[Peter J]

Here's link to prior thread, about halfway down page

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=100369.60

Essentially, I pay no attention to how the magnets install in cabinet because they'll align themselves in the grills when I position them on cabinets. A by-product of doing it this way is that the grill (more than likely) becomes unique to specific cabinet, and if the grill happens to be symmetrical, even it's orientation on cabinet is likely to be determined. I say likely because there is a random chance that two grills would come out the same, but I imagine the odds are strongly against it, I'll let the statisticians figure that out.

I figured some of this out by accident when attempting to precisely locate a grill without introducing measurement error, which always plagued me. I usually make some mark on backside, like stamping a letter or number, to give a visual reference which grill goes with what cabinet, although one could most always figure it out by trial and error.

Is that helpful?

 

 

[ebag4]

Peter, thanks for sharing that link!  You have more than a few nuggets in that thread and that was a quick scan. I will have to review it more closely.  I am not certain how I missed it when originally posted.

I loved the "countersink the screw holes so the threads don't jack the veneer",  .

[mlundy57]

I finally got the first pair of X-MTM Encores up and running. They are not quite finished yet. I still have to complete the bases and grills.

After just letting them play for a couple of days I sat down this evening and listened to them and they sounded AWFUL , TERRIBLE, really thin, all mids and highs but no bass. My X-LS Encores sounded fuller than these. WHAT DID I DO???   

I thought maybe I put too much AcustaStuff in and was blocking the ports so I removed the woofers pulled as much of the AcustaStuff out from around the ports as I could and half of what was behind the woofers. Put the drivers back in, hooked the speakers back up, turned on the music and ARRRGGGGgggggg still no bottom end.

I knew the system worked, I had just pulled the Wedgies out to burn in the MTM-Encores and  I hooked the MTM Encores up to the Marantz AVR (can you see where this is going?) The AVR had the front speakers set to small with a crossover of 200Hz for the Wedgies no wonder I didn't have any bass.

I reset the fronts to large an viola they are singing like I expected them too. 

I'm not sure how much difference removing the AcustaStuff from around the ports will make since I lined the entire cabinet all the way to the bottom with NoRez.

Now to stain and finish the second pair while these are breaking in.

Mike

[mlundy57]

The first pair of X-MTM Encores are finished and heading to my nephew's tomorrow afternoon. Here are some pictures. There really is not a lot of eye candy here. He wanted them black with some wood grain so I used Ash veneer, dyed everything black then used blond shellack for the finish. I was trying for more of a matte finish with these so there wouldn't be any reflections from his TV.

For some reason, when the flash went off the grills came out looking grey. They are actually black and blend so well if it wasn't for the name badge you could barely see them in pictures.







When the flash didn't go off the black was kind of washed out but you can tell the blending of the grills better





Here is one without the grills



Mike

[Captainhemo]

Man, I wouldn't say there's  not much eye candy, they  look   beautiful in the pics  Mike.  The finish looks amazing 

-jay

[mlundy57]

I have completed and delivered the second pair of X-MTM Encores. These went to my niece and her family.  I didn't take any pictures of these by themselves, they look exactly like the last pair I gave to my nephew. I burned this pair in downstairs so the X-MTM Encores were sitting next to my N3TL's.  I didn't realize how big the X-MTM Encores were until I had them beside the N3TL's. On paper they don't seem like they would be that much bigger but they are.  Here are a few pics:













Noe to finish the X-CS Encores for my step daughter

Mike

[Guy 13]

Hi Mike.
Sound wise, what's the difference between the N3TL and the X-MTM Encore ?
Thanks.

Guy 13

I own the N3 bookshelves and I am happy with the sound,
for my wife's home theater set up.

[mlundy57]

Guy 13,

Very similar to the differences between the N1X and X-LS Encores. Both towers are fuller, deeper and have more presence then their corresponding monitor. While the Peerless tweeter in the Encores is excellent (silky smooth as Ruben has described) the Neo3 in the N3's is cleaner and more detailed. I don't mean to imply the Encores are not clean and detailed, they are, just that the N3's are more so.

I upgraded the crossovers for the X-MTM Encores to the same components as the N3TL with one exception. The Encores use Sonicap Gen II by-pass caps while the N3's use Sonicap Platinums.  This gives the N3's a big advantage over the Encores. Between these two speakers, I prefer the N3's. But then, they cost me twice as much as the X-MTM Encores.

I don't want anybody reading this to think there is anything wrong with the X-MTM Encores, especially with the upgraded crossovers, there isn't. They are fantastic speakers. I just like my N3TL's better.

Mike

[Guy 13]

Guy 13,

Very similar to the differences between the N1X and X-LS Encores. Both towers are fuller, deeper and have more presence then their corresponding monitor. While the Peerless tweeter in the Encores is excellent (silky smooth as Ruben has described) the Neo3 in the N3's is cleaner and more detailed. I don't mean to imply the Encores are not clean and detailed, they are, just that the N3's are more so.

I upgraded the crossovers for the X-MTM Encores to the same components as the N3TL with one exception. The Encores use Sonicap Gen II by-pass caps while the N3's use Sonicap Platinums.  This gives the N3's a big advantage over the Encores. Between these two speakers, I prefer the N3's. But then, they cost me twice as much as the X-MTM Encores.

I don't want anybody reading this to think there is anything wrong with the X-MTM Encores, especially with the upgraded crossovers, there isn't. They are fantastic speakers. I just like my N3TL's better.

Mike

Thanks Mike for taking the time to explain the difference
between the two speakers.

Guy 13