# Trio 12 build using baltic flat pack kit



## johnnyfamous

Finally persuaded a friend to try out a DIY sub. He is not so great with wood so he opted to use the new flat pack kit. Bob mentioned the wood cuts were good but not "perfect yet" as he would like.

There is a over routed bit on the amp side with a poor repair attempt, but overall it is good. We put this together in about 25 minutes. Huge time saver even if you do have skills on a table saw.... I ordered the flush panels as well but never got them, waiting to hear back from Bob on there whereabouts.


We went shopping for veneer today at Richelieu, I like that engineered stuff. Its cheap and has a few nice faux grains. He took a few samples home to show the wife and get approval.. I will find out tomorrow which one they chose.


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## StereoClarity

Lookin good! What type of room is it going in? Any ideas on placement yet?


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## johnnyfamous

He has a small living room HTS. All new gear, Energy , Denon, Sony. Speakers sound ok but the 10' energy sub does not have the output that a good movie experience needs.

Bobs shipping the fLush panels, ordered the veneer, waiting....


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## Zeitgeist

Looks good. Should have some nice output.


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## StereoClarity

I need to experiment with passive radiators. I've not tried anything yet but the idea intrigues me.

Keep us updated as time goes on!


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## johnnyfamous

Ordered the veneer and the flush panels arrived. He chose a silver ebony, should be interesting.


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## johnnyfamous

slowly installing the flush panels,,


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## Binary

Listening time yet?


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## johnnyfamous

Binary said:


> Listening time yet?





NONE! No progress yet, i am on vacation for another week and might get back too it next week:gulp:


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## Binary

BOOO!!!!!

Vacation is the time to get these things done!


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## johnnyfamous

after many weeks of no progress we made a bit of headway today.. not much though.

cut all the veneer to size and coated it with the first coat of glue. I have never tried the iron on veneering before so any insight would be appreciated. I thought i would do three coats. one sealer and let it dry for a few days and then two coats on each surface before ironing, i am not sure how long to wait before drying and ironing?

also painted the exposed edges and bottom black..


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## johnnyfamous

more progress, started by installing the t nuts and foot nuts.

did two coats on each surface of even wood glue. i let set for about 45 minutes between coats and fired up the iron. I was impressed and surprised.. it worked. I had a couple edges that were not totally glued so i re ironed and they seem ok.. more curious on how they will look in 10 years:sweat:


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## johnnyfamous

more veneering- two sides to go... I may let it sit this weekend and harden. lacquer on monday perhaps..

Is it recommended to line with anything? my last build i lined the inside of the box with half inch foam..


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## Mike P.

It's coming along nicely. As for lining, see how the sub sounds first and then take it from there.


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## johnnyfamous

veneering is finished, just waiting to find some time to sand and clear. there were a couple edges that were not adhered totally so i touched them up. otherwise looks good.


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## johnnyfamous

spent a few hours today sanding and then a coat of sealer.. not far off now..


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## johnnyfamous

noticed a few of the edges were not totally attached so I touched them up.


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## johnnyfamous

well here are a few final pictures. Sounds as expected. I went over today and helped my friend set up , his receiver settings were way off. Once we figured that out it was golden. 

He has a small energy 10" sub in the opposite corner i left on at a very low gain level to help with localization, it worked well. 

I want to build another for myself but still waiting to see how the 15" works out..:heehee:


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## Cyberfloatie

Great job! That veneer is really nice looking, though personally I probably would have gone a bit darker.

Where is Richelieu? (I'm in N. Glenmore)


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## johnnyfamous

Cyberfloatie said:


> Great job! That veneer is really nice looking, though personally I probably would have gone a bit darker.
> Where is Richelieu? (I'm in N. Glenmore)


This was my first attempt at the engineered stuff, I much prefer real wood veneer but the cost can set you back quite a bit. My friend whom the sub was built for picked this one out, i think its nice, nothing comparable to real wood of course..


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## johnnyfamous

Over excursion??? After careful set up ( gain was about one third) X over at about 80-90hz volume at a modest level ( his wife was not complaining) and during the new pirates of the Caribbean the woofer made a very loud snap/crackle/pop! 

I wasn't there but it was described as the same noise that mine has made several times with the playback of 'how to tame your dragon" I was told/thought that with mine the issue was the amp clipping as i opted for the use of the 300 watt amp instead of the recommended 500w. I did not expect to have this issue with the 500 watt so it cant be the amp?

why is this reaching its x max ?:huh:


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## Mike P.

Are all components sealed to the cabinet with foam tape to ensure no air leaks?


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## Cyberfloatie

johnnyfamous said:


> I wasn't there but it was described as the same noise that mine has made several times with the playback of 'how to tame your dragon'


My system struggles with this movie as well... in fact, the receiver actually shuts itself off at the exact same point every time. At first I thought it was thermal issues, but we've since watched it a much lower volumes with the exact same effect... get to that point and BOOM! System shuts down. Makes me wonder if there is an encoding/decoding bug that unpleasantly affects my system.


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## johnnyfamous

Mike P. said:


> Are all components sealed to the cabinet with foam tape to ensure no air leaks?


indeed mike, we used foam tape/ draft seal. i was careful..

would an air leak cause this? seems strange..


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## Zeitgeist

A leak can lead to over-excursion - since the cabinet no longer functions like a sealed cabinet... 

I don't know what the LFE is like in Pirates of the Carribean so hard for me to offer much advice. I have a really hard time telling the difference been a physical driver issue (excursion) and clipping. Maybe others are better at it.

I might try to see if you can tweak the receiver LFE level and try to reach a compromise with the plate amp gain. I spent some time fighting some clipping (wrong DIP switch on amp) -- and was surprised how much more I could push the driver once the clipping was solved.

Playing test tones might help determine how far you can push the sub as well. Probably easier to isolate (and see) if its over-excursion or clipping.

I've heard that "How to Tame Your Dragon" has some extremely low (dangerous for some subs?) LFE.


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## johnnyfamous

the problem is still there. Contacted Bob a few times and he was very helpful! Decided to send us a new sub to try out, so will give that a go.

Does anyone know how to tell if its just reaching its excursion limit or its an air leak? I have yet to hear of similar issues out there with this driver so i am wondering if its just me:sweat:


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## johnnyfamous

Mike P. said:


> Are all components sealed to the cabinet with foam tape to ensure no air leaks?




would you recommend attaching the tape to the driver or the cabinet? is there a possibility of air leaking at the t nuts?


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## Mike P.

Either, as long as it's sealing and there aren't any gaps. I don't think the T-nuts are the problem.


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