New Heathkit AS101 owner - First post.

[alancohen]

Build extensions for the back cover to screw to, An inch or maybe a lot- nobody will ever know.

So, after loaded with all of this response information, what are we supposed to do with it? Whip out the trusty 15 band EQ and trial and error the what looks like a 20db discrepancy by adjusting the EQ, doing another sweep, adjusting the EQ...? And then finding out we don't like flat response anyway?

Just curious, I didn't pay much attention to the products used in this exercise. How much would it cost to gather all of this stuff. I will probably just keep tuning by ear since every time I am financially ready to send my 416's to GPA in for a recone, some great deal on a set of speakers comes along and blows my budget out of the water.

Also, base and treble responce seams to be very volume db dependent. I bet the responce is very different @110db.

I had most everything I needed already: laptop, tripods, cables etc. I needed a good mic which thanks to Earl's recommendation was under $100 shipped. The software was free.

As far as bass and treble being volume dependent, I think that depends on your signal chain. My system includes a signal source (TT, computer CD player and cable box) and a very fast and transparent tube based preamp, phono preamp and 15W OTL amp. The preamp has a 3 input selector and a volume knob. The amp has an on/off switch. That's it. No tone controls, let alone an EQ. What comes from the source is what I get. It's uncanny how volume INdependent the frequency response is. I do not have to turn up the volume to hear excellent bass response. Even at very low volumes, heavy bass passages coming by just fill the room. Of course they don't pound my chest like at louder volumes, but I don't feel like anything is missing at low volume. Sparkling high-hats are right there regardless.

Now, a hole at 500Hz and a spike at 1K is another story. I'm not going to be concerned about it until I get everything bi-amped and see what a pre-amplifier active crossover offers. I'm still pondering Earl's suggestion to rebuild the crossovers and eliminate the L-pads. I think every crossover between the amp output and driver is going to have a signature it leaves on the signal. That's why full-range speakers are getting lots of play.

But like you say, all that matters is what it sounds like. I'm just having a little fun trying to figure out why I like some things and not others. My full-range speakers have a gloriously flat response, but sound restricted compared to these. Frequency response curves are two-dimensional. Music and it's successful reproduction are at least three.