C-Note MT Bookshelf Speaker Kit Pair & Other kits

[ronk]

I covered my C-note with black ash vinyl. Didn't do a good job, but not really visible unless up close. I am too lazy and was never that good in the esthetics department. I have test the crossovers and partly broken speakers in outside the box. Aluminium drivers can be very detailed but fatiguing and a good crossover is key to getting the best performance. I did wire the. 22 cap in parallel with the L2 inductor to control for cone breakup so I will, hopefully, have detailed but not fatiguing sound.

I like the detailed sound but not harsh, that one gets with the best paper drivers.

[kenrhodes]

Yours sound harsh?

[ronk]

^ No idea. I have not finished the paint job on the baffle as I am waiting for warm weather to spray paint outdoors. But I do have the .22 caps wired in parallel with L2. My boards are ready. Paint front baffle and seal paint, glue baffle to cabinet, install binding posts, add adjustable part of Port, screw in drivers and wire everything and my c-note is ready.

[scottsehlin]

Thanks Matt,
We wanted to offer a kit for $100 a pair and we wanted a budget kit that would be a little more powerful than the Overnight Sensations. Thanks to the incedible quality and value of the new Dayton Audio inductors and DSA drivers we were able to combine those two goals into one kit. I did most of the design, with some help from the Dayton Audio engineers.

The crossover frequency is 3,000 Hz, I went low to try to push the DSA135's breakup as low as possible. For the tweeter I just used series resistance to drop the efficiency to match the woofer and help level out the slow 10 dB drop above 10,000 Hz (also makes the other components smaller, saves money). The phase between the woofer and tweeter at the crossover frequency match very well.

If you have any questions, just ask.

It would be interesting to run these against the Lithiums. Retail price points are about the same, extension is similar. Lithium is smaller, but somewhat less efficient as a result.

[ronk]

^ Good idea. We need a shootout with the Lithiums, C-notes, OS, Heliums, and the Bantam Tm. And maybe add Paul Camody's Speedster and Carrera to the shootout. I can bring my OS and C-notes

[Evan Steeves]

^ Good idea. We need a shootout with the Lithiums, C-notes, OS, Heliums, and the Bantam Tm. And maybe add Paul Camody's Speedster and Carrera to the shootout. I can bring my OS and C-notes

That would be an awesome comparison, if the resources and people can get together to do it...sticky thread worthy!!! Would also allow the listing of pros and cons of each model, and help people to decide which models would be suitable to them based on their needs/listening environments/etc. Fun stuff!!

[ronk]

The weather is relatively warm right now (in the 40's) so I stone spray painted my baffle one more coat. Hopefully, this is the last coat and I can seal the paint tomorrow, glue the baffle on Sunday and complete my C-Note. I am also waiting for UPS to deliver my TB W3 1364SA from PE for my Target melamine container build.

[Evan Steeves]

Got my c-note package thursday evening and worked on them last night and this morning, got one speaker done and second one is about halfway there. First one tested and sounds really good! Pleasantly surprised.

Also picked up most of the parts needed to build a set of speaker stands for the c-notes :D can't wait until it's done!

[ronk]

^ Did you wire the .22 cap with your build? I did with mine hearing unheard; the cap should take away any harshness and overly analytical sound. Mine is almost ready to go. I am going to spray the sealant on the baffle and let that dry tomorrow. Then I will glue baffle, attach drivers, and let it rock and roll. It should be done by Tuesday weather permitting.

[Evan Steeves]

^ Did you wire the .22 cap with your build? I did with mine hearing unheard; the cap should take away any harshness and overly analytical sound. Mine is almost ready to go. I am going to spray the sealant on the baffle and let that dry tomorrow. Then I will glue baffle, attach drivers, and let it rock and roll. It should be done by Tuesday weather permitting.

Hey Ron,

Since I hadn't ordered the extra caps from parts express, and didn't want to stall the build, I dis not end up wiring it in. They spund amazing nonetheless, front baffle on second speaker is drying then ill place them on top of my Amigas and do some listening to get some impressions with just those two speakers active, then compare with my Amigas for fun. So far with the one speaker, they are less bass-y than amigas of course but the quality is definitely there. Will have to listen more though!

[Millstonemike]

Hey Ron,

Since I hadn't ordered the extra caps from parts express, and didn't want to stall the build, I dis not end up wiring it in. They spund amazing nonetheless, front baffle on second speaker is drying then ill place them on top of my Amigas and do some listening to get some impressions with just those two speakers active, then compare with my Amigas for fun. So far with the one speaker, they are less bass-y than amigas of course but the quality is definitely there. Will have to listen more though!

eBay, if your willing to wait (a week +, you can get caps for a buck. Or digikey, for a buck plus three bucks shipping,

[Evan Steeves]

eBay, if your willing to wait (a week +, you can get caps for a buck. Or digikey, for a buck plus three bucks shipping,

was barelywilling to wait a day, let alone a week :P


So I got to testing these back-to-back with my Amiga towers and all I can say is that they're impressive little beasts. I noticed a few key differences from my non-expert opinion, mainly that my Amiga towers sounded more 'Full' and of course had more low bass with the 7'' mids and larger internal volume. The C-notes were quite a bit more punchy, quite detailed and had a unique but pleasurable sound. I could see these being 'Fatiguing' as compared to my Amigas to some but I like the detail in the upper frequency ranges of the c-note. Really quite impressed by these especially for the price. For many, these could serve as suitable front main speakers in a modest home-theatre setup. They will be overkill as my rear surround speakers but will also come in handy when playing 5-channel mono music.

I assume the sound will change as the speakers break in. I don't plan on adding the 0.22uF cap as of yet, but perhaps in the future. accessing the crossover is fairly easily through the midwoofer hole.

[ScenesFromAHat]

... come in handy when playing 5-channel mono music.

[ronk]

My C-Notes are complete, but still stinky from the sealant. I finished them last night at 1:00am and tested them some. They sound clear and relaxed without any major sonic character (that is good). I will play them more and upload pictures later. The drivers were broken in out of the baffle, and I did add the .22 micro farad cap in parallel with the L2 inductor, so hopefully no ringing aluminium sound. I had problems getting the binding post to fit, and the vinyl stick-on is typical of my handywork, functional, but ugly.

[Evan Steeves]

Good to hear the project is complete Ron!

Tonight I bought the wood required to do my speaker stands. Decided on Birch for thr base and top: the columns are black ikea table legs. Got inspired from another blog online, design appealed to me!