I worked for "Parts Express" many years ago and my favorite part of the job was the time "after hours." I could combine any combination of the hundreds of speakers and crossovers available to satisfy any sound preference. We only had the raw speakers, a few boxes, and ports, but WOW what fun that was!
I can't tell you how much I appreciate you including all the fails. Really goes to show that even the pros don't get it right everytime and it's okay to make mistakes.
Instead of recessing the binding posts, you could make an elegant copper trim ring with a radius or bevel that steps down to the cabinet level. That could carry the theme of the port ring. Great build, thank you for posting.
Glad the algorithm brought this video to me. Very nice looking build. Would love to have a follow up when the time is right to tidy up everything. Thanks.
Absolutely beautiful... Definitely outside of my skill set. I have been involved in the sound industry as a sound engineer, custom amplifier modifications etc. I can only wish I had the talent for wood. Hats off. What would I do differently... Have the custom crossovers covered with clear lexan. You never want to hide beautiful work. Crossovers are no exception.
Wow, thank you! I haven't done the crossover yet but you will still be able to see the. I've got a perforated metal grill that I plan to use. I'll show it in the next video.
They look beautiful Kerry! I remember you used copper trim rings on the "Boomsticks" back several years... you've amped up the bling with these even more... I say bling, but it's more like classy adornment. You demo quite a few cool techniques in this video, I learned a few things. It's great to see a speaker build just for the love of it!
I really enjoyed watching this build. I'm a woodworker & audiophile that's built a small number of speakers & modified many more. I'm always looking to learn more and I picked up some nice tips in this video. A shame you didn't get into the crossover design here. I have 2 very different (now rather old) systems by Unity Audio and Bob Grost got into some strange territory in Xover design. This is still very much "voodoo black art" for me. Please do continue these videos. Your presentation is no-nonsense, REAL, and useful.
Yowzers!! The angled pieces made me pretty much completely hate until seeing it all come together and was able to see what a nice design touch it provided in the overall scheme of things. Learned so many little tid bits (e.g.veneer won't stick to bondo). A sincere note of gratitude for all the time it took to produce & provide the content! 🙏👌👍
Did have a question, though: any unease working in such proximity to a ginge? Do you use any protective measures or do you just have an agreement that he won't steal your soul? I'd just be nervous the whole time!! 😕🫣😠
Gorgeous work. Been retired from active building in a real shop for over 6 years now, and it’s videos like this make me really pine for the fjords, so to speak. Regarding crossovers, have y’all considered or played at all with miniDSP or such? A video with in room REW measurements would be fun to see.
We’ve done active before but are usually able to get what we want out of passive which also makes for higher simplicity (one amp, speakers can be moved easily, etc.). The next video will dive into measurements.
@@css_audio Fair enough. A few (8?) years ago I built a couple of MTM and TMM 2 ways specifically for experimenting with three different XO methodologies, two of which were bi-amped: Passive Line Level; digital XO using the DSP in a particular model of Onkyo AVR; and old school passive high level - which was modelled via LMS/LEAPS, and was frankly my personal favourite. More recently I’ve been playing with REW / miniDSP for fine tuning multi subs and PEQ to front row of small HT rig built with all DIY speakers, so that’s still a fun toy. Anyways, gorgeous work on these beasts, and looking forward to the measurements. Cheers
All I can say Kerry, is incredible! You are extremely talented as well as a great designer. This is well beyond both my skill and equipment level. I hope to hear them the end of this month. Please continue these videos, both you and Dan are bringing a lot to the table for us amateur builders and I know I am learning from you both. I hope that you develop other projects that can turn into potential kits or projects that can be done by us mere mortals!
What a gorgeous build. I personally would have taken something in exchange for the copper, as copper tends to resonate. But this is just personal preference. Greetings from Germany.
This is an amazing video. This is my first time here, but I've already hit that sub, especially if you're going to do more build videos like this. I have a few thoughts that you can take or leave as you like. I have found, block planes are good, but if you take the time to learn to set and use a Japanese pull plane you will be very happy with the added precision you get. I have not worked with veneer, but my understanding is precision is key when doing so. Copper and brass always look good but can be expensive. It's possible to anodize aluminum to look exactly like copper or brass. Once you are setup to do that it's a lot cheaper and it's easy to cast your own aluminum parts. Part of the anodizing is sealing the material so you don't have spray them with an anti-oxidation sealant. On top of that it looks like you are already using anodized plates for the posts plate and then laser etching the logo and text. You could make those in the copper anodizing, then laser etch, then anodize the etched part in black. IMO that would add even more to the look. Again, this is my first visit so this may be answered elsewhere, but what software do you use for your cabinet modeling. I was looking around hoping to find a plugin for FreeCAD that would do acoustic modeling of speaker cabinets but it looks like the only real options are over-priced stand-alone applications that only run on Windows.
I absolutely Love your Speakers!!! I build speakers also and enjoy the whole process from start to finish. I love the copper inlay. would love to hear them. I bet they rock.
The overall "D'appolito" makes sense, but I wonder how much the top will "flex" and "shake" (the mid) - there is a reason Wilson and others - even LX521 decouple the midrange from the bass in the cabinet. But beautiful finish!
so happy to see that also the pros make mistakes, makes me feel so much better....I always get something wrong.....always, I thought it was just me. regarding the speakers...they look awesome, what I would give to listen to a couple of choice albums on them. really nice work!!
