[Tyson]

miniDSP will also negate the need for the DAC.

[jonirvine]

So i'm not familiar with flow coating... i did some googling but only found some videos of guys spraying huge amounts of paint with a hose, usually on industrial equipment.  Is this flow coating?  If so, I don't have equipment for this.  Is there an "home-brewed" way to do it?  What is the actual substance that coats it?

My plan was to do a 50/50 water-glue mixture on the seams and then sand again.  Think this will work just as well?

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks!

[Lazz]

Jon, you need to use a 2 pack polyester type of undercoat. Probably available from guys that supply auto refiinishers. Or you could go to your local auto' painter and maybe purchase a small amount from them. 2 pack will probably give you the best finish without any seams showing later on.

[jonirvine]

*UPDATE*

Ok here's some pics for ya from today's work. Basically I got everything ready to audition before I go through the painful process of painting.  One thing that I had to do was alter the design so the baffle is on the base instead of the pedestal on the base.  Basically, the "lip" on the pedestal was too narrow and going any deeper would mean recutting the arm and the base completely.  It was hard for me to compromise on this but I figure it's a purely aesthetic decision that saved a lot of heartache.  How do they sound?  Well... fantastic!!! They're much brighter and more crisp than my EV LT-12 OB's which have a bit of a "horn" sound and lacking in mids.  These TB's (although not "burned in" yet) are absolutely wonderful and smooth.  The sound stage is really present. 

Next steps:
1.) Take a break and enjoy them for a couple weeks.
2.) Seal the edges. I'm still leaning towards glue/water mix but I'm open to other methods that are relatively easy and practical.
3.) Sand around the inset of the subs (they're "just right" for now but with a few layers of paint and primer, I may be rubbing the edges of the Alpha's which may cause what I believe is called resonance.
4.) Prime, prime, prime.
5.) Sand
6.) Paint with paint gun. Wet sand in between coats.
7.) Polish
8.) Spray base and rear of baffle with Quiet Kote.
9.) Paint the arm silver.
10.) Put it all back together

Did I mention I'm also building open baffle Center and surrounds for when I'm in Home Theater mode?  I'm doing the CEnter with a Dayton PS220 and the rears with Dayton PS180's.  They will match the mains with piano back and curved edges.  Ever see  totally open baffle 5.1 setup?  Well, you're about to! 

Ok some pics:

[Bob in St. Louis]

Wow dude. That's awesome. 

Although putting partially finished speakers "in play" with the intention of finishing them "later" can be a dangerous thing. 

Bob

[jonirvine]

Thanks bob!  Yeah, I hear that... I'll welcome a virtual kick in the pants if you don't see an update within the month 

That being said, I really can't stand the look of MDF and am longing for that piano black finish I have in my head, so hopefully that will keep me motivated.

Till then!





J

[Davey]

Jon,

I think the miniDSP (or some other line-level crossover) would be a preferable solution for your project.  You already have multiple amps so it doesn't make any sense to implement a speaker-level crossover.  Plus, you will most likely need some equalization for both the full-range and woofer drivers.  The miniDSP can make easy work of that.

Cheers,

Dave.

[jonirvine]

You're right Dave, and many have recommended this for me too.  I will def consider going the miniDSP route in the future.  For now, my wife approved budget is completely tapped out as I built this system from the ground up.  Going miniDSP also means I need to buy/acquire Parallels & a windows license since I'm completely Mac here at home.  But I agree, it would def help me get a better sound for my setup. For now the $30 on my passive c/o will have to do and I'm pleased with the sound.  I went with MJK's advice on the c/o points and while I would like to play around in the future, it's a well rounded sound for me now.

[tryman]

my friend use miniDSP  with MC note book  with out problems

[JohnR]

Yes, no need for Windows for miniDSP.

[jonirvine]

oh really?  Cool! I'll have to check that out then, I was under the wrong impression.

[gooberdude]

Beautiful work!!   

I recently installed a pair of TB 1808's in an ob baffle with a 15" Auggie.  The TB is amazing so far, but do yourself a huge favor (if you haven't already).  Run a driver break-in cd, like from Isotek or Purity Audio.

Out of the box the TB was congested & peaky.  After only 6 hrs of play at a medium volume, the Isotek cd corrected most of the nasties.

My set-up is similar to yours in that we have a large screen between the speakers.  The TB's complement the arrangement with wide & detailed imaging. 

[jonirvine]

Running a burn-in right now actually!  Some pink noise and spirit classical station at once. I've never tried one of those CD's before... Worth the purchase?  Got any pics of your system goober?

[jonirvine]

Here's some progress on the center channel and surrounds. They sound pretty darn good!  I added a monopole subwoofer to the center to fill in the lows but the vocals are really crisp with this Dayton 220 and spread nicely across the screen to give a realistic effect... def an improvement from any boxed center channel I've used.  While these pieces were primarily made to work with my home theater, it's also fun hear music in Dolby or DTS music mode, but I prefer it in pure stereo still.  So now that everything is sounding good, next step is to dismantle the drivers and start priming/painting.  I'm using Sherwin Williams' "Sher-Kem in Raven Black." It's a high quality lacquer paint that is durable and supposedly very high gloss.  I've read that it's the same paint used for tractors and heavy duty equipment.  I'll test it on some spare MDF and decide afterwards if I need to wet-sand and/or polish.  The manager at sherwin williams seems to think I will be happy with a nice even coat without it but I'm not sure it will meet my standards for a "piano- black" finish.  More pics to come!

[Bob in St. Louis]

I like your style Jon. looking great. 

[Gothover]

Very nice work John.

Dave

[Bob in St. Louis]

2.) Seal the edges. I'm still leaning towards glue/water mix but I'm open to other methods that are relatively easy and practical.

Have you had any more thoughts on your #2?
I've had several MDF builds where the seams showed through after the paint dried. And that was after using various methods of sealing the edges, including fiberglass resin on one build and a thick coat of wood glue on another.
Within a couple days, both had "cracks" in the paint where the layers of MDF were.

Bob

[PDR]

I've used automotive glazing putty with success....on subs no less.
Like bondo but no mixing and not quite as hard to sand.
On round edges a thick piece of rubber to guide the putty, and not much to sand.
Sealed the cut edges quite nicely and hasnt cracked in the last 4 yrs of use.

Used the same method on my V-1s for the round top of the OB....same result

Beautiful work BTW.....very impressive!

Might want to give it a try....

[jonirvine]

I actually was still planning on the glue/water mix because bondo is too much work and I've worked with resin before and it's more mess than I'm willing to work with. That being said, I've never thought of using glazing puddy before as PDR suggested. Maybe it's a happy medium?  I'm also planning a heavy heavy coat of primer and have purchased a very high quality paint.  Hmmmm.... I'm still undecided but I'll be starting soon. Thanks for sharing your experiences... Any other options?

[Bob in St. Louis]

I've never tried the Glazing puddy, so I have no opinion there.
But I would strongly caution against the glue idea. I've done that, with very poor results.
And I did several coats of primer and paint as well....to no avail.

Anything that consists of two parts and has to be mixed is going to be a pain, so I'd steer clear of that, just because you've got so many linear feet to cover. But some form of puddy like PDR is talking about would be great.

Bob