# Zaph Audio ZA5.3t (Madisound) Build



## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

I'm in the prep stages of building a pair of Zaph ZA5.3t small towers. I originally was looking at the ZA5.2's but my wife really likes the look of towers and they'll fit the room we'll have when we move as planned (downsizing).

All I have so far is a few supplies on order (circle jig and some router bits) and a Sketchup model of the enclosure. I have the tools to do rabbets and dados on my table saw so the model reflects that intent. I've attached the Sketchup Make 2014 file for those that can open it and a PDF for everyone else.

Links to posts with Uploads, Pics, and such:

*Cut Sheet*

Crosscut sled: *Pic*  - *Sketchup Model* - *First Construction Post* - *Second Construction Post {Addendum 4/22/2014}* - *Third Construction Post {Addendum 4/22/2014}*

*Updated Cut Sheet*

*Terminal Cup Used*

*Kit from Madisound [unboxed]*

Build - *First Cuts* *Notches for the sides.* *Long edge rabbets* *End rabbets and dadoes* *Terminal Cup and Port* *Baffle *

*Baffle Template & Crossover Placement*


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

A little correction; the round over on the base is 1/2".


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Somehow the base was moved out of position in the model. That has been corrected as well as the round-over (1/4 vs. 1/2) issue. The .skp file in the OP has been replaced.

If anyone sees any other issues please let me know. Being embarrassed now would be far better than being responsible for messing up someone else's project latter.


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## PassingInterest (Mar 29, 2009)

Very nice. Should be a fun build. I know they will sound great.


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## fusseli (May 1, 2007)

Very cool, and good choice! Keep us updated and post pics!


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Yep... looking forward to seeing some progress on these. :T


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

I got home from work and the package from MLCS with my router bits was in the mail box. Then I found the box with the Jasper jig on the front porch. Only thing is, now all I can do is wait 'cuz the $$$ for the kit and the MDF for the boxes isn't budgeted till the next pay period (25th).

Rats.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Cut plan for the MDF. Based on a standard 49"x97" sheet.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

I know it's sorta early for this but I'll be updating the OP with links to posts with items of interest (uploads, pics, etc.) for quick access.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Somewhat off topic.

I've been putting off building a crosscut sled for my table saw and this is a perfect reason to go ahead with it. If anyone is interested in it, sing out, and I'll include it in this thread. Otherwise i'll keep it to myself.


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## fusseli (May 1, 2007)

GCG said:


> Somewhat off topic.
> 
> I've been putting off building a crosscut sled for my table saw and this is a perfect reason to go ahead with it. If anyone is interested in it, sing out, and I'll include it in this thread. Otherwise i'll keep it to myself.


Sure, let's see it. What's the sled for, do you usually only rip with your table saw blade?


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

A table saw crosscut sled rides on runners in the miter slots of the saw table and insures near perfect right angle crosscuts or, in my case, dadoes. It's a common staple in woodworking circles. Basically it's a flat surface with a reference fence on the near side to support the work piece and a back fence for structural support. The working back fence is made to be adjustable in angle and a technique known as the 5-cut method is used to measure the error out of 90°. Feeler gauges are then used to eliminate the error to a high degree of precision. Accuracy of down to 3 or 4 thousandths or better across a 12" run can be achieved. Mine will have an adjustable throat to accommodate up to a ¾" dado stack.

A pic of the model.


I'll do crosscuts and crosscut dadoes and rabbets on the sled. Rips, long dadoes and long rabbets will be along the rip fence with a sacrificial face clamped to the fence, again with the dado stack.


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## dougc (Dec 19, 2009)

Do you have a link to your plans to build one? I was just thinking about building one


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

All I have is my Sketchup model and it's sized for a Ridgid R4510 saw.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Got started on the sled yesterday (Holiday). Had to get a 2'x4' piece of ½" and ¾" ply and a few screws for the miter slot runners.

This is the saw it'll be used on.

 

First I had to size the ½" to the top of the extended table. Just clamped one corner in place and aligned the edges. Then it was simple to transfer the exact size. I like to transfer when I can. Measurements are OK but just leave one more source of error.

 

For sheet goods over a couple of feet I like to use a circular saw and a saw guide at the bench then check my work back on the TS. Big pieces on a table saw are too risky for the occasional user and especially when you're alone. To much risk for kick back.