Hello Kerry from Meaford Ontario Canada: In 1996-2000 I was the manager at Oakville Audio in Ontario Canada and we sold some of the finest HiFi in Canada, we had exclusive rights to John Farlow s Exposure electronics and Joe Achroyd s Royd Audio, I know Joe and spoke to him a few times on the phone while as manager, I learned what Joe knows about speaker design and others as well as I have seen the tech implemented since the early 70's, ALL DISTORTION IN A SPEAKER STARTS IN THE MAGNET, by dampening the driver magnets woofers midranges and tweeters must all be dampened by a rubbery gooey type dampening material that wicks away the vibrations that start in the magnets , also use T Nuts and bolts never wood screws and use five inch squared 1/4 inch thick steel plates glued to top bottom and inside walls of cabinet as inside speaker walls should be denser than top s and bottom s and backs as Totem had learned , all drivers should have wires connected directly by soldering iron and all wiring should be a silver combined with either nickol or copper
I damp the speaker basket and magnets with window caulking. It never dries out. It's like putty. Could you give a bit more info on the product you're using?
@@gbrm6077 also by using PVC pipe cut to perfect length Construction adhesive it to the back of the cabinet directly behind each driver then fill driver with anti acoustic caulking and seat the driver magnets into exposed compound and then fasten drivers
I accidentally deleted a commenter's reply (sorry and RUclips apparently has no way to undo that), but they mentioned that most of the distortion from a driver comes from the motor design. That is absolutely the correct.
Yes, it does and I should have mentioned that. It is much slower and takes a lot more effort to setup though. Braces are so boring to me I want to get through them as quick as possible.
❤CSS. Great vid.& build Appreciate you even covering a few mistakes and how you recovered. I've done cabinets from kit and scratch and have to say the flat packs are brilliant.
Beautiful work. I've always felt speakers need to be 6-8 ft tall for proper sound stage. Get an overhead power extension to get the tool cords up and out of your way while you're working.
It looks beautiful. How the box looks isn't my priority, although I prefer not looking at something unfinished. I built my subwoofer box (36" x 14" x 18") with opposed 10" drivers and a plate amp. I prefer dual 15" woofers in my speakers so they can play LOUD without distorting while remaining natural sounding. I build tiny houses as a side gig.
Not sure about your hourly rate, but factoring the hours as well I'm sure a completed version is still a $20.000 speaker! Which nets you a 33% discount from retail and that makes sense from a commercial standpoint as you would not pay manufacturer and dealer markup as a consumer. Warranty may not be too much of an issue as the live components have their 'own' warranty. The crossover however will be the gold-silver medal award. If you match it or improve upon the original you are set for victory.
Wow. Amazing build, plus it's nice to hear that even professionals make the occasional mistake and are honest enough to admit it 😁looking forward to seeing more videos like this. It sounded like there may have been a 30 day competition at CSS? If so did anyone else make a video?
It's not a competition really. Dan and I will be rotating 1 month periods where one of us builds something and the other focuses on running the day-to-day. Dan's video was the bass module redo to make a sleeker and more sexy version of our original offering. ruclips.net/video/EUk82KZ8sUc/видео.html
Good morning 🌅, interesting project, it might be worth investing in a CNC router table to cut your holes for your speakers, or having some aluminium jigs making up for your speakers, with stepped ring inserts, Your speakers sound quite nice, though They lack bass response, It might be due to the fact that I have a pair of very large transmission line they are speakers cabinets, that I built 40 odd years ago?, Just recently changed the drive units and drive crossover., SEAS DRIVERS, 150w 8Ohs , NAD 150 , They do look very nice and I’ll be watching to see what else you produce , good luck with your adventure, France.
Hey, DIY here myself. Awesome build! looks really good, love the copper accents. Wouldve loved it even more if you wouldve shown the whole process. Like, figuring out what kinda speaker u wanna build in the first place, what you want to achieve, what drivers u take and how your selection process is. how you tune in the crossover and develop it. ( do you start with a dsp to check xover frequencies and level alignment to "know" what u want in the crossover so you have starting points and then start from there or do you go after specsheet simulation and start from there ) overall as with everything you did some things i would never do. But if i show you how i build speakers u would just say the same about my methods :D so thats fine. Only thing im really curious about is the glued on front baffle. You WANT it to be easier to resonate? Did u calculate the resonance frequency of the front baffle and put it outside of the spectrum the driver play? But even with crosstalk between cabinet and baffle wall that sound ridicioulus hard to actually convert into reality. Sure u can simulate it, but the precision you would need to have to glue it on etc looks damn near impossible to achieve for me. Atleast when done by hand. Ur speaker is a work of art, mine dont ever look like those, would love them to do tough. Have a great weekend and thanks for the video.
Thanks for the feedback. I looked for copper screws but couldn't find any. I think they are too soft. I thought black would look better than brass personally.
Great job done so far!!!!! I think you're going the route of function following form. I really like that because I think the same way. I'd really like to know how you came up with the chassis selection and how you then simulated it.
Amazing looking build, it has a real unique design with 3 cabinets per speaker, and the wood and paint combination with the copper as highlights fit very well together. How did you connect the speaker wires to the binding posts, did you solder them and if, how’d you do it? I have the same and they have this unnecessary wide opening with would use a lot of solder, and because I’m not an expert in doing it I would love to take some advice to do it right.
Glad you like it! I doubled over the wire and used the set screws to hold it in place for the main binding posts. The other binding posts to go between the three cabinets to the crossover have tabs for quick connects or soldering.
Way cool! I’m in the (long) process of building a similar speaker, but all open baffle with mini dsp help. 6 8” bass drivers with a 4” Mark Audio fullrange center. There’s just something about a tall cabinet stacked with drivers. Definitely subscribing.
@@hawker800mech that sounds like a great project. I've done 3 open baffle builds lately... It's baffling, how good they can sound. Not muffled, fluffy bass like a tuned port. Which mark audio driver? At what frequency are you planning to cross over?
