Hi Danny:

"I could not be more pleased with the quality of the sub, and now my entire system."

Congratulations on your "Titan"-ic sonic achievements, and enjoy the music! (And we should say to Ray: "May the 'Force' be with you!")
-Bill

mdhoover February 20, 2006 23:27

Ray,
Thanks. No spikes since it sits on a hardwood floor. Instead, I ordered two sets of "Happy & Unhappy" balls (1.5" diameter) from Edmund Scientific - www.scientificsonline.com - and sliced the two unhappy balls in half, one half for the bottom of each Titan leg. This is a tweak I picked up on Audio Asylum. The "Unhappy balls" (a.k.a. "sad balls") are made up of an extremely effective energy dissipating material (Norbornene). In effect, it decouples the speaker from the floor. It seems to work really well and is a cheap tweak, my favorite kind. I ordered a pair of Canare LV-77S subwoofer cabels from www.bluejeanscable.com. I tried integrating the sub with the included CD and an SPL meter, but eventually just did it by ear: After setting the phase I dialed the sub's volume and cross-overs to their lowest setting. I put on a bass-heavy CD and dialed up the sub's volume until I could hear it flesh out the bottom end of the music. I then dialed the sub's volume down a little. Then dialed the cross-overs up in frequency to fill in the "hole". I like it alot. The bass is full and so tuneful. It is the best sounding sub I've heard. I don't know if the sound changed much during break-in because I set it on a high cross-over level and let it play mostly while not at home. However, it never sounded bad even from the start. For me, I feel it turned my very good system into a great one. I could not be more pleased with the quality of the sub, and now my entire system.

rockadanny February 20, 2006 21:35

Hello Danny ,I emailed ACI about the Force,1 to 2 weeks for delivery,just waiting for Uncle Sam now!I also have a wooden floor,do you have spikes with your Titan? What cables are you using? Any set up tips you can pass on to me?Come on ,,,tell me how good your Titan sounds!!!So the dog and cat were not much help huh!LOL ,Did the sound change much during break-in? You have a very nice system,,im guessing the Titan has really kicked things up a couple notches(or should i say down a couple octaves)Thanks,Ray

raytheprinter February 18, 2006 03:00

Rockadanny,
It's not necessarily surprising that the crossover point is turning out to be lower than what you'd initially mentioned. I have my Rel Storm 3 crossover set at 27 hertz, and Quadophile has his Rel Strata mkIII set at 25 hertz. Of course yours is a different brand, but some of the same setup principles MAY apply (or not, who knows?). Keep us posted on your progress.
-Bill

mdhoover February 08, 2006 23:07

First round of measurments with SPL meter to dial in the sub last night. I used 80db as my reference, playing warble tones from 200 - 20Hz and successfully drove the dog out of the house and the cat to her furthest, darkest, hiding spot. My wife was not home at the time so I'm not sure what her reaction would have been. (Actually, I know precisely what it would have been which is why I waited until she was gone.) Man, does my room suck. From 200 Hz down I got me a giant roller-coaster response curve. One surprise that surfaced was that I have thus far ended up setting the cross-over very low, to 35Hz. My mains are rated -3db at 55Hz so I expected to cross at around 45Hz. It looks like I have a few more rounds of dialing before I'm happy. But my room is so bad I'll have to treat it and then do more testing.

rockadanny February 08, 2006 22:54

Hookup: The sub normally comes with speaker-level converters (amp speaker outs wired to converters to connect to the line-level inputs on sub) but were missing from my order so I had no choice but to hook up via pre-outs from my amp (even though it is integrated with no power-ins, it has two sets of pre-outs). In anticipation of the sub's arrival I ordered a pair of cables from blujeanscable.com: Canare LV-77S (well shielded; cheaper than cables offered from ACI).
Crossover: I keep messing with it between 65 and 45 Hz. I will soon do some SPL measurements of my mains and the sub to determine the best setting. Then I'll fuss with it until it sounds optimal. I agree with Mdhoover - I will not stuff the ports on my mains. I tried it. It does not make sense to alter my mains which are excellent. The Titan is adjustable enough to not have to do this.
What I really need is a sub-adjuster-slave so I can bark out different settings while I sit listening in my listening spot (frothy, cold, firm-headed mug o' liquid hops in one hand; remote in the other). For a moment I considered asking my wife, but then I came to my senses. The dog just stared at me when I asked her. And the cat ... of course I'd not ask her ... I'm not an idiot. I think results from the SPL measurements will speed up the process enough that it won't be too long before I'm satisfied with the settings. The sub comes with a setup cd (sine-waves and warble tones) and you can download an MS Excel spread sheet from the ACI web site. It already has the Rat Shack analog SPL meter fudge factors baked into it for easy plotting.

