# Who's working on DIY right now?



## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

I remember there was someone who was going to be building one of the Dayton WWMMTMMWW (or something like that) that was designed online on another forum.

I'm curious to see if that person has started yet or if there are any other folks out there building their own speakers.

JCD


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## Exocer (Apr 19, 2006)

Definitely not me, though I am gearing up to build a pair of Natalie P's at the moment 

Edit: Not me as in I am not the person you're looking for


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## FlashJim (May 6, 2006)

I believe you are talking about me.  I have the tweeters and I'm about to order the remaining components this week.

Before I start the new center and mains, I'm whipping up a sub. I currently don't have one and I'm dying to play with one. I was planning on an IB setup with four 15" drivers, but decided to go with one SS RL-P15 (arriving 6/14) in a sealed enclosure. It'll be driven by my newly acquired Nady XA-1100 pro amp.

I hope to start the sub Father's Day weekend and the center and mains right after that.


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## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

Just one one word for you...

Pictures :T :yes:  

JCD


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## Brian Bunge (Apr 21, 2006)

Jim,

Which speaker is it that you are planning on building? I'm about ready to finally finish my center channel and still have to work up a crossover design for my surrounds. I'm just trying to decide if I want to finish (as in veneer and paint) the surround cabinets before I move forward with the crossover design. There's always that fear that if I don't finish the cabinets before designing and assembling the the XO that I'll always have raw MDF enclosures.

But definitely give us plenty of pics. I've always found pics of people's projects to be inspiring and I'm sure others feel the same way also.

Exocer,

Any reason you're building bookshelf version of the Natalie P's and not the tower version?


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## FlashJim (May 6, 2006)

Brian, 

I'm gathering parts for the Dayton RS WMTW Center & TMWW Mains.

I'm going with a combination of black laminate and oak veneer for my center, mains and sub. I haven't worked out the details yet. I'm thinking about basing them on a set of Advent bookshelf speakers I had back in the 90's that I liked alot.

My RL-P15 is still in LA according to the FedEx site. It's scheduled to be here in Houston on the 14th.


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## Brian Bunge (Apr 21, 2006)

Ah, I see. I'm trying to decide what my next project will be. I need to finish my center, my surrounds, and start on my new sub. Decisions, decisions...


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## gacole2000 (May 25, 2006)

I was wondering if anyone could point me to a good source for wood veneer (besides trees)?

Thanks- Greg


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## Brian Bunge (Apr 21, 2006)

I sure can! These guys are the only company I've used: www.tapeease.com

I've been buying veneer from them for years and they always give great service and the quality of the product is excellent!


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

I second the www.tapeease.com recommendation. They are all I use as well, I used to build cabinets regularly and used them extensively...good product and service, fast shipping.

By the way, I'm always working on DIY  Currently outfitting my HT room with an infinite baffle subwoofer. After that I'll be tweaking my center channel... after that.... hm, not sure but I bet it involves remodeling the master bath.


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## FlashJim (May 6, 2006)

I've postponed my IB project. I may jump back into it after the first of the year. 

Keep us posted on yours, Darren.


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

FlashJim said:


> I've postponed my IB project. I may jump back into it after the first of the year.
> 
> Keep us posted on yours, Darren.


Sure, in the meantime you can see my progress at www.garagehobbies.com/ib.aspx. I also have a running diary at The Cult of the Infinitely Baffled. I'll post some pics in a new thread here though.


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## gacole2000 (May 25, 2006)

Almost finished my sub. Port will be here tomorrow and when my SVS 12.3 driver arrives soon, I'll move my 12.1 into this. This was my first DIY speaker and I think I'm hooked! Tom at SVS was awsome answering my MANY questions.


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## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

gacole2000 said:


> Almost finished my sub. Port will be here tomorrow and the when my SVS 12.3 driver arrives soon, I'll move my 12.1 into this. This was my first DIY speaker and I think I'm hooked! Tom at SVS was awsome answering my MANY questions.



Great work on the box! 

Bummer about the port though.

JCD


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## gacole2000 (May 25, 2006)

Thanks! If that's the worst thing that happens, I'm doing OK


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## FlashJim (May 6, 2006)

I like your sub too. I'm still debating on how to finish mine.