@@davebutler3905 It’s the CHR-70 and so far set around 250 Hz. I’m using GRS 8” subwoofer drivers and they seem to do well. I’m starting out low cost while dipping my toes into OB speakers. Plus, I’m going to make it somewhat modular so different drivers can be used if I want to branch into more expensive drivers. It’s amazing how good and open it sounds with it in a poorly built mockup and being one channel. The bass is just reaching into the 40’s. Sealed subs will fill in the lowest octave.
Hard to criticize your build. I'd love to see a spectral analysis done on this design. Maybe coming? In terms of recommended changes, at 21:45 I don't care for the butt joint of the copper. Easy enough to do a miter.
These speakers certainly look very expensive. The copper is a nice touch! Though as a fellow speaker designer I would have gone a different route if I wanted to go all out on the sonic performance.
I guess they sound as good as they look . Those things are really gorgeous I have always loved the dynaudio evidence master look in a speaker and these really do it for me
Beautiful build! i'll take a pair :D On a more serious note what is your take on the sound of mdf cabinets vs plywood ? im making a new set of cabinets for my main speakers in particleboard with a layer of plywood on the outside just because i've heard things about it, im not done yet but im really starting to appreciate how easy mdf is to work with
Low density plywood definitely resonates more than mdf but as long as you are using decent quality plywood, there is no audible difference in my experience. I’ve not seen any research to point otherwise.
For a relatively expensive build, why not use high end wires? I have used Neotech 12 awg stranded UP-OCC copper hookup wires in my 1TDX for the binding posts and woofer, and 18 awg UP-OCC silver wire for the tweeter connection with excellent results. Of course, the binding posts were upgraded too - cardas CCBP pure copper binding posts being an excellent choice.
F-ing impressive! Here's my feedback: 1. Use of color. Instead of black as the default cabinet color for everything that's not in the center block/wood veneer (check out Goby Walnut for veneers), try reds, blues, and white or copper hues to make these awesome speakers stand out: sides, faces, and lower sections. If I'm buying a kit, I want them to be different - and I don't want to have to break out my painting tools. I would include color options when ordering a kit. 2. The modular sections - especially the top block - look difficult to add and, honestly, looks like my kids could quickly knock those over. How do you know they are secured? Is there a mechanical lock? 3. I recommend breaking out out the router and rounding the edges on everything too - like you mentioned. 4. Copper: Cooper fittings are your unique differentiators - and they look kewl. I recommend using copper rounds on top of the speaker housings. See image at 17:15 in video: the driver in the wood veneer block is a different shape. Because the housings are different shapes - it makes the speakers look DYI. Use copper as a design feature to make your design really stand out - perhaps with CSS etched into the band? Oh, marketing and lead generation: Think about placing ordering information first in your RUclips descriptions.
Thanks for the feedback. This build was for me and not something we plan to sell. I actually almost never choose black but wanted to here and focused more on texture and sheen contrast than color. I also like seeing driver frames (apparently in the minority these days) as opposed to trim rings.
@@css_audioas part of the build, we would love to see what your design choices were. Why choose a Coaxial Pro driver? Did WAF factor into this? Why did you prefer a M T M configuration, was it only because you needed to use 6 woofers to balance the sensitivity? How did you connect 6 8 ohm woofers to match the impedance of a single 8 ohm coax driver? Why did you use MDF instead of marine grade plywood (which for me is less messy to cut)? Since this was a passion project I noticed you used some compound between the 2 layers of the front baffle (around @15:30). Was this to implement some CLD? What was this compound? I couldn’t follow the name in your video. Thanks.
These look amazing. Im more of a dedicated home theater guy. Do you guys have any plans for a theater style speaker? Sealed, onwall mounting, 80-20k, high sensitivity/high output style. Im thinking of something along the lines of a Magnat cinema ultra or a RBH on wall. It would be great to see some DIY kit options on the market for that type of speaker.
We've talked about doing some HT stuff but aren't as in tune with that market as the traditional HiFi so we need to do some more research before we could develop anything.
Very nice cabinet work but my appologies, I find it misleading by claiming a £35'000 dollar speaker. What direct model is this referring to? Performance? You have many small drivers in a tower. What does your speaker offer that PMC BB5, or Kef Reference 11 meta and so forth cannot do?
Was thinking the same but sometimes you just need someone you convince that he needs this speeker and that it‘s worth it 🤔 Best is to find someone who is not able to build it himself AND has the money AND wants to be proud what he paid 😂
That makes a lot more sense given the 200 man hours so far--as opposed to comparing it to commercial productions. But I still get that $13,500 might provide a more accurate comparison in terms of ROI on $3500 of parts. @marcg2233
It looks really nice and exquisite. Many very expensive 'audiophile' speakers measure absolutely terribly, so acoustic performance doesn't seem to be a part of the experience. Using a small coax without a separate waveguide for the tweeter is pretty rough and I wouldn't want that in my every day speakers. I'll rather go with a non-coax design and put treatment on my ceiling. I like the looks of big tower speakers, but acoustically, having subwoofers deal with the low bass makes more sense in terms of flexibility, output capability, sound quality and room acoustics.
Thanks Jeff. The shop, other than the SawStop is fairly modest. We don't have a lot of stuff in there and the equipment isn't that expensive. You don't really need a ton to build speakers. Unfortunately I'm still working through the crossover design on these. The mid/tweeter are a beast to work with passively. I'm hoping to have them hooked up for a first listen later today or Monday.