  

The model shows the fences to be 2¼" tall. I called an audible and opted for 2½" for a little more support at the throat. I first ripped four 4' lengths 3" wide. I used the factory edge for two to use as reference edges later. Two pieces we screwed together leaving the factory edge on each assembly proud. I set that against the saw fence and ripped just enough off to get a clean straight edge across both pieces. I did the same on the other fence assembly then reset the saw fence for the 2½" cut. I cut them to both to width with that setup using the newly cut edge against the fence.



Then I separated them and cut the notch for the adjustable throat ends. Then reassemble them using the original screw holes for reference, this time with wood glue and clamped them down. 

 

When the glue set up enough to remove the clamps I separated them and cut to length. The working fence was cut to a length matching the length of the sled base (transfer again) and the back fence was cut to 24½" per the model. That's just to reduce weight. Some plans call for cutting the unsupported corner off at a 45° angle for the same reason. This is a small sled compared to some I seen on big cabinet saws so I left it as is.

The last thing I did last night was to cut the runners. I like UHMW for sliding parts both for the wear characteristics and the natural lubrication. I like it but it isn't cheap but a good substitute is the material used to make cheap, white, plastic cutting boards. I use the Mainstay brand sold at Wal-Mart.










They're just a little thinner than the depth of the miter slots so al that is needed is to rip them down to a smooth but close fit. Just cut them a little wide on the first one. Then slowly reduce the width, checking with each cut till you sneak up on the right size.




That's where I left it last night. My son came in last night for Easter so I don't know how much more I'll get to this weekend.

-Later-


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

The next thing is to attach the runners to the base. Since the runners are thin compared to the depth of the miter slots they'll need to be raised. Coins are normally used. I ended up needing a nickel and a penny.

 

Pre drill the runner for the screws, then place a strip if double sided tape to the top side of the runners and position them into the miter slots. Carefully lower the base down onto the table to stick the runners to the bottom of the base. To keep the base located I clamped some boards to the outer edges of the TS table to use as guides (not pictured). Carefully lift the base and turn it over. Attach the runners to the base with screws using the pre-drilled holes as guides. The double sided tape will add friction to the runners and help prevent them from shifting during use.



Good time to dog ear the fences before attaching them to the base.

  

On the working fence use one screw on each end and one or at the most two screws between for now. You'll add more later but you'll be moving the fence slightly during the calibration process and those holes can't be reused (except for the one on the far end). On the rear fence use as many screws as you deem needed to FULLY support the base on BOTH sides of the cut line. Once cut the base will be in two pieces and the rear attachment will be its only support during the calibration.


*addendum included: in italics and bracketed{}*
Now it's time to make that cut. With the sled off the table saw raise the blade to the max working height for the sled. For me that was 1½" _{above the surface of the base}_. _{Insure you don't cut through to the top of the fence. Enough of the fence must remain intact to provide structural support.}_ Place the sled on the leading edge table with the runners in the miter slots. Hold the sled in place and start the saw.

NOTE THE POSITION OF YOUR HAND ON THE FENCE. IT'S VERY EASY TO LEAVE A FINGER OR THUMB ON THE BACK SIDE OF *EITHER* FENCE IN THE PATH OF THE BLADE. THIS WILL MAKE FOR A VERY BAD DAY AND A TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. KEEP YOU BODY PARTS CLEAR OF THE CUT PATH.

Now make one smooth full stroke for the full width of the sled insuring that the saw blade completes the cut through the working fence.

  

[Now you can see why I like to transfer instead of measure. My measurement for the fence notch was off]

Next post we'll do a calibration and make the sliding throat.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

*Calibration*

Some use a simple one cut and flip method to check their sled for square. If you want the best accuracy the 5 Cut Method is the way to go. Here's a link to Google search for the instructions. Any of the first 5 will explain it.

5-Cut Method (google search)


I used a piece of ⅛" hard board for the test. Make sure you have a shop brush available. Sawdust is thicker than some of the errors you're trying to eliminate so it'll need to be swept away between cuts. First I marked a line on all four sides for the cuts with an extra line on the fifth (first) side. Also, due to the layout of my table I'll be cutting with the work piece to the right of the blade.

 

Make the 4 initial cuts then the fifth final cut for the test. I marked mine with an "F" and an "N" for "far" and "near".

  

After measuring with my calipers I was left with an error of .038".

