Anyone interested in new custom built X-LS Encores (SOLD)

Ron · « **on:** 9 Apr 2012, 08:48 pm »

Buiding speakers has been my hobby for over twenty years. It is something I really enjoy doing. I know there are some AC members who might be interested in a pair of AV123 X-LS , X-LS Encores, or other AV123 kits that Danny is selling, but don't have the time or woodworking tools/skills to build them. What I am offering is a service to build finished pairs of these speakers at a very reasonable cost. They can be built with or without the Sonicap, Mills, and No-Rez performance upgrade options. The cabinets can be either custom built finished in natural cherry or red oak or commercial .5 cu-ft Parts Express cabinets in High Gloss Piano Black. If interested, just send me a PM

pureiso · « **Reply #1 on:** 9 Apr 2012, 10:35 pm »

Quote from: Ron on 9 Apr 2012, 08:48 pm

Since speaker building is my hobby, I have been thinking about building a pair of AV123 X-LS Encores from the GR Research psrts kit just for the enjoyment of building. Since I presently have all the finished speakers I need, these would be built to sell, not to keep. If I decide to build them they will have the Sonicap, Mills, and No-Rez performance upgrade options. The cabinets can be either custom build finished in natural cherry or red oak or commercial .5 cu-ft Parts Express cabinets in High Gloss Piano Black. If interested, just send me a PM

How much are they likely going to cost?

Ron · « **Reply #2 on:** 10 Apr 2012, 12:33 am »

I sent you a PM Purelso.

Pocketchange · « **Reply #3 on:** 10 Apr 2012, 02:27 am »

How about upgraded XOs?

Ron · « **Reply #4 on:** 10 Apr 2012, 03:22 am »

Crossovers can be upgraded with Sonicaps and Mills resistors or just Sonicaps. Existing resistors are good quality non-inductive type. Most noticeable improvement is made by upgrading to Sonicaps according to Danny. Improvement made by replacing the resistors would be subtle.

Ron · « **Reply #5 on:** 10 Apr 2012, 03:30 am »

I can upgrade the stock crossovers with Sonicap Capacitors and Mills Resistors. Cost would be $25.00 a pair plus the parts and shipping cost. Total average cost would be around $148.00 Replacing only the capacitors and not the resistors would be about $30.00 less.

Ron · « **Reply #6 on:** 12 Apr 2012, 09:10 pm »

Ordered a X-LS Encore parts kits this week from Danny. Plan to build the speakers using .5 cu-ft gloss piano black cabinets from Parts Express. Also, they will have Sonicap and No-Rez performance upgrades. They should be a nice sounding as well as a nice looking speaker system. I will post pictures when they are finished as well as my opinions on how they sound.

pureiso · « **Reply #7 on:** 12 Apr 2012, 09:16 pm »

Quote from: Ron on 12 Apr 2012, 09:10 pm

Ordered a X-LS Encore parts kits this week from Danny. Plan to build the speakers using .5 cu-ft gloss piano black cabinets from Parts Express. Also, they will have Sonicap and No-Rez performance upgrades. They should be a nice sounding as well as a nice looking speaker system. I will post pictures when they are finished as well as my opinions on how they sound.

Definitely excited to see them get built up.

Ron · « **Reply #8 on:** 18 Apr 2012, 03:02 am »

I decided to build a pair of AV123 X-LS Encore speakers using the X-LS Encore parts kit from Danny and gloss piano black 0,50 cu-ft cabinets from Parts Express. Also, I wanted to upgrade the performance of these speakers by installing Sonicap capacitors in the crossovers and No-Rez inside the cabinets. The following pictures were taken during the building process to show what I did: Note - Pictures of the completed speakers and my thoughts on how they sound will be posted within the next few days.

Section of center brace was removed to allow access to the back of the cabinet to install the crossover and No-Rez.

During the process of cutting the holes with a router,it is very important to cover the surface area with masking tape or packing tape to protect the cabinet surface from getting scratched.

The back side circumference of the woofer cutout was radiused using a 3/8" roundover bit.

