[kwhitman]

Oscillate I used No-Rez with a self adhesive backing I purchased from Danny at GR Research so I can not help with a good method for adhering tile to the interior.  Captainhemo I just ordered a bag of Acusti Stuff from PE.  I will see if my old untrained ears can tell a difference.  Thanks for the tips.

Kris

[Oscillate]

gregfisk

Thanks for the reply. The X-series enclosures I am building are
actually glued together with Loctite PL Premium. I had (mistakenly)
thought that VCT adhesive would be better suited for adhering the
tiles.

Quick Tip: I have found that if you wait approximately 3 hrs., the PL
Premium will have lost it's tackiness. Then you can literally shave
off that large round bead that the 'squeeze-out' produces with a
razor blade and not make too much of a mess. Yields a nice clean
seams without sacrificing the air tight seal of the cabinet.


kwhitman

"I used No-Rez with a self adhesive backing"

Thanks for the reply. My bad ...one of the photos you posted looks
very similar to the VCT tile I am using. Must just be the lighting in
the photo or the cheap PC I'm using.

[kwhitman]

I finished the cabinets yesterday by removing the clamps from the front baffles and flush trimmed both cabinets.  I marked and drilled the screw holes for the drivers and input panel in the rear.  Then I decided it was time for a little trial listen so I soldered up the drivers and inputs and screwed everything down for that initial 'test fit'.  Luckily everything fit like a glove so nothing left to do but hook em' up 

The wife and I decided we would give them a quick listen even though it was getting late....three hours later we are still listening and it was going on 12:30 AM!!!!   As you guys already know these things are awesome.  We decided to head to bed and light em' up again in the morning.  We did and I have not got a thing done all day   After several hours we decided to hook the old speakers back up for a compare.....bad move   My wife proceeded to inform me just how terrible our existing speakers sound.  The existing speakers are 30+ year old Advents...yea I know....I'm old and so are my speakers.  Since these X-LS's will leave with the daughter soon I guess it is time I UPGRADE   I still need to do the final outside finishing but that is cosmetic....the magic is inside!

Now I just need to decide what to build/purchase for our house.  The wife still wants the old towers off the floor so it will have to be something smaller similar to or slightly larger than the X-LS.  Maybe some Encores or ???????.   I just know Danny has re-introduced the wife and I to our music.  Funny how life pulls you away from things you love.

I'll post final pictures of the X-LS classics when the exterior is finished.

I truly appreciate all the great build advice and tips during this build.  A special thanks to Danny for his awesome kits, build advice, and support.   I know I am way behind you guys on this circle but I may be catching up in the near future. 

Kris

[mlundy57]

Kris,

No worries. I just got into this sickness, ummmm hobby a couple of years ago. The Encores take the Classics up to a new level.  If you are replacing floorstanders you basicaly have three options, a pair of the bookshelf X-LS Encores, a pair of the larger X-CS Encores (3 driver MTM version of the X-LS intended for use as a center channel but also great as left and right main speakers) or the X-MTM Encores which are X-CS Encores in a full length cabinet. 

The X-LS or X-CS Encores would need speaker stands. The speaker/stand combination doesn't take up any more floor space than the towers do and the cost of the extra wood is usually cheaper than the cost of a good pair of stands. Going with the floorstanding version would give you a lot more bass extension than either of the smaller cabinets would.

Unless you decided to put a pair of X-CS Encores on a pair of Danny's Best Speaker Stand Ever.  Now that would be one heck of a combo.   http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=129161.0






Another option would be the bookshelves paired with one of Danny's 12" sealed servo subs. In my living room I have a pair of N3 towers (the ones in my avatar) paired with one 12" sealed servo sub. With the towers I don't use the sub for music, just TV and movies.

Just FYI, here's some X-CS Encores I'm building for my step daughter





And a couple pairs of X-MTM Encores I built for my neice and nephew







You also might want to give serious consideration to Danny's newest design, the Skinny 6 
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=135458.0





Yes they are towers but the pictures make them look a lot bigger than they really are. At 4 1/2" wide x 13" deep by 41" tall they are small towers but from what Danny says with really big sound. From my experience with these LGK drivers in my desktop speakers and Wedgies I can believe it.

Mike
 

[kwhitman]

Thanks Mike.  I am seriously considering the X-LS Encores....cannot image how it could sound better than the classics but everyone says they do.  Nice work on all the speaker builds.  The ultimate speaker stand looks awesome.  I assume the black is Duratex....did you roll it with a textured roller?  I would like to try it but want a little less aggressive texture.  I will have to purchase some and try with different nap rollers.  Thanks again for the tips and keep making saw dust....you apparently are very good at it.

Kris

[mlundy57]

Kris,

I didn't build the speaker stands or the Skinny 6's. Those are Danny's. I just added the pictures here to make it easier for you to see them.

You're correct about the black being Dutatex. I have used it on my 3x8" H-frames. The thicker you apply the first coat of Duratex, the mote aggressive the texture will be. If you use a fine knapp roller and apply thin coats you can get a much smoother finish.

Once I get the rest of the speaker projects I'm working on done I plan on building a pair of the Skinny 6's.

The LS Encores are great speakers. They were the first ones I built and were in my system for over a year before I gave them to my stepson.

Made a bunch more sawdust today. Building a pair of the Wedge bass units with 12" drivers to go with my Wedgies.

Whichever model you choose you will be pleased with them. Danny's designs are awesome.

Mike

[cody69]

I would like to try it but want a little less aggressive texture.  I will have to purchase some and try with different nap rollers.

I've used Duratex on several speaker and amp projects and like it a lot. It's an easy to apply, forgiving finish, that hides minor imperfections and dries to a strong durable finish.
I use a smooth nap roller to get a finish that is textured, but not overly aggressive. There are may youtube videos that give good application instructions.

