andrewjburke

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $2299.00 from North Acoustics

Summary:
Well I finally sit down to write a little review about these speakers. Summing up, they are superb. The sound is simply effortless in all aspects. I have heard a lot of music that I have simply not heard before with my Shamrock Audio Eire. Basslines have become defined down to each attack & decay of a drum skin. A melody can be isolated down to an individual note on a guitar. Despite this seemingly analytical account, the sound they produce is completely coherent and incredibly listenable. The musicality just draws you in & sucks you up. You can plan to play 2 tracks, and wind up on the couch for hours just 'hear that track'. Spatial presence is another strong point for these speakers, the soundstage is very large & well defined; both for width/height but also depth. It is quite discernable that the percussion is to the left rear of the solist... A note on construction... The crossover components used in this kit are unbelievably high quality and purely massive. 8ga air core inductors throughout, silver stranded ptfe cables... pure class. The attention to detail is reflected in the sound of these speakers, which is glorious. A big thanks to George for producing such a kit for the DIY community.

Strengths:
A whole lot

Weaknesses:
not easy to move around (HEAVY!!) Not cheap for a DIY system, but worth every cent. No commercial system within 2x the cost can touch these speakers

Similar Products Used:
Shamrock Audio Eire Dynaudio Confidence

Price Paid:  $950.00 from North Creek-Vision C

Summary:
***Review Of Vision Center Speaker**** I could probably sum up this review in one statement. I plugged it in and my wife said, “Wow, I’m glad you bought this, it sounds great and I can finally hear the dialogue in the movies” Putting this statement in context, my wife has never been glad I bought anything audio! A little more subjective review...these things are just one more in a great line of North Creek Products and if it’s possible, the Visions are even more detailed and articulate than my Rhythms (see my Rhythm Review). The Rhythm’s that I purchased several years ago use the Scan Speak 9500 tweeter, which is an excellent tweeter, while the Vision comes standard with the Revelator tweeter (The Rhythms can be upgraded). In my opinion, the detail of the Revelator tweeter with the 5” Revelator Woofers is breathtaking. The center channel is as good with concert DVD’s as it is with movies and the Vision Center has integrated wonderfully with the Rhythms in my home theater. As the North Creek site states, these really do need a subwoofer to shine. As far as the kit goes, the instructions are good, the crossover comes completely wired and the cabinets are not terribly hard to construct. As a person who doesn’t know the difference between a Capacitor and an Inductor, North Creek has always patiently answered my questions and all of my projects have been a great success. I honestly don’t know how one can come close to the quality of any North Creek speaker in the retail sector without spending many times the money. Info: www.northcreekmusic.com

Strengths:
Detailed, punchy, very articulate, looks good.

Weaknesses:
Doesn't go below about 70hz...sounds a bit thin without a subwoofer.

Similar Products Used:
SEAS Center Channel kit (Replaced w/vision) Vienna Acoustic Center

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from North Creek Music Sy

Summary:
These things sound like crap! Do not even think of listening to the Rhythms until they are broken in. I just could not imagine how these new speakers could go from sounding so bad to sounding as good as NorthCreek and the various reviews claim. I left for about 7-8 hours and came home, opened the door and had never heard Jeff Beck sound so good! Just fantastic sound. I made the Rhythm 9500 Project two years ago for around $1200 total and I’ve enjoyed listening to them every day. I found whole experience of building and assembling this speaker project very enjoyable and rewarding. The excellent reviews are absolutely justified, just don’t listen to them until they are broken in for a day or so! (To be honest, George Short told me to let them break in several days before serious listening, but still…)

Strengths:
Excellent quality components.

Weaknesses:
The Revelator Signature Project is next.

Price Paid:  $3000.00 from North Creek/Lee Tayl

Summary:
Well I fianlly took the plunge and bought the Revelator kit with broken in drivers. After reading the reviews here and studying the North Creek site I figured it had to be worth it. I had already been using the North Creek X-Over parts for a while in upgrading some Tannoy MX-4 speaker and was very impressed with the quality. The cabinet I ordered from Lee Taylor and Lee did a first rate job.....really professional workmanship and everthing had been done except the drilling of the holes to mount the drivers. I ordered the Rosewood veneer and I am very impressed with the finish/look.....compares well to any top end stuff out there. As for the sound.....well I agree with everyone else who has posted here: Absolutely fantasic sound from these beauties. They take a while to settle in (the usual 100+ hours) but when the sing they surely put up a great performance. I don''t believe you will get anything this good for less than 6k new in the shops. Now that I have the reference speakers, the weak link lies somewhere else in the system. Hmmm that Wadia 301 CD player comes to mind. Well done George for an excellent sounding set of speakers at a very affordable price. Current System: Highly modified Rotel RCD971 CD player Rotel 1090 Pre-Amp Rotel 1080 Amp Goertz Micro Purl Silver interconnects My own "home brew" Transparent speaker cables

Strengths:
Verall sound quality, weigh about 100 pounds each, beautiful finish

Weaknesses:
None that I can think of.

Price Paid:  $1400.00 from North Creek Music

Summary:
It took a long time to decide to buy a 'kit' speaker. I have built speakers for many years, and came across NCMS searching for suppliers of the Scan-Speak drivers I was planning on using for my next project. I was VERY impressed with NCMS website, the detailed information, and the knowledge George Short seems to have in speaker design. The crossover components he uses are unbelievable!!

I bought (3) Rhythm Unlimited's for my front channel speakers, and 1 pair of Borealis Values for surrounds. I also went for the additional money to have the drivers broke-in and matched. . . .$3000 total with shipping. $3200 with the required wood, glue, and drywall compound. It took me 2 weeks working in the evenings a couple of hours each night to build the cabinets and finish the project.

The sound is unbelievable!!!! I have friends who are very picky about their music, and they always have wanted to pick apart every speaker I have ever built myself. . . .They are speechless when they listen to my Rhythm's!!! To tell you the truth, I still cannot believe them myself!! I have been in many high-end audio stores in the Dallas area, and I have yet to hear a speaker that compares to these. I am sure there are speakers better, but I would bet they are more than $1500 a pair!!

If you can build a cabinet using the plans George supplies, you better give North Creek a try!!!!

I have also tried the Borealis for other than surround. . . See my review of it.

Brian

Strengths:
Sound Quality, Price for what you get!!!!

Weaknesses:
Have not found any!!!!