November 30, 2015

Red Spade Audio now a dealer in Vicoustic Acoustic Treatment


Need acoustic treatment? We now sell Vicoustic treatment products. The main reason for choosing Vicoustic is that it's not that easy to find affordable diffusers and we want to introduce people to the benefits, without having to build them. We have been recommending these for quite some time to our clients using our room analysis service, so it made sense to follow up and provide the products.

Their polystyrene diffusers are an affordable and easy to install option.  They can be installed easily even in a rental using removable picture hanging strips.

Wood version:



Perhaps the most familiar of all is their wavewood panel.


 Vicoustic Wavewood panel (Nordic)

This is a hybrid panel that offers midrange absorption as well as high frequency diffusion. In many rooms, more absorption is required in the midrange region. They are ideal where a simple absorber might make a room sound too dead. Panels such as these result in a room that sound more neutral yet retains an element of natural ambience.

November 28, 2015

Red Spade Audio now a Rythmik Dealer


Rythmik Audio have been a DIY favourite for well over a decade.  And for good reason. Not only do they provide a great range of articulate subwoofers but they also cater to DIYers with kit versions.

How do they compare?


We've heard all kinds of subwoofers, both DIY and commercial. Regardless of price, none are more musical than Rythmik. 

The only caveat we need to mention is that they are not designed for punishment. They are designed for home theatre and audiophile applications. They are not designed for party use where driving them hard with music might occur. With that kind of use, they may be pushed to the point of thermal overload. This is not an issue for the vast majority of audiophiles.

Custom designs


We offer custom design for our clients. You may want to match your other furniture - we can help by matching with a painted finish or a veneer.Or in other cases, you may want a subwoofer that is visually integrated into your space. 

Aussies - buy local


Even if you simply want to purchase for a sub you will build yourself, you can buy from us. 

We can also provide custom kits.

November 26, 2015

Coaxial AV8C - a compact point source loudspeaker

Previously we only offered a very large point source speaker - PSE-144. Now we introduce a relatively small speaker which also features a point source.



We start with a well-built Italian 8" coaxial woofer with a compression driver integrated into the structure.

This pair was built in-house using DIY techniques, so the result is what is readily achievable with the kit. Duratex is rolled on with a foam roller - this gives a smoother texture than you get with the texture roller commonly used, which gives a fairly coarse result we see in PA boxes. We think this is a nicer finish for a home theatre.





The design includes integrated keyhole brackets to make mounting easier.

This design originated as a custom design for surround speakers to match a system that had 8" coax drivers on the main speakers.

How does it compare to our AV8? There are some challenges in using a coaxial driver such as this. The tweeter and woofer tend to interfere with each other. The response of both woofer and tweeter are not as smooth as equivalent drivers, where the compression driver is loaded into a horn or waveguide. The top end of the woofer tends to require more work in the crossover.






The end result we are very happy with. Although it was designed for surround use, we evaluate each speaker with music and expect even a surround speaker to sound refined and musical, such that we would be happy to use it in a music system. AV8C passes the test.

The value of a point source

In a 2 channel speaker a point source is expected to have superior imaging and this can often prove the case. However, we are often hesitant to go down that path as sometimes the compromises can be worse than the benefits. In its intended application, as a surround it will be experienced off axis in both the horizontal and vertical planes. This is where it comes into its own. Especially in a room where you have multiple rows, the coherence is a strong advantage. As Atmos becomes more widespread, this may become even more signirficant and AV8C is an ideal surround speaker.

November 24, 2015

Custom Scan Speak, ATC and Acoustic Elegance floorstander

We love custom projects! On the drawing board is a floorstander based around the ATC midrange dome. Includes a Scan Speak dome tweeter with a purpose built waveguide and a pair of Acoustic Elegance woofers. This will be a solid enclosure in piano gloss black and fully active.

Scan-Speak D2608/91300 1" dome tweeter


 This is a tweeter with an attractive price and good performance. This project will feature a waveguide designed specifically for this tweeter by Joe Rasmussen of JLTI 

 

What you may not appreciate from the photo is that it uses a very high quality plastic known as Acetyl Homopolymer.  More about the waveguide on DIY Audio.

The midrange driver for this project was sourced second hand. It is a well regarded ATC midrange dome. The magnet on this is larger than many woofers!
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 The woofer is a 10" Acoustic Elegance PB10.


This speaker will be active.

November 21, 2015

Custom high end Accuton tower

This is a custom project featuring high end Accuton drivers in a WWMTMWW tower configuration.


This will be an DSP active design.


Accuton C12-6 Ceramic Tweeter

Accuton C79-6 Ceramic Midrange driver

Accuton C92-6 Ceramic 6.5" Woofer


These drivers feature an integrated metal grille due to their fragile ceramic diaphragms and cones. They are easily damaged and come with safety instructions to avoid damage.