.038/4 = .0095" across ~16" or a little less that 1/128th over 12". Not bad but I tryed for a little better. I got my set of feeler gauges and found the .009" blade. Since the wider end of the cut of was on the far end I needed to move the fence in that direction. The set up for the move requires that you first set the feeler gauge against the fence and clamp a refernce block to them to fix the distance between the block and the fence. Then clamp the block to the base to prevent it from moving when the first clamp is removed. Remove the first clamp and all the screws holding the fence in place except the one on the far (in my case, right) end. Remove the feeler gauge and re clamp the fence to the block, closing the gap that was made by the feeler gauge. This should remove the error. Re-attach the fence to the base BUT DON"T USE THE ORIGINAL SCREW HOLES. Doing so will just pull the fence back to it's original position. New locations are a must.

 

Re-test. I must have clamped a little too hard because I ended up with an error of .018"

.018/4 = .0045" across ~15" or about 1/256th across 12"

Wood won't hold that over time and humidity so no need to try for more.

Now you can leave it as is (still need a blade guard on the back) but I wanted an adjustable throat to maintain zero clearance across various blade widths (.097" thin kerf crosscut to ¾" dado) so I had to take the right side of the base _{off}_ to cut the sliding portion off. Before I did I marked the end of the fence slot to show where to cut. That was cut and set aside for later.

I also needed the slotted vertical blocks to lock the adjustments down. I ripped a piece of one of the ¾" ply cutoffs to a little less than 1½ and marked a center line along the length. Mark off the centers of two ¼" holes 1¼" apart twice with the two pairs of marks separated by 4" or more. Drill the ¼" holes at the marks with a drill press (if you don't have access to a drill press I wouldn't even think of using the router table later in the process). Measure ¾" from the opposing edges of the holes outward and mark cut lines for the ends of the blocks but don't cut them yet.


We need a slot cut in the block to allow for adjustment. I do this on a router table. This can be tricky. You can use a plunge router on a bench but you'll need a way to secure the work piece and outriggers to stabilize the router base. If you don't have access to a router or router table you can drill a number of inline holes and go with a wood chisel. Slot the blocks between the two holes.

 

Use the block(s) to mark and cut the final width of the base strip you set aside earlier. Attach the blocks as shown in the pic below.



*Addendum added:*
With the adjustable strip in place mark the center of the full adjustment path _{on each fence}_ and drill and mount a threaded insert_ {in each fence}_. Install a threaded knob and you're done (except for the guard).


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

I managed to purchase the MDF. I had HD do the major cuts to break down the sheet to a manageable size. I also modified the cut sheet to use more of the factory edges. Plan to place the order for the kit from Madisound today.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Got the kit ordered yesterday.:spend: Last FedEx update had it in Chicago with a delivery estimate of Friday.

I ordered the terminal cups from Amazon. Same item as from Parts Express but a few $$ less shipped. I want the bi-amp option.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

The kit came in a day early (man, that was quick). I'll get some unboxing pics up tonight.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

As promised - unboxing photos.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

*First Cuts*

Got the parts cut to basic sizes today. Had Home Depot cut the big sheet down to manageable sized pieces taking care to keep the factory edges in usable positions for the following cuts. I marked all the factory edges with an "E".

 

Before I started I checked the alignment of the saw. I use a Mag DRO Miter Slot BAse Table Saw alignment tool. It holds the shaft of standard calipers and is more than solid enough for wood working. I got the blade aligned to .0035" error front to back at full extention.

  

While the blade was up I checked it for square.

 

Then I used the Mag Dro setup again to check the rip fence. It was out .011", a little more than I'd like but usable. (I like the outfeed end to be a little open anyway, but ~.003 or .004 is enough to help prevent binding and burning.)

 

Then it was time to do rough rip cuts to get the 3 sheet sections from HD down to the approximate sizes for the all the parts. Take care when you make these types of preliminary cuts. They don't need to be real accurate in width, over wide by some margin is fine. What you need is a STRAIGHT cut. The edges you make here will be the edges you use later. Focus on the interface between the work piece and the fence. Don't ignore the blade. When you ignore blades they tend get their feelings hurt and are more likely to bite fingers and other fleshy things, but the most important thing is the work against the fence. Maintain that and good down force and what's happening at the blade will work out right. Focusing on the cut is a rookie mistake that makes for un-parallel cuts.



