Over the past few weeks, interest in the Lii 15 baffles has been brisk to say the least ..... and I am currently waiting for a shipment of drivers (scheduled to arrive early in December) to complete orders in the build queue .....

However, I thought that the following is worth mentioning and consideration .....

There is no denying the amazing performance of the Lii 15 driver.
They produce a BIG sound, even in my low profile baffles .....

The sensitivity is pretty amazing and a two watt per channel Decware amplifier will light up even a large listening room with a pair of these speakers.  Most importantly, they make music.

I have lost count of how many email inquiries received asking me which of the speakers I offer is my "favorite" ..... the original Betsy baffles, the Betsy alnico baffles or the Lii 15 baffles ?
To the surprise of many, my sincere and honest reply is "whichever pair happens to be in the system when I am sitting in my listening chair".

This answer is not a "cop out" ..... each speaker has its own strengths and they all make music and make me want to spend time enjoying my music library.

To verify that I have not become totally delusional, over the past couple of weeks I have invited a couple of audio buddies to join me in extended listening sessions using the baffle versions mentioned above.
Both of these friends are long time audio buffs who have owned a lot of equipment over the years and have excellent taste in music.

The unanimous conclusion concurred with my opinion as stated above.

The amazing value of the original Betsy baffles has not diminished in the least. They are capable of filling a good sized room with music using a two watt per channel Decware amplifier ..... and when paired with a ZROCK, an inexpensive powered subwoofer or an additional baffle with a larger driver (powered by a subwoofer amp) create a very satisfying full range music system. They are involving and have a ton of "finesse".

I am more than happy to sell whichever speaker version that a customer desires ..... but feel that a reminder is in order not to "sell the Betsy baffle short". That would be a mistake ..... especially considering the musical bang for the buck and satisfaction that these speakers provide.

Just something to consider ..... especially for music lovers with a "smaller piggy bank" .....

Happy listening,
Randy

Randy, thank you for taking the time to clarify what, to many here, has become a real issue. We frequently find ourselves pursuing what's "best" and walking away from what we really want: to make music reproduction affordable and enjoyable.

I have asked Randy on the Betsy dimension for own DIY.
However I can't remember which thread that was. So I hope it's okay to share the finished DIY Betsy with 8" FR Alnico here..

I have also posted over FB in those OB & DIY pages and these are the few comments received;
- how can.?
- the on-axis response has a worrying rise in the presence region.
- no eq or impedance leveling techniques employed
- baffle shape puts too much baffle edge equidistant from driver center
- a circular baffle is the worst performer, and this is heading in that direction
- put another dime's worth of metal into that effort
- i believe is just quick test for listening, he will be doing a proper design..

And many sarcastic emoticons..

As for my personal review..
I thought of a quick test for listening session.. then I was stuck to my chair.
The Betsy was just 6 foot in front of me but I couldn't hear any sound from them. I dimmed the room light and they just disappear..
All the music and voices was right at the front wall stage.. Every single note was up there precisely.
I am very impressed and have moved my existing Triangle Quartet floor stand to the side.
And I'm not sure why there are many out there which is not convinced or accepting this barrel shape thing..

Thanks again to Randy for this wonderful barrel.

another pics

Very nice, Anthony!  Who is the manufacturer of the driver?

Hi Vooraphile,

Very nice .....

Thank you for the kind words .....

I decided to stop reading and contributing to most of the "audio forums" a long time ago.
From my experience, a lot of the "contributors" have more of an interest in talking about audio and debating "audio theory" rather than listening to music.
Many of them are "slaves to the numbers" and don't have the ability to think outside the box (pun intended).

A lot of the "eq or impedance leveling techniques" I have heard in the past do nothing but smear the sound, mess up the phase or suck the life out of the music, in my opinion.
There are a few exceptions (the Decware ZROCK among them), but I prefer simplicity whenever possible.

I learned a long time ago concerning audio equipment that "if it sounds good ..... it IS good".

There has been more than one visitor to my listening room who entered with the thought that "there is no way this stuff will sound good" and sat there with their foot tapping ..... often for two or more hours.

Quite a few of them went home with a pair of my speakers .....

Best wishes and happy listening,
Randy

Very nice looking speakers.  Wish there was a way to compare drivers.  Like those vs the Lii Audio Crystal 10s.  Those sure look nice.  Well done.

Hi Tom,

Yep .... I'm at the point in this hobby that an audio system either sounds good or it does not.
If the system is stinking up the room, it doesn't take long to figure that out .....

I used to suffer from a severe case of "audio nervosa", but am pretty much 100% recovered and am enjoying the music.

Happy listening,
Randy