If you have a 3D printer you can produce all of the templates you may need for any custom speaker builds you do. I find it very helpful for a lot of cutouts in braces or whatnot. Especially useful for odd shapes where you can download a plan image or take a photo and produce a scale sketch to design the template. Just a thought if you haven't experimented with that approach :)
@@css_audio Most welcome. THank you for sharing the beautiful build. Inspiring creation. I mainly build home cinema subs but the construction and woodcrafting aspects are all the same :). I'm interested in how well the baffle works. If you have an elastic material I would be concerned the baffle alone is providing the opposing force against the driver pistoning. This means that the baffle could be moving in a reciprocal manner with the drivers if it does not have sufficient mass to drive that to near zero. This is because a mastic prevents it coupling to the main cabinet mass. What are your thoughts on this?
@@css_audio Thought so, thats a nice designed speaker, no subwoofer needed in that room. With 12 7" of those awesome woofers there would be tons of bass.. Nice work !!
I am in love with these. .. The only thing that I'd love even more .. if the sides were curved. .. deeper more narrow. ... I am SO impressed ... and Love them so much. Kudos for taking on the project and making it a reality. Will you ever present these at a show? .. larger room for Axpona? I'll have to come for a visit .. I'll convince Jay to make a road trip ..lol
.....Fu*K ..... I just finished watching it for the 3rd time today ...and I want to watch it again. I have a design.. that I can't do myself. it's .. sort of similar .. with a bit of a Future / Alien twist. Should I Email to start that conversation?
@css_audio ...Definitely Sketches. I do a lot by hand.. nothing on a computer yet. Sadly.. im not that patient but I need to learn how to transfer into SketchUp or other programs to make the whole thing easier to work with. Call would be faster.. maybe email ths sketches for reference.
Thanks! We use a large industrial CNC for all our kit cabinets. We don’t have any plans to buy one of those because you have to be cutting panels all day every day to justify the cost.
Awesome, very interesting. Very complicated build and I'm sure shooting it for YT would have added much more work. Just a humble suggestion in future videos either increase the audio gain of the voice over or reduce the construction sounds. I keep lowering volume when there was no voice and kept increasing when you spoke
Thanks for the feedback. I think what we have realized after recording a couple videos is that voiceovers on RUclips seem to work better with heavy compression. we have not been compressing the audio so even with it turned up all the way it is still low compared to a lot of other channels.
I worked for "Parts Express" many years ago and my favorite part of the job was the time "after hours." I could combine any combination of the hundreds of speakers and crossovers available to satisfy any sound preference. We only had the raw speakers, a few boxes, and ports, but WOW what fun that was!
that explains why half the stuff ordered is "opened and scratched" when a new box is ordered
I can't tell you how much I appreciate you including all the fails. Really goes to show that even the pros don't get it right everytime and it's okay to make mistakes.
Thanks!
Instead of recessing the binding posts, you could make an elegant copper trim ring with a radius or bevel that steps down to the cabinet level. That could carry the theme of the port ring. Great build, thank you for posting.
Cool idea!
Glad the algorithm brought this video to me. Very nice looking build. Would love to have a follow up when the time is right to tidy up everything. Thanks.
Absolutely beautiful... Definitely outside of my skill set. I have been involved in the sound industry as a sound engineer, custom amplifier modifications etc. I can only wish I had the talent for wood.
Hats off. What would I do differently... Have the custom crossovers covered with clear lexan. You never want to hide beautiful work. Crossovers are no exception.
Wow, thank you! I haven't done the crossover yet but you will still be able to see the. I've got a perforated metal grill that I plan to use. I'll show it in the next video.
skillet... I love it. You have to practice to gain a skillet. It's only wood. you can always start over. We all make mistakes.
awesome project. a sound test with a really good mic setup would be cool.
Awesome. As a fellow enthusiast, with a dozen speaker projects completed...... very well done. LOVE the copper accents. Doing us proud.
They look beautiful Kerry! I remember you used copper trim rings on the "Boomsticks" back several years... you've amped up the bling with these even more... I say bling, but it's more like classy adornment.
You demo quite a few cool techniques in this video, I learned a few things.
It's great to see a speaker build just for the love of it!
It was actually aluminum on those but yes, going a little more extreme here
Nice design. The copper accents are brilliant. I would love to see more builds like this.
More to come!
I really enjoyed watching this build. I'm a woodworker & audiophile that's built a small number of speakers & modified many more. I'm always looking to learn more and I picked up some nice tips in this video. A shame you didn't get into the crossover design here. I have 2 very different (now rather old) systems by Unity Audio and Bob Grost got into some strange territory in Xover design. This is still very much "voodoo black art" for me.
Please do continue these videos. Your presentation is no-nonsense, REAL, and useful.
Thanks! Glad it was useful.
Nicely done. looking forward for the crossover design & final frequency response.
You and me both!
Yowzers!! The angled pieces made me pretty much completely hate until seeing it all come together and was able to see what a nice design touch it provided in the overall scheme of things. Learned so many little tid bits (e.g.veneer won't stick to bondo). A sincere note of gratitude for all the time it took to produce & provide the content! 🙏👌👍
Did have a question, though: any unease working in such proximity to a ginge? Do you use any protective measures or do you just have an agreement that he won't steal your soul? I'd just be nervous the whole time!! 😕🫣😠
Gorgeous work. Been retired from active building in a real shop for over 6 years now, and it’s videos like this make me really pine for the fjords, so to speak. Regarding crossovers, have y’all considered or played at all with miniDSP or such?
A video with in room REW measurements would be fun to see.
We’ve done active before but are usually able to get what we want out of passive which also makes for higher simplicity (one amp, speakers can be moved easily, etc.). The next video will dive into measurements.
@@css_audio Fair enough. A few (8?) years ago I built a couple of MTM and TMM 2 ways specifically for experimenting with three different XO methodologies, two of which were bi-amped: Passive Line Level; digital XO using the DSP in a particular model of Onkyo AVR; and old school passive high level - which was modelled via LMS/LEAPS, and was frankly my personal favourite.