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## Harold Dale (Jun 26, 2006)

I'm going to be starting my TMWW's very soon. I have a friend that is cutting out the center braces and what not on his CNC Mill. I'm going to be building this style of them










I might be staining them Blue though....I'm not sure because I really like the way those turned out.


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## khellandros66 (Jun 7, 2006)

Blue, Pink, Purple...Ok purple and pink are a stretch but ya'll know me, as long as the sound great.

~Bob


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## Harold Dale (Jun 26, 2006)

Either way I'm sure they will be Gorgeous  I just love the way those look.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Hey Dougie and welcome to the Shack!

Those do look nice. Everyone here continues to impress me with their DIY projects. I'm sure you will too.


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## reed.hannebaum (Apr 21, 2006)

This is a nice little home DIY project I came across on the Internet that I thought some of you might want to duplicate :hail: !

http://www.belgaudio.com/auditoen.pdf
http://www.belgaudio.com/auditoen1.pdf


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Looks easy enough... any volunteers to help me?


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## FlashJim (May 6, 2006)

The Bat Cave!


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## reed.hannebaum (Apr 21, 2006)

Sonnie said:


> Looks easy enough... any volunteers to help me?
> 
> Sonnie,
> 
> I can help you get started by ordering the materials. According to the article this will weigh about 14 metric tons. Should I have the driver dump this on your front lawn?


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## chasw98 (Apr 20, 2006)

Just finished these WWMT's and am trying to finish the center this weekend.
























Just like Brians surrounds, I have finished the XO for the center and it is running in the Living Room in all its MDF glory. Hoping to veneer and paint it this weekend.

Chuck


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## FlashJim (May 6, 2006)

Beautiful, Chuck! Those are the same ones I'll be building soon.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Yeah Chuck... those look good. I am consistently being impressed with the abilities of you guys. I never there were so many folks taking the DIY route with main and center speakers.

What does off setting the tweeter do to the sound quality/dispersion?


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## Brian Bunge (Apr 21, 2006)

Sonnie,

Offsetting the tweeter helps to smooth out the frequency response due to the affects of diffraction that the cabinet edges have. If you have the tweeter centered on the baffle horizontally then it is equidistant from each side, which gives a rougher response. If it's also the same distance from the top edge of the cabinet then it's even worse. So if you can make it's distance from each cabinet edge different from all the others then you can get much smoother response. 

It even works well for mids, as my big towers have the tweeter and mids offset. Here's a ****** picture (only one I have of the finished speakers) that kinda shows what I'm talking about. I do need to take some new pics now that I have them in a decent room and finally have a tripod for my cheap digital camera.


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## chasw98 (Apr 20, 2006)

Sonny:
What Brian said! :T


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## Exocer (Apr 19, 2006)

Those TMWW's are beautiful!
You guys always talk about how smooth a good 3-way design can be. I can't imagine the midrange getting any smoother than what i've got with the Natalie P's! That being said, the TMWW's must sound absolutely amazing. Nice work guys.


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## chasw98 (Apr 20, 2006)

Here's a picture of the center channel to go with the WWMT's.


















Chuck


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## F1 fan (Jul 6, 2006)

Beauty work Chuck.
May I ask if that is a rosewood stain on Oak? and how were you able to bend the veneer around the corners.


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## chasw98 (Apr 20, 2006)

F1 fan said:


> Beauty work Chuck.
> May I ask if that is a rosewood stain on Oak? and how were you able to bend the veneer around the corners.


That is Minwax Sedona Red stain. The veneer is red oak flat cut. I used a 3/4" roundover bit on the sides and the flexible, thin veneer just wraps around it quite easily.


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

That center looks beautiful Chuck :T Please tell me you're gonna put a layer of black felt on top though for light reflections :yes:


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## chasw98 (Apr 20, 2006)

SteveCallas said:


> That center looks beautiful Chuck :T Please tell me you're gonna put a layer of black felt on top though for light reflections :yes:


That is my conundrum. The left & right speakers have a gloss black on top. Esthetically that would be a nice match for the center, but the shine would kill me. I'm sort of trying to find a "satin" polish that won't glare, but I don't know. I am really not sure what it will be like in the end.