rockadanny February 03, 2006 12:37

So glad to hear the Titan sounds good! I also spoke with another member who said it integrated very well in his system,,,i will probably go with the Force due to a smallish room ,,,,,what method of hookup are you using?

raytheprinter February 02, 2006 19:39

You MUST tell us where you set the crossover. Low?
It's good to hear that you like it.

{{Someone else talked somewhere on this site--quite recently--about having trouble using an SPL meter to dial in their subwoofer. So my advice, for what it's worth, might be as follows: Don't forget to trust your own ears. I don't claim to be an expert, though.}}

Bill

mdhoover February 02, 2006 03:58

My beautiful ACI Titan arrived yesterday. I barely set it up - did not take any SPL readings yet - just dialed in the phase and volume, and guessed at the cross-over. I played some of my bass-heavy CDs:
Pharoah Sanders - Message From Home
Angelique Kidjo - Logozo
Material
Bahia Black - Ritual Beating System
Weather Report - Black Market
So far I have three words which describe what I experienced: dubya oh dubya!
It kind of reminded me of when I first got a microwave oven. I remember thinking, "how did I ever get along before without one of these?" Awesome fill-in and I haven't even purchased my diamond encrusted, platinum gold, cryptonite radiated, moon dust sprinkled, $8000/ft. power cord yet. ;^}

rockadanny February 01, 2006 12:28

Thanks Bill!

rockadanny January 26, 2006 23:45

"Bill,
If I set the crossover low, would I still want to stuff the two rear ports in each speaker?"

I can't say for sure, but I'd think that the answer should be a resounding "NO", because the Rel is intended to integrate seemlessly and unobtrusively into just about ANY system. HOWEVER, it MUST be set up correctly, as you point out. There's a GREAT review, right here on Audiogon, about the Rel Strata mk3, written by Quadophile, where he discusses this topic in DEPTH, and quite well, imo. Here's the link:

Rel Acoustics Srata mkIII--GREAT review posted by Quadophile

Another person to ask is Duane, who is a Rel dealer and is extremely knowlegable, and totally honest. He's also an Audiogon member.
Bill

mdhoover January 26, 2006 03:39

At least you love your system, We all hate ours. Fontaine are wonderful speakers, Enjoy.

surfgod January 23, 2006 06:53

Firecracker_77,
Black Italian granite is on the outside only: the two sides. The picture at www.egglestonworks.com shows the Fontaines on top of their custom box stands, which are integral to the Fontaines. But since they are stands, they do not have the granite, but black piano finish Lexicon. The baffle and top of the Fontaines are also Lexicon. IMO they are pieces of art as well as terrific sounding speakers. Thanks.

Bill,
If I set the crossover low, would I still want to stuff the two rear ports in each speaker? It is not that I did not like the sound of the Rel. I thought it sounded OK. It just stuck out like a sore thumb. Apparently, if the sub (any brand) is not well integrated, it really mucks up the system. At least IMO. Thanks for the input.

rockadanny January 23, 2006 01:18

Rockadanny,

One thing that may be helpful (or may not, this is just an idea) is placing your crossover point on the Titan very low. This would seem to be particularly likely to help if your mains are running at full range. I think it's pretty important not to get too much response curve overlap between the sub and the mains. One huge caveat with all of this is that my sub is a Rel, and you said above that you didn't like Rel's sound. Also, I've never heard the Titan, so I could be way off base. The idea is just a thought.