More recently I’ve been playing with REW / miniDSP for fine tuning multi subs and PEQ to front row of small HT rig built with all DIY speakers, so that’s still a fun toy.
Anyways, gorgeous work on these beasts, and looking forward to the measurements.
Cheers
The moment of maturity at 12:12 is priceless. well done sir. i salute you. wit, skill and beautiful speakers, what's not to like? (and subscribe).
Great work! A good time saver would be to use baltic birch plywood. Beautiful when finished, saves time vs veneer, and the edge ply looks awesome!
Plywood is not near as good for sound deadning as MDF
All I can say Kerry, is incredible! You are extremely talented as well as a great designer. This is well beyond both my skill and equipment level. I hope to hear them the end of this month. Please continue these videos, both you and Dan are bringing a lot to the table for us amateur builders and I know I am learning from you both. I hope that you develop other projects that can turn into potential kits or projects that can be done by us mere mortals!
Thanks so much 😊
Way beyond my ability, but very very interesting. I appreciate that you included your mis-steps too.
Glad you enjoyed it!
What a gorgeous build. I personally would have taken something in exchange for the copper, as copper tends to resonate. But this is just personal preference. Greetings from Germany.
Love to see you do these types of builds. I'd be happy to print you some router guides if you ever want to flush mount your binding post plate.
Great build. The drywall screws are sacrilegious.
This is an amazing video. This is my first time here, but I've already hit that sub, especially if you're going to do more build videos like this. I have a few thoughts that you can take or leave as you like.
I have found, block planes are good, but if you take the time to learn to set and use a Japanese pull plane you will be very happy with the added precision you get. I have not worked with veneer, but my understanding is precision is key when doing so.
Copper and brass always look good but can be expensive. It's possible to anodize aluminum to look exactly like copper or brass. Once you are setup to do that it's a lot cheaper and it's easy to cast your own aluminum parts. Part of the anodizing is sealing the material so you don't have spray them with an anti-oxidation sealant. On top of that it looks like you are already using anodized plates for the posts plate and then laser etching the logo and text. You could make those in the copper anodizing, then laser etch, then anodize the etched part in black. IMO that would add even more to the look.
Again, this is my first visit so this may be answered elsewhere, but what software do you use for your cabinet modeling. I was looking around hoping to find a plugin for FreeCAD that would do acoustic modeling of speaker cabinets but it looks like the only real options are over-priced stand-alone applications that only run on Windows.
please attach demo clip too but seriously you have done a great job, love from India keep growing.
They look beautiful with a quality build. Would love to hear the final product.
Thanks!
I absolutely Love your Speakers!!! I build speakers also and enjoy the whole process from start to finish. I love the copper inlay. would love to hear them. I bet they rock.
Glad you like them!
Watched the video... would love to see the rest of the build and sound tests.
Love the fact that you find time to do these passion builds.
Thanks. Coming soon!
The overall "D'appolito" makes sense, but I wonder how much the top will "flex" and "shake" (the mid) - there is a reason Wilson and others - even LX521 decouple the midrange from the bass in the cabinet. But beautiful finish!
so happy to see that also the pros make mistakes, makes me feel so much better....I always get something wrong.....always, I thought it was just me. regarding the speakers...they look awesome, what I would give to listen to a couple of choice albums on them. really nice work!!
Wonderful workmanship with technical expertise . Would ❤to hear these speakers
Thanks!
Hello Kerry from Meaford Ontario Canada: In 1996-2000 I was the manager at Oakville Audio in Ontario Canada and we sold some of the finest HiFi in Canada, we had exclusive rights to John Farlow s Exposure electronics and Joe Achroyd s Royd Audio, I know Joe and spoke to him a few times on the phone while as manager, I learned what Joe knows about speaker design and others as well as I have seen the tech implemented since the early 70's, ALL DISTORTION IN A SPEAKER STARTS IN THE MAGNET, by dampening the driver magnets woofers midranges and tweeters must all be dampened by a rubbery gooey type dampening material that wicks away the vibrations that start in the magnets , also use T Nuts and bolts never wood screws and use five inch squared 1/4 inch thick steel plates glued to top bottom and inside walls of cabinet as inside speaker walls should be denser than top s and bottom s and backs as Totem had learned , all drivers should have wires connected directly by soldering iron and all wiring should be a silver combined with either nickol or copper
I damp the speaker basket and magnets with window caulking. It never dries out. It's like putty. Could you give a bit more info on the product you're using?
@@gbrm6077 use Anti Acoustic Caulking it's ideal
@@gbrm6077 also by using PVC pipe cut to perfect length Construction adhesive it to the back of the cabinet directly behind each driver then fill driver with anti acoustic caulking and seat the driver magnets into exposed compound and then fasten drivers
I accidentally deleted a commenter's reply (sorry and RUclips apparently has no way to undo that), but they mentioned that most of the distortion from a driver comes from the motor design. That is absolutely the correct.
Where can I get those acoustic panels on the walls?
Absoloutely gorgeous cabinets. Really liking the book-matched veneer as an accent to the painted balance.
Thanks
That jasper circle jig would work great to cut the holes in the braces. Great build btw!
Yes, it does and I should have mentioned that. It is much slower and takes a lot more effort to setup though. Braces are so boring to me I want to get through them as quick as possible.
Awesome video!! You have great woodworking, design and fabrication skills ... a rare combo. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much!
These enclosures look amazing! I am sure that they sound just as amazing, too.
Thanks!
@@css_audio Send them off to Erin's Audio Corner!
Great Video, makes me need to do also an extreme project! But you need a cnc for the mdf plates!