From there it was time to rip to final width. Measure twice from the fence to edge of the carbide tooth on the blade. Then cut all of the identical width pieces in a batch. Move from group to group till all the widths are complete.

When all the ripping was done I mounted the crosscut sled and got a block of wood and a clamp for a stop block. For each length I set the piece in place, line up a cut mark to the saw tooth, then set the stop block. Re-check the length to the cut mark and make the cut. Then use the stop block to make the remaining cuts for identical pieces. Stop blocks are best used on the kept end as opposed to the off cut. This allows you to adjust for the final length (cut long then small corrections till right). If the stop block is on the off cut (sometimes it's unavoidable) you need to measure for each cut to prevent errors that rise from inconsistent lengths of the raw pieces. 

  

When I was done I checked the widths and the lengths of the sides and the backs for consistency.

 

The sled/stop block setup makes for quick work on things like brace pieces.

 

All done with the sizing cuts.

 

Tomorrow I'll get the detail cuts marked off and completed.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Made some progress today. Back cuts on the sides and all the rabbets and dadoes. I had to quit early to attend a church function I had forgoten about. I have pics I'll try to post tomorrow.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Creating the back cut for the front panel.

I used a strip of ½" MDF to measure for the notch cut in the sides that will receive the front panel.

  

Then thought some more and used the piece of ½" to act as a spacer for setting a straight edge guide, in this case my 4' level.

 

It made for a nice straight cut right where it needed to be.

I could have done the same for the other pieces but instead I used the first piece as a pattern and did the rest with my plunge router and a flush trim bit. This insured a perfect match with the exception of the rounding on the inside corner which was cleaned up with a sharp chisel.

 

Four sides ready to receive rabbets and dadoes. (In retrospect I should have cut the rabbets and dadoes first as cutting the notches made for some difficulty in registering the pieces against the fence of the sled) 

 

One might think that the dust that resulted would be a problem. That dust and a little wood glue will make a perfect filler later. (Yes, I'm cheap) The first bag shot was from just the first routed piece. I think that I'll have enough.

 
  

One more note. A few years back I bought a cheap ($100) wood working bench from Ace Hardware. It's a 5' light weight toy of a thing that has non-standard, ⅝" dog holes, and pathetic little wood dogs that barely get the job done with lame front and end vises. *I've never regretted the purchase.* Sure, I'd like to have a really nice solid maple 7 footer with nicer vises and standard dog hole sizes but this thing has been just what I needed for jobs like this one.



Next up - Rabbets & Dadoes


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Long rabbets on the rip fence.

The long rabbets are done with a sacrificial fence (3/4 ply clamped to the table saw fence - not shown) and and dado stack set up for an over sized width. In this case all 6 ⅛" cutters and chippers plus the 3/32" chipper.

 

You should always engage ALL the threads of the arbor nut.

 

The stack is lowered fully into the saw, the sacrificial fence is then positioned to overlap the stack by about ⅜". The blade is then started and slowly raised till the proper cut depth is reached. Test it on a piece of scrap.



Once you have the depth correct check the width.

 

Make incremental corrections till the width is correct. I'm calling this good.

  

Proper prep makes for quick work on the rabbets. Always use push blocks even when the blade doesn't come through the top of the work piece. (not shown - the rabbets on the side pieces)


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

End rabbets & dadoes.

For end rabbets and dadoes going over wide isn't an option. Setup will determine if you have a good fit or if the dado/rabbet is to loose or too tight. Too loose and you lose the alignment qualities you're looking for. Too tight and rabbets have visible overlap and dadoes either won't assemble at all or may even split the material at the joint.

You need to assemble the dado stack first using the fractional ID's of the blades and chippers, test for fit on scrap from project stock and make adjustments, usually with the supplied shims. I started with the 6 ⅛" blades/chippers and needed to make 3 adjustments before I was happy. I consider a good joint to be a good friction fit that can be disassembled by hand with light effort. If inverted the captured piece should remain in the dado.

 

Setting up for the end rabbet cut is a simple matter. Run the sled to place the fence over the blade and attach a stop block on the far side that just kisses the blade teeth. This will achieve the desired cut virtually every time.



For the dado lining up all the slots will be critical during assembly so the position needs to be referenced to a common edge. In this case the front doesn't go all the way to the top so the bottom was the only choice. A strategically placed stop block works all around.

