DN-10 Build

[AaronBradley]

Hey there! This is my first ever speaker build, so don't be too hard on me.

I wanted to try my hand at building a pair of speakers, so I decided to copy Tom Zarbo's DN-10 design. The size and price point were perfect for the application I had in mind..... speakers to play music around the house, and also to provide great sound for a bit of sit and listen time.

I decided to go with walnut veneer which I darkened a bit with dye, and finished with a few coats of General Finishes Clear Polly. The most disappointing thing about this build is that the cabinets have contracted the dreaded "visible MDF joint" disease. apparently the humidity was pretty low this spring when I veneered them, so this summer the panel sides swelled just proud of the edges. You can see it if you look closely at the first pic. Oh well I can live with it....or rather my friend can, as these are going to be a gift. All in all, I had a great time building them. I would like to give a big thanks to Tom for helping me out along the way.

I am not the most experienced listener, but I would say that the sound they produce is excellent. There is plenty of bass for my needs, and the highs and mids are very pleasant. Not the best I've heard, but for the price, I would say that they are great.


I wasn't very good about taking photos of the build process, but here are a few horrible cell phone pics:

[djg]

They look good from here. Ambitious first project.

[jhollander]

Nice work.

[Jake]

First build, impressive!

[wogg]

First speaker project, but I'm guessing that wasn't your first wood working project Well done!

[AaronBradley]

First speaker project, but I'm guessing that wasn't your first wood working project Well done!

Nope, not my first woodworking project. 😁 I also had a hobby building things with electronics in my younger years. So this project was not as ambitious an undertaking as it might seem.

[AaronBradley]

First build, impressive!

Nice work.

They look good from here. Ambitious first project.

Thanks guys!

[tomzarbo]

They came out great Aaron!

I really like the rich, dark look of the walnut veneer you chose. I've used Walnut a lot... it just looks so nice. I did mine light, with a black 'racing' stripe just to do something different, but yours really hit the mark looks wise.

And don't feel too bad either about the seam showing up a little on the sides. Sometimes it happens even when you take precautions; I have a few pair that have some seams showing as well. Has your friend seen them yet, or are you waiting to finish the grills? Are the PR's getting grills as well?

Overall, they look real nice. Great job.

TomZ

[AaronBradley]

Thanks Tom,

I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you. This is what the speakers look like with the grills on. I wasn't sure how they would affect the overall look of the speakers, but I think they look alright. I wasn't planning on making grills for the PRs, but now I'm thinking I probably will. They just kinda look half finished.

My friend didn't want the stripe down the front, and I'm glad we left it out. It wouldn't have went with the look we were going for. He is probably wondering when they are going to be done. I told him it might be a while as I needed to "test" them. Truth be told, I will miss them.