[mr_bill]

Beautiful
Could you describe the finish/veneer?

[Vapor Audio]

Beautiful
Could you describe the finish/veneer?

Veneer is Walnut Burl with a touch of amber added in the finish.  The finish itself is about 30 coats of 2K Urethane, wet-sanded to 3000 grit and the buffed.  The painted parts are a AMG Mercedes color called Sepang Brown, dark brown base with heavy gold/bronze flake. 

[dpatters]

Well, I always hope that's the case.  But this owner I have a good feeling will never ever consider letting them leave his home.

Ryan,

I can't wait to get them in my home and you are correct...they will not be leaving.

Don P.

[pconley2]

Don, they are truly beautiful.

Ryan, you did another outstanding job.

I would be very surprised if any Joule owner ever got rid of his speakers.

Phil

[Vapor Audio]

I wanted to share a few pictures that show how the top and bottom cabinets interface.  Like everything we do it's well thought out, with much consideration for appearance AND function.  There certainly would be easier ways to do it, but easy isn't my concern ... making each design unique, elegant, and able to separate itself from the rest of the pack is my concern. 

So with the Joule we have two distinct cabinet, each shaped the way they are because function and performance does come first.  Every curve and angle is there for a reason which translates into performance of the final product.  But the end result is two cabinets with very different profiles, how to blend those two pieces together visually so they look like they belong? 

The bottom cabinet is stacked ply side to side, that allows us to cut into the slices a perfect 10:1 tapering TL - no stair-step internal bracing to form a line like essentially everybody else does.  And by having the perfect taper, gone are all the midrange resonances that come from having any constant cross-sectional area inside the line.  Port output from the Joule measures textbook perfect, a peak at tuning with resonance free 2nd order roll-off above.  But stacked side to side, that makes the top to bottom cross section rectangular.  So to blend it visually with the curves of the top section, we add 3D CNC's pieces on the top and front of the bottom cabinet.  The front baffle adds curves and visual interest that couldn't be there any other way, and the top section does the same but also creates a cradle for the top cabinet to rest into.  Also in the top piece are pockets for Herbies Fat Dots to isolate the two pieces. 

The top cabinet is shaped the way it is because for midrange/treble reproduction, there are different considerations for ideal performance.  Eliminating edge diffraction and cabinet resonances are the primary focus, and the top cabinet does that completely.  The other consideration with the top cabinet is creating an internal shape that greatly decreases the sound inside the cabinet from reflecting back through and out the woofer cone.  The internal shape was designed through use of Finite Element Analysis, and I'm unaware of ANY other company who has employed such an approach.  And finally stacking the top cabinet top to bottom allows us to create a void inside the cabinet walls which is filled with our Inversion Layer material before being capped off, this greatly reduces sound transmission through the cabinet walls. 

Tell me anybody else out there who goes to these lengths for less than kilobuck asking price?  And not just in pursuit of performance, but also for appearance.  Compromise and making things easier is of no interest to us. 

[Big Red Machine]

It truly is a work of art.  Great looks and sounds great!   

Just like they say about me behind my back, good looking and smart!

[Factorz]

Ryan,
You have really outdone yourself with those speakers. Hopefully I will be seeing you in my neck of the woods soon.

[dex67]

those and the Aurora, together with the Nimbus (hey, i'm biased!) are probably some of the sexiest looking speakers out there!!!!

Ryan, when are you coming to my neck of the woods? did you get my email?

[Bill Baker]

Wow. Pages of beautifully finished speakers. I really wish I was able to attend the last coupe shows to hear these. We'll talk in the spring

[dpatters]

The Joule Blacks are being delivered on Friday!! Going to be an awesome weekend.

I'll start a new thread when I get them installed and post some pictures.

Don

[pconley2]

don, your Joules look fabulous, and I guarantee that you will be stunned, not just by how they look but more importantly by how they sound.  Mine are settling in, and I am hearing glimpses of the sound I have always wanted to have.  I know the speakers are great and now I need to continue the journey and build the correct system around them.

these are speakers for the ages.

[Bob in St. Louis]

That is a spectacular finish Ryan. Hell....I wish the vehicle in my garage had a finish half as good as that.   
Just curious, if a fellow were to buy a pair of these, would he care for the finish like he would a fine automobile, with automotive wax, buffing, and all that?

One of these days, I'd like you to give me the finer points of a finish like this.
I'll even buy the IPA. 

Bob

[srb]

Ryan can answer regarding his own finish, but unlike an automobile exposed to the elements I'm not sure an indoor speaker needs much of anything.

I have some 12 year old speakers with a 7 coat lacquer piano finish (as well as a piano with a piano finish) and they just get wiped down with a damp microfiber cloth then quickly buffed dry with a dry microfiber cloth, and they look like the day they came out of the box.

I have grabbed for the Carnauba before, but like Fonzie in front of the mirror preparing to comb, I just put it away and figured why bother? - they/re perfect.

Note: This is in a nonsmoking household.  If they live in a smoking household, sympathies to all and all bets are off.

Steve

[bajaed]

[Vapor Audio]

That is a spectacular finish Ryan. Hell....I wish the vehicle in my garage had a finish half as good as that.   
Just curious, if a fellow were to buy a pair of these, would he care for the finish like he would a fine automobile, with automotive wax, buffing, and all that?

One of these days, I'd like you to give me the finer points of a finish like this.
I'll even buy the IPA. 

Bob

I'll be wet sanding/buffing something this weekend if you want to watch, or I could bring pieces down to Casa Jackson. 

Daily care is same as a car, always remember dust is nothing more than teeny tiny rocks ... don't rub them to remove, lift them off, or else learn to enjoy swirl marks.  And when you do get swirl marks, buff them out same as you would with a car.  Wax helps to protect from those teeny rocks touching the clear and scratching, and can fill small swirls. 

[Vapor Audio]

Try the new Ex in the slightly darker purple bottle, thank me later 

[Bob in St. Louis]

I'll be wet sanding/buffing something this weekend if you want to watch, or I could bring pieces down to Casa Jackson. 

Hmm....  Very busy weekend, including having to work Saturday. Sunday afternoon is a possibility, as long as I can get some chores done.
But yea, I'd love to learn from a master of finishes.
I'll letcha know Ryan, thanks man. 

Bob

[PMAT]

It's really three crafts in one. Design/build furniture, elect/acoustic design and finishing. It is the reason I'm a fan. I am a woodworker and I absolutely love wood. I finally learned that you have to finish the finish. Mastering all types of finish is a lifetime project.

[harley52]

One little bit of advice to those looking to polish/wax their speaker's. Purchase an automotive wax/polish that has no petroleum product's in it. My suggestion, is Zymol bee's wax or if you can justify it get the Zymol Connoisseur. Kinda pricey, well extremely expensive to me. It's not the stuff that Walmart sells. The look is so good that you can see a shadow under a piece of lint. IIf you use it on your car/cars, it is still there even if the water doesn't bead up after a few washings. I'm not sure if it's any longer available in the states. Zymol Bee's Wax will be around $50-$60. A lot of speed shops, not that kind ,  are the places to begin a search if you want to buy it. Not all shop's will carry it, as it's a made in Germany product. Oh btw, petroleum based products will dry out the paint over time. If you buy car's every few year's then you don't have to think for one minute about the life of the paint. Of course they are your speakers to do as you please.
Good luck and Happy New Year to all,

[Eugene2]

You should revive this thread so folks can go to one location to page through all the new builds and finishes.http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=120561