AudioCircle
Industry Circles => GR Research => Topic started by: Captainhemo on 19 Jul 2016, 05:56 pm
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Built this pair of X LS Encores with kind of a dual purpose, 1 they are to be a gift for my nephew and his GF who both just graduated from university and are both music lovers, and 2, we recently heard a pair of pretty pricey mini monitors in a local audio shop that I felt compelled to shame with a pair of these so that's what they'll do before heading to their new home :)
Started out as your typical build, this time I lined them with no rez before gluing onthe front baffles just to make things a bit easier. I also used a single biscuit on each panel to just aid in alignment while clamping them up. As you can see in the pic, instead of using the .75" square cross brace, I always use a piece of .75" round stock as I've got a bunch lying around, probably no difference but I like to eliminate the sharp edges if possible
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=147126)
We decided to go ahead and upgrade the networks. P2P wired, Sonicaps bypssed with a Jupiter Copper on the high pass, bypassed with a .22uF Sonicap on the low pass. A Clarity ESA cap was also used on the high pass circut as well. Mils resistors and XO inductors completed the networks. I used a board slightly longer than the PCB , it let me space out the inductors a bit more
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=147127)
I had some rotary cut Red Oak leftover from a previous build and decided to use that up , sorry, I didn't take any pics during the actual process of veneering, only my 2nd veneer project and pics were the last thing on my mind .
Anyway, after wrapping them in the veneer, I wanted to do something a bit different. After talking to my nephew and determining that he and the Mrs both liked red, I decided to make these REALLY RED.
Picked up some dark red Aniline water based dye, mixed it up and gave the cabinets a sponge bath. Somewhat tricky to try and keep the color uniform on both cabinets and in all areas, kind of a messy process too as the dye tends to get EVERYWHERE.
After the dye, the cabinets were kind of dull and had no "pop" so, out came the Dark Walnut Danish oil, I used 600 grit paper and did 4, 1/2 hr soaks lightly sanding with the oil soaked paper and keeping the veneer wet for the duration of each session. Along the way, some problems arose, in a couple places around the woofer cutouts, the light sanding seemed to remove the dye and after it was removed, nothing would take, seemd the more I tried , the wore the issue got, I think I was actually into glue coming through from the back side, both speakers were having the same issue right around the woofer cutouts :scratch: Mouinted the drivers to see how bad things actually were
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=147128) :cry:
Talked to a woodworker buddy and he suggested I try using some lacquer based toner to blend the troubled areas into the grain...my artsy niece was the perfect person to tackle this, you'll see the results in a sec.
After she did her thing, I proceeded to apply numerous coats of wipe on satin poly. After the 4 th coat I started lightly sanding with 800 grit ontinuously doing so after each 2 coats. As the poly leveled out, I kept moving to finer paper before finally finishing with 2000 grit.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=147130)
So, in the end, they did come out pretty cool looking imho. If I were doing the same finish again, I'd use more dye and have them end up a bit darker Got lucky with the repairs around the woofer cutouts, my niece did a great job of dealing with those.
Set these up last night to start getting some hours on them and man, they really sound great :thumb:
Here a few more pics of the end results
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=147131)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=147132)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=147133)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=147134)
jay
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Jay,
Very nice. The came out beautiful.
I do something similar with the crossbrace. I use a slightly oversize rectangular piece and put round overs on all 4 long edges. Instead of round they come out oval.
It's really amazing how good these speakers sound, especially with upgraded crossovers.
Mike
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Really nice Jay, glad you were able to fix the finish, I hate when that happens :duh:
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Very nice looking speakers and a great recovery on the areas where you sanded through the veneer. Now, don't tell anybody and they will never know. :thumb: :thumb:
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Nice job Jay. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
Guy 13
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Thanks guys , appreciate the comments :thumb:
Mike, I actually considered dooing just what you have done with the cross brace on one of my Encore builds before coming across the round material which simplified things considerably. That round material actually came from some old chairs that were heading for the dump , glad I intercepted them !
