Deewan's various speaker builds

[deewan]

I thought I would share some photos of all my various builds since I often came here to see what other people are doing to get ideas for myself.

As you will see, I have built a few proved designs and a few new ventures. I've also tried several different finish methods. Feel free to ask any questions about my projects. The projectos will be shown in the order of build date

Recession Buster




TriTrix build



The Statements
Build thread can be found here.

[deewan]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

2RCC Center Channel
A custom speaker to match the Statements but with a sealed cabinet. A build thread can be found here.





The speaker stand for the center channel


H7 2-way design
(Clearwave Loudspeaker venture)
I used spray can on the front baffles and a Wilsonart laminte on all other sides. The laminate was easy to work with and gives a near mirror finsih with ease.




Dyanmic 4T
Cabinets - Mahogany with Minwax Satin finish with "Paradigm" speaker spikes. Bi-amped left and right channel. DIY custom speaker wire.

I built this pair to replace the Statements in my theater. The wife never warmed up to the size of the Statements. After working with Jed on the H7 design mentioned above, the Dynamic series seemed like the perfect fit.

[deewan]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

Dynamic 4CC
Rounding out the new speakers for the theater.
Center Speaker Stand - Mahogany inlay with hand rubbed copper paint (pictures do not do this finish or color justice). Added Wii sensor bar to bottom of speaker to hide it from sight.

[Paul Carmody]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

H7 2-way design
(Clearwave Loudspeaker venture)
I used spray can on the front baffles and a Wilsonart laminte on all other sides. The laminate was easy to work with and gives a near mirror finsih with ease.

OH MY GOD!!! :eek: That Wilsonart Laminate is the coolest finish I've seen in a long time. Makes me wonder why the hell I even bother with normal wood finishing techniques. Do you have a link to a source to get it? How much does it cost?

[bmaupin]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

I am also interested in the Wilsonart Laminate. What is the name of that - the Wilsonart site is a pain to navigate. How do the edges turn out? Is the color all the way thru the material or only on the surface? How easy to apply?

[cny]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

OH MY GOD!!! :eek: That Wilsonart Laminate is the coolest finish I've seen in a long time. Makes me wonder why the hell I even bother with normal wood finishing techniques. Do you have a link to a source to get it? How much does it cost?

I have to agree. That is very unique. I want to get my hands on some. On the wilson art site, I think it may be the Asian night but am not sure. It doesn't show the prices but hoping it's cheap

http://samples.wilsonartcontract.com/p-507-asian-night-7949-18.aspx

[deewan]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

OH MY GOD!!! :eek: That Wilsonart Laminate is the coolest finish I've seen in a long time. Makes me wonder why the hell I even bother with normal wood finishing techniques. Do you have a link to a source to get it? How much does it cost?

Paul, here is a link to the site I visit.
Wilson Art Contract
I know there is another more general WilsonArt site, but that one is more of a pain to navigate and does not list all the designs the 'contract' site lists.

I am also interested in the Wilsonart Laminate. What is the name of that? How do the edges turn out? Is the color all the way thru the material or only on the surface? How easy to apply?

The pattern I used was madagascar. It is available for special order from Home Depot.

The color does not go all the way through, but I bought a black gloss pain pen and ran that along the edges. From more than 2 feet away, you can't tell. I used regular old contact cement to apply. I found the WilsonArt was MUCH easier to use than an wood veneer I've used. It also gives you the durability of a laminate.

I have to agree. That is very unique. I want to get my hands on some. It doesn't show the prices but hoping it's cheap

Pricing varies, so hopefully you have a Home Depot where you live. I was quoted a price of over $300 for a 3 by 8 sheet from Menards. The same sheet from Home Depot was $60-ish. Why the price difference, I have no idea. I ordered from Home Depot. Took about 4 days for it to arrive in the store. It came in a box, rolled about, about 18 inches in diameter. You can order 3 by 8, 4 by 8, and 5 by 12 sheets if I remember correctly.

[deewan]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

Oh, some other details about the WilsonArt. When ordering, I believe the final two numbers for the part number are for the finish. xxxx-10 is the high gloss shine. That is what I ordered.

Also, I ordered several different samples from the WilsonArt website. They will send them to you for free. The samples are about 8 by 10 in size.

[bmaupin]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

Now that you've covered the WilsonArt laminate, how about the sounds Did you replace the 2RCC with the 4CC? What do you think of the dome vs ribbon for a center channel? Do you think reaching the lowest octaves is necessary for a center or are you just going for cinema levels? Are you using the XT25 in the 4T - can't see the tweet in any pics - impressions? What is your HT room like (link is fine)? thx!

[deewan]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

I did replace the 2RCC with the 4CC. I am a big believer in timbre matching the front channels. The HDS tweeter used is a Scan Speak HDS model and the same tweeter that I used in the 2-way bookshelf using the WinsonArt. After that 2-way project, I knew I would love that tweeter in just about any system.

Comparing the HDS dome wit the ribbon, there is a noticeable sound difference. On most songs, I notice the difference but I can't tell which I like more. There are tracks where I miss the ribbons. I have some amazing reference recordings of choral and classical pieces. The ribbons had a more airy, light, and real sound. But in several of my jazz and rock recordings, I like the HDS dome better. More laid back but just as detailed.

I do believe that a center channel needs to be a "full range" speaker and the 4CC is pretty darn close. It can reach into the low 40's with some force behind it. Neither the 4T's or 4CC have the low octaves that the Statements had, but the cabinets are also about half the size or less.

Here are a few pictures of my theater. If you have any further details about it, just let me know.

Home Theater
13 by 19.5 ft. 7.5 ft ceiling since it is in my basement. Walls are open from the chair rail (ear level) down with 1-inch OC 703 compressed insulation. Behind the OC 703 is regular unfaced inwall insulation. Double drywall on all surfaces and the interiors walls use a staggered stud construction for sound isolation.
Theater Web Site

[Wolf]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

Hmmm....

Now- who was it who was also doing formica/laminate finishes and getting ridiculed for it?? ;):p

I think I may be buying formica instead of veneer...
Later,
Wolf

PS- I kinda like these:

http://samples.wilsonartcontract.com/c-19-indie-collection.aspx

[deewan]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

Wolf, it is all in the presentation. I bet you didn't have a nice bottle of whiskey in with your laminate photos.

Some of the designs I have samples of and plan to use in the future are:
Xanadu


Biltmore Cherry


Silver Array

[bigbardmusiq]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

you seam just as addicted as I am!! nice work, what did you end up doing with the statements?

[deewan]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

you seam just as addicted as I am!! nice work, what did you end up doing with the statements?

I sold the Statements. I actually wasn't even looking to sell or replace them but after a friend heard them and offered me $300 more than what I had in them, they were sold and out the door. Soon replaced by the Dynamics.

[ckmoore]

Re: Deewan's various speaker builds

Wow, $300 for labor of building Statements.

Will you build me a pair? :p