Parts Express Solstice kit - front curved baffle & cabinet

[maggie1973]

finally,

the 4 Morel mid bass drivers + 2 tweeters + 2 crossovers are here with me

Have made a drawing with the help of a friend for the cabinet and i think the numbers match

The height / width / depth / front baffle / rear slot for TL....all matches up..

In India - we get 18 mm MDF as against 19 mm abroad and i guess i will make do with what i get locally.

I will also resist the temptation do do Baltic Birch - due to cost reasons and also the original design has MDF ( while Mr Babgy could have gone for Baltic Birch which is more easily available in America ( i am guessing ) )

Also - we do get acoustic foam here but it may not be so exact as recommended by PE so that will be a compromise too - but not too much i guess..

Will sheep's wool be a good alternative ? anyone used this ? comments welcome..

I want to let you know that the cross overs are assembled state and the original owner used Mundorf caps - so i wonder what will that do to the sound.

I am quite poor at the choice of colors so thats my next stress point....sometimes i make decisions on colors out of a feeling of "getting it over with" but i must say once or twice i have made good choices too..

cross the bridge when we come to it i guess..

i will try to put pictures as i go along...

wish us luck !

and hoping that all of us get thru this stressful Covid 19 time without losing patience or having Covid fatigue..

Take care and stay safe.

Best regards

[djg]

Everything is so easy here in USA.

[maggie1973]

@djg

yes - its an audio paradise the USA.

Long may it be that way.

Peace and Love to all.

[maggie1973]

IMG_20201024_174212.jpg my friend is building this for me so here are some pics.

This is not a true DiY since i am not doing the woodwork by myself but my friend is a master craftsman and has made some nice builds in the past.

We made the drawing on CAD and someone was kind enough ( many thanks sir ! ) to physically check the dimensions of his speaker and pass it on




will post more pictures as i get them

take care all of you ...

[maggie1973]

Some more pics...a new cabinet was made due to a routing error

[maggie1973]

Hi

The solstice speaker is built successfully..

with this i end this thread

Best wishes for a happy and safe Christmas season

[Chris Roemer]

Wait just one minute!

Do you like the way they sound?

[maggie1973]

Wait just one minute!

Do you like the way they sound?

Hi Chris

here is a video link for you to check out

https://youtu.be/x-8q1EBH09g

its being painted now and i should have it home in about 10 days time..

below are the text from mr friend who is doing the work for me. He uses a 200W Class AB amplifier - Studio reference SR 200

One will not believe the performance of such compact speakers, One needs to hear it personally to believe it. These are one of the best sounding speakers. The Bass is very powerful (unbelievable for such a small size of drivers), the highs are crystal clear & mids are sweet. In short everything is well balanced. The DIY community has faced a great loss due to sudden death of the Legend. Mr. Jeff Bagby (RIP) We miss you.


The amplifier i have is a Naim Supernait 2 - 80W at 8 Ohm and 135W into 4 ohm

I hope my amplifier willbe comfortable in extracting the best out of the speakers

Am out of money now for a new amplifer !!

:-))


Note - the crossover is not as Per design as the person from whom i bought the kit had changed some components..the resistor/s and capacitors - upgraded..

I see 1 resistor mossing but my friend who is assembling the speakers likes the sound so i guess i will see how it sounds in my home

[maggie1973]

Ok..

we are going to test the sound again with 25 ohm 10W dayton resistor as shunt..as per original drawing

we want to see what it does to the sound ...

any theories about what could happen ?

Will the xover point change ?

[Chris Roemer]

Since the XO is proprietary (and is only known to those who purchased it) I can only assume that the resistor in ? is the PR leg of an L-pad.
Not having the shunt in there (same as having an infinite resistance - OR value >100ohms) would make the tweeter slightly louder, but (more importantly - possibly) ADDing the shunt (back) should help control the tweeter at its Fs (although morels typically have ferrofluid - and don't typically exhibit a high Z at resonance anyway).

[Wolf]

If you are changing the design, then you have not built it as Jeff intended. As the xover design is proprietary, you also should respect the circuit as intellectual property of the seller and not reveal its contents.
Wolf

[maggie1973]

If you are changing the design, then you have not built it as Jeff intended. As the xover design is proprietary, you also should respect the circuit as intellectual property of the seller and not reveal its contents.
Wolf

Hello Wolf

The pic which you see in the posts above is the xover - as i got it from the previous user in USA

I am in India

Now - Comparing the diagram available at the Parts Express Solstice page assembly guide page 7 - i see a shunt resistor 25 ohm missing from the xover i got.

The situation is the other way around - i am trying to go to the original from the way i got it im my hands.

I am sorry if it appeared otherwise.

The contents are already mentioned in the assembly guide which is available freely.

Best wishes

[maggie1973]

Since the XO is proprietary (and is only known to those who purchased it) I can only assume that the resistor in ? is the PR leg of an L-pad.
Not having the shunt in there (same as having an infinite resistance - OR value >100ohms) would make the tweeter slightly louder, but (more importantly - possibly) ADDing the shunt (back) should help control the tweeter at its Fs (although morels typically have ferrofluid - and don't typically exhibit a high Z at resonance anyway).

Thank you Chris

Its an L Pad with the R1 at 3 Ohm and R2 at 25 ohm ( as per design )

Just ordered 2 nos of Dayton 25 ohm 10W resistors

Hope to get it in a week.

In the meantime, we carry on with the 5 coats of paint and by the time the resistors arrive - we plan another listening session in the new situation.

BTW - did you get a chance to see theyoutube link ? It might be gard to get an idea but it goves a picture i hope..

Best wishes

[Chris Roemer]

The assembly guide avail. online (to view if you have NOT purchased the kit) DOES show part values (to purchase), but has the actual XO schematic blanked out.
Please respect JB's/PE's wishes by NOT revealing the XO schematic in this thread.
Thanks

[maggie1973]

The assembly guide avail. online (to view if you have NOT purchased the kit) DOES show part values (to purchase), but has the actual XO schematic blanked out.
Please respect JB's/PE's wishes by NOT revealing the XO schematic in this thread.
Thanks

the schematic is there for all to see atleast i see it on page 7 of the assembly guide.

i haven't revealed anything on this thread or anywhere else for that matter that's already not available out there...even in the PE projects page.

if I purchase a used kit..with a xover that doesn't match the schematic .does that forbid me from asking questions or sharing my build information ?

Am curious to see what aspect of my thread shows any dis-respect to Mr Jeff Bagby or PE ?

OTOH...I think Mr Jeff would be happy to see his speaker being re-surrected and used .

thanks

[djg]

The Solstice crossover schematic is in the assembly manual including values. I saw it The OP has every opportunity to restore the XO as designed or leave as is. Based on Mr. Bagby's reputation, I would build it as he designed it. Not how some flakey dude bodged it.

I think I'd also clean that XO PCB, it's filthy.