Recieved my Baltic birch kit today.
I have only had a chance to open the box and inspect the items -- I have not checked for fit yet.
But some words on packaging and quality of the wood:
The GR box is about 26" X 17" X 16" and 41 pounds (just the enclosures, I already have the speaker kit). The wood is well secured and surrounded by rigid foam. The baffles and top/bottom are further protected by being wrapped in heavy craft paper.
The speaker enclosure top/bottom measures about 9.5 inches at widest and 16" deep (not including the 1 inch MDF baffle). The sides are made up of 12 layers and stacked are about 11 1/4" tall (not including the top and bottom). So that's a speaker about 9.5 inches wide by 13 1/4" tall by 17" deep.
The wood is a 17 ply laminate (counting both veneer faces) and measures about 24mm (almost 1 inch). Note: While I was waiting for my box to arrive I went online and tried to learn more about Baltic birch, the largest ply I typically saw for sale was 13 ply at 3/4 inch (18mm), I did see mention of a 18 ply 25mm version. And, of course, I saw this copy at the Magico site (my bolding for emphasis): "At the heart of the MINI's enclosure are 16 horizontal layers of extremely stiff, 1", laminated, 17-ply Baltic Birch plywood. The result is an enclosure that is three times stiffer than enclosures fabricated with the vertical MDF construction techniques typically found in high-end loudspeakers."
In the laminate along the stacked portions there are some small voids (1/2 inch long) -- small and few in number. The best part is that when I unwrapped and checked the top/bottoms, I found only one patch ("football") on an inside surface -- the outer sufaces are blemish free. I am guessing this is B/BB grade Baltic Birch -- nice stuff.
Other than painting/veneering the MDF baffle, the rest can be finished au naturel.
Given the thickness and quality of the wood in the GR kit, anyone considering a BB enclosure like this could do a lot worse. For wood alone, the internet shows Baltic Birch 3/4" 13 ply B/BB grade 5' by 5' sheets costing about $70 to $90 each and you would need two (not including shipping). Obviously the 1" stuff in this kit would cost more. Add to that the cost of 1 inch MDF baffles and CNC/router mill work.
No relationship with Danny other than satisfied customer.
David