 

One last detail for the cuts. Check the length of the brace pieces. They need to be the same length as the space between the long rabbets on the fronts and backs.

  

That'll work.


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## Markm (Mar 23, 2014)

GCG said:


> Somewhat off topic.
> I've been putting off building a crosscut sled for my table saw and this is a perfect reason to go ahead with it. If anyone is interested in it, sing out, and I'll include it in this thread.
> Otherwise i'll keep it to myself.


Hi.
Saw your post on the Routerforum. If you include something about the sled, I'd be interested.
Mark
ps
I bought an Infinity ServoStatic-I set in the 70's. 
The owners at the then startup company, were true innovators.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Links to everything are in the first post. I did three construction posts on the sled.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Not a lot of progress during the week. Work gets in the way. I manage to do a little prep and research.

I'm going to use a template to mark the baffle positions for the drivers and the attachment points for the grill. This way the grills have the best chance of being interchangeable. The centers of the drivers and the attachment points for the baffle I'll drill with the smallest brad point I have and I'll use it as a transfer punch. The current plan is to use rare earth magnets to hold the grills in place. 

 

I checked the crossovers against the middle partition and as I had guessed both would not fit.

 

I'll mount the tweeter xover on the side near the tweeter. This has the bonus of allowing the inductor to be mounted so that the axis is at right angles to the other two. I was already planning to attach them both with screws (double sided tape was applied by Madisound - nice touch). I want to be able to remove the xovers in the event we don't sell and stay here. If so I'll need to build a stand mount/bookshelf version of the enclosure to fit the space.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Weekend progress:

First up - the terminal cup. The cup has a nice rounded edge profile that would look better if surface mounted so I ignored the recess and setup for a simple through cut. All I needed was a pattern and a flush trim bit for the router.

Making the pattern was easy enough - a few 1" strips of ¼" MDF taped together around the body of the cup.

 

Then attach the pattern to the back. I made center line marks on both the location on the back piece and the pattern and used them for alignment. Attach with brad nails or double sided tape (if tape is used, watch the amount of lateral force applied during routing as the pattern could shift.) Once the pattern is in place use it to locate a hole large enough for a jigsaw blade in each corner and cut the bulk of the waste out with the jigsaw. Leave a little waste to be removed by the router. 

 

When matching the radius of a part to a bit always use a bit with an equal or, in in this cas, lesser radius. just be sure if using a lesser the tighter corner will be covered and unseen. Make certain there is sufficient clearance below the work by raising the piece on spacers (in this case some ¾" scrap). Clamp the work down.
Set the depth of the bit to allow the cutter to just extend past the bottom edge of the work piece and insure the bearing will make good contact to the pattern. Move clockwise around the hole keeping the bearing against pattern. 

 

When done the pattern is removed. The brads can be pulled but will require filler so I opted to use a fiber reinforced cutoff wheel with my Dremel. Personal note: I use only the fiber wheel. The cheap carbon wheels shatter too easily. Since the brads were a little long I had some excess on the back side before I started the cut. The Dremel took care of that, too.

    

Nice fit.

 

Port:

The port needed a recessed cut for the flange. A plunge router is the best tool for getting an accurate recess depth. Most plunge routers have some sort of depth stop adjustment. The Bosch I own (model 1617) uses a stop rod/rotating stop turret arrangement.

With the bit chucked into the collet, set the router on a flat surface. Plunge the router till the tip of the bit is just touching the flat surface and lock it into place.


Sometimes it's possible to use the work piece itself to set the depth but in this case the piece interfered with parts of the router and would not set straight.
 

Here's where a set of calipers can be used. Just take a measurement of the flange thickness and use it to transfer the dimension to the stop. Zeroing the calipers at the measurement will allow for easily seeing if the calipers shift during the transfer.
 

I'm using the Jasper 240 circle jig for the circle cuts. When using a circle jig, use a backer board. I used a piece of ½" MDF. Firmly attach the backer so that the completed cut will not compromise the attachment. I use brads so I placed two near the center pivot and two outside the outer cut line. My first cut is the inner dim. This way it's easy to see when the flange recess cuts are complete. First the inner through cut at recess depth, then the outer flange dim., then step the diameter down incrementally till the flange recess is complete with a clean bottom. Reset to the inner through dim and step the turret to get incrementally deeper cuts till the cut goes through. 
   

The only problem was with accepting the dimensions from the documentation. It left too much of a gap. Lesson learned. 


