*Thanks for stopping by! Interested in other speakers from this brand? Click the like button on this video to let me know :)* Audio Craftsmen: wix1317.ositracker.com/345344/17738 Support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/jayiyagi follow on Instagram: instagram.com/jays_iyagi/ follow on Facebook: facebook.com/jayiyagiofficial Follow soundstage take 2 reviews: ru-vid.com/group/PLPOzvlhtSqn5xdc__ftuSt4Rxy_wm5Af0 Speaker stands: amzn.to/3ssRhI3 Better speaker stands: solidsteel.it/my-product/ss-7-vintage-hi-fi-speaker-stands/ acoustic panels I use: ua-acoustics.com/ acoustic curtain: amzn.to/31d1zAM BDI Cabinet I use: bit.ly/2OJRwQQ amzn.to/3chBuFZ other BDI Cabinets: bit.ly/3ctxXV1 amzn.to/30bsUCH my fav hifi tweaks: (Isoacoustics devices) amzn.to/3j5FGvM 0:00 Introducing Audio Craftsmen Victoria Audiophile Speakers 5:31 SEAS HiFi Speaker Drivers! 7:28 Audio Craftsmen Victoria Audiophile Speaker Sound Review! #homeaudio #hifi #audiophile
Good review! My only criticism is that I don't know if a $4,500 bookshelf ($5,250 if you include the stands) can be called a "very reasonable cost" speaker.
Jay - just want to say that you are really hitting your stride big time, man. Your video production and quality are excellent. Your delivery and communication skills are really shining! You've clearly been putting in hard work. Thanks!
Hey! I recognize those drivers! They are the SEAS Excel line. I have them in my Jamo Concert 11 floor standers. I got the speakers on the offerup app locally for 500$, and I had to replace the midrange drivers with these models to restore them back to their 1998 glory. The midrange drivers are like 250$ a piece and those tweeters are 500$ a piece. Very very smooth and clear sounding drivers in a 75lb cabinet. I bet these sound amazing like my Jamos with that constrained layer damping cabinet. Mine are constrained layer damping on the baffle, and the rest of the cabinet is just thick MDF with acoustic foam glued to the inside. I like that they went with the paper cone Excels instead of the Magnesium cones. The reason my speakers needed new 6.5” midrange drivers was because the magnesium cones like to shatter after years of use. The paper cones will last decades. Heirloom quality units indeed!
Good review. But for the average person anything over $2000 a pair for bookshelves is next level. And even $2000 is pushing it for a lot of budgets since you could almost get a decent set of towers for that price, like some Tektons, etc. $4500 then you need an integrated amp at least $2500-$4000 to power these, then a DAC of at least $1000 and if you're into vinyl, another $1500-$2000 and a phono pre-amp over $600-$800. Add all that up and we have: at the minimum over $9000 and at the maximum, well over $10,000 U.S. Now, that is NOT particularly expensive by AUDIOPHILE standards but for the average person, that's a lot of coin.
I'd be interested to compare them to my reference ATC SCM 19v2s. I recall Jay liked the 11's, don't think he's reviewed the 19s. I had both, the 11's were good, the 19s are on another level.
I think Seas manufactures some of the best drivers on the market. I'd say they're on par with Scanspeak, Dynaudio and Morel. Even the most affordable Seas drivers are fantastic.
It's good to see you reviewing small high quality speaker companies. I still don't know how a small speaker manufacturer would even be able for you to find them if you didn't stumble on them at the show
Interesting speaker. I know these SEAS elements, they are absolutely to my liking. I have now the 4 ohm version of this woofer in my car. This Excel element use the more musical membrane ( to my ears), than the magnesium membranes also found in this series of SEAS Excel elements. Don't get me wrong, those with magnesium are high end, used in superb speakers also. It's just my taste. At the price you talked about, I very much want to try these solid construction, and beautiful looking speaker. As you said, this high quality elements and solid box build are usually not to be found at this price, making this a handbuild bargain.
Hi there, Fair question... These Allen bolts are a bit thicker than a typical screw and it is just a matter of taste. We are happy to provide traditional screws with a pan head that will give a more flush look.
