[Ron]

  Attached are some pictures showing a pair of X-LS Encores that I finally finished. Due to recent health problems it took me a while to
complete them, but I was pleased with how they turned out. They are veneered in red oak and stained in golden pecan with a polyurethane top coat finish. The stock crossovers were performance upgraded with Sonicap capacitors and Mills resistors. Also, the cabinet interior walls were lined with No-Rez for better sound damping. I think the red oak with the golden pecan stain looks very attractive. Sound quality of these speakers is excellent. They have a very clean, transparent sound quality with very good imaging and depth. Bass response is tight and well controlled down to a -3 db @ 55 hz. They sound good on most any type of music.  I will be glad to answer any question about the construction of these speakers.

 Attached are a few pictures that show how they turn out:






 Input terminal cups are upgraded being larger with gold plated post with knurled knobs.


Grill frame outer edges have 45 degree bevel. Also, frame is secured to speaker front with neodymium magnets




Left - Stock crossover; Right - upgraded crossover with Sonicap capacitors and Mills resistors.

[Coldfusion]

beautiful.

how long does it take to apply veneer?

how hard is it to learn?

i'd like to do something like this myself, just trying to get an idea of the time investment for a total newbie.

[Ron]

  Thanks for the compliment.

  It took me between 3 to 4 hours to veneer the X-LS Encore cabinets. I first cut out the veneer pieces for all six (6) sides of each cabinet. Normally I cut the pieces so thare is a 1/8" overhang for trimming. A lot of people use contact cement to attach the veneer, but I like to use Heat Lock brand heat activitated veneer glue. It is a lot easier and less messy to use than contact cement. You just spread it on the back of the veneer and on the cabinet surface with a paint brush or you can roll it on with a sponge roller. When both surfaces have dried, just position the veneer on the cabinet surface to be veneered and iron it on using a clothes iron set on medium heat. Trim off the excess veneer with a veneer trimmer or sharp single edge razor blade. Be sure to wipe off any glue that gets on the veneer before it dries with a damp cloth.

 Veneering is not hard to learn, but you do need to take your time, pay attention to what you are doing doing and don't rush. Suggest you practice on some scrap pieces of wood. If you plan to stain the veneer, I recommend using a Prestain like MinWax brand. for a more even color tone. Also, use a 400 to 600 grit sand paper and be sure to wipe the sanded surface  throughly with a tack cloth to remove the dust.

Ron

[JRace]

beautiful.

how long does it take to apply veneer?

how hard is it to learn?

i'd like to do something like this myself, just trying to get an idea of the time investment for a total newbie.

If you are hesitant (like me) to veneer the speakers you can get pre-made boxes:
http://www.parts-express.com/cat/hi-fi-speaker-cabinets/288

To OP:
Nice wok! I had a pair of the original xls and they were fantastic for the price.

[lacro]

Ron,
 Those look great! I wish I could get a decent finish on mine. It's too cold for spraying so I am stuck with the brush method, but I will get there some day

Larry

[Ron]

Larry,

  Thanks for the compliment.  Spraying does provide the most professional looking finish;however, you can still achieve a very nice looking, durable finish using a brush on stain and multiple coats of wipe on polyurethane like Minwax brand.

Ron

[Coldfusion]

could you post a picture of the back of the grill?


I think im going to take a veneering class...id love to be able to make something like that!

edit:
wow, just looked at your gallery. You built a lot of great looking speakers. Your man cave must be awesome!

[Ron]

  Sorry, but I don't have any pictures showing the back of the grill frames. The grills are constructed from 1/2" thick MDF. Width is 8-1/2" and the height is 13-1/2". I cut out the inside of the frame with an electric saber saw so that the width of the edges around the perimeter of the frame are 3/4" wide.  Prior to cutting out the center section of the frame I notched out the area  over the woofer by 7-5/8" diameter x 1/4" deep to clear the edges of the woofer outer frame. The front outer edges of the grill frame were beveled at a 45 degree angle using a 45 degree router bit. After the
grill frame construction was completed, I spray painted it satin black. Prior to attaching the grill cloth, I sprayed the back of the frame with 3 M brand No. 77 spray adhesive and then atretch the grill cloth over the frame doing one side at a time. The excess grill cloth was trimmed off with a single edge razor blade. In addition to the spray adhesive I also stapled the grill colth around the in side perimeter of the frame.using 1/4" long staples.

[kc8apf]

Thanks for the details on making the grills.  It's really helpful for those like me who are just getting started in speaker building.

[Ron]

Reply to Coldfsion:

 Taking a class on veneering would be very helpful if you want to try veneering your own speakers.

 I don't have all the speakers shown in my picture Gallery. Those were built over a period of the past six (6) years. Some were built for myself and some were built for others. The only speakers I have at the present time are a pair of AV-3 TL Towers and the AV123 X-LS Encores. Building speakers is my hobby. I especially enjoy building GR Research speakers. All of Danny's designs sound great and offer tremendous value for the money.

Ron

[Ron]

  The following frequency response curve is for the X-LS Encore:


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[bigbang]

Hope you're feeling better Ron!

These sound as good as that curve looks. A shame mine are currently relegated to surround duties.

[Ron]

  Thanks BigBang. I am feeling some better. Have good days and bad days.

 They do sound as good or better than the response curve depicks. Very clean, neutral sounding speakers. Excellent speakers for what they cost
especially with the performance upgrades. Presently thinking about building a pair of performance upgraded  X-CS Encores so I will be selling the X-LS Encores that I just built.