

Several of the "exotic" plywood versions are out of stock and will not be available in the future. My expectation that there would be a demand for "something different" was incorrect.
The best sellers in plywood are still red oak and Baltic birch.
Go figure .....

If you have any questions, please PM or email me.

Happy listening,
Randy

Hi NTheo,

The reason I don't countersink the drivers is that the baffles I offer are only 3/4" thick and there wouldn't be much depth left for the mounting screws.

Some day, I might offer thicker baffles and flush mount the drivers ..... but the 3/4" thick baffles have been well received by my customers.

I really don't have any experience with chipboard.
For the past few months, I have only been offering baffles made from solid hardwoods because the results are better than using plywood and working with hardwood is more satisfying (for me) than working with plywood.

The chipboard worktop would probably be OK ..... but I have no idea what the results would be sonically.

Best wishes,
Randy