The existing crossover mylar capacitors were replaced with Sonicaps. I originally planned to replace the existing non-inductive resistors with Mills, but Danny advised not to since the improvement would have been only subtle and wasn't cost effective.

When the front baffle boards were installed, I sealed the back side edges using a thin strip of plumbers putty. Also, in the back of the cabinets I used 1 ounce of Acousti-Stuf in lieu of Dacron Poly-Fil. In my opinion Acousti-Stuf provides a cleaner sounding midrange and tighter bass compared to Poly-Fil..

Outofthewoods · « **Reply #9 on:** 18 Apr 2012, 05:23 am »

Hey Ron!

Great to see you back at it.

Clean job on the NoRez and baffles. (as usual)

I'm eager to hear your thoughts on the Encores and how they stack up against some of your other GR Research builds.

Best,

Ruben

Ron · « **Reply #10 on:** 18 Apr 2012, 10:32 pm »

Thanks Ruben!

Finally completed my AV123 X-LS Encore building project using the parts kit from GR Research and 0.50 cu-ft gloss piano black cabinets from Parts Express. Very pleased with how this speaker system turned out not only in how they sound but also how they look. So how do they sound? In a word Fantastic! The overall sound is very smooth, balanced, transparent, and open with wide sound stage imaging and depth. Both male and female vocals are very natural sounding. String instruments and piano for example sound very natural and real. Highs sound a little bit on the bright side at times, but not objectionably so. As they burn in more the brightness should get better. Highs are not quite as detailed as the Neo 3 PDR tweeter, but still very close. The thing that has impressed me the most about these speakers is the bass response which I think is awesome. It is not only deep but well defined too. I have listened to a sampling of music from classical to rock and the X-LS Encores sounded great on everything I threw at them. Overall the X-LS Encore's are great sounding speakers, especially with the Sonicap and No-Rez performance upgrades.

The following are pictures of the finished speakers. Please note that the picture quality is not the greatest due to the reflective surface of the piano black finish.

If anyone is interested in these speakers, please send me a PM>

Ron · « **Reply #11 on:** 20 Apr 2012, 04:11 pm »

If interested in these speakers, go to the following link: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=105578.0

Ron · « **Reply #12 on:** 22 Apr 2012, 11:21 am »

NOTE: Selling price reduced to $400.00 pr + FedEx shipping charges

bfs21 · « **Reply #13 on:** 8 May 2012, 09:20 pm »

Impressive work on the cabinets and no-rez! Crazy value for $400. Would jump if I were in the market!

Ron · « **Reply #14 on:** 21 May 2012, 02:25 am »

These beauties are still available if anyone is interested. Don't miss out on these newly built, performance upgraded pair of X-LS Encores at a bargain price.

Ron · « **Reply #15 on:** 30 May 2012, 08:43 pm »

Please note that I can ship these out of the continental USA by USPS Priority International fairly easy if there is a postal service available in your area. If interested, just provide your postal zip code and I can provide you a shipping cost estimate.

Ron · « **Reply #16 on:** 22 Jul 2012, 11:59 am »

Note - Price reduced on these new pair of X-LS Encores. See the following link: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=105578.0

Danny Richie · « **Reply #17 on:** 22 Jul 2012, 08:07 pm »

Ron, I think you are going in the hole on that pair. This is a heck of a deal for someone though.

Ron · « **Reply #18 on:** 22 Jul 2012, 08:36 pm »

You're correct Danny, I am going in the hole selling so low which I really hate to do.

But the problem is that I simply don't have room for them at the present time. If they don't sell soon, I will just pack them away and try again later this year.

Ron · « **Reply #19 on:** 22 Jul 2012, 09:08 pm »

On second thought,Danny is right. These newly built, performance upgraded X-LS Encores are just too nice to sell at such a loss. I feel that my asking price of $400.00 + FedEx shipping is fair and reasonable. Therefore, if no one is interested in buying them at that price I will just pack them up and place in storage rather than sell for less.