❤CSS. Great vid.& build Appreciate you even covering a few mistakes and how you recovered. I've done cabinets from kit and scratch and have to say the flat packs are brilliant.
Thanks!
May I please have the plans for the beautiful speakers you made in this video? 😊😊they look amazing!!!
If we have enough people interested we’ll do full plans. The crossover schematic will be shared in a follow-up video.
Beautiful work. I've always felt speakers need to be 6-8 ft tall for proper sound stage. Get an overhead power extension to get the tool cords up and out of your way while you're working.
Thanks!
I really enjoyed watching your video and think you did a great job with your build.
I could watch stuff like this for hours.
Thank you very much!
me too
It looks beautiful. How the box looks isn't my priority, although I prefer not looking at something unfinished. I built my subwoofer box (36" x 14" x 18") with opposed 10" drivers and a plate amp. I prefer dual 15" woofers in my speakers so they can play LOUD without distorting while remaining natural sounding. I build tiny houses as a side gig.
Not sure about your hourly rate, but factoring the hours as well I'm sure a completed version is still a $20.000 speaker! Which nets you a 33% discount from retail and that makes sense from a commercial standpoint as you would not pay manufacturer and dealer markup as a consumer. Warranty may not be too much of an issue as the live components have their 'own' warranty. The crossover however will be the gold-silver medal award. If you match it or improve upon the original you are set for victory.
Wow. Amazing build, plus it's nice to hear that even professionals make the occasional mistake and are honest enough to admit it 😁looking forward to seeing more videos like this. It sounded like there may have been a 30 day competition at CSS? If so did anyone else make a video?
It's not a competition really. Dan and I will be rotating 1 month periods where one of us builds something and the other focuses on running the day-to-day. Dan's video was the bass module redo to make a sleeker and more sexy version of our original offering. ruclips.net/video/EUk82KZ8sUc/видео.html
Good morning 🌅, interesting project, it might be worth investing in a CNC router table to cut your holes for your speakers, or having some aluminium jigs making up for your speakers, with stepped ring inserts, Your speakers sound quite nice, though They lack bass response, It might be due to the fact that I have a pair of very large transmission line they are speakers cabinets, that I built 40 odd years ago?, Just recently changed the drive units and drive crossover., SEAS DRIVERS, 150w 8Ohs , NAD 150 ,
They do look very nice and I’ll be watching to see what else you produce , good luck with your adventure, France.
Hey, DIY here myself.
Awesome build! looks really good, love the copper accents.
Wouldve loved it even more if you wouldve shown the whole process. Like, figuring out what kinda speaker u wanna build in the first place, what you want to achieve, what drivers u take and how your selection process is. how you tune in the crossover and develop it. ( do you start with a dsp to check xover frequencies and level alignment to "know" what u want in the crossover so you have starting points and then start from there or do you go after specsheet simulation and start from there ) overall as with everything you did some things i would never do. But if i show you how i build speakers u would just say the same about my methods :D so thats fine.
Only thing im really curious about is the glued on front baffle. You WANT it to be easier to resonate? Did u calculate the resonance frequency of the front baffle and put it outside of the spectrum the driver play? But even with crosstalk between cabinet and baffle wall that sound ridicioulus hard to actually convert into reality. Sure u can simulate it, but the precision you would need to have to glue it on etc looks damn near impossible to achieve for me. Atleast when done by hand.
Ur speaker is a work of art, mine dont ever look like those, would love them to do tough.
Have a great weekend and thanks for the video.
the technical details are coming later
They do look great, well done.
Thanks!
People need this... People have to come out hype of high end audio.. game of fools
Work of art!
I might have done copper or brass screws to mount the speakers to match the accents.
Thanks for the feedback. I looked for copper screws but couldn't find any. I think they are too soft. I thought black would look better than brass personally.
Hi Kerry,great video, thanks for uploading it for us ❤ hello from Hamburg/ Germany
You are so welcome!
Very impressive build for sure, and you have the gear to d it 👍
Thanks 👍
That is absolutely drop dead gorgeous worth every penny in my book beautiful job guys.
Thanks!
@@css_audio my pleasure
I very much enjoyed this video. I learned a lot watching this video. I hope you will make more. Thanks
The plan is to make 6-12 a year going forward
Greatest of all time
Beautiful work. The result seems worth the effort you took
Thank you very much!
Hey Dan. Didn't know you had a youtube channel. Subscribed! Awesome project!
holy shit man this thing looks insane! i would love to have a desktop speaker that looks this good!
Thanks!
I have been planning to flank a coaxial 8" with a pair 12" woofers with either a bi or tri amp plate. For about 10 years.
Superb platform.
My Catalyst 12c are precisely that.
A pair of the finest AE 12" low distortion drivers, flanking a B&C coax, powered by ~2kw active.
Fantastic!! Looking forward to the remaining of the build and insights into crossover design process
Stay tuned
Great work . I take my hat off to you and would hopefully like to buy a kit plan for these in the future
Thank you very much!
I don't just want to really listen to the sound, but also to contemplate its aesthetics. Congratulations, it's a real piece of art.
Thanks!
Great job done so far!!!!! I think you're going the route of function following form. I really like that because I think the same way.
I'd really like to know how you came up with the chassis selection and how you then simulated it.
That will be in part 2
Oh wow that finished product was gorgeous 😍
Thank you!
Yessss... Love these large sized cabinets.... we need builds like this.
Beautiful! Faital Pro make some great drivers, I haven't tried their coax yet.
This one is a bit of a beast to work with passively.
So much good build info even for us kit guys. Those came out over the top!
Glad you liked it!