…………… 😖😭😏😒☺️ If you’ve been sufficiently persistent with this comment, in an attempt to find sone meaningful content? Then you’re obviously well versed with Jay’s videos! “Like I just said”. “So t speak”.
Would have been nice to see what the drivers look like alone, and what the inside of the cabinet looks like, to verify it's actually 1.5" thick, and how well the components are layed out, wired, and stabililzed.
OMG this is nothing more than more ubiquitous audio jewelry., stick with the clip stuff it's beautiful it's wonderful particularly the heritage series will beat out and pound these speakers into the ground at any moment in time feed them well
Hey Jay. Maybe consider reviewing Kinki Studio's new integrated amplifier CHocosound? I'd like to hear what you think of it. Thanks always from Calgary.
@@Jayiyagi Nice. Any idea when the review is coming out? Ballparking it, if you can, is it a positive one? I've had tubes for the longest time and looking to ease into SS with this amp for another system. Thanks!
That’s still a bit steep on price for an unknown company. Considering that dealer mark up almost always is 50% then the manufacturer is being a little greedy selling it at 4500 and not 3k, just saying.
Sure, I am all for lower price but speaker margin for dealers are almost never 50 percent. Also when companies adapt the direct to consumer model, they aren’t able to deduct all of dealer margin. Remember that dealers are given those margins as profit as part of their job. Now that job is to be taken care of by the manufacturer And considering the parts cost and r&d in a model like this with high craftsmanship… well, I can’t agree that the manufacturer is being greedy
@@spooner1 - With all due respect I think you're confusing retail price with dealer markup. Manufacturer's retail price is usually set at about 4 to 5 times their parts cost. That doesn't include their cost in design and engineering, just parts. Audio dealers typically have a 40 to 50% margin on new gear, that's the discount they get from the manufacturer. Many brands also have distributors involved in their chain so they have a margin as well which impacts the retail price.
Hey Junior, as one of the world's best speaker engineers I can tell you that double layers of what should be the question that you're asking. Mdf vs Hdf means nothing. What weight are we talking about for the cabinet material? Sorry, when you have the decades of experience that I have then I may listen to you.
@45 seconds pause the show are you seeing the fit and finish I'm seeing? Yeah the Audio Craftsmen Victoria speaker looks rather stylish, thumbs up to you if a mid-century style is your baby. Anyway I have a special request for a speaker review I'm looking at the LALS Classical 12 SE-G speaker from Taiwan, the design and visuals float my boat. So Boutique-fi from the far east is slaying it down and the overall visual styles are superior both inside and outside of the box. I'm peeping the Jay's Audio, CDT3-MK3, with the lid off and I'm thinking this makes other brands look suck in comparison. I like to see what the most passionate guys are doing whoever they are and wherever they are in the world. Keep up the good work Jay!
I was going to mention the veneer work on that left speaker too. I figured it was a loaner pair so they might get damaged from time to time from different users.
Jay, any idea why they surface mounted the mid-range/bass driver rather than flush mounting? Also, they did not roundover the front baffle. I wonder why?
Will you sometimes check out the new Epos ES-14 N speaker - made by Karl-Heinz Fink (EUR 4.600,- / Pair including stands) or the FinkTeam Kim (EUR 13.500,- / Pair)? Other suggestion in this Quality Region: Ascend Audio Sierra LX (USD 1.600,- / Pair)
Hot Dam those look great ! Thanks Jay Having those thicker cabneits really helps alot from cabneit noise in my experience speakers like this are more easily to disappear in the room vs thin cabneits '
Hi Jay what were those small Italian tower speakers you reviewed a few months back? They were small towers, and definitely not Sonus Faber. I thought the name started with an S.
Thank you very much for this interesting video. I love the combination of SEAS Excel and silk dome tweeter of my old stand mount speakers: OPERA LOUDSPEAKERS CALLAS (5 tweeter per speaker 😆) from Italy. You ever heard of these speakers?
Great video, Jay! Would love to see a review of their entry model, Laval. I can't find a video or on-line review of it. They have a generous 'try it at home' and return policy and free world-wide shipping. I've been looking for a bookshelf speaker in that price range for my Belles Aria integrated. Thanks!
