Classix II Build

[dcairns]

Made the Classix II kit for my Marantz SR4000. They do sound sweet together!
I finished them in wood grain formica that resembles the walnut so popular in the 70's. I also "branded" them as "Marantz" to go with the receiver.

[davidB]

Great job! Isn't it nice how dead the formica makes a box? A few score years ago, before MDF when we only had particle board or ply, it was a lifesaver.
I dig the '70s graphics in the background.

[dcairns]

This is my first kit, so hard to compare formica to anything else. I just pickee formica because it is a tough cover over all that filler I used due to my "less than perfect" box building job. Next time, I will use a table saw from the start!

[Jeff F.]

Nice! I do prefer the looks of the Classix with the port on the front

[Chris Roemer]

Those look "store bought" to ME.
Nice job.

[dcairns]

I chose the front port for better flexibility when placed close to walls etc. The slightly taller look does go better with their big sound. They really do sound great.

The formica was fairly easy to work with, just had to be careful making the rough cuts of the sheets. After that it is just glue, pressure and wait a day per side.

[Jeff F.]

What kind of adhesive did you use? I used the original Weldwood contact cement, man does it stink! I used a j roller for pressure to apply it. I thought it was a pain to use laminate vs. paper backed veneer and heat lock. It really dulls my bits and cleaning up the seams is also a pain. It looks good when finished but I don't know that I'd use it again.

[Jake]

Nice job, i like the look of the front port.

[dcairns]

I used Titebond-III, the slightly water proof version of just plain old wood glue. AKA PVA glue. Wilsonart, the maker of the formica sheets, has their own PVA glue they recommend. I don't think it matters which brand you use. The formica itself has a kind of thin wood like backing that has lots of nooks and crannies for the glue to grab onto. I just spread some glue on both parts and put them together and added weight to press out excess glue and wiped the edges of excess glue that could interfere with the router trimming of the excess later. I waited for 24 hrs for the glue to cure and went on the the next side. I did it in the order of back side, bottom, sides and finally the top.

The formica has no problems with glue seeping through cracks out onto the finished surface and has it's own desire to keep flat, rather than conform to minor imperfections on the MDF. It has a satin finish, but not wood texture. But compared to the vinyl wood finish of the day, it looks great.

[BrianRIC]

Really nice job! I love the retro look! Would you mind sharing which Wilsonart laminate you used? Also, did you paint the baffles, or is that some sort of laminate too? I would love to build a pair like yours for my brother, as he listens to a lot of vinyl.

[dcairns]

Brian-

I used the "36 in. x 96 in. Laminate Sheet in Mangalore Mango with Standard Fine Velvet Texture Finish"
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wilsonar...3696/205742509

There is also a darker "36 in. x 96 in. Laminate Sheet in Morelia Mango with Standard Fine Velvet Texture Finish" which I did not see and might have preferred as it looks a bit more like the dark walnut. But mine came out pretty close.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wilsonar...3696/205742518

They are both special order, but it took less than a week for them to get them to the store for me to pick up. The 36x96 is the smallest sheet they have, I think you could do two pairs with it.
If you are unsure about which shade, they also have little sample pieces for 25 cents each.

On the baffle, I used a black stain and then flat black spray paint on top of that. I figured the stain would soak into the MDF a bit, giving it some scratch resistance.

For the grill, I used some of the same MDF from the cabinet to make the frame, routed the edges round inside. I gave the frame the same stain as the baffle. Grill cloth was attached with spay glue and a bit of rubber cement on the corners. I touched up the rubber cement showing through with a black felt tip.

These speakers do seem to like classic rock from the 70's and 80's, or maybe that is just me. But they do quite well when I throw a Bass Nectar remix of something from this century at them.
Keep in mind they are not the most efficient speakers, so a decent amp is needed. My Marantz SR4000 in the photo is rated at 50 W per channel (clean), I measured 49.5 (close enough) and that is good for more than my old ears can take.

[BrianRIC]

Thanks so much for all the details and the additional pics. That is very helpful I'm working on a build right now that will be finished using Wilsonart "Madagascar" laminate with a high gloss finish. I have a 36"x96" roll at the house that I'm planning to install this weekend. I'm just doing a sealed subwoofer...for now. I'll be painting the front baffle "piano black", since the laminate is high gloss.

I'm thinking about building the Classix 2.5 for myself. Based on your impressions of the Classix II, how do you think they would perform doing double duty for both music and home theater (front L/R)?

By the way, I showed your build to a friend at work who just finished restoring his old Onkyo A-5 receiver that has been in storage for about 25 years, he was very impressed with the retro look.

[Geoff Millar]

Well done, lovely job - makes mine look rather rough, or actually, very rough...

I have the parts to build the 2.5 but don't have an excuse as yet: I think they would be even better than the IIs.

We don't have a home theatre system, only stereo systems, but I find that the Classix II (or, more correctly, the DC160 woofer) can run out of puff in a large room on some demanding recordings, but they're not designed for that use anyway. As used in my workshop, they're very good indeed.

I use my Classix II on stands, seems to make the bass a little clearer than just having speaker feet. They are excellent speakers for music and go low enough for almost any of our recordings.

Geoff

[dcairns]

Brian-

My listening habits are not that typical, as I try to avoid loud levels. That said, I think these speakers would do well up to a point. And that point depends on how loud you like it. A sub woofer would probably be needed for the "sound effects you can feel". So I would agree with Geoff's opinion.

[BrianRIC]

Thanks to both Geoff and dcairns for your insight. It is much appreciated. To further clarify, what I'm looking for is a set of front channels that have enough bass to not need a subwoofer when listening to music (I just prefer music with no sub), but will have the clarity needed for movie watching, with a subwoofer handling the LFE. I'm in process of building a 12" sub using the Dayton HF series (RSS315HFA-8). I have a Yamaha pro amp (P2500s) to drive it with, so there will be plenty of low end "umph" for movie watching.

Geoff - I'll give you an excuse to build those 2.5's...so you can do a build thread and a write up on your listening impressions!!