The backs are done. Next post the baffles.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

The baffles.

I have my template lined up with a baffle. Use the ⅛" drill bit used to make the holes in the template as a transfer punch to locate the hole centers on the surface of the baffle. Be sure to transfer ALL holes at the same time.

 

Drill the holes out to ⅛" for the pivot pin on the Jasper jig.



Mount a backer board and use the same process used with the port hole in the back. When transferring the flange thickness to the router stop be sure to compress the gasket. This will insure a flush registration between the driver and the front surface of the baffle. When you compress the gasket trying to remove the calipers will probably tear the gasket so take note of the measurement, loosen the calipers and reset the measured value on the calipers. Then lock them down and zero as before. 

    

Nice. These are acceptable. BTW the drawing specs the outer flange dim as 5½" - nope - 5-7/16". that was just 1/128" over the 5-55/128" measurement I took with the calipers. No ugly gaps this time. The tweeters worked with the dims from the drawing with no play. Measure - YMMV.

_Full disclosure notice: I messed up on the first baffle on the last hole and had to re-cut the blank. That's why the first cut pics show pencil lines but the finals don't._ edit: Those were the wrong pics anyway so I deleted them.:whistling:


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## ovillegas (Jan 30, 2012)

Impressive job on the accuracy of your cuts!!

I will be building these speakers some time as we'll, so I can't wait to see them finished and read a review about how they sound 

I just ordered 4 ZA5.2 for my surrounds since I have decent fronts and center, but eventually these towers will replace my current ones.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

Sorry for the lack of updates but we've been in negotiations for selling the house and buying the new one. I've made some progress and taken some pictures but haven't had the time to upload the pics and generate a post. I need to get these finished to a point they can be easily transported to free up the garage to be packed up.

I'll post progress as time permits.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

I've said that I'm going to set these up to accept bi-amping. As I've read around various forums it's clear that passive AVR bi-amping doesn't get much support. Can't say that I can argue since I've never bi-amped before and to my knowledge I haven't heard a system where the practice was used. I had a little time at work during lunch and decided to work up a speadsheet of the reactance values throughout the crossovers and see if that would shed any light on the subject.


















At the end of each section (Tweeter/Woofer) I've calculated the total impedance presented to the amplifier for that section and the power the amp would develop to drive that load. For a power reference I used the Pioneer spec for my SC-71 into 4Ω - 180w. I then calculated a peak voltage that would exist at that power and 4Ω load - 37.9V. I used that Peak voltage to calculate the the power developed by the amp at the various frequencies. I know that the 180w figure probably has more to do with UL ratings than an accurate estimation of the power supply rail voltages but it's all I had to go on.

The kicker here seems to be C11, the little cap John (Zaph) inserted to tame woofer cone breakup. It also holds the woofer crossover overall impedance down at higher frequencies which forces the amp to develop the power to drive it. If not bi-amped this power (total unused as audio) would just bleed off power that could otherwise be allocated to high freq. transients. Not saying it would be an audible improvement but at the very least it would reduce the power demands on the front channels and redistribute them to channels that were otherwise unused. That might add a couple of more years of life to the box.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

First, I'm sorry but no pictures. Selling and buying houses is taking most of my time.

I have completed the speakers. I primed them and as previously stated I gave them two coats of black gloss enamel with the expectation of giving them two more coats of satin clear lacquer. With just the gloss they look terrible. The humidity was up and every single brush stroke is visible, no leveling at all.

But all of that may be academic. They sound good but they don't sound as good as my Infinity's. Don't get me wrong I wasn't expecting them to blow the Infinity's out of the water, but they don't come close enough to warrant using them as a replacement. To tell the truth I had my doubts coming in but I thought I'd give it a shot. The footprint difference was attractive. Also the Infinity's are a little long in the tooth (they stopped making them in 1982 I believe) and it can only be a matter of time before the EMIT's go out.

I have the Zaphs setup in my living room now and they will run non-stop till we move (very soon, now). That should give them the time to open up enough to let me know if they'll meet the challenge. I have to admit, I have serious doubts.

All that said they do sound very good, especially considering the size of the drivers. The detail is excellent and the tonal balance is very good, just a little treble bright for my and my wife's taste. I'm expecting them to open up a little after they break in some and I'll give them another chance, but if they don't pass muster they'll be a gift for my son.


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