[BrianM]

Saw these just now on Audiogon:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1245551566&/EllisAudio-1801b-With-Custom-S

[oneinthepipe]

If I were currently in the market for a pair of 1801, I would probably ask Jim Salk to build a pair for me if I couldn't find a pair that Dave built.

Regardless, good to see a post on this circle.

[David Ellis]

 Hmmmm, I... think that I remember building those speakers, but don't ever recall using a 1 1/4" baffle.  I recall the split in above the tweeter.  This was tedious, but didn't seem to detract from the appearance significantly.  And, I generally leave these small splits/crack unfilled.

Nostalgia

[oneinthepipe]

I thought that the owner built them himself.  I have to re-read the ad.

Update:  I was 60% correct, which gives me a grade of D-.  The owner states that the cabinets were professionally made, and "[he] added the 1¼ in solid cherry baffle and finished the cabinets with a hand rubbed oil finish."

Since I contacted Dave last year, and he referred me to Jim Salk, I am on my second pair of Salk Sound speakers.  I am very happy with the Salk Veracity HT2-TL, probably one of the two best speakers that Jim had built prior to the HT4, but I am still hoping that after Dave retires and returns to speaker production, and my budget permits, that Dave will build a pair of 1801 for me with an extremely fancy rosewood-type veneer. 

It's great to see some activity on this board (I might have said that somewhere else).

[David Ellis]

Yup,

I did build those speakers.   The 1 1/4" baffle is probably a typo mistake.  The baffles are 1 1/2" thick.

I have mostly retired.  My official retirement date from the USAF is 1 June 09.  Currently my wife and I are in the middle of a move.  My workshop in the basement is profoundly clean and will most likely remain this way until we sell our home in Omaha Nebraska.  I am not sure that selling our home is a great idea.  Our home in Omaha has been a wonderful place to live, but I am doing my best to share my wife's vision for the future.

My wife and I both have a few resumes' circulating.  I am marketable in Omaha, and Washington D.C. (yuck).  My wife is more flexible as a CPA, and has already transitioned from a very scattered part-time job to full-time work.  She has job offers in 5 different states from folks that know her professionally, but nothing in the Minneapolis Minnesota area.  This is where she wants to live.  Most of our family lives there, so it makes sense on this level.  While we are uncertain about the future, we are blessed on many levels.  Primarily, we don't have any financial burden and our boys (Evan, Nathan and Aaron) remain very healthy and mentally active.  Our relationship is solid and we agree on the important matters.   

It appears that moving to Minnesota will be very expensive compared to our current arrangement in Omaha, NE.    In all of this, my wife and I believe that God has a plan.  We are not worried regarding this plan, and patiently wait to see the outcome.

For me, it appears that I am doing well around the home and will be the primary caretaker for our youngest boy - Aaron.  He is almost 3 years old and he is my buddy.  I have a good relationship with my older boys, but have been able to spend more time with Aaron and he is my buddy.  I think I will adjust to this vocational change fairly well.  Thus far, it has been a decent change for me. 

Departing from the USAF lifestyle hasn't been difficult.  I certainly don't miss working a scattered shift-work job, or working 60+hours per week, or having the opportunity to visit warm places like Iraq or Afghanistan.  While I will miss many of the profoundly excellent people in the USAF, I won't miss the environment.  And, the USAF is much better than the Army.  I feel bad for those poor guys.  They have a really rotten stead.

Sincerely,

Dave

[pecker]

A couple years ago I got an email from a guy named Rich:



What I sent him looked like this:



I never saw the final results, but that advertisement may be them.
I'm not sure he should be calling them "professionally made"...it's not like they give out degrees for this sort of thing.

[BrianM]

Well, from the pics the finished product looks professional enough to me. I'd only add that it's about the best speaker you could get for that price.

[oneinthepipe]

Dave:

You seem a lot more enthusiastic about moving to Minneapolis that you did last year, with the house remodeling (and the medical procedure, hopefully) behind you.  Best success with the sale of your house and your wife's job search.