[bcowen]

I am impressed that you built your own speakers! I spent some time working in speaker design with a good friend years ago but my shop is not set up for larger pieces at this time. My current project in spalted maple with a bit of mineral spirits applied to show off the color.

Very nice. I approve. It's possible (though not assured) that I may like that even more than Tiger maple. We live in very strange times.

 

[Paladin79]

Very nice. I approve. It's possible (though not assured) that I may like that even more than Tiger maple. We live in very strange times.

It is unsuitable for you, it is not built sideways or made from recycled wood products.

 

[rkw]

Looks like the new 'fully loaded' version comes with an ES9028 DAC and the ones listed in B-stock have multibit? Just a guess on my part...

And the reason it's on "closeout" is that it has the old, discontinued multibit DAC card. A new multibit DAC card with Unison USB is coming but delayed due to parts unavailability.

 

[JCS17]

Pics or it didn't happen.

Seriously, any photos of your creation(s)? Would love to see them.

OK, here are pics of a few builds:

First two pics are 3 systems in our bedroom (taken some years ago to judge by the TV!). Left to right: Bigger Is Better (BIB) variously referred to as a tapped horn or a pipe horn using Mark Audio Alpair 10M driver; mouth faces the ceiling & uses ceiling & walls as extensions of the horn; because the BIB uses the room as part of the horn, I get a flat octave from 25-50 Hz, something I have never seen before 'in room'. Center is a variation of Martin King's small passive open baffle. Right is a Dave Dlugos design: Fonken Prime (Fostex Onken) using Fostex 4.5" FE127e; sitting on stands I built which have shelves for CDs.

Next two pics show a Metronome design (left) using 4.5" Fostex F120A drivers (I wanted to find out about the 'magic' of Alnico) and a transmission line using 8" Fostex FF225wk supplemented by an Eminence APT80 horn tweeter.

 

[Paladin79]

OK, here are pics of a few builds:

First two pics are 3 systems in our bedroom (taken some years ago to judge by the TV!). Left to right: Bigger Is Better (BIB) variously referred to as a tapped horn or a pipe horn using Mark Audio Alpair 10M driver; mouth faces the ceiling & uses ceiling & walls as extensions of the horn; because the BIB uses the room as part of the horn, I get a flat octave from 25-50 Hz, something I have never seen before 'in room'. Center is a variation of Martin King's small passive open baffle. Right is a Dave Dlugos design: Fonken Prime (Fostex Onken) using Fostex 4.5" FE127e; sitting on stands I built which have shelves for CDs.

Next two pics show a Metronome design (left) using 4.5" Fostex F120A drivers (I wanted to find out about the 'magic' of Alnico) and a transmission line using 8" Fostex FF225wk supplemented by an Eminence APT80 horn tweeter.

I am going to guess cabinets are birch or maple, possibly red cedar and knotty pine?

 

[JCS17]

I am impressed that you built your own speakers! I spent some time working in speaker design with a good friend years ago but my shop is not set up for larger pieces at this time. My current project in spalted maple with a bit of mineral spirits applied to show off the color.

I can manage to build using plywood then veneer to get a finished piece that my wife considers acceptable in the living room. I will never be able to build something so beautiful in solid wood! My hat is off to you!!
Cheers, Jim

 

[JCS17]

I am going to guess cabinets are birch or maple, possibly red cedar and knotty pine?

BIBs are apple ply with mahogany stained pine edge strips to cover the ply edges and Baltic birch piece holding the driver (to gain a little spacing from the divider board which forms the horn channel).

The OBs are just plywood veneered with birch.

The Fonkens are Baltic birch with red oak veneer.

The Metronome is plywood with red oak veneer.

The transmission line is plywood with aromatic red ceder veneer. I let my wife choose that veneer; big mistake. I spent more on the veneer than the rest of the project. As soon as I unrolled the veneer, knots started popping out! It was brittle & hard to work. I thought four 2'x8' sheets would be enough for 3 projects; wrong! Only enough for that one set of speakers.

Cheers, Jim

 

[Paladin79]

I can manage to build using plywood then veneer to get a finished piece that my wife considers acceptable in the living room. I will never be able to build something so beautiful in solid wood! My hat is off to you!!
Cheers, Jim

Around here we have few choices in plywood veneer, maple, birch, hickory and maybe pine. I would think plywood is a good choice for DIY speakers.

 

[JCS17]

Around here we have few choices in plywood veneer, maple, birch, hickory and maybe pine. I would think plywood is a good choice for DIY speakers.

I believe void free plywood is superior to MDF. And plywood is much more stable than solid wood. Only the most skilled wood crafters can build speakers from solid wood and not have them fail with cracks/splits.

 

[33na3rd]

I am impressed that you built your own speakers! I spent some time working in speaker design with a good friend years ago but my shop is not set up for larger pieces at this time. My current project in spalted maple with a bit of mineral spirits applied to show off the color.

Beautiful work!
But, I don't think those anti-vibration footers are up to the task.

 

[tincanear]

I did not , just rca inputs into the Kef . Don’t really want to connect that way as it’s easier to move rca cables to different amps , which I do.

did you also try testing the Rag 2 pre-outs into another amp & speaker, or scope them to verify that they are indeed active? also, did you try changing the gain settings of the Rag 2 (with volume turned down first)?

 

[bcowen]

OK, here are pics of a few builds:

First two pics are 3 systems in our bedroom (taken some years ago to judge by the TV!). Left to right: Bigger Is Better (BIB) variously referred to as a tapped horn or a pipe horn using Mark Audio Alpair 10M driver; mouth faces the ceiling & uses ceiling & walls as extensions of the horn; because the BIB uses the room as part of the horn, I get a flat octave from 25-50 Hz, something I have never seen before 'in room'. Center is a variation of Martin King's small passive open baffle. Right is a Dave Dlugos design: Fonken Prime (Fostex Onken) using Fostex 4.5" FE127e; sitting on stands I built which have shelves for CDs.

Next two pics show a Metronome design (left) using 4.5" Fostex F120A drivers (I wanted to find out about the 'magic' of Alnico) and a transmission line using 8" Fostex FF225wk supplemented by an Eminence APT80 horn tweeter.

Wow. Very nice work!

And flat down to 25 Hz with the BIB? Way cool. Thanks for posting!

 

[bcowen]

It is unsuitable for you, it is not built sideways or made from recycled wood products.

Fine. Then I don't like it.

 

[hornytoad]

did you also try testing the Rag 2 pre-outs into another amp & speaker, or scope them to verify that they are indeed active? also, did you try changing the gain settings of the Rag 2 (with volume turned down first)?

I tried all of this . I don’t have a scope.

 

[Paladin79]

Beautiful work!
But, I don't think those anti-vibration footers are up to the task.

They are pointy things!! Oh well.