Criton 1TD Bookshelf Speaker

The details

About the Criton 1TD

The Criton 1TD speaker kit is our best value offering for getting into high end audio without the ridiculous price tag. The Criton 1TD checks all the boxes in terms of performance - ultra-low distortion, bass that is deep and impactful, sparkling yet smooth highs, and the cohesive and luscious midrange for which we have become known. Most people will be happy with this speaker without feeling the need to add a subwoofer. For a more detailed look at the differences between the kits check out our comparison page.

Design Your Own Discount

How do we achieve such great sound at this price point? It starts first with great drivers that are made to our specifications. This allows us to pick exactly what qualities we want to be able to blend our drivers seamlessly and highlight all their strengths. Most smaller manufacturers use off-the-shelf drivers available to the DIY community so they don't have to buy in large quantities, but this increases the per unit cost. Large production runs solely for us, reduces our cost per unit, and allows us to pass savings along to you by offering very high quality drivers at reasonable prices.

Next, we offer you a variety of configurations that gives you control over what you spend your money on. You have the chance to take on some of the labor costs involved in assembling and finishing a speaker in stages depending on what you are comfortable doing yourself. Upgrade options allow you to additional configure our speakers to your budget.

Any Skill Level

Option 1 (Lowest Cost, Highest Skill): In the most basic form, our kit comes without any cabinet parts. To take on this kit you need a table saw (or circular saw) and a router with a circle cutting jig at a minimum, but we provide you with the cabinet plans needed to build our kit.

Option 2 (Medium Cost, Medium Skill): If you don't have the tools or skills necessary to build a cabinet from scratch, we offer MDF flat packs (bare panels that you assemble and glue yourself) as an add on option. Our flat packs are designed to be easy to assemble and still produce a more solid and inert cabinet than most speakers under $2000. Being bare MDF, you will need to finish these yourself or take them to a local cabinet maker or paint shop. See our blog post for some finish recommendations and tips.

Option 3 (Highest Cost, Lowest Skill): Our fully finished speakers, hand built in the U.S.A., are delivered like any normal speaker directly to your doorstep. If you just want a pair of amazing speakers without the hassle of trying to finish them, we can provide you with superior sound and stunning looks for a great price. Contact us for options.

Easy to Assemble

We know taking on the task of building your own speaker can be daunting, so we’ve simplified that as much as possible by making the construction process a breeze. Our flat packs are the easy, with CNC rabbited edges that easily align all cabinet panels in their proper place. Our SmartNode crossover boards eliminate the need to read complex or confusing circuit diagrams by providing you with the best predetermined mounting position for each crossover component and a simplified lettering system for connecting the leads beneath the board. Not only is it fast and easy, you end up with a professional looking product when finished! For more information on the assembly process, see our instruction page.

Great Sound

All of our speakers are designed to be well-balanced and non-fatiguing. We use a combination of detailed measurements, modeling, and listening tests to evaluate our speakers before the final design is set and released to our customers. Our focus is always on making our speakers sound as engaging and musical as possible.

The midrange is where the majority of the music happens, yet it is often the main area speakers fail to reproduce properly. We have spent years studying and developing crossovers to understand exactly how to make them transparent. In fact, our crossovers integration is so tight that we have converted numerous customers who before only used crossover-less full range driver systems. We have taken care of the crossover design, box tuning, and all other important details so you can build your kit with confidence that it will sound great once finished.

Wondering which of our speakers is right for you? Check out our handy comparison page.

What's In The Box

The full kit with standard crossover parts includes everything you need to assemble your speaker. You can add on a flat pack cabinet (bare MDF panels you assemble and finish yourself) so you don't even have to cut your own wood. Just a little glue and a few screws and you have great sound in no time.

Upgraded crossovers using all heavy gauge Erse Perfect Lay air core inductors, Mills resistors, and Jantzen Superior caps in the the tweeter circuit are available as an add on option. The upgraded crossovers use the exact same part values and measure the same as the standard. In our opinion, the upgraded components provide a bigger soundstage, better instrument separation, and an overall smoother sound.The full kit with standard crossover parts includes everything you need to assemble your speaker. You can add on a flat pack cabinet (bare MDF panels you assemble and finish yourself) so you don't even have to cut your own wood. Just a little glue and a few screws and you have great sound in no time

2x CSS LD22 tweeters

2x CSS LDW7 woofers

2x 8.2 uF capacitors

2x 6.8 uF capacitors

2x 25 uF capacitors

2x 2.5 mH 18 AWG I-Core inductors

2x 0.10 mH 18 AWG air core inductors

2x 0.30 mH 18 AWG air core inductors

2x 6.0 Ohm 10 watt non-inductive resistors

2x 10.0 Ohm 10 watt non-inductive resistors

2x CSS SmartNode crossover boards

2x pairs gold plated binding posts

2x 2" diameter port tubes

Screws

Zip Ties

Internal speaker wire

Crossover hookup wire

Eggcrate foam

Crossover Point: 1600 Hz

Recommended Power: 20-100 watts

Nominal Impedance: 8 Ohm

Frequency Response:

+/- 1.5 dB from 45 Hz to 17 kHz anechoic

+/- 3 dB from 40 Hz to 20 kHz anechoic

30 Hz to 20 kHz in room

Sensitivity: 87 dB @ 2.83 V

External Dimensions: 14"H x 8.5"W x 12"D

Instructions

Plans

Reviews and Accolades:

noaudiophile.com"The clarity of the CSS Criton TD1 Kit beats the off the shelf speakers I've tested... lower midrange and transition to bass is some of the nicest I've heard"

AudioCircle feedback thread