Amazing looking build, it has a real unique design with 3 cabinets per speaker, and the wood and paint combination with the copper as highlights fit very well together.
How did you connect the speaker wires to the binding posts, did you solder them and if, how’d you do it? I have the same and they have this unnecessary wide opening with would use a lot of solder, and because I’m not an expert in doing it I would love to take some advice to do it right.
Glad you like it! I doubled over the wire and used the set screws to hold it in place for the main binding posts. The other binding posts to go between the three cabinets to the crossover have tabs for quick connects or soldering.
Very nice build!!! What about the crossover development? What about measurements of the speaker?
Coming in the next part
Way cool! I’m in the (long) process of building a similar speaker, but all open baffle with mini dsp help. 6 8” bass drivers with a 4” Mark Audio fullrange center. There’s just something about a tall cabinet stacked with drivers. Definitely subscribing.
@@hawker800mech that sounds like a great project. I've done 3 open baffle builds lately... It's baffling, how good they can sound. Not muffled, fluffy bass like a tuned port.
Which mark audio driver?
At what frequency are you planning to cross over?
@@davebutler3905 It’s the CHR-70 and so far set around 250 Hz. I’m using GRS 8” subwoofer drivers and they seem to do well. I’m starting out low cost while dipping my toes into OB speakers. Plus, I’m going to make it somewhat modular so different drivers can be used if I want to branch into more expensive drivers. It’s amazing how good and open it sounds with it in a poorly built mockup and being one channel. The bass is just reaching into the 40’s. Sealed subs will fill in the lowest octave.
Beautiful cabinet crafted. What about the sound for the money? Crossovers quality?
Thanks! All that will be coming in a later video
Stunning. What sort of Amp power did you drive them with?
We will be using an Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra if going passive. If active, we still have to decide.
Hope they sound as nice as they look!
Hard to criticize your build. I'd love to see a spectral analysis done on this design. Maybe coming? In terms of recommended changes, at 21:45 I don't care for the butt joint of the copper. Easy enough to do a miter.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll do a follow-up video with measurements.
These speakers certainly look very expensive. The copper is a nice touch! Though as a fellow speaker designer I would have gone a different route if I wanted to go all out on the sonic performance.
Nice! Tell more about this coax 👍
It's the FaitalPRO 6HJX150 www.parts-express.com/FaitalPRO-6HX150-6-Neodymium-Coaxial-Driver-8-Ohm-294-1192?quantity=1
i think they look freaking AWESOME💖💖💖 . Kudos.
I guess they sound as good as they look . Those things are really gorgeous I have always loved the dynaudio evidence master look in a speaker and these really do it for me
Thanks! I’ll find out how they sound next week.
@@css_audio please let us know
Excellent -- of course everyone likes build video's!
Thanks!
Gorgeous! I thought of a project make a sub cabinet out of one peace of wood
Sounds like a cool project!
Wonderful work! That black with copper accents is spectacular.
Thanks!
What a nice looking speaker! Can't wait to see the next videos ;)
Thanks!
Beautiful build! i'll take a pair :D
On a more serious note what is your take on the sound of mdf cabinets vs plywood ?
im making a new set of cabinets for my main speakers in particleboard with a layer of plywood on the outside just because i've heard things about it, im not done yet but im really starting to appreciate how easy mdf is to work with
Low density plywood definitely resonates more than mdf but as long as you are using decent quality plywood, there is no audible difference in my experience. I’ve not seen any research to point otherwise.
For a relatively expensive build, why not use high end wires? I have used Neotech 12 awg stranded UP-OCC copper hookup wires in my 1TDX for the binding posts and woofer, and 18 awg UP-OCC silver wire for the tweeter connection with excellent results. Of course, the binding posts were upgraded too - cardas CCBP pure copper binding posts being an excellent choice.
I would love to see more builds like this.
More coming!
Killed it , would love more videos . Not enough people go through the process of it all
Definitely more coming! Thanks!
@@css_audio Thanks! I agree and also add in any insights / tips you've learned along the way.
12:13 Too mature you say??
The sound guy doing pipe work. I approve 😂.
Bro these are beautiful, well done
Thank you! Cheers!
F-ing impressive! Here's my feedback: 1. Use of color. Instead of black as the default cabinet color for everything that's not in the center block/wood veneer (check out Goby Walnut for veneers), try reds, blues, and white or copper hues to make these awesome speakers stand out: sides, faces, and lower sections. If I'm buying a kit, I want them to be different - and I don't want to have to break out my painting tools. I would include color options when ordering a kit. 2. The modular sections - especially the top block - look difficult to add and, honestly, looks like my kids could quickly knock those over. How do you know they are secured? Is there a mechanical lock? 3. I recommend breaking out out the router and rounding the edges on everything too - like you mentioned. 4. Copper: Cooper fittings are your unique differentiators - and they look kewl. I recommend using copper rounds on top of the speaker housings. See image at 17:15 in video: the driver in the wood veneer block is a different shape. Because the housings are different shapes - it makes the speakers look DYI. Use copper as a design feature to make your design really stand out - perhaps with CSS etched into the band? Oh, marketing and lead generation: Think about placing ordering information first in your RUclips descriptions.
Thanks for the feedback. This build was for me and not something we plan to sell. I actually almost never choose black but wanted to here and focused more on texture and sheen contrast than color. I also like seeing driver frames (apparently in the minority these days) as opposed to trim rings.
@@css_audioas part of the build, we would love to see what your design choices were. Why choose a Coaxial Pro driver? Did WAF factor into this? Why did you prefer a M T M configuration, was it only because you needed to use 6 woofers to balance the sensitivity? How did you connect 6 8 ohm woofers to match the impedance of a single 8 ohm coax driver? Why did you use MDF instead of marine grade plywood (which for me is less messy to cut)? Since this was a passion project I noticed you used some compound between the 2 layers of the front baffle (around @15:30). Was this to implement some CLD? What was this compound? I couldn’t follow the name in your video. Thanks.
