Equator Audio D5's

[elwoodblues1969]

Courtesy of AUDIOFANZINE's e-mail newsletter,I was apprised of the existence of Equator Audio,which was started by Ted Keffalo in 2007-who by the way,was the co-founder of Event Electronics,as well as being one of the initial members of Alesis Studio Electronics.

Up until a couple of days ago,I was brand new to the existence of Equator Audio and in fact,I was so skeptical of this company,that I virtually dismissed their product page,only having examined their products at a glance.
I presented my finding to the members of the TweakHeadz.com audio forum as a joke actually...for a laugh,but one of the most brilliant and distinguished members of this forum,moderator Liz Corin(professional audio engineer),had decided to do her own research on this company and as it turned out,she was very impressed with their technology.

However though,my skepticism was somewhat justified,being that Equator Audio has the virtue of being new to the market as a company and especially so,since they are offering an introductory price on their D5's for merely $300(list price being $749)...which is enough to make anyone cringe with doubt.

Upon first viewing the D5's,I immediately became turned off by the design of these quirky monitors,as they had that typical coaxial car-stereo-speaker design,which I never liked.
Of course though,we are not dealing with 20 year old technology,nor are we dealing with the configuration & environment of a car audio scenario.
Provided that the coaxial design is met with an appropriate cross-over network,upgraded components and a DSP system to correct transducer anomalies,the coaxial design,appears to be an ideal one.
By it's very design and coupled with the necessary enhancements,a coaxial design,inherently fixes phase distortion issues in the mid range,which is typical of monitor designs where another driver is placed above the woofer cone.

At a glance,the appearance of a coaxial monitor suggests that a single driver cone is responsible for reproducing all of the frequencies-but to the contrary,particularly with the D5's,the silk dome tweeter is housed within the bass/midrange woofer cone,so in essence,they are separate entities that function in the same proximity,to ensure that all of frequencies are delivered to the user at the same time.

Timing correction,is one of the most important functions of a speaker system,in terms of achieving the optimum,in transient detail.In order to achieve exceptional mid range clarity,a lot of high end companies will try to correct the phase distortion issues with radical tweeter desgins-which are effective,but usually expensive.
In the case of the D5's,it would appear that Equator Audio has achieved this,at a low cost that absolutely boggles the mind and I may have no choice but to take the plunge on purchase these very curious monitors!  

http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5_Studio_Monitors_with_DSP_p/d5.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWr8QNJ5ZHE






-Thom

[Oren]

Courtesy of AUDIOFANZINE's e-mail newsletter,I was apprised of the existence of Equator Audio,which was started by Ted Keffalo in 2007-who by the way,was the co-founder of Event Electronics,as well as being one of the initial members of Alesis Studio Electronics.

This guy has quite a pedigree!
I like the way the monitors look, and the technology behind the sound. Big on performance - without the bells, whistles, and metalflake paint...

[elwoodblues1969]

Yeah...for a while there,I was really obsessing about buying a 3-way system-particularly the KRK RP10-3 and I'm sure they would be wonderful to listen to in general,but for critical mixing....well,the KRK's are mid-fields and entry-level budget ones at that.
That being said,they would over-power the small dimensions of my room and on a technical standpoint,they are way under-powered for their size.
Here is a very compelling contrast between the KRK RP10-3's & the Equator D5's;

D5's: 5.25" bass cone,1" tweeter-100W per monitor...versus the RP10-3's 10" bass cone,4" mid cone & 1" tweeter @ 140W per monitor.

The Equator Audio D5's seem to be the best value I have ever seen and professionally engineered every step of the way and for a shockingly low price.

When I had bought my M-Audio CX5's,I was so impressed initially by their wide stereo field and an accurate representation of the low end,that my ears overlooked the sonic quirks of the mid range,as I had never done a close comparison between my two sets of monitors.However though and gradually over time,I began to notice that the mid range was convoluted,as my Adam A7 monitors indicated to me,just how inaccurate the CX5's are in this area of the frequency spectrum.

Now I know why the CX-series's price was dropped so dramatically,just before being discontinued.  

After a lot of trial & errors,I have gained an acute sense of hearing for such sonic discrepancies and I've also gained insight into just how crucial crossovers & components are,as well as the level of engineering behind the whole process of monitor manufacturing.

I really revel in the fact that the D5's cabinet is made out of solid would,has a metal face plate around the drivers and the bass port is not just a mere hole,but a meticulously tuned port design.

On the chance that the introductory price is in fact,a temporary deal,I've decided to take the plunge,by ordering a pair tomorrow...I mean hell,they even have a 60 day money back guarantee!  


-Thom

[Oren]

The Equator Audio D5's seem to be the best value I have ever seen and professionally engineered every step of the way and for a shockingly low price.
...I have gained an acute sense of hearing for such sonic discrepancies and I've also gained insight into just how crucial crossovers & components are, as well as the level of engineering behind the whole process of monitor manufacturing.
I really revel in the fact that the D5's cabinet is made out of solid wood, has a metal face plate around the drivers and the bass port is not just a mere hole, but a meticulously tuned port design.  

I like the way you're thinking, Pilgrim!