My latest DIY speakers

Wardsweb
Wardsweb Posts: 936
edited December 2009 in DIY, Mods & Tweaks
These only need veneer to be complete but I've got a Lone Star Bottleheads meet at my place on May 20th, so they will play as is. After the meet I'll take the drivers out and veneer.

Drivers: Altec 416-8C LF, Altec 802-8G on 511B horns HF and JBL 077 UHF. The crossover is a combination of an Altec N501 and JBL 3106.

customhorns.jpg
Post edited by Wardsweb on
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 936
    edited May 2006
    This shows the skeleton structure. A combination of CNC baltic birch and MDF.
    w2.jpg
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 936
    edited May 2006
    The sides are done in 4 layers of kerf MDF. These have been filled with bead blasting media (finer than sand), interior of the cabinet is sprayed with a non-harndening soundproofing and fiberglass lined.

    w7.jpg
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited May 2006
    Incredible work, as always. I SOOOO wish I had woodworking skills.

    Those would probably sound great on my 211 SET's (for sale) ;).
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2006
    That sets the bar for DIY in this place....holy cow.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 936
    edited May 2006
    RuSsMaN wrote:
    Incredible work, as always. I SOOOO wish I had woodworking skills.

    Those would probably sound great on my 211 SET's (for sale) ;).
    Think you'll make it down for this saturday's shindig? No obligation to, just wondering.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited May 2006
    It's still up in the air, I want to, just depends on what I get done this week.
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • Paul in Canada
    Paul in Canada Posts: 178
    edited May 2006
    Wow! Great job. One of these days I would like to try build some speakers. If you don't mind me asking about how much time and money would go into a project like this?
    Polk RTi 8's
    Polk CSi 5
    FXIA4"s
    Outlaw Audio M200 x2
    Denon AVR 2805
    Sony CDP C345
    Paradigm PW2200 Sub
    Panasonic 50"

    "It's futile to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person." demaples July 29/08
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 936
    edited May 2006
    Paul in Canada wrote:
    Wow! Great job. One of these days I would like to try build some speakers. If you don't mind me asking about how much time and money would go into a project like this?
    My 2-way rosewood corner horns took about a year, part time and came in around $1500. The main cost is for the drivers, as is the case with my present 3-way speakers. The total will come in just under $2K with $1300 of that being the drivers and crossovers. Now if you had to buy these speakers you would be spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $6k-7K pretty easy. With better drivers these would run more like $10K.
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  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited May 2006
    *Smacks forehead* I don't know why I never thought of layering kerfed wood. I've always been hesitant to use kerfing on speakers (cuts would be huge for proper cabinet thickness) but layers would fix that. DOH!


    Very nice work... would love to get my hands on a CNC. My unkle makes furniture, but part of his whole sales pitch is the uniqueness of each of his pieces- so there no chance of a CNC there. He is good for a 3 hour speech on joinery, though.
    Gallo Ref 3.1 : Bryston 4b SST : Musical fidelity CD Pre : VPI HW-19
    Gallo Ref AV, Frankengallo Ref 3, LC60i : Bryston 9b SST : Meridian 565
    Jordan JX92s : MF X-T100 : Xray v8
    Backburner:Krell KAV-300i
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  • hoosier21
    hoosier21 Posts: 4,413
    edited May 2006
    It would be unreal to have access to a CNC
    Dodd - Battery Preamp
    Monarchy Audio SE100 Delux - mono power amps
    Sony DVP-NS999ES - SACD player
    ADS 1230 - Polk SDA 2B
    DIY Stereo Subwoofer towers w/(4) 12 drivers each
    Crown K1 - Subwoofer amp
    Outlaw ICBM - crossover
    Beringher BFD - sub eq

    Where is the remote? Where is the $%#$% remote!

