SL-2 tweeter question, buyer tips requested

If it’s any consolation Rack, I discovered this the hard way…

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I’m going to get them. Life is short and I have always wanted to see what the fuss is about. Will put them on the end of a Qutest 32.5/hicap/250 and we’ll go from there.

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Good for you! Plenty of advice on setting them up and getting the best out of them here for you as required…

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Good! You are in for a treat then.

One tip from me is that need to make sure that you have a good quality hex key (Allen key) to tighten the tweeter arm bottom bolts. They have to be done up very tight indeed to stop the tweeter arm from moving under its own weight. If your key has any wear at all, then buy a new one before you start assembling. And take care not to let the key slip out of the bolt head as you tighten it. This is easier said than done.

Best

David

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Just to add to David’s post above; when you come to tighten up the bolts on the tweeter arm, do make sure that the legs are seated as far into the base as possible, and make sure they don’t try to move up and out as you tighten up the bolts - they will do this unless you push down on the arm quite firmly as you tighten. If they do move then getting everything perfectly aligned is pretty much impossible.

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To follow on @Richard.Dane 's point, I found that you can actually push them too far. When I did this, the tweeter’s were a couple of millimetres out of alignment on the vertical (compared to the hole in the top box). There is a round point in the arm pegs on the base, and the base of the arm should settle easily into this point.

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There isn’t a round point on my SL2 arm pegs. Perhaps it’s a mod that was introduced during later production.

Best

David

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Thanks guys. Hopefully you all will be on the Forum next Tuesday night in case I find myself in a quagmire!

Actually, I expect to report back that everything sounds amazing and the SL2s got me to the Omega Point.

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You’ll be fine setting up the SL2s once the base is level the rest is fairly straight forward.

Hope you enjoy them they are an amazing speaker the best I have heard.

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You’ll be fine. Just take your time and follow the instructions I wrote for the FAQ;

Thanks Richard

It’s time

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Exciting my friend!

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They’re amazing, and they’re not even set up properly. They are level, but I haven’t had a chance to optimize the tweeter position.

I put them in the living room with the 32.5/hc/250. Heard them for just a few minutes - wow - before my two year old came home and lunged at the tweeter. I intercepted him but that was enough excitement for me. The wall mounted ATCs immediately went back in place and I moved the SL2s to the bedroom.

Now they’re being fronted by a CD5x and a CB Nait 2 that was restored by AV Options. I am well aware they can do justice to a source like the CD 555 but it sounds amazing. I was listening to some Hawaiian music. It sounded like the guy was in the room. Stunning.

I am starting to understand what the hype is about.

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So it’s been a couple of days. How’s it going now?

Best

David

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Hi David,

They are spectacular. I am hearing nuance and insights on my CDs that I never heard before. They have an interesting quality where they don’t show up the bare CD5x as inadequate, even though they can obviously take a much higher source. They also show off the Nait 2’s character in a way I haven’t heard before with Allaes, Tab 10 Sigs or Neat Petites. I borrowed the hicap from my main system this morning and put it on the CD player. The SL2s showed off the improvement with ease.

Ironically the seller only had two of the pips even though he kept every element of the packaging, manuals, etc. He insisted they were unnecessary. I wasn’t about to blow up the deal over that.

I got some metal pips at the hardware store that are a few mm shorter. They seem to do the job. I intend to buy proper pips from Tom Tom though.


Are the pips supposed to be tall enough to create space between the upper box and the lower cabinets, or is their role just to keep the upper box from sliding off?

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The pips keep the two sections in alignment; there are also thin washers that fit over the pips and provide a very small air gap.

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As AHT says. The washers are special too, with little indentations and they are thin. There is one washer per pip. I believe TomTom normally stocks the pips and the washers.

Best

David

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Nice setup :ok_hand:

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The gap between top and bottom box is precisely defined so that it effectively acts like a sealed box but mechanically decoupled - very clever. The correct pips are essential for the design to work as intended as these define the gap and also have raised points to allow the decoupling. Change the gap and you fundamentally change the way the speakers work, with the gap becoming a port instead.

p.s. when you install the pips and washers, make sure the raised points on the washers are all facing upwards.

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