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

Maybe go with the fancy matching finish but keep a piece of black felt the same shape as the top of the speaker stashed nearby - when it's time to fire up the projector, put it on, when done, take it off and resume admiring the beautiful finish :bigsmile:


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## FlashJim (May 6, 2006)

chasw98 said:


> That is Minwax Sedona Red stain. The veneer is red oak flat cut. I used a 3/4" roundover bit on the sides and the flexible, thin veneer just wraps around it quite easily.


Beautiful Center Channel. 

I've got a quart of Sedona Red sitting on top of my sub. I still need to test it to see how it looks next to my entertainment center. Did you do poly on top of it?


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## chasw98 (Apr 20, 2006)

> Maybe go with the fancy matching finish but keep a piece of black felt the same shape as the top of the speaker stashed nearby - when it's time to fire up the projector, put it on, when done, take it off and resume admiring the beautiful finish


Good idea. I was thinking of maybe getting some material that the little woman in my life would approve of to put over it when watching a movie and of course matching little pieces for the left and right unit.



> I've got a quart of Sedona Red sitting on top of my sub. I still need to test it to see how it looks next to my entertainment center. Did you do poly on top of it?


I did 4 coats of stain and 2 coats of poly on the speakers. I still need to put the poly on the center. You can't see it, but I haven't painted the bottom or rear flat black yet either.


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## F1 fan (Jul 6, 2006)

chasw98 said:


> That is Minwax Sedona Red stain. The veneer is red oak flat cut. I used a 3/4" roundover bit on the sides and the flexible, thin veneer just wraps around it quite easily.


I Really like that Sedona on the Oak.
I ve previously tried wrapping veneer around a corner with the 3/4 round over but had less than good results.(cracking,bubbling)
I think it adds a nice touch having one continuous piece like you have done.


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## FlashJim (May 6, 2006)

chasw98 said:


> I did 4 coats of stain and 2 coats of poly on the speakers. I still need to put the poly on the center. You can't see it, but I haven't painted the bottom or rear flat black yet either.


That's paint? I thought you did what I did on my sub ... black laminate. Looks great!

I _REALLY_ want to start on my speakers. Seeing yours make me even more impatient.


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## chasw98 (Apr 20, 2006)

It is black paint from a spray can on top. I haven't buffed it out yet. OTOH, using laminate gives me some ideas. Stay tuned for more.

Chuck


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## chasw98 (Apr 20, 2006)

I am building a prototype crossover for the WMTW center channel this weekend to use with the Seas tweeter that is used in my WWMT's and the Modula M/T's I just started on. Then I should have a balanced system through out the room that is timbre matched for all 7 speakers. Dayton lo end, Seas hi end.


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## southworth (Oct 7, 2006)

Just finished a pair of Selah Audio Peridots. Next up is the matching CC and surrounds.


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## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

southworth said:


> Just finished a pair of Selah Audio Peridots. Next up is the matching CC and surrounds.


Well, you can't leave it there... pictures are needed! addle: 

JCD


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## derekbannatyne (Oct 7, 2006)

Those Peridot's look nice, are they really only $1075 for the kit? A guy that I work with wanted me to help him set up a DIY kit for around $2500.


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## southworth (Oct 7, 2006)

The Peridot kits are an excellent value at $1075. Even my custom Peroidot design was worth every penny that I spent and then some. :bigsmile: Rick Craig does some excellent work so your friend will not be dissapointed. I 'll post a picture of them once I figure out how to import it from my hard drive.


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## southworth (Oct 7, 2006)

These are my custom Peridots that I had Rick Craig modify for me. This picture is kind of ****** though (flash). 

They have the standard crossover, Scan Speak tweeters and are housed in a rectangular cabinet instead of the tapered cabinet. The Fountek ribbon that Rick Craig uses in the standard kit is a really good one but I just preferred a fabric dome for mine for a little more laid back sound and some cost savings. The cabinets I built are wrapped in red oak veneer, trimmed in Honduran rosewood and finished with a Minwax rosewood gel stain. I still need to put on about four coats of poly this fall. 