    "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 936
    edited May 2006
    unc2701 wrote:
    *Smacks forehead* I don't know why I never thought of layering kerfed wood. I've always been hesitant to use kerfing on speakers (cuts would be huge for proper cabinet thickness) but layers would fix that. DOH
    When layering, place the kerf cut facing each other. Then fill with whatever you want.
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 936
    edited May 2006
    hoosier21 wrote:
    It would be unreal to have access to a CNC
    Check you local yellow pages for wood shops, furniture/cabinet makers and lumber yards. You can pay someone to do the CNC for you.
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,538
    edited May 2006
    Outstanding job, I bet those babies rock!
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited May 2006
    Wardsweb wrote:
    Check you local yellow pages for wood shops, furniture/cabinet makers and lumber yards. You can pay someone to do the CNC for you.

    If it isn't in Russ's garage now....that's not likely to happen.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • amulford
    amulford Posts: 5,020
    edited May 2006
    Very nice work, Luther. If you could, I'd love to see how the veneer turns out.

    How efficient are they? Did you have any trouble integrating the two crossovers?
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  • Mazeroth
    Mazeroth Posts: 1,585
    edited May 2006
    Freakin' beautiful!

    DiY speaker builders...UNITE! :D
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 936
    edited May 2006
    amulford wrote:
    Very nice work, Luther. If you could, I'd love to see how the veneer turns out.

    How efficient are they? Did you have any trouble integrating the two crossovers?
    The speakers are around 100dB efficient, maybe a little more. So a few watts from a 2A3 amp work fine but 50 from a EL34 push pull can rock the house.

    The crossover worked well by just adding the UHF section of the JBL 3106 to the Altec N501. Both the HF and UHF have variable attenuation, so it can be dialed in to taste.
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  • Moreants
    Moreants Posts: 70
    edited May 2006
    Very impressive! Beautiful work and sound to match I would guess.


    Suddenly I feel like Fred Flintstone.
    I remember when 'broadband' meant The Go-Go's.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,981
    edited May 2006
    Very nice job,we are all envious of your skills.
    Anytime you want to build me some.......
    Sure you hear that from 100 people a day!
    Beautiful job!!!
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 936
    edited May 2006
    Bass ports done, just need to install the crossovers inside and veneer, but listening is warming my soul. Audio meet this weekend will be proud papa syndrome.

    051806.jpg
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  • Apex
    Apex Posts: 69
    edited June 2006
    Absolutely gorgeous..
    H/K AVR7000

    "LSI25's bi-wired with 2.4s

    Mirage OM c2 Center "LSiC soon"

    FX300i rears "LSi15's soon for the rears".


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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited June 2006
    Ward -- you gotta give us an update on this project...
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited June 2006
    Wood!!!
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited June 2006
    Class act :)
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited June 2006
    Very Nice indeed.

    Speakers
    Carver Amazing Fronts
    CS400i Center
    RT800i's Rears
    Sub Paradigm Servo 15

    Electronics
    Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
    Parasound Halo A23
    Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
    Pioneer 79Avi DVD
    Sony CX400 CD changer
    Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
    WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR


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  • faster100
    faster100 Posts: 6,124
    edited June 2006
    That whole rig is unreal.. Nice
    MY HT RIG:
    Sherwood p-965
    Sherwood sd871 dvd
    Rotel 1075 amp x5
    LSI15 mains
    LsiC center
    LSIfx surround backs
    Lsi7 side surrounds
    SVS pb12/plus2

    2 Channel Rig:

    nad 1020 Pre-amp
    Rotel 1080 stereo amp
    Polk sda 2B
    kenwood grunt Tuner
    realistic lab 450 TT
    Signal cable IC
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 936
    edited November 2009
    Over three years in the making, but I finally veneered my horns and my 2-channel rig has had a few changes. So, here it is in all it's glory.

    livingroom112809b.jpg
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  • kawizx9r
    kawizx9r Posts: 5,150
    edited November 2009
    Wow...Im jealous ;)

    Congratulations on the speakers, they're beautiful and I can only imagine that they sound even better!
    Truck setup
    Alpine 9856
    Phoenix Gold RSD65CS

    For Sale
    Polk SR6500
    Polk SR5250
    Polk SR104


    heiney9 wrote: »
    Any clue how to use the internet? Found it in about 10 sec.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited November 2009
    LUTHER!

    I guess I need to revive my membership on that other board. Let's get the LSB's going again, if you haven't already, I miss you and Fred and all those other lunatics.
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited November 2009
    Absolutely beautiful!!! The whole rig.
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