Thanks everyone. I'm going to answer some questions first then I will get to my impressions.
This form factor really speaks to me. I'm not a big fan of the "penguin feet" but that's just personal preference. I'd prefer a base that replicated the shape of the bass module (just a bit larger) and visually mimicked the gap between the bass and mid/tweeter module. An automotive metallic deep red would be hot, too. 
How would the performance of the bass module change if it increased in height just enough to house the plate amp in the back of the middle section (or even bottom section)?
nrenter,
The paint I used was a water based acrylic for wood with a water based polyurethane topcoat, both made by General Finishes. Automotive paints and topcoats will increase the options but be prepared for the sticker shock. When I had the paint job quoted at a local auto body shop the price was $1,000 - $1,200 plus more for a pearl.
What is the tweeter heigh now with the wedgie sitting on the new bass design ?
-jay
Jay,
As these stand,
without floor spikes, the center of the tweeter is at 39 1/2". Floor spikes will add an additional 1 1/2" bringing the tweeter center to 41". My ear height, kicked back in my recliner, is at 39" so for me the current height is about perfect.
Mike, what are you using between the Wedgie and the base?
Thanks,
Ed
Ed,
I am using Herbie's fat dots, specifically the Vonschweikert special (4 round and 1 square under each speaker).
http://herbiesaudiolab.net/spkrfeet.htm
Would it really cause any problems to move the single sub foward/back and the other vice/versa, lengthening the cabinet a little bit and then moving the subs closer together? It seems like you could lower two inches really easily, maybe 3.
Folsom,
This cabinet is really tight. The braces between drivers butt up against the openings for both the driver above and the one below. So there is no way to move them any closer together. Also, if you look at the side with the two drivers, what looks like space above the top driver and below the bottom driver is actually the thickness of the top and bottom plates. There is actually only about 1/8" clearance between the outer edge of the two drivers and the top and bottom of the side walls. Horizontally there is only about 1 1/2" clearance both front and rear. (Danny already beat me to this, sorry for the dual post)
Now for my impressions:
When I initially finished the bass units I set them up in the small room. I moved the H-frames out of the way and put the Wedge basses in their place with my Wedgies on top. In this room the Wedge designed played deeper and with more authority than the H-frames but they also loaded the room a little more than the H-frames.
The H-frames started rolling off noticeably below 40Hz. They were audible at 30Hz but there was nothing at 20Hz. If I stuck my ear inside the H-frame I could hear a 20Hz tone but outside the enclosure, nothing. The Wedge was solid at 30Hz and still audible in room at 20Hz, though significantly diminished.
On the other hand, the H-frames were more open sounding with no room loading where the Wedges did load the room a little. There was a little of that subwoofer chest thump with the Wedge basses. Not like a sealed or ported sub but enough to easily notice.
After I finished the new Wedgies, I set the whole system up in the larger living room (my wife is out of town until tomorrow night). I pulled them out until the center of the bass woofers was 3ft from the wall (back of cabinet 32” from the wall).
When I started playing the Wedges in this position I heard the same things I did upstairs. Also, the sound stage was much wider but more unfocused, almost like an echo but not quite and the chest thump from the bass was more pronounced.
If you look at the picture of the system setup you might see what was happening.
I thought all those doors behind the speakers provided a highly reflective surface which was causing the ehco/smearing I was hearing. Unfortunately, I do not have any sound absorption panels but I do have some moving blankets. I took four of the large blankets, folded each one in half to provide a double layer of heavy material and hung them up behind the speakers.
That did the trick. The sound stage cleaned up, focused and the echo/smearing went away. So did the chest thump from the bass units. Now they played deep, clean and open. The bass is still authoritative but it no longer loads the room. To me it seems like the best of both worlds, clean open baffle bass with just the tiniest hint of subwoofer thump and then only on extremely bass heavy tracks that were intended to have the thump such as the Telarc recording of the 1812 Overture when the cannons fire. Deep musical bass is just that, deep and musical yet open and spacious.
Visually these units go together seamlessly. The foot print is small and compact but the sound is
HUGE!!! Danny’s description of this combination’s performance is right on the money. In the H-frames the 8” drivers are a little disappointing but not in these cabinets. I’m going to hate to see them go. However, the first chance I get to build something for myself, it’s going to be a pair of these Wedge cabinets.
Mike
