[se-riously]

I ended up purchasing two pairs of AV123 X-LS Encore for a reasonable price locally because they had some minor scratches.  They are satin black, and the wife prefers cherry finishes and she also doesn't like the metal grilles.  So rather than repainting them with a hammered or textured paint and still having a finish she doesn't really like, I was thinking about using this PE cabinet

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=302-722

and dropping in the tweeter, woofer, XO, and binding post cup in since I only have so-so woodworking skills.  I measured the X-LS cabinets and it looks like they have an interior volume of 0.5 ft^3 so I thought this might be a good match.

I was reading this thread on how to fix the PE cabinets, so I know about cutting the center braces, rounding them off, and lining with No Rez, etc.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=54352.0

but I still had the following questions:

1) Is this the correct PE cabinet to use?
2) Besides losing a little bit of the low end, any problem with having them sealed, instead of ported?  I blocked the rear port to experiment and they sounded fine.  Also note that they will be for surround duty only and located directly against the rear wall, so I figure keeping it sealed may actually be better.
3) Anyone here available to cut the B-REX front baffles or recommend someone local (SF Bay Area) to do the cutting?
4) Is The B-REX system BS?  I ask because if you have to glue down the front baffle (and use the screws to secure it while the glue is drying), then how could you possibly re-use the cabinet again?

Many thanks in advance.

[grimace]

I just made my first pair with the glossy black box and the X-LS Encore kit and they worked fine. Here is what I did:

- cut the middle brace out
- removed some of the bottom brace so I could fit the network in and screw it to the bottom of the cabinet
- lined it with norez
- put tape over the front baffle and cut the driver holes
- cut the back out for the terminal post cup
- the baffle mount system with the four screws works well because it is a rabbeted 1" piece that seals quite tight with the bolts

They look great and sound incredible.

Have fun and good luck.

[FredT300B]

...Is The B-REX system BS?  I ask because if you have to glue down the front baffle (and use the screws to secure it while the glue is drying), then how could you possibly re-use the cabinet again?

I've found the front baffle will vibrate against the cabinet if it's secured only by the screws, but this doesn't mean it has to be glued. Laying a bead of string putty around the perimeter of the baffle has worked fine for me with these cabinets. Using the string putty plus the screws holds the front baffle securely to the cabinet, but it can still be pried off with a flat head screwdriver if you need to access the crossover or anything else inside the cabinet.

[Danny Richie]

1) Is this the correct PE cabinet to use?

Yes, that will work fine.

2) Besides losing a little bit of the low end, any problem with having them sealed, instead of ported?  I blocked the rear port to experiment and they sounded fine.  Also note that they will be for surround duty only and located directly against the rear wall, so I figure keeping it sealed may actually be better.

No problem there either. .5 cubic feet is near the optimal sealed.

[se-riously]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

grimace - You mentioned that you had to remove some of the brace to fit the XO?  Based on the spec sheets on the PE website, it looks like the XO board will just barely fit between the middle brace and the rear baffle.  Did your experience prove otherwise?

[grimace]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

grimace - You mentioned that you had to remove some of the brace to fit the XO?  Based on the spec sheets on the PE website, it looks like the XO board will just barely fit between the middle brace and the rear baffle.  Did your experience prove otherwise?

They may fit way in the back, but that was too hard for me to get in there and work, so I mounted them more in the middle/front of the bottom.  You can certainly measure and see.

[corndog71]

Another alternative would be to take all of the parts off the board, hardwire them and secure them another way to the inside of the cabinet.

[timba-n-tango]

Are the curved PE cabinets good to go now (close enough) for 0.5 cu ft. ?  That is did they really end up fixing them to bring up the volume?

[Danny Richie]

If I remember correctly I think they added an inch or an inch and a half to the depth.

[se-riously]

I decided to purchase some flat packs donated by Ruben to help Gary Dodd, rather than using the PE cabinets.  Ruben is cutting me solid rear baffles (no openings) so I'll have a sealed version.  I figure this is a good way to try building cabinets and practice veneering (it will be my first time) and help a good cause.

If you're interested in building some X-LS, check out this post where the flat packs were donated and how you can help.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=93041.msg929357#msg929357