On the way to N.Y.

JapanJim · « **Reply #1 on:** 18 Nov 2016, 11:28 pm »

Look very nice.....some details please!

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #2 on:** 19 Nov 2016, 12:18 am »

Where in NY are they going Rick? Are you sending them to me??

Rick Craig · « **Reply #3 on:** 19 Nov 2016, 12:29 am »

Quote from: JapanJim on 18 Nov 2016, 11:28 pm

Look very nice.....some details please!

This is the Ottavo in beautiful figured walnut. Dual 8" 3-way that can move a serious amount of air!

Rick Craig · « **Reply #4 on:** 19 Nov 2016, 01:31 am »

Quote from: LesterSleepsIn on 19 Nov 2016, 12:18 am

Where in NY are they going Rick? Are you sending them to me??

Syracuse area. Great name "Pres"

nocrapman · « **Reply #5 on:** 19 Nov 2016, 02:20 am »

They are coming to me folks... its been an agonizing wait but looks like it been well worth it.

Rick these look great.... and the veneer looks much better in these pics!

Is there a L/R to these Accutons?

mresseguie · « **Reply #6 on:** 19 Nov 2016, 07:16 am »

Damn! Those are beautiful.

I imagine they sound wonderful as well.

maxboy00 · « **Reply #7 on:** 19 Nov 2016, 12:55 pm »

Wow, those are very sharp looking speakers! What amp are you using to drive them? And of course, congrats, and enjoy the great music that they will be making!

Rick Craig · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 Nov 2016, 03:50 pm »

Quote from: nocrapman on 19 Nov 2016, 02:20 am

They are coming to me folks... its been an agonizing wait but looks like it been well worth it.

Rick these look great.... and the veneer looks much better in these pics!

Is there a L/R to these Accutons?

No L/R needed. The ambient light in the shop is really good on a sunny day and it made the veneer "pop".

daven3871 · « **Reply #9 on:** 19 Nov 2016, 04:44 pm »

Curious as what finish is used on speakers as I see very high end wood finishing everyday in my work and can say this is some beautiful work.

nocrapman · « **Reply #10 on:** 20 Nov 2016, 01:16 pm »

Quote from: maxboy00 on 19 Nov 2016, 12:55 pm

Wow, those are very sharp looking speakers! What amp are you using to drive them? And of course, congrats, and enjoy the great music that they will be making!

For now will start with the aging NAD 272.
Hoping to upgrade the amp in the near future.

Always open to suggestions: need power, should not run too hot, 12v trigger

Phil A · « **Reply #11 on:** 20 Nov 2016, 02:26 pm »

Quote from: nocrapman on 19 Nov 2016, 02:20 am

They are coming to me folks... its been an agonizing wait but looks like it been well worth it.

Beautiful speakers - enjoy!

AvFan · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 Nov 2016, 03:35 pm »

Very, very nice looking speakers! I've had my Ottavo for a little over two years and they were a great choice. Enjoy!

Rick Craig · « **Reply #13 on:** 21 Nov 2016, 03:23 am »

Quote from: daven3871 on 19 Nov 2016, 04:44 pm

Curious as what finish is used on speakers as I see very high end wood finishing everyday in my work and can say this is some beautiful work.

It's a conversion varnish.

daven3871 · « **Reply #14 on:** 21 Nov 2016, 11:29 am »

Conversion Varnish excellent thanks for info extremely durable again they are beautiful.

pawsman · « **Reply #15 on:** 21 Nov 2016, 07:45 pm »

Awesome work, Rick-

pawsman

nocrapman · « **Reply #16 on:** 30 Nov 2016, 12:26 pm »

Hi Rick,

I just wanted to acknowledge openly on this forum what an incredible job you have done with this speaker. It truly presents to me excellent resolution reaching close to my Maggies (1.7) and better bass than any other boxed speaker I have owned/built. I was really looking forward to the better resolving power of this speaker compared to the compression driver/waveguide of my (Bagby designed) Fusions; and it delivers that in troves but what really surprised me quite unexpectedly was the tight yet hard hitting bass (possibly accentuated by the corner placement). I had to switch off the subwoofer! And this is a huge living room open to kitchen and other areas of the house - not an easy space to fill/pressurize.
Now I do need to find a better amp as I am really having to crank up the volume. Looking at a Wyred4sound ST-1000 mkII amplifier possibly.

The build quality is solid and without fault. These things are a beast - about a 100 lbs each.
I understand why these have been reviewed so favorably in the past. Its a pity all those big glossy mags only review the big advertising brands.

Thank you Rick Craig!

AvFan · « **Reply #17 on:** 1 Dec 2016, 06:55 pm »

Yup, I also had that sort of jaw-dropping moment when first playing my Ottavo. The clarity of the RAAL tweeter and Accuton mid-range is remarkable and if bass is present, they will cleanly reproduce it. Before buying the Ottavo I thoroughly auditioned some much more expensive brand name speakers and they were lacking, in particular in the mid-range, to my first pair of Selah speakers, a custom MTM. The Ottavo left the brand names even further in the dust.

I have been playing with different amplifiers for a two years and given my listening distance is at or less than 3 meters and the maximum volume I listen at is about 85dB I just ordered the Parasound A-23. It gives me about 16dB of headroom (with 225wpc at 4 ohm nominal) to cover dynamics up to about 100dB plus. It also has preamp loop outs so should you want to run subwoofers it is an easy connection.

Speaking of subwoofers: I use one but not because the Ottavo can't reproduce bass. I listen to mostly vinyl and many of my older records have minimal bass. A little bass boost is welcome in those cases but with CDs and purchased 96/24 music it isn't needed.

Enjoy your new speakers!

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #18 on:** 2 Dec 2016, 02:57 am »

So, Nocrapman, will you be inviting regional AC members to come hear these beauties, perhaps bring various amps when they do?
Best,
Lester

Rick Craig · « **Reply #19 on:** 27 Dec 2016, 03:52 pm »

Quote from: daven3871 on 21 Nov 2016, 11:29 am

Conversion Varnish excellent thanks for info extremely durable again they are beautiful.

Thanks for your kind comments. What do you typically use for finishing in your business? My finisher uses conversion varnish quite often for high-end conference tables so they suggested it for my cabinets when we started working together. As you mentioned it's very durable and I like the depth it gives. At one point they had switched to a lacquer for cost savings but the results were not as good so they switched back to the conversion varnish.

I believe most speaker companies use lacquer because of time / cost savings but for high gloss I have found polyester to be the best. The company I used for polyester was previously part of a piano manufacturer and they closed the facility. Now when I receive an order for a high gloss we use a method similar to Baker (french polishing?). My preference is a lower gloss like the cabinets here with a mil thickness that looks more natural.