Jef, the wierd thing was, I didn't go through the veneer, it was like the glue was coming up from the backside. When I first started applying the finish, there was no issue but as i applied usin ghe 600 grit paper, it just kept getting worse and worse, it was frustrating as it it occured and continued to get worse as I tried to deal with it . Glad my buddy recommended the toner as it ended up working quite well, I was not into ripping off all that veneer and starting over :nono:
Have had these playing all day, sitting here llistening to them now is impressive They are very detailed yet extremely easy to listen to, very , very mnusical little speakers. I've built a few sets of the Encores in the past but have never taken them to this level, the crossover mods are well worth the expense and effort
jay
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Beautiful job! Did you notice any difference with the Jupiter bypasses?
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Beautiful job! Did you notice any difference with the Jupiter bypasses?
Thanks .....
Well, I didn't do a with/without Jupiter bypass cap but, compared to a stock X LS Encore, wow.
I've also yanked the .1 Gen II bypass cap on the large bundle onthe midrange circuit on my NX-Otticas and tried them with botha Dueland silver .1 and a Jupiter Copper foil .1. Spent about 2 weekes with each... the Jupiter stays
I'm actually gong to build out anothe rset of these in a slightly larger cabinet and use a flared port. I'm thinking of using the Jantzen wax / copper foil inductors and instead of the .22 Sonicap bypass cap on the woofer cap, I think I'll go with a .1 Jupiter Copper Foil. I'd love to just use Jupiters for the main caps but man, the cost.just accumulates so fast.
Parts Connexion has their 20% off sale extened and you can get the Jupoters with that discount, really makes the smaller values somewhat reasonable
jay
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Seeing the picture of your XL-S Encores in front of your main setup reminded me of when I did a temporary test :
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=117057)
As I remarked at the time, I was shocked by how good the 'little' XL-S Encores sound. Mine have no-rez and Electra Tube connectors. Eventually, four of them will be hung from the ceiling to become the .4 of a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 setup.
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Nice job Jay. Those are really good looking.
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Your XL-S Encores turned out really nice Jay. They look great! I'm sure they sound great too.
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Quick update, got an email from my nephew this eve
"Attached is a pic of the speakers at my place. Teya and I listened to them for a few hours last night...they sound %ucking amazing."
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=150679)
8)
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It always feels good to do something for someone else and then have them truly appreciate what you did :thumb:
Someday my Daughter who also loves music (didn't have much choice in our house) will settle down and stop tromping all over the world. Then I can set her up with some good sounding gear.
Really nicely done as usual Jay, they are very lucky to have you and I'm sure they know that :D Thanks for the follow up, nice to see your hard work in it's new home.
Greg
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Sweet! Sure wish I had an Uncle Captainhemo!
Decent start on speaker placement for the young couple too, and a huge head start on a lifetime of musical enjoyment.
Nicely done Jay!
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Thanks Greg
Yeah, they love to get out there and check things out" as soon as they are old enough. I'm sure your daughter is going to catch the music love at some point, growing up with lots of music she probably already has it, it just hasn't wurfaced yet .
Pointed Chris to the SMSL SA60 chip amp to get them started (thanks Larry), was like $100 Cdn and it really sounds pretty darn good. Has a single rca input on rear and 3.5mm mini jack up front so they can plug in a phone or tablet <-- seems to be important these days
(https://guideimg.alibaba.com/images/shop/2015/11/01/98/smsl-sa-60-60-2-tpa3116-class-d-big-power-hifi-digital-desktop-amplifier-color-black-with-power-supply-with-tera-dust-cl_12171898.jpeg)
jay
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Thanks Greg
Yeah, they love to get out there and check things out" as soon as they are old enough. I'm sure your daughter is going to catch the music love at some point, growing up with lots of music she probably already has it, it just hasn't wurfaced yet .
Pointed Chris to the SMSL SA60 chip amp to get them started (thanks Larry), was like $100 Cdn and it really sounds pretty darn good. Has a single rca input on rear and 3.5mm mini jack up front so they can plug in a phone or tablet <-- seems to be important these days
(https://guideimg.alibaba.com/images/shop/2015/11/01/98/smsl-sa-60-60-2-tpa3116-class-d-big-power-hifi-digital-desktop-amplifier-color-black-with-power-supply-with-tera-dust-cl_12171898.jpeg)
jay
Jay,
That's almost the same model I got my Daughter and then found an old pair of book shelves that sound pretty darn good. The problem is she can't lug them around so they are sitting in a box at my house. Those little amps sound pretty darn good for the the money outlay, bet the system sounds darn good.