My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit

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diyaudiophile

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My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« on: 19 Feb 2007, 02:43 pm »
I built the pair this weekend and had a blast doing so.  I would appreciate any feed back I can get on technique (or lack thereof).  Also please feel free to post replies in the thread on the forum if you want your comments to become part of the documentation.   Thanks.

Here is the info on the project:
http://forum.diyaudiophile.net/viewtopic.php?t=29



I need to paint these today but I have never finished MDF before.... (another adventure)

Question:  Is there a forum dedicated to speaker building here somewhere?  I am just trying to figure out where to post and ask questions.  There is so much on this forum it is a little confusing to a new comer...

Thanks,
Anthony
« Last Edit: 19 Feb 2007, 03:05 pm by diyaudiophile »

JLM

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Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #1 on: 19 Feb 2007, 06:06 pm »
Welcome and congrats!

How do they sound?

There are tons of finish options.  The best for veneer is pre-glued that you apply with a hot iron, but the beveled/rounded edges will make veneering tough.  Spray on pickup bed liner is a good one to hide surface inperfections.

mcgsxr

Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #2 on: 19 Feb 2007, 06:53 pm »
1 - nice construction, well done.
2 - those Totem Arro's in the background?
3 - I have used the mentioned truck bed liner, and for simple black cabinets, it works great.  Not pretty, but solid finish, decent coverage etc.

Nice pair!

diyaudiophile

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Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #3 on: 19 Feb 2007, 08:42 pm »
Yes, those are Totems in the background... You are correct (good speaker knowledge).  I am listening to them right now and I am very impressed with them.  I switch back and forth between them and the totems... totems are brighter but with less bass end.  I have them hooked up on line inputs on my PSB Powered Sub.  There is a high pass filter.

My system is a YBA Audio Refinement.  It is very nice for solid state.  Extremely quiet, no hum or hiss.  Its all I could afford at the time and it still does just fine for me.  If I hit the lottery maybe I will by some twin tube amps and a preamp one day.

Ok, I went ahead and sanded and painted a flat black with a spray enamel.  I wanted to go ahead and finish the project.  They look fine to me.:


SET Man

Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #4 on: 19 Feb 2007, 09:05 pm »
Hey!

   Anthony, nice work man! :D Oh! welcome to the AC.

   I've seen this on the Madisound kit page. For the price I thought it was very interesting. :D

   So, how do they sound to you? Let us know after you give them some hours to settled in. :wink:

Take care,
Buddy :thumb:

diyaudiophile

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Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #5 on: 19 Feb 2007, 09:25 pm »
Oh, man... They sound so nice... I am hooked!  I have to build more speakers.... lol... What am I going to do with all of them?  I dont even need these really, I just built them for fun... now I want to keep making more....  :lol:

I cant stop smiling... knowing I made them makes me feel so good.  and I've always loved audio and speakers since I was a young kid... finally I can do the hobby I was meant for... I have spent years woodworking, keeping the speaker building in the back of my mind... knowing all that woodworking experience would come in handy...

Also, if you would like to contribute anything to my forum, please go ahead.  I am trying to create a comprehensive DIY speaker building site for the beginner and consolidate all the infomration in one place to make it easier for DIY'ers.  I have no sponsors, or ads, etc... just read my mission statement and you will see.  I am trying to "contribute", not "take away"... Maybe you can document you next project for everyone on my Speaker "workbench" forum.

Thanks,
Anthony

mcgsxr

Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #6 on: 19 Feb 2007, 09:30 pm »
Nice work on the paint - I used the truck bed liner on a set of DIY Cable/CSS KIT41's that I built in the last two years.



I owned Totem Rokk speakers for 10 years, thought I saw a family resemblance there!

diyaudiophile

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Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #7 on: 19 Feb 2007, 10:10 pm »
So, you finished those with a spray on bed liner?  does that come in a can ?  I did not realize it would spray on so smoothly.  Does it tend to run ? 

mcgsxr

Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #8 on: 19 Feb 2007, 10:14 pm »
It does come in a can, at the local Canadian Tire, and perhaps also at Home Depot, not sure where you live.

I did not have many issues with runs, but actually had issues with holding the can too far away at times, which can produce a "sandy" rather than smooth but textured, finish.

Many light coats, no runs!

You can see more of the "warts" in this pic.


diyaudiophile

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Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #9 on: 19 Feb 2007, 10:20 pm »
Uh oh, you got some on the cement floor... ooops.  How long does it take to dry and does it smell ?  If so, how long before the smell is gone ?  How many coats to hide the "warts" ?

mcgsxr

Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #10 on: 19 Feb 2007, 10:27 pm »
Nope, that was my sacrificial tarp that received the overspray.

Dries pretty quickly, under an hour as I recall.

It smells quite strongly, I did that outside, with the garage door open, and had to be careful NOT to go into the garage through the door into the house, it is a strong smell.

Smell fades considerably in 48 hours, is gone in 96 hours.

No number of coats will hide the warts, the "charm" of the finish is the inconsistency, helps to hide the woodworking blunders of those of us less practiced!  If you don't have a smooth box, you won't ever get a smooth finish.  And the finish is intentionally textured, so it will never be pretty like what you have done!

But, you can also toss a dinner plate at it, and not give a crap, as the dent will be lost with the rest of the look... so perfect for my set of speakers, that get to live daily with my 1 and 3 year olds...

TONEPUB

Re: My First Project: Madisound "Swifty" Kit
« Reply #11 on: 28 Feb 2007, 04:13 am »
Looks good, welcome to the forum!

Lots of great speaker builders in Canada, so it must be in the water!

Enjoy the project...