Speaker DIY

The very final thing to do, dress them up with stainless steel wrap.

Looks very heavy and solid, no not only it looked heavy it is heavy! imagine 2 layers of 3/8" MDF with high pressure laminate on both sides.

Painstaking details











Labour of love

Next, i am going to do modification on the midbass unit, to remove the dust cap and replaced them with custom made phase plug hoping for better midband delivery.

atoz wrote:Next, i am going to do modification on the midbass unit, to remove the dust cap and replaced them with custom made phase plug hoping for better midband delivery.

Nice work bro congrats.

What's that laminate did you use and where did u buy them? Does it come with a 2 way adhesive on its back?

On a side note pls beware with the phase plug installation. Your bass will suffer as the driver lost some of its surface area and the driver is leaky.

cheers

Hi bro Wikin,

I bought them in Kota Damansara, a specialist shop selling all types of self adhesive laminates.

Yes bro, noted on the possibility of leakage between the coil/piston gap. Hopefully the side effect is not too great, i would not mind to trade a bit of bass for a more dramatic improvement in the midband.

However i would not do any permanent mod for now before i test and am truely happy with the results.

Hi Atoz

Great work there!
I noticed u use sponge for damping.
Is this good?

I am rebuilding an old speaker - has 40 yo wooly stuff with cicak shit in it.

Any advice on what i could replace it with.

Its a ported design.

Thanks

Hi Highcut,



No they are not sponge, it is a kind of material made from recycled cotton fabrics, same material found in the front of Spica models.

Actually i used what is available only, they are the leftover from my previous projects and i have never really experimented with the use of different damping materials and its possible effect to the sound.



But do avoid using low density foam though because of its light density and so is the ability to absorb the sound reflection in the cabinet.

You may try the common polyfibre fill as it is easy to get and relatively easy to work with too.

Atoz,

That's is some effort you've put there in your DIY speaker. Very nice work!

Dust caps removed, it looks like i will have to plug-up those ventilation holes near the neck of the cone before i can proceed to install the phase plugs.

Ok, i have the holes temporary covered with vinyl laminates to avoid the internal air escaping to the outside.

atoz wrote:Hi Highcut,



No they are not sponge, it is a kind of material made from recycled cotton fabrics, same material found in the front of Spica models.

Actually i used what is available only, they are the leftover from my previous projects and i have never really experimented with the use of different damping materials and its possible effect to the sound.



But do avoid using low density foam though because of its light density and so is the ability to absorb the sound reflection in the cabinet.

You may try the common polyfibre fill as it is easy to get and relatively easy to work with too.

Got an old pair of Spica, the material in front surrounding the tweeter is called 'felt'. many makers of fine speakers use this stuff. Can't seem to find it in large amounts though. Rockwool is another substance you can use, someone on the forum is selling.

Bal

Thanks Bal for the info.

I used to have a pair of Vandersteen 2CE also using the same material in the front.

thanks Bal

The immediate result of the initial test with the phase plug temporary in place is quite promising, fortunately the side effect on the bass is minimal.

I will need to work further on the wooden phase plug in order for it to fix properly.

The making of a Birch wood phase plug. First is to cut the wooden rod of a specific diameter in to desired length. Bore a hole at the centre to allow the fixture of a holding pole.

Next is to apply some heavy duty wood glue to fix centre pole in place.

Some knocking required to ensure the pole is properly fixed.

Well done.

A piece of foam gasket to seal the joining to prevent leakage.

Some painting to match the colour.

Nice share ! waiting for updates...

The installation of the plugs begins

I insert bamboo pegs to lock down the poles from behind.

Wolla! Done!

Final inspection

Putting them back to the enclosure and ready for firing up

Hi All,

Thank you all for your kind interest in following my thread, but i would like to acknowledge that i am only an amatuer DIYer with no intention to do business or to provide professional advice to fellow forumers. For those who are keen to know more or should you have any questions regarding the matter, i am more than happy to share my experience and views when i am available but i would prefer it in the open thread rather than PM so that other people can have their fair share.

Thanks again!

Hi Atoz,

I truly thank you for sharing. I envy and admire your DIY skill, and ur ability to even modify speaker Driver. Very nice sharing.

Hi Atoz
You are diy extraordinaire !
I can appreciate your work after i assembling 2 diy speaker kits !
My skill is basic compared to yours

kp93300

I am further working on a "T" base for the speaker using plywood and MDF

Painted in black and now have the N-nut screwed in to accept floor spikes

The base is now bolted directly on to the bottom of the speaker



With the 3 floor spikes inserted. I always don't like the idea of having 4 spikes as its normally very difficult to get it stable especially on uneven flooring.

Done!

Atoz...

Simple and sweet.

Admire the effort and the eye for detail that you have put into the floorstanders.

Possible to add on a speaker cover to give it a different appeal ?

cheers

Thank you Wingman for your kind suggestion, i am not used to covering up my speakers at home because i prefer to see those sexy drivers exposed.

Atoz,

Can you tell me the name of the shop that you bought the laminate? Thanks!

Shop name is "Nikko or Mikko" at Kota Damansara The Strand, behind CIMB bank. The outside look like car tint shop but the inside is stickers haven.

atoz wrote:Shop name is "Nikko or Mikko" at Kota Damansara The Strand, behind CIMB bank. The outside look like car tint shop but the inside is stickers haven.

i reckon it should be around here


thanks a lot for the info. will definitely take a visit the next time i'm in kl.

It was the most satisfiying DIY project ever done by myself. After a few fine tuning and mix & matching process, they have now taken over the centre stage in my house and sings like a pro. They are driven by a pair of Antique Sound Lab tube monos hooked to a Promitious TVC passive preamp and a Pioneer 20bit CDP by AudioQuest cables. Quite difficult for me say how good they are but the replacement of my all-time favourite JM LAB Megane Carat with this Metalic Floor Stander is self-explanatory.

In conclusion, it worth all the effort of putting them together and it also make me start thinking how much they worth if the value of the speakers are determined by the quality of the sound in commercial markets.

Congrats!

My New Full range horn loaded speaker project, more pictures available at http://loudspeakers101.blogspot.com/