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REVIEW: A.R.T. 311 Other

75.143.208.132


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Model: 311
Category: Other
Suggested Retail Price: $95
Description: 2-way stereo electronic crossover
Manufacturer URL: A.R.T.
Model Picture: View

Review by Epstein on June 29, 2008 at 17:48:11
IP Address: 75.143.208.132
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for the 311


I was having trouble dialing in my rig to a new abode and decided to try this inexpensive crossover. It's a natural fit for my equipment as I have a 75 watt solid state amp, a 2 watt 45 SET and 2-way high-efficiency speakers.

The JBL 2226 loves power and damping but the 45 amp is overall more pleasing to listen to and I was switching them in and out as the mood took me. The ART 311 allows both to play to their strengths. Plus bi-amping sounds so in-the-know, don't you think?

My best hope for allowing a collection of op-amps into my system was as a tool to help find the proper attenuation and crossover point of the compression driver to fit the new room. I didn't quite get that but I did acheive a sound far better than imagined and some additional clues to passive crossover building.

The 311 is a less than great design tool owing to the small dials and widely spaced markings of the crossover pot; it's more of a slide rule than a digital calculator.

I first tried it driven by a passive pot and switchbox I built and the controls set the same as my 1600 Hz, 14dB attenuated passive. There was little definition to the soundstage, marked attenuation of transients and a total loss of low level detail. Violas were lost in the cellos, bassoons little different than french horns and Emmy Lou Harris didn;t just swallow the last words of a phrase, she gulped all the words down.

Replacing the passive with my ARC LS-1 with upgraded caps, volume pot and chassis damping made a world of difference. Still some transient softness but most all the inner detail returned and the placement of instruments and voices was better defined. The wonderful aspects of bi-amping rose to the top; I could now have the tight woofer control of the Classe Model 70 with the SET magic of my 45 amp, although naturally as a composite of the two. Not a bad thing at all.

Fiddling with the controls: low and hi output level, 4th order Linkwitz-Riley crossover frequency from 250 to 6000Hz, hi-frequency attenuation, sub-woofer crossover and output level (mono) is hours of fun. Not only was I able to establish a very pleasing sound, I could Oz-like change my speakers from cowardly to brave and cold to warm and back again with a few adjustments. The unit is also revealing enough to allow audible differences in speaker placement in very small increments.

It should be pointed out that the inputs and outputs are XLR and 1/4" phono jacks only, your RCA interconnects won't work without adapters. I built my own with Switchcraft RCA to 1/4" phono plugs. The unit also has no feet. No feet? The horror! It's designed to be rack-mounted so if you place it on top of your DarTzeel pre-amp, do protect it somehow.

I learned that the 1600 Hz crossover point, not 1200 or anything in between of the Pi Speakers is indeed optimum and that when I go back to the passive crossover, some adjustments will have to be made to the attenuation of the horn. Not exactly a remarkable discovery but valuable, nonetheless.

Although it has enough hours on it to make these observations it's still within the 45 day return guarantee of Parts Express. The 311 won't go back though; it cost just(!) 2 tankfulls of gas and I can see myself using it in the future as I tinker with other speakers.

I now think all speaker builders everywhere should have an active crossover to fool with and bi-amping is more than cool, it's audibly rewarding. That's the one aspect I will sorely miss and soon I'll have to delve into passive bi-amping.


Product Weakness: wide, wiiide gaps between frequency markings on the crossover pots.
Product Strengths: Control flexibility and audio quality beyond it's price, benefits of bi-amping


Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Classe Model 70, DIY SET 45
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): ARC LS-1
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Marantz 8001/ VPI HW-19 IV, SME III, Benz Ace
Speakers: DIY Pi Theatre 4
Cables/Interconnects: White Lightning
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classical, jazz, new Grass
Room Size (LxWxH): 12 x 18 x 7.5
Room Comments/Treatments: Owens Corning 704 panels, R-13 roll bass traps
Time Period/Length of Audition: 3 weeks
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: A.R.T. 311 Other - Epstein 17:48:11 06/29/08 ( 0)