[Mann-83]

Howdy, first post here... In the early 80's I played pinball and listened to music.  I bought my first Pioneer receiver and speakers in 1979, and for several years I added components like EQs, tape decks, mixers, amps etc.. I collected enough stereo stuff to DJ for my high school dances and events.  I spent countless hours playing around with audio gear and loved every second.  But life gets in the way and 40 years have passed since buying any new audio equipment. Recently I discovered the GR Research web page, and Danny's DIY Encore has me back in the game again.
I watched his videos and did the Encore X-LS flatpack, duratex and paint technique.  Now, I know NOTHING about woodworking! My cabinets are very pointy and bumpy, but my DYI speakers will be part of my pinball gameroom.  I figure, it will match my games.  I'm not sure if the blue works, but hey, I can always repaint. 

[corndog71]

Welcome to AC!  Those look great!   

[Mann-83]

Thanks! I hope my new system build will last like my original Pioneer.  My daughter is using it now....
My plan - Order the X-LS kit, buy a home theater receiver, sub, and perhaps the DIY floor speaker kit.  It will take some time. What receiver is a good match with the Encores?

[WannaBeHiFi]

Hello and Welcome

My history is similar.  I also got started in late '70's, with a long pause for other life experiences.  Most of my career has been traveling road warrior.  The last few years everything has shifted and I'm now working from home.  I found GR Research searching for replacements for ancient Bose 501's.  I opted for the base level Encore's for now.  I'm very pleased, HUGE improvement.  I have a friend who assembled a huge collection of pinball stuff.  Now he's of the age for downsizing, selling all his pinball parts, manuals, schematics, etc on EBay.

[corndog71]

What receiver is a good match with the Encores?

Pretty much any receiver will work.  They are not a particularly difficult load.  The better your gear is the better they will sound.

[Tyson]

I think the blue paint looks great - nice job!

[Mann-83]

I found GR Research searching for replacements for ancient Bose 501's.

Back in the day I was always jealous of guys who owned any Bose speakers.  They were the "cool: kids.   

[Danny Richie]

Looks great.

[Mann-83]

OK.. What takes 20 minutes for Danny, took me two days to assemble.  They work!  What a satisfying feeling and sense of pride this project has given me.  My new Encores have a Game-room look, with a Symphony sound.  Next, making Duatex speaker stands.





I was surprised on how hard the twisting of wires are.  I struggled on that, not knowing the breaking point of wires.  If you see any mistakes, let me know. Thanks for the great videos and pics of the crossover assembly.

[Tyson]

Those have some pizazz - very nice!

[mresseguie]

Great job!

My buddy in Vancouver, BC keeps two or three pinball machines in his basement. He buys one vintage pinball machine at a time; completely disassembles it in order to clean and polish each part before reassembling it.  [Talk about patience!]

[Mann-83]

yea.. A lot guys get into pinball just to restore them.  I can do basic work, but the newer machines are mostly circuit boards now. But I love to play!  Pinball is the ultimate game of sight and sound. But just like this hobby, it's expensive.  A new pinball machine will cost around 9K. My 2 machines, Firepower and F-14, are from the early 80's.

[Mann-83]

It's cool to be Square... 

Built some speaker stands for my Encores.  Not bad for about $40. Thank goodness for Duratex.













In the near future, I'd like to make a second pair of XL-S Encores for the rear speakers.  Next is a sub and an AVR.

[JCarney]

Looks very good Mann-83, I think the blue bases are a very nice touch. I dig the contrast with the black columns and continuing the color scheme a bit further. The matching shoes to a properly spiffy suit.

JCarney

[Tyson]

Very nice!!  How do they sound?

[Mann-83]

For the untrained ear, I think they sound great. Of course it's a big improvement from my 40-year-old Pioneer CS822a speakers. And much better compared to the Wharfedale center channel.  I can hear details now. The hit, hit, hit of the drums high hat is so clear.  And the lows are great for such a small woofer.  However, when first listening to the Encores, I thought they sounded a bit light in the mid range.  I'm using my old Sansui EQ with a freebie   Sony AVR (no HDMI) And that's a problem, they suck.  I'd like to upgrade to a decent 5.2 AVR soon.