Classic Classix II's

[joshshetter]

Howdy, first project I'm sharing here. Nothing particularly exciting.

I was trying to figure out what to do with some dc160's and bc25 tweeters I had lying around, was pleasantly surprised to find the Classix II exist. Ordered the xover parts and some pcb's and got to work.

I originally intended to build the cabinet and had everything cut and routed, but I was using hardwood and apparently do not have the necessary clamps to keep it all together while glue dries, I'm considering some pocket screws for the baffle. In the meantime, I thought I'd see if the parts would work in my cheapo RCA 90's bookshelves with mylar tweeter and single cap xover. I figured the cabinets look would contribute well to the theme of the speaker.

I'm very impressed with these speakers and have a great interest in other designs by Paul. I have plenty of other great speakers to compare these two, Genelec 8030 and Behringer 2031 are what i use the most often and I like the Classix II better. The genelecs and behrings have problems, gen sounds small and has little low end and doesn't render mid bass right, and the behringers have a tweeter that needs two peaks tamed to be listenable, and still it's a little harsh. I find the Classix II to have no complaints. I find this speaker to be very tonally balanced, easy to listen to, and engaging. I forget about the speaker and just enjoy the music. I love everything about their sound and find myself a little annoyed that I have spent so much on other options that don't give me the enjoyment these do.

I plan to order another set of parts to toss into my own cabinets once I finish them.

[Chris Roemer]

If those old cabs aren't ported, you are in for a surprise!

[Paul Carmody]

That's a cool story. I love cobbled-together things they end up better than the sum of their parts.

I'm really glad you like the speakers, and I hope they bring you years of enjoyment.

[joshshetter]

Thanks for looking guys.

Those old cabinets were ported, but it was a 2"x2" port. I blocked it with foam and that didn't sound right, so I just left them open. Not sure what this tuning is for that port, but it sounds ok to me. I tried to remove them and put in a more appropriate port, but the glue they used is something else. I am very surprised by the low end output of these speakers regardless. These cabinets are really just placeholders until I finish the nice ones in the third photo.

Thanks for the kind words Paul. Even with these modest speakers, I can tell that there is love in what you do. I am very much considering returning the Behringer 2031's I purchased recently, they are nice but the top end of the tweeter is annoying, needs some EQ to cut down 6k and 11k resonances. I would like to replace them with the Amiga towers. I seem to struggle to get a coherent image with tweeters that are more deeply loaded into their waveguides like the behringer and genelec 80x0 speakers. I find that I have a really strong and distinct image with the BC25, and I'm wondering if the DX25 can provide what the BC25 does but just a little "better". I also appreciate the overall non-fatiguing nature of the classix tweeter. I find that listener fatigue really gets thrown around a lot and this is the first speaker I've tried that truly does not fatigue my ear.

I understand if you have limited knowledge of these speakers but I'm curious of your opinion on the Amiga vs. the Classix II.

[Chris Roemer]

A 2"id x 2" tube would tune a 1/2cu.ft. box to about 80Hz (which is quite high).
If the box is smaller, it's tuned even higher.

[joshshetter]

A 2"id x 2" tube would tune a 1/2cu.ft. box to about 80Hz (which is quite high).
If the box is smaller, it's tuned even higher.

My measurements are telling me it's tuned somewhere around ~100-120hz. Pretty terrible spot for a port considering most ceilings are 8ft. Interestingly, it sounds fine? I don't feel the need to EQ it down, doesn't sound boomy.

[joshshetter]

I've ended up purchasing two more kits for these for my studio, there is just something about them that I love. I considered the hitmakers but decided that I didn't want to stray from what the dc160 was doing. I'm sure there are better speakers, and I do make a lot of my income from mixing, but I've found that what works for me and delivers music in a way that makes sense to my ears is more important than what may be more accurate. I find these speakers really deliver an excellent balance between resolution and the big picture which I find a lot of monitors miss. I've found translation to be quite excellent with the short work I've done with them and it's nice to leave a day mixing not fatigued.

Wonderful job hereagain Paul!

[djg]

I would think if your customers do not have high end sound equipment, this speaker is a good fit.

[Geoff Millar]

There's something about the Classix II that is 'just right' for most pop/rock music, especially for such a modest cost. Paul's description on his website is honest and spot-on. I've demonstrated them to friends who can't believe how good they sound, even if my Hendrix decoupage cabinets are rather rough.