Bill

mdhoover January 22, 2006 23:58

I'll try the cd first. ACI's been doing this successfully for so long I'll put my trust in them. But if results are not satisfactory, I'll start searching the web. Not sure which method would be better. But I think the sub comes with speaker line adaptors (or cheap to order: speaker out -> adaptor -> RCA cable to sub) I will try both to see if there is a difference. Since this is my first sub I have no favored method as of yet.

rockadanny January 22, 2006 15:14

Hey thats great news on your Titan!I dont have much exp. with subs,from what ive read properly integrating them in a system and room seems to be the key ! Im also going to try stuffing the ports when i get a sub,seems like a good way to roll off some of the lows on the main speakers.I am wondering if i would get a more accurate bass signal by connecting a sub via my poweramp rather than the RCA output on my preamp,,i have a tube preamp and S.S. poweramp,,,,.The ACIs that are sold used seem to hold their value better than most!Are you going to use the CD ACI provides for setup,or do you have a favored method? Thanks,Ray

raytheprinter January 22, 2006 02:49

Rockadanny,

I was on the Eggleston website today. Do your speakers have the italian marble inside the cabinet or is that their top of the line offering? I bet those Fontaines sound real nice. Looks like a great set-up!

firecracker_77 January 22, 2006 00:41

Ray, no longer 7-8 weeks. Apparently ACI has been waiting for a shipment of drivers, which are expected next week. So all of a sudden I've been told mine should be built next week. Excellent surprise!
My integrated amp has an extra set of pre-outs which I'll use to connect to the Titan. But my amp does not have inputs to connect from the Titan so my main speakers will be running full range. I've read that stuffing the ports on the mains may be required. I'll try both ways. Even though my Fontaines are rated to only 55Hz +-3db, the two 6" drivers are ported such that they produce excellent quality, tight, tunefull bass far below 55Hz.
I have done alot of research and auditions. To tell you the truth, I've yet to hear any subwoofer I've liked (Rel, Martin Logan, B&W, etc.) They've all sounded like they mess up the sound to me. I can only suspect that they've not been properly integrated. You get a 30 day trial with the Titan and a setup cd. So if it turns out bad for me, I'll just ship it back. Then I'll have to figure out an alternative. However, I suspect it will be good, as I hardly ever see any used for sale.

rockadanny January 21, 2006 18:29

Wow 7 to 8 weeks ,Thats about how long i waited for my Supratek! A testament to how good ACI subs are maybe? Im guessing that you have done your homework regarding the Titan,,,,they do sound like a very good sub from what ive read,,,do you have a prefered method for hookup? Very good price too!Ray

raytheprinter January 21, 2006 04:13

Just ordered a Titan yesterday. They are 7-8 weeks behind ... Boo-freakin'-hoo! What's a bassless audio schlep to do? I will report once it gets built, arrives, set up, broken in ... Sheesh! Next post in May!?

Side note: I like this system so much I hate to listen to CDs anymore at work on headphones (admittedly, cheap player and cans) or driving in my truck. Damn these Fontaines!

rockadanny January 19, 2006 21:55

Hello Danny,Im doing a bit of research on subs to go with my Caravelles,ACI is on my short list,looking forward to your thoughts on the Titan when you get it!The Fontaines look great ,bet they sound great too!

raytheprinter January 19, 2006 21:13

Doh! I almost sold my Fontaines!? ...
After scraping up some dough (soon to arrive) I finally decided I would purchase a new ACI Titan subwoofer to complete my first high-end audio system. My wife was less than thrilled. Even though she agreed that the Titan was beautiful, she still did not want it in our living room. I began thinking of compromises and realized that if I took the money earmarked for the Titan and parts, sold my Fontaines, and kicked in a few hundred more dollars, I could order a pair of Salk Veracity HT3s which do not require a sub. Not a bad compromise, eh? But after conteplating on this for a couple of weeks, all while listening to my current system of course, I've realized that I do not want to give up my Fontaines. They are just too amazing ... and my wife agrees. So as soon as that check gets here I'm ordering a new Titan. Yee-haa!

rockadanny January 16, 2006 12:33

Very nice first system. I'm sure you'll get many sonic chills down the back. Enjoy. By the way, I have an almost identical walnut table as pictured by your speakers, though yours is in better shape.

sgr January 07, 2006 14:58

Nice system...you did good! I saw somewhere a power rating of 120 watts a channel into 4 ohms for your amp.

Dave

sogood51 January 06, 2006 19:02

Congradulations on your first system buddy! Enjoy and don't get too caught up in upgrades and tweaks or you won't have time for music.

robm321 January 06, 2006 17:17