Here are some pics of my new AV-3 speakers. The pictures don't do them justice.
I used blackened oak veneer, which cost a little more but I wanted a dark gray or black finish. For my next pair, I'll try natural wood veneer and stain them black to save some money. I tested the blackened oak with ebony stain and it turned them pitch black. So, I only used two coats of satin polyurethane, which turned them almost solid black. You can see in one of the pictures how the grain shows but they really look black from a distance. I'm still very happy with them. This was my first time to veneer anything and Danny's instruction to do the seam in the back worked great. I did cheat by using a 5/8's round bit to do the corners instead of the 3/4 round. I had one corner crack a little but it is not noticeable.
OH,the sound is incredible! Even on the first evening of listening, they sounded awesome. Now, after a few weeks of breaking them in, the bass has developed much more than I anticipated. I know my placement, in the corner of the room is not the best and creates more bass ,but they still sound great. I did put the port in the front, although now I'm not so sure that this was necessary to get the bass I wanted even with placing them in the corner of the room. I did upgrade the sonicaps and I used the recommended No Rez.
I originally purchased these for my pool room but had to try them out in my living room for the first couple of weeks. Even my wife said "They sound incredible" several times the first evening. Then, I moved them to the pool room for pool night. Now I've got to save some $ and build another pair or I'm moving these back to the living room. Sorry guys.
I'll probably get the 0-3's next.
Many Thanks to Danny!
