AudioCircle
Industry Circles => GR Research => Topic started by: gaelen5 on 27 Aug 2017, 05:46 am
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Okay! I am very excited to have my own build thread. I have much to say, but I will try and be concise.
First - I must say I am fortunate to have gotten a chance to listen to the Ottica series of speakers in different setups and rooms, as I live in Kelowna, where all of the flat packs are produced. Captainhemo has been a gracious host on several occasions, and has been helpful with the build. Eno2112 has also hosted a couple listening sessions at his place, and has good taste in audio, beer, and sausage.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167596)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167600)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167597)
Obviously, these speakers have blown me away. I won't go into detail yet, but these speakers have easily shrugged off any challenge I've thrown their way. I'm a bass head, and these open baffle subs offer the best bass I've ever heard. The MTM top has also amazed me in its ability to do all genres well. At first, I listened to some reference audiophile type tracks with Captainhemo. It wasn't until the second (or third) time that I came over and we listened to some metal, and I couldn't believe a hifi speaker could make metal sound so fun.
I am slow at making decisions as I'm an information oriented person, so I called up Danny and he also struck me as an information oriented person. I had a fairly long and very enjoyable chat with him, and learned a lot about speaker design. My most important take away - speaker design is complicated as f*** so it's best to leave it up to people like him.
After harassing Captainhemo about saving money by building my own subs, I conceded that the modular CNC design that they've come up with is much easier to assemble, and will be a superior end product. Here's a stack of the modular subs next to the Ottica Extremes! I hope that I can hear these someday soon!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167601)
I never had any delusions about trying to cut my own waveguide, so finally pulled the trigger on the MTM's to sit on top of dual subs, so I am ready to start the build! Home we go with my flat-pack!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167602)
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Have fun. Just resist the urge to wire them up (to see how they sound) before you are satisfied with the finish. Otherwise, the point where you wire them up and sneak a listen is the point where the finish remains :thumb:
Mike
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Have fun. Just resist the urge to wire them up (to see how they sound) before you are satisfied with the finish. Otherwise, the point where you wire them up and sneak a listen is the point where the finish remains :thumb:
Mike
Hahaha! Thanks very much Mike. I am planning to paint them, and was talking to Captainhemo and he told me that I have to wait for a week or so after they're primed, so that everything can shrink and settle and seams can show up again. I whined to him about having to wait that long, and said maybe I'll just try them out naked?
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I did that with a pair of the LGK 1.0 desktop monitors. I had raw MDF cabinets on my desk for a year. The only reason they got finished was I wanted to take them to a show.
They do look a lot better now :green:
Mike
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Have fun. Just resist the urge to wire them up (to see how they sound) before you are satisfied with the finish. Otherwise, the point where you wire them up and sneak a listen is the point where the finish remains :thumb:
Mike
Haha, +100!
It is difficult to wait, but Mike is 100% correct, if you are like most of us anyway :thumb:.
You've chosen an excellent speaker, it is what I am currently running and I am very happy with them.
Anxious to follow your thread.
Best,
Ed
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Hey gaelen, nice to see you've started a thread :beer:
Regarding the waiting, I'd say unless you coat the MTM's with a few layers of epoxy, a 1 week wait after sealing/priming would be minimum. Go over them again after that and reprime and so on. You obviouisly won't have any seams to deal with on the subs as you've got the reveals on all the seams :D
Lookjing forward to following the thread
jay
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Hey gaelen, nice to see you've started a thread :beer:
Regarding the waiting, I'd say unless you coat the MTM's with a few layers of epoxy, a 1 week wait after sealing/priming would be minimum. Go over them again after that and reprime and so on. You obviouisly won't have any seams to deal with on the subs as you've got the reveals on all the seams :D
Lookjing forward to following the thread
jay
Also, don't forget to allow for proper drying and curing times for the color and topcoats. The length of time varies with the product and whether you are applying like over like or not. By this I mean if you are applying a water based product on top of a water based/born product such as a water born topcoat over water based color over water based primer, the dry time between the steps is a lot less than if you are putting a water based product over an oil based product.
Additionally you need to allow for proper cure time after applying the topcoat before you rub it out. Again the amount of time varies with the type of topcoat you use. The Target Coatings water born lacquer I've been using needs 5 days to fully cure before rubbing it out.
Mike
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Haha, +100!
It is difficult to wait, but Mike is 100% correct, if you are like most of us anyway :thumb:.
You've chosen an excellent speaker, it is what I am currently running and I am very happy with them.
Anxious to follow your thread.
Best,
Ed
Ed, I have read your build thread more times than I would admit. :-)
Your speakers are stunning! I talked to a carpenter friend of mine and looked into doing a veneer like yours for a while, but finally convinced myself that I'm not quite ready for that. However, I was literally showing your speakers to a friend I made, who happens to be a painter. He casually said to me, "I can paint your speakers to have a similar look and depth". I was intrigued. He showed me some of his work, and it's pretty impressive stuff. The effect is from House of Kolor, and it's called a Marblizer.