Both drivers are under-rated, the Vifas especially so; I've used them in three other projects and it always sounds nice. The DC160 has great bass, although I have very occasionally 'bottomed out' the Classix on some music: I'm hanging out on building the Classix 2.5s.

I think the DX25 used in Paul's Amigas and Tarkus has higher power handling than the BC and can be crossed over a bit lower. Unfortunately, it's very expensive here (Oz) compared to the BC25.

Geoff

[joshshetter]

Speaking of the Amiga's, I'm on my way to pick up some kits for those. Think I got bit by some DIY bug.

[Paul Carmody]

LOL that's why we're all here. We can't help ourselves.

[invaderzim]

So far I haven't been able to successfully argue that speakers are like shoes, you can never have enough.

[joshshetter]

Made some good progress on cabinets. Got the edges routed over, but will probably go buy a bit with a steeper round over for the baffle sides. I did purchase an edge trim bit and kind of wish I had one of those ten years ago... Perfectly level where boards meet, no seams. People think I'm a good word worker but the secret is nice router bits lol. Going to blue in a few braces I've made, should have done that before I put it all together. Drilling port and terminal holes today.

I have a few questions though on this build.

1. Seems the only 1 1/2" port on PE is the goldwood #260-402, is that the one in the kit? Only other option I can find is one at Meniscus but that appears to be the same product just rebranded.

2. Is it ok if I start another thread for my Amiga build as I have plenty of questions on that one.

3. Is it possible to get in contact with a mod or admin to have my name changed.

[djg]

You can make a port from PVC pipe if you don't like the look of the plastic item. The PE parts list shows that as the port in the kit. Yes, please start an Amiga build thread. Your box looks nice.

[wogg]

I'm pretty sure a significant portion of woodworking "skills" is having the resources and smarts to get the right tools, like good router bits

[joshshetter]

Good tip, thanks! I think I will just use PVC, glue it into the hole then route over the edge. I'll have a lot more confidence with that than the generally thin plastic used on cheap ports.

Amiga thread coming soon.

[joshshetter]

So this is where I'm stopping with the Classix II for now. The weather is too cold in my shop to do the finish I want, so I'll just wait until things warm up a bit to do that. In the mean time I just wanted to hear the dang things! I ended up tossing in PVC tube for the port and used a roundover bit to get it curved and flush with the baffle. Man I have to say it looks really snazzy doing it that way. Got the idea from the Bagby Mandolin build on audiosciencereview. I will probably put the ports that came with the amiga up for sale (free really) here. Too flimsy for my tastes, and I did recently do a port test and the spectogram is what I found by dampening a ringy port. Sound wayyy better than they did in the cheap cabinets.

I think I'm going to finish these in some sort of oil, danish, tung, and then a good poly coat (may have someone else do that, not sure yet). I'm still doing a lot of research on wood finishes and it just makes it harder to decide. Open to ideas!

[Geoff Millar]

Those cabinets look really nice: whatever finish you're considering, test some options on scrap material and see how you like them after a few days. It would be worth bringing out the grain, so tung oil might be an option. If you don't want to buy some, see if neighbours or friends have some, plus a few other materials to try out?

Geoff

[joshshetter]

Thanks for the tips, yeah going to try a few options. I've had mostly oil finishes recommend. Today I went to the store and bought a ton of L brackets and screw to the inside joints to hopefully prevent too much movement from humidity changes since the whole thing is hardwood (well technically softwood).

[Radishmcadish]

I just did a set of 2 Ways in 3/4 solid red oak. I used to paint cars for a living and I wouldn't use poly unless it's 2 part (not from a can). I would recommend clear lacquer because it is dries hard fast and is easy too work with.

[Hoven]

Very nice looking cabinets! What wood is that?

If applying poly on top of an oil coat, you want to wait several days for the oil finish to dry thoroughly. About a week in warm temperatures. More information: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/f...finish-on-top/.

For my only speaker build, I did Danish Oil, then applied a clear gel varnish on top. I think it worked well, but it was my first experience with finishing, so I can't really compare to anything else.

[joshshetter]

The wood is pine.

I noticed something on my dc160's. One of them has weird bubbled up glue on the basket and magnet and you can move it all around pretty easily with your hands. The whole motor just shifts. The other one is fine. Should I be concerned and does PE have any kind of warranty on this since it's obviously a manufacturing error?

[Chris Roemer]

Send it back. Dayton drivers are warrantied for 5 yrs. ;-)