4500$ is affordable for you !! It is the what I paid for my Monitor audio gold tower speakers. At least this is a known audiophile company that make amazing speakers
Thanks for sharing the new kid on the block. However, when I see these videos of any bookshelf speaker 2k and up I shake my head. These being at $4500 I shake my head more. I instantly think...tower speakers same or less money = better value. Towers have more drivers and larger cabinets for more output and larger frequency range coverage. There are plenty of 3k towers out there that will make save someone money and offer overall more complete sonics.
The problem with MDF is not the thickness or the weight etc. The problem is the processing. Tools such as saws or milling cutters become blunt very quickly and often have to be replaced. A cost factor that should not be underestimated.
Sarcasm ? or are you genuinely suggesting that hardened tool steel will wear out faster when asked to cut that 1.5 inch _Medium_ Density _Fibre_ board ??? Come on now, a person with decent teeth could probably chew through an MDF board, a material so soft and prone to chipping that even flat pack furniture companies only use it on their cheaper lines ! lol.
Yes, chip board raises hell with cutting tools. You can actually see sparks come off of carbide saw teeth. Ask any cabinet maker. So first research, then be a sarcastic twit once your sure.
🤔 manufacture is calling it 88dB sensitivity, transfer function plot in your video has it looking like 85dB sensitivity. Would appear to be more of the typical manufacture over optimistic sensitivity stat we see time and time again in $tereophile review measurement section 😕
@@Jayiyagi Pretty easy to Google Audio Craftsman and find Stereophile write up from CES 2016. Includes a picture, references Thom Pahmer, first show for Audio Craftsman. Maybe what you saw was 2023 Model debut. Does not appear to be a NEW company debut in 2023.
@@jfritzy4358interesting. Could be that he showed the prototype in 2016 and took another 7 years before finalizing (a lil long but pretty common) Not 100 percent sure what happened in those 7 years but what I do know is that the company was officially debuting at axpona in 2023.
Hi there, Yes we did show an early single model at CES 2016 but that experience led nowhere as the show was very poorly attended. We realized that we should create a fuller line and went back to have a good think about what we wanted to do going forward. During this time Covid happened and that set the project back. We took the time to developed a signature design and created all new models. The only hold over from that early showing is the Z stand. We are now open for business and AXPONA 2023 was our real debut.
@@stompinthom Thanks for the clarification about the debut at AXPONA 2023. COVID certainly messed up many things. Best wishes going forward as your products do appear to be REAL high end quality.
It would be fun to gamble on how many pair they actually ship. My number is 42 pair in a year. That would be a quarter million in sales. Not too many companies that have to pay rent or a single employee can survive on a 1/4 mil in sales.
@@billybunter3753I wasn't aware you coiud judge the sound of speakers just by looking at them. I wonder why reviewers put up with the hassle of receiving, unboxing, hooking up and placement in room, when they could get the same result just by looking at a picture of the damn thing!
Jay, you lost me at passive speaker. Why, in 2023, would any speaker manufacturer offer a passive speaker? We are so far beyond that. This speaker is just a rehashed studio monitor. You can get one 10 times better at a fraction of the price from Nuemann, JBL or Presonus... and it be self-powered.
The concept series from Q Acoustics also uses the same constrained layer damping as enhanced mass system. I’d like to see what they do if they built a larger speaker with say 2 8” Nextel woofers, a 5” Nextel midrange and the same crescendo tweeter.
That would make it a $10k+ speaker pair for sure, probably even $15k. A constrained layer cabinet big enough to utilize dual 8” Excel woofers, and a sealed constrained layer chamber for the midrange/tweeter pair would be expensive AF to manufacture, and you’d be talking about 2000$ in driver parts alone per tower.
You spend $30K on a car and get maybe 10 years use out of it. You spend $20K to $30K on a stereo system and can get a lifetime enjoyment from it. Priorities. Even for those who aren't "mid rich".
maybe but nobody goes and pays 30k cash for there car either.usually its a 10 year pay off or the likes,if your priority is to waste your hard earned money on speakers i would say your priorities are a bit wonky unless your rich or make serious dollars. @@rosswarren436