Here's the idea.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167612)
Here's a couple shots of Percy's work.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167636)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167633)
Here's the red marblier that Percy did on a Harley that he showed me after I showed him your speakers, Ed.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167634)
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Hey gaelen, nice to see you've started a thread :beer:
Regarding the waiting, I'd say unless you coat the MTM's with a few layers of epoxy, a 1 week wait after sealing/priming would be minimum. Go over them again after that and reprime and so on. You obviouisly won't have any seams to deal with on the subs as you've got the reveals on all the seams :D
Lookjing forward to following the thread
jay
I'm basically letting Percy do his thing with these. He's primed them, and sanded them as far as I know. The fun part is that I get to help with the Marblizer, so I can sort of mould the effect that I like. I'm happy that I went with the reveal on the subs! I think it's going to look really cool with each piece almost floating on one another. :beer:
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I'm basically letting Percy do his thing with these. He's primed them, and sanded them as far as I know. The fun part is that I get to help with the Marblizer, so I can sort of mould the effect that I like. I'm happy that I went with the reveal on the subs! I think it's going to look really cool with each piece almost floating on one another. :beer:
Can't get any easier than that
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Some more assembly pics:
Angled boards to help clamp tightly
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167734)
I'm not sure if you're supposed to daisy chain clamps? :lol:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167744)
Gluing up subs
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167736)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167737)
Captainhemo rounded off the tops and bottoms of all sub modules so all the pieces sort of look like they're floating on each other. I think it will look cool. Captainhemo was mad at himself for these tiny edge marks he made with the router. Perfectionist. :roll:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167738)
Literally 5 seconds later with some 150 grit sandpaper.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167740)
Amp boxes - on the second one, I just glued in the biscuits and wiggled it together and just let it sit.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167741)
Some filler
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167742)
First sanding and assembly complete! (Excuse the messy garage - we were moving!)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167743)
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Drop-off day at the painters! Last chance to polish them up. Good thing I have an attentive supervisor.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167790)
An option that Captainhemo told me about, since I'm painting these, is to slightly round off the edge of the waveguide by 3/16" on the sides, and then gradually to the top and bottom as the woofer comes right to the edge of the waveguide.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167793)
It's a bit tricky to have a consistent edge, but not too bad following the pencil line. Half way!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167795)
All done.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167796)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167797)
See you after primer!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=167798)
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Looking good Gaelen, anxious to see how they come out. Did you go with the red/black high gloss marbelizer? I think that would look great on these.
Best,
Ed
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I saw some sneak peaks yesterday, they look really cool, I'm sure Gaelen will be posting osme pics soon
We have been waiting for 2 months now for a guy to do a simialr job on the NX-tremes but these guys have just broken promise after promise. Hoping we can hook up with this guy ...
jay.
jay
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Okay guys - finally some paint pictures!
Percy's "paint room" is ridiculous! There must be 10's of thousands of dollars worth of House of Kolor materials and paint guns in here.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168210)
Starting the day with a bit more sanding, naturally.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168185)
House of Kolor black primer on the duals - marblier on the other pieces
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168186)
Marblized
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168187)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168194)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168188)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168189)
Now time for some clear coat and polishing!
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I had to pull the cabinets outside into the sun to do the paint justice
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168192)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168193)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168191)
They turned out very glassy! I'm really impressed with the work Percy did. I was flattered that he let me be a part of the process.
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Here's my crossover. I didn't know anything about designing or orienting a crossover, but Captainhemo patiently held my hand through the process and explained it all to me. Now I feel smart.
Here we are discussing the layout on a piece of no rez
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168203)
My layout I sent to Captainhemo before I soldered anything
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168204)
Finished product. First one took me longer than I'll admit. The second one went together much more quickly!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168206)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168205)
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And here they are, at last, in my man cave.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=168209)
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That paint is gorgeous! Bet they look even better in person. Had any time to do any listening yet? :bounce:
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Very nice.
What do you think about the sound in your room?
Mike
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Those look great, thanks for taking them outside so we could get a good look. I like the effect, very cool. Nice space too.
Best,
Ed
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Congratulations. Thanks for all the great pics.
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Those look amazing! How does a guy get an invite for a listen?
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Those look amazing! How does a guy get an invite for a listen?
you'll need to get off the couch dude :lol:
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Whatever you did to get that marbled look is great. I love it. :thumb:
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hello,
are flat packs available for the mtm, how much $?
thanks,
drmike
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hello,
are flat packs available for the mtm, how much $?
thanks,
drmike
Yes, they are, I'm waiting on a another run of baffles to be cut but I think we've got 1 or 2 pairs left over from the first run.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=144907.0
jay
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you'll need to get off the couch dude :lol:
Good point :duh:
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That paint is gorgeous! Bet they look even better in person. Had any time to do any listening yet? :bounce:
Very nice.
What do you think about the sound in your room?
Mike
Thanks guys! I have been burning them in and doing some listening. From when I very first hooked them up they sounded very impressive. As I continue to listen to music on them, I am increasingly amazed by them. I will start another thread where I can fully express my thoughts on these speakers because it's really hard for me to express how incredible I think they are.
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Those look great, thanks for taking them outside so we could get a good look. I like the effect, very cool. Nice space too.
Best,
Ed
Thanks very much, Ed! I was very tempted to go with red because I like yours so much, but I really like grey and think it will be more versatile as I move. I'm hoping to settle down soon and build a dedicated space for audio.
Congratulations. Thanks for all the great pics.
Cheers! :beer:
Whatever you did to get that marbled look is great. I love it. :thumb:
Thanks a lot, Danny! I love them too.