Product Description

The Enthraals Loudspeaker Kit by Javad Shadzi

A gorgeous build from Javad Shadzi.   You can see the entire build on the FaceBook group – The Loudspeaker Project Pad.   If not on FB, you can see the build attachment at the bottom of the description.

Speaker builders fall into roughly 3 categories. The guys that are tuned into the parts and circuits but have no woodworking skills, the master woodworker that isn’t sure how the crossovers are assembled, and then there are the ones that can do both.  Javad falls into the latter.   Not only does he take you on a journey of cabinet construction, but we also see his step-by-step process of the complete design details.

Drivers:

The tweeter is the OEM version of the RAAL 70-20 with an amorphous core.  The midrange is the CSS, LW7 and the woofer is the CSS, SDX10.  It is tuned with dual 10″ passive radiators – the ARP10’s.

How does it sound?

It’s cliche to say but I have been listening through my music library to song after song and am shocked by what I hear. A downside is it’s not always good, sometimes it makes the song less pleasing to hear, for example, a mic clipping in the recording is shockingly obvious. In one song I’m familiar with, I was convinced the RAAL was either blown or distorting badly, I scrambled to try to find out what was wrong, listening to another speaker didn’t reveal it. I finally listened to the song on my Beyerdynamics headphones and was relieved to hear it there too, it was the mic clipping in the recording ever so slightly (I can only assume).

Amplifier distortion is very noticeable in this speaker too, I can immediately hear the sound become colored and the tone change as I push the amplifier, it’s very noticeable as the amp clipping light starts to blink, the sound through the speaker changes immediately.

I am also very happy with the bass response from the Creative Sound Solutions SDX-10, this subwoofer hits every low note, has miles of excursion, and hasn’t gotten out of shape once in all my listening, it can easily drive my Adcom GFA-5800 into clipping and not get out of shape. I’m quite happy with the bass response but I will play with PR tuning a little to see if I can further optimize the bass and extend the response lower, but I don’t want to trade-off in the 30-50hz range which I’m very happy with.

The RAAL 70-20XR tweeter is as stunning as I remember it the first time I heard it in Jeff’s Testarossa’s, at which time I knew I had to work with this tweeter. There is a realism in this tweeter I’ve never heard before, and not the “cliche like you are there” realism, but this tweeter makes sounds that don’t sound like a speaker. Often I feel like I’m hearing a song for the first time, hearing sounds I’d never heard before, or shocked hearing notes or sounds in music with realism and detail I’ve never heard before in any other tweeter. In addition, the RAAL presents images in a “holographic” way, creating a depth of sound and realism in sound stage presentations I’ve rarely heard before. A real honor to get to hear and work with this tweeter!

The RAAL sets a high standard and matching it in the mid and bass section is no small feat, but I’m very pleased with how the CSS LDW7 and SDX10 keep up. The midrange is smooth, clean, and detailed, and overall this driver was very easy to work with.

The SDX10 really blew me away and makes the Enthraals a truly full-range speaker with a flat in-room extension to 25hz. What shocked me about the SDX10, and it’s something I don’t think I’ve heard in a 10” subwoofer, is that it maintains composure and tonality whether at 1mm or 15mm of excursion thanks to the XBL^2 motor. Normally as bass volume increases, I’m used to hearing a shift in tone and an increase in distortion, but the SDX10 does this better than any 10” subwoofer I’ve heard. 

The APR10 passive radiators work as intended, with two there is no danger of overdriving the PRs and even at full volume you rarely see them move more than 10-15mm. Final PR tuning is around 23hz. I ended up designing and CNC machining some billet aluminum dust caps to replace the stock plastic “plus plugs” which I felt didn’t keep up with the overall high-end nature of the build. In addition, I 3D printed some black plastic trim rings to replace the rubber “gaskets” that come with the SDX10 and APR10, also giving a more finished and high-end look. These trim rings attach to the driver mounting screws using high-strength neo magnets.

This is a very heavy kit and ships in 3 separate cartons.

Enthraals Build Thread

 

What’s in the kit?

Here is what you get in the Bare Bones Version:

• 2 x RAAL, 7-20RX Tweeters
• 2 x  CSS, LDW7 Mid Woofers
• 2 x CSS, SDX10 Woofer
• 4 x APR10, Passive Radiators
• Crossover parts – Audyn Q4 on tweeter or a Choice of capacitors, resistors, and specified Inductors
• Build Plans.

Here is what you get when you add the full kit option:

• Boards and terminals to build the crossovers
• All color-coded hookup wire
• Choice of Input Terminals
• All Mounting Hardware -choice of pan head or socket head screws.
• All Internal Damping Materials

Have trouble soldering or reading a crossover diagram?  We can assemble them for you at a nominal charge.