As for sound, they sound great to me with some of the best midrange that I've heard to date. They image very well in my 17' x 22' room and they have great bass extension so you don't really need a sub except for some movie LFE. I think they compare favorably with some of the commercial offerings I've heard that are above their price range and they are a steal in kit form (about $4600 assembled). Note the Adire LCC underneath my Sony LCD. He's being replaced next month with a custom matched Peridot CC.


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## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

Ahh... that's more like it. 

Looks great! :T 

JCD


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## F1 fan (Jul 6, 2006)

Nice work on those speakers southworth.:T 

All those SEAS metal cones sure do look pretty.:bigsmile:


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## Exocer (Apr 19, 2006)

Nice job! I love how the dark wood color contrasts with the light colored aluminum cones.


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## norpus (Oct 11, 2006)

I'm just finishing off my IB sub from last week


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## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

Very cool! I love the grate -- huge WAF!

Of course, I'd like to know how it sounds..

JCD


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## norpus (Oct 11, 2006)

JCD said:


> Very cool! I love the grate -- huge WAF!
> 
> Of course, I'd like to know how it sounds..
> 
> JCD



I thought the 2nd hand $20 wooden grate was good too - until someone broke it the 2nd day despite it being out of the way. Lucky they didn't fall through completely and break a driver too!:holycow: 

Yes, a bit of a design flaw. I am trying to find someone to make me a custom sized aluminium grate now (prob $300) that can safely be stood on - a return air grill is what I need, but the size of course is not standard :no: 

WAF will improve then also (the original design was not this big, but was enlarged to fit grate - mrs norpus was not happy it grew further into the room last week..)

How it sounds? However nearfield measurements with an spl meter suggest it is flat to 18Hz at over 100dB. Haven't pushed it yet. The drivers are not run in yet and will improve.

It is not as low or strong as my front IB which is bigger and goes lower.

On music, if I keep the crossover low at 44Hz, it hard to locate at the back - which I reckon is a good result. (this is with front IB not operating - when I get more amps, the plan is both will be running on 2ch) 

On test discs like Bass Mechanics woofer cooker, yes it pressurises the room quite nicely and of course rumbles all the floors in adjacent rooms

On HT, it has good slam and tactile feel through the floorboards. Not locatable as expected and seems as good as the front IB. I guess when both of them are running and phased correctly in future, they will be quite astonishing in feeling. Looking forward to that.


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## dynamowhum (Oct 3, 2006)

I glued up 4 Natalie Ps front baffles today. After a few hours I removed the clamps and laid out the speaker holes. The baffles are double 1/2" BB plywood and 1" MDF for a total of 2". These can be found over at htguide.com/forums in the mission accomplished section. I plan on completing 2 at a time but have some box material to do them all at once. Later I plan on adding a couple of bass bins. I have not decided on their configuration yet. These will be goining with my Dayton RS 3 way WMTW and IB that I built last month. Cheers


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## dynamowhum (Oct 3, 2006)

Oh and congratulations on your new IB norpus. How will you match the phases between the front and back? Let us know how it sounds when you get it where you want it. Cheers


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## norpus (Oct 11, 2006)

dynamowhum said:


> Oh and congratulations on your new IB norpus. How will you match the phases between the front and back? Let us know how it sounds when you get it where you want it. Cheers


Thanks dynamowhum. I see you have built an Atlas IB too -I would likely have used those if avail here but they weren't. Seems like you are quite adept at the cabinetmaking - well done. I won't attempt that as I am not a finishing carpenter - just a rip sh1t and bust type of parttimer with a carpenter mate to assist

For the phasing, the new amps I am contemplating (SGR) have full phase control. Not sure how much if any I'll need if any? on the front IB which is roughly inline with the mains.


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## dynamowhum (Oct 3, 2006)

Naw not necessarily adept just fearless. These are going to go behind a screen wall. I am trying to make them look good however. They won't have to look their Sunday best.


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## southworth (Oct 7, 2006)

Norpus,
You might want to try to find an ornate metal floor register at a place that reclames and recycles building materials/trim from old houses. Might be cheaper than having one fabricated. Just a thought.


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## dynamowhum (Oct 3, 2006)

Yes and probably more ornate as well


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