Crossover... On a stick! *PIC*

[shawn_a]

http://www.retrieveraudiolabs.com/images/DSCF2563_edited.JPG


There were a few comments a little while back about this style of crossover assembly and I finally got around to pulling apart the speakers I have this in. There's seven parts zip tied to the dowel rod which is I have temporarily wedged into place. Now that I've had time to listen, tweak and listen some more I think this project is ready to pulled apart one more time for finishing work on the cabinets. I decided to lower the tuning frequency a wee bit and that made a big difference. Big enough to say I'm really digging the sound. Anyway, this is the pic. Sorry about the largish size. My normal picture editing software took a dump on me sooooooo....

shawn

[Wolf]

A good documentable Xover-stix photo. BTW- running Kaspersky currently(37%). 2 Viri found. I'll have to send them to the "vault" manually.
Later,
Wolf

[gc1]

COOL!!
I made a couple like those (my first xovers), and really liked the ease of getting everything tightly positioned... especially having several "mounting planes" to work with. The best way to put 'em together, IMHO!!

GC

> There were a few comments a little while
> back about this style of crossover assembly
> and I finally got around to pulling apart
> the speakers I have this in. There's seven
> parts zip tied to the dowel rod which is I
> have temporarily wedged into place. Now that
> I've had time to listen, tweak and listen
> some more I think this project is ready to
> pulled apart one more time for finishing
> work on the cabinets. I decided to lower the
> tuning frequency a wee bit and that made a
> big difference. Big enough to say I'm really
> digging the sound. Anyway, this is the pic.
> Sorry about the largish size. My normal
> picture editing software took a dump on me
> sooooooo....

> shawn

[philip]

Paste the pic properties address on internet explorer address line, full pic now within one screen.

Shawn, I like your XO stick idea. I'm guessing you glue a couple mdf socks to the walls at each end, then glue or screw sockets. I would think it might come loose or vibrate.

How do you mount your XO stick?

> There were a few comments a little while
> back about this style of crossover assembly
> and I finally got around to pulling apart
> the speakers I have this in. There's seven
> parts zip tied to the dowel rod which is I
> have temporarily wedged into place. Now that
> I've had time to listen, tweak and listen
> some more I think this project is ready to
> pulled apart one more time for finishing
> work on the cabinets. I decided to lower the
> tuning frequency a wee bit and that made a
> big difference. Big enough to say I'm really
> digging the sound. Anyway, this is the pic.
> Sorry about the largish size. My normal
> picture editing software took a dump on me
> sooooooo....

> shawn

[romanbednarek]

http://www.rjbaudio.com/AlpheusMkII/Alpheus%20xover-top2.jpg


> There were a few comments a little while
> back about this style of crossover assembly
> and I finally got around to pulling apart
> the speakers I have this in. There's seven
> parts zip tied to the dowel rod which is I
> have temporarily wedged into place. Now that
> I've had time to listen, tweak and listen
> some more I think this project is ready to
> pulled apart one more time for finishing
> work on the cabinets. I decided to lower the
> tuning frequency a wee bit and that made a
> big difference. Big enough to say I'm really
> digging the sound. Anyway, this is the pic.
> Sorry about the largish size. My normal
> picture editing software took a dump on me
> sooooooo....

> shawn

I heard that MDF dust reduces resonances in crossover parts when applied with the right amount. I bet you spent a lot of time adjusting until the high frequency detail really came out.

Just kidding! That's a neat idea and a great way to mount a crossover. How do you mount it to the cabinet? Below is how I've done all of mine and then I just screw them into the back of the cabinet because I'm always wanting to mess with the crossover months or years later.

[shawn_a]

I was using a gram scale and a pair of heavy duty zircon encrusted tweezers to place the MDF dust just so. The results were obvious, a veil was lifted I tell ya! I expected a certain amount of grittiness to the sound but oh how wrong I was ;).

I just wedged the dowel into place with a temporary solution. It's a piece of the paperboard hang tag from a PE 260-311 terminal cup package. Believe it or not I've moved these speakers a lot and the dowels are still tightly in place. No glue at all, just friction. Of course I won't be keeping it this way in the end. I'm still debating whether or not I should plop a bit more resistance on the high pass circuit. I'm thinking it could use another ohm. Once I have that little issue laid to rest I'm going to do one of two things: 1. Pull everything apart for finishing knowing darn well I'm slow as snail sprints doing that kind of stuff or 2. Just keep it in an unfinished state for the winter and enjoy the music.

I would like to get them completely done including a proper installation of the crossover/dowel rod assembly but if that doesn't happen until next spring I'm okay. I've got my other project to concern me with finishing details right now so I'm betting on option numero dos.

shawn

[shawn_a]

Right now it's just a friction fit until I feel the crossover is truly done. I'm close to that point so whenever I actually do put the finish on this project, I'll probably do what you said and make a socket to hold the dowel. Or I'll just use some wood shims and some Gorilla Glue to put the double ugly degree of done to it. The friction fit is really quite solid but sooner or later it will vibrate loose. I honestly expected to open the cabinets and see the dowels knocked out of place but they were still right where I put them. And it's not for a lack of trying. I've cranked these puppies up to ear bleed level and moved them around quite a bit but nothing has shifted yet.

shawn