I want to buy this kit for sure. Take my money
These look amazing. Im more of a dedicated home theater guy. Do you guys have any plans for a theater style speaker? Sealed, onwall mounting, 80-20k, high sensitivity/high output style. Im thinking of something along the lines of a Magnat cinema ultra or a RBH on wall. It would be great to see some DIY kit options on the market for that type of speaker.
We've talked about doing some HT stuff but aren't as in tune with that market as the traditional HiFi so we need to do some more research before we could develop anything.
Very nice cabinet work but my appologies, I find it misleading by claiming a £35'000 dollar speaker.
What direct model is this referring to?
Performance?
You have many small drivers in a tower. What does your speaker offer that PMC BB5, or Kef Reference 11 meta and so forth cannot do?
Was thinking the same but sometimes you just need someone you convince that he needs this speeker and that it‘s worth it 🤔
Best is to find someone who is not able to build it himself AND has the money AND wants to be proud what he paid 😂
I would assume this is what he would charge if you asked him to build you one.
@@marcg2233 there is nothing $35k about it. So as I assumed its simply a number picked out the air.
That makes a lot more sense given the 200 man hours so far--as opposed to comparing it to commercial productions. But I still get that $13,500 might provide a more accurate comparison in terms of ROI on $3500 of parts. @marcg2233
It looks really nice and exquisite. Many very expensive 'audiophile' speakers measure absolutely terribly, so acoustic performance doesn't seem to be a part of the experience.
Using a small coax without a separate waveguide for the tweeter is pretty rough and I wouldn't want that in my every day speakers. I'll rather go with a non-coax design and put treatment on my ceiling. I like the looks of big tower speakers, but acoustically, having subwoofers deal with the low bass makes more sense in terms of flexibility, output capability, sound quality and room acoustics.
very envious of your shop and skill set. How do they sound? They look wonderful.
Thanks Jeff. The shop, other than the SawStop is fairly modest. We don't have a lot of stuff in there and the equipment isn't that expensive. You don't really need a ton to build speakers.
Unfortunately I'm still working through the crossover design on these. The mid/tweeter are a beast to work with passively. I'm hoping to have them hooked up for a first listen later today or Monday.
Absolutely Superb! I wish I had the skills! 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
If you have a 3D printer you can produce all of the templates you may need for any custom speaker builds you do. I find it very helpful for a lot of cutouts in braces or whatnot.
Especially useful for odd shapes where you can download a plan image or take a photo and produce a scale sketch to design the template.
Just a thought if you haven't experimented with that approach :)
Thanks for the tip!
@@css_audio Most welcome. THank you for sharing the beautiful build. Inspiring creation.
I mainly build home cinema subs but the construction and woodcrafting aspects are all the same :).
I'm interested in how well the baffle works.
If you have an elastic material I would be concerned the baffle alone is providing the opposing force against the driver pistoning. This means that the baffle could be moving in a reciprocal manner with the drivers if it does not have sufficient mass to drive that to near zero. This is because a mastic prevents it coupling to the main cabinet mass.
What are your thoughts on this?
Beautiful work of art. Hopefully it follows up with Beautiful sound 🙏
I hope so too!
Looks beautiful!!… now play 2112 from Rush to test them out🤘🤘
Challenge accepted
Nice work ! What coaxial driver is that ?
FaitalPRO 6HX150: www.parts-express.com/FaitalPRO-6HX150-6-Neodymium-Coaxial-Driver-8-Ohm-294-1192?quantity=1
@@css_audio Thought so, thats a nice designed speaker, no subwoofer needed in that room. With 12 7" of those awesome woofers there would be tons of bass.. Nice work !!
I am in love with these. .. The only thing that I'd love even more .. if the sides were curved. .. deeper more narrow.
... I am SO impressed ... and Love them so much.
Kudos for taking on the project and making it a reality.
Will you ever present these at a show? .. larger room for Axpona?
I'll have to come for a visit .. I'll convince Jay to make a road trip ..lol
.....Fu*K ..... I just finished watching it for the 3rd time today ...and I want to watch it again.
I have a design.. that I can't do myself. it's .. sort of similar .. with a bit of a Future / Alien twist.
Should I Email to start that conversation?
Sure, if you want to discuss you can call or email. Sketches definitely help.
@css_audio ...Definitely Sketches. I do a lot by hand.. nothing on a computer yet. Sadly.. im not that patient but I need to learn how to transfer into SketchUp or other programs to make the whole thing easier to work with.
Call would be faster.. maybe email ths sketches for reference.
Beautiful speakers! Lovely documentary!
Anders
Sweden
Glad you enjoyed it!
Looks very good. I see CNC machines some manufacturers video , will you buy one.
Thanks! We use a large industrial CNC for all our kit cabinets. We don’t have any plans to buy one of those because you have to be cutting panels all day every day to justify the cost.
that was amazing,,i really wonder how it sounds
I’ll find out this coming week
Awesome, very interesting. Very complicated build and I'm sure shooting it for YT would have added much more work. Just a humble suggestion in future videos either increase the audio gain of the voice over or reduce the construction sounds. I keep lowering volume when there was no voice and kept increasing when you spoke
Thanks for the feedback. I think what we have realized after recording a couple videos is that voiceovers on RUclips seem to work better with heavy compression. we have not been compressing the audio so even with it turned up all the way it is still low compared to a lot of other channels.
some details on the drivers would be nice. why you chose them and how you chose their arrangement in the cabinet.
The next video will cover it