Dayton III's

[wsdavies]

I bought the kit to build the Dayton 3's (about 2 years ago)and screwed up in making the cabinents. I'm just wondering if they are worth giving it another shot, or maybe I should sell the kit and just buy some entry level B&W's or maybe some Wharfedales...What speakers do you(those of you that are familiar with the Dayton III's) do you think they compare with? Also, does anyone know where I can find the pre-assembled cabinents for these? Cheers WS

[kexodusc]

Pre-assembled cabinets? Not likely, but you might check Parts Express, they have some cabinets.

Or, you could probably make use of one of the smaller pre-fab cabinets and build the Dayton Budget's (D2's)_, which are similar to the BR-1's.

The DIII's IMO compare very well with the Paradigm Monitor 5's IMO. I use my cousin's Monitor 5's for alot of comparisons. There's alot more bass punch, in the DIII's, and a bit less high end detail (and sibilance/harshness) however...the midrange is a wee bit better IMO, but I found the imaging about equal. The soundstage is forward on both speakers in my opinion.

I'd say you'd be looking at forking out $600-$800 for comparable speakers sound-wise (looks is entirely up to you) but I doubt you'd get the bass performance at that price. The D3's POUND! Bass is clearly it's strong point. The only downside is these are 4 ohm speakers, so make sure your amp/receiver is up to the task.

[wsdavies]

Thanks for the response....What's a good A/V reciever that will push 4 ohms(I'd prefer something musical and warm sounding)...I was looking at the HK 630, but I think that runs 8ohms at 75 watts high current. I'm thinking I'll have a cabinent shop cut out the MDF for me and have a buddy help me wire the x-overs

[kexodusc]

wsdavies: I've run 4 ohms speakers of Marantz, Yamaha, and HK a/v receivers. Warm sounding, and enough juice to drive 4 ohm loads...that HK is EXACTLY what I was thinking. The 630 is a good choice, very powerful. You could probably go down a few steps and easily get by, the D3's are pretty efficient.
I just might be a bit hesitant to rock the neighborhood with a Sony or Kenwood entry level unit.

[wsdavies]

Very cool...The 630 is on sale for 780 on Amazon...which seems like a steal...I don't really care about 7.1...My first goal is 2 channel sound and then to built up to 5.1 HT...Music always comes first for me...I also have the Dayton DVC 12 inch sub that I've been debating whether to run in my house or in my ride...Do the Daytons really need a sub with the Bass the put off? Is it mid bass..or low bass? Cheers WS....

[kexodusc]

I don't consider midbass until at least 120 Hz...maybe higher...so it's definitely low.
I'd recommend a subwoofer though, the bass starts to fall out in the 37 Hz area, and you'll want a sub that can fill in the bottom octave down to 20 Hz. I don't know how discriminating your tastes are, but you should be able to make a go of it with the 12" DVC.

Good luck.