Seas CNO Grand Details

The Troels Gravesen CNO Grand based on Seas drivers. A 3-way system.

Building the CNO Grand is a real pleasure. It took about 80 hours to finish the raw materials to the completed version, including painting the loudspeakers. They are a real success in my DIY loudspeaker building experience. They play far better comparing to earlier projects like the Ophelia’s from the Klang und Ton 2014.

The CNO Grands have a large stereo, almost holographic image. They are neutral and offer a lot of details in sound. They are not warm and with a very firm base. Their footprint is pretty small, which is very nice if your room is not that large. The cabinet is a bass-reflex kind with the port on the back. So you have to have a distance of at least 50 cm from the wall.

The midwoofer in this floor-standing loudspeaker is the Seas Excel Woofer driver W18NX001. The mid driver is the W12CY03. The tweeter is the T29CF02.

I varnished the cabinet of the CNO with extra matte parquet lacquer with whitening. The idea is that the loudspeakers will be less discolored by sunlight and thus remain whiter. The black MDF baffles ( 2 * 18 mm) are treated with the same clear parquet lacquer without whitening. The black baffle gets a somewhat industrial look because the MDF structure remains visible.

In the top compartiments also bitumen and on the backside.

The raw cabinet finished with both sides the bitumen, and the damping felt. On the bottom side, the drilled holes for the bi-wiring binding posts.

Gluing the back panel

Seas drivers Tweeter and mid in the CNO Grand.jpeg

Comparing the Seas CNO Grande with the Scan Speak Ophelia

I did an A/B comparison with my upgraded Ophelia's and the Spec RMA amplifier. Interesting to hear the difference and there is a real difference I can tell.

Scan Speak Ophelia Upgrade

The Ophelia's delivers a more upfront and speedier presentation. The drive is faster and cleaner. But the CNO's have a more complete presentation, a bit more relaxed or laid back. Treble and heights are better than the Ophelia but lack a firm bass presentation. Also, the sound stage of the CNO is broader and more profound. This makes the CNO overall the better floor-standing loudspeaker. They are more complete with a more basic presentation. Still, the speed of the Ophelia is excellent. It would ideal to combine both presentations in one concept. Would this be possible? I think it is the Berylium tweeter that makes the difference.