[Captainhemo]

Kris, being these will be for you and your wife, you may want to also consider the upgrades (caps/resistors) to the crossovers and a set of tube connectors for yournext build. I know Mike also likes to upgrade the inductors and P2P wire the c/o's for the X series speakers he's built, I haven't  tried that yet.

You should also look at Danny's AV series speakers.  If you aren't into having a seperate sub in the room, the AV3TL's will play down to  about 40hz. Danny's TL desing makes incredible bass, it is very clean and tight. My folks have a pair of N3TL's I built and everytime I hear them I get a big grin on my face. The AV3TL's are a bit smaller than the  X CS Encore Towers, a little shorter and  a bit norrower. One of Mike's build threads shows his  Encore MTM Toweres beside his N3TL's which are basically the same size as the AV3TL's, maybe Mike can repost the pic so you can get a good idea of the size difference.

No matter which you choose, like Mike said, you'll be  very happy. To be even happier,  spend the extra $$ and do the c/o upgrades

jay

[mlundy57]

Jay,

Ask and ye shall receive, at least some of the time   

Here are the the X-MTM Encores compared to the N3TL's. The ones with the Rosewood veneer are the N3TL's





It is not an optical illusion, the N3's are smaller than the MTM Encores.

Mike

[Captainhemo]

Jay,

Ask and ye shall receive, at least some of the time   

  better be careful of what you suggest  man, you could end up with a big list 

Great pics for Kris to get an idea of the size differences  !

jay

[mlundy57]

better be careful of what you suggest  man, you could end up with a big list 

Great pics for Kris to get an idea of the size differences  !

jay

Ahhh, that is where the "at least some of the time" comes in 

Mike

[kwhitman]

Mike,

With both towers sitting next to each other which one do you like the best (sound wise)?  I know both the N3's and MTM Encores are great sounding speakers but your ears will tell you which one you prefer.  I know everyone is different but I am curious.  Both pairs look awesome especially that rosewood   I might be able to convince the wife on a pair of those towers since they have such a small footprint compared to our existing Advents....they are big, wide, and ugly boxes.

The wife would prefer that we not have any speakers on the floor.  She would prefer something on/in the wall.  I have been looking around at options but it is not looking promising.  I have an appointment at Bjorns in San Antonio to audition a few in-wall speakers made by B&W and Definitive.  I read that Paradygm makes an in-wall as well.  I also know that none of these are going to sound anything like the GR kits   The recent X-LS build might help my case though...she really liked the sound those little guys put out. 

Kris

[Captainhemo]

Kris
you can't get the N3's, there are no Neo3 PDR  tweeters available but you can get the AV3Tl's. I only suggested Mike  show toose photos so you could compare the cabinet sizes (the AV3TL and N3TL's are almost identical with regards to size)

Remeber, if you build any  rear ported speakers, youi'll want to try and get them  as clsoe to 18" off the wall, you can make do with a bit less but more is probably better. The TL's can be built front  vented by reversing the TL.  This will let you  place them closer to the wall without having adverse effects on the bass response.

jay

[mlundy57]

Mike,

With both towers sitting next to each other which one do you like the best (sound wise)?  I know both the N3's and MTM Encores are great sounding speakers but your ears will tell you which one you prefer.  I know everyone is different but I am curious.  Both pairs look awesome especially that rosewood   I might be able to convince the wife on a pair of those towers since they have such a small footprint compared to our existing Advents....they are big, wide, and ugly boxes.

The wife would prefer that we not have any speakers on the floor.  She would prefer something on/in the wall.  I have been looking around at options but it is not looking promising.  I have an appointment at Bjorns in San Antonio to audition a few in-wall speakers made by B&W and Definitive.  I read that Paradygm makes an in-wall as well.  I also know that none of these are going to sound anything like the GR kits   The recent X-LS build might help my case though...she really liked the sound those little guys put out. 

Kris

Kris,

As good as the MTM Encores are, the N3's would be my preference between the two but like Jay says, they are not available right now. By the way, my wife informed me the N3's were her speakers and that I could build something else for myself if I wanted too.  So I did just that. It took me a little over a year but I ended up with the open baffle Wedgies for myself. We both won.

Don't expect to get anywhere near the sound of one of Danny's kits from in wall speakers. They might be more appealing visually since you can hardly see them if the grills are painted the same color as the walls but you will sacrifice a large part of your enjoyment for that clean look.

Good luck

Mike

[kwhitman]

Sorry for the delay but I have a few final pictures showing the stand construction with finished pictures.  I really appreciate all the help I have received along the way...I learned a lot.  I borrowed the stand design for one of the posts on this site with a slight modification.  I used his PVC idea for the threaded rod but then I added an extension to the rear of the stand to allow the speaker cable to be threaded thru the stand so you won't see it handing from the speaker.  You can see it on the last glue up picture.

[kwhitman]

A few more of the stands getting built.  I think you can see it better assembled.  The finish is black Duratex I purchased from Danny.

[kwhitman]

I should have added a little roundover on the stands before appying duratex.  I also rounded over the speaker cabinets with a 3/8 roundover bit.  I was limited with the roundover because I used biscuits during the box construction so I did not want to take a chance of getting into that slot.  Here are a few finished pics.

[kwhitman]

Last batch showing speakers wearing the speaker covers.  The badge on the grill is a small rat.  You would have to understand the importance of this addition.  For most of my daughters young life I had a nickname for her...I always called her RAT.  The badge was my way of making these speakers personal.  She cried when she saw them....then she cried some more when she heard how awesome these little boxes sound.  I would assume this is exactly why people choose to build over buy.  I hope you guys like the finished product.

I know the placement is terrible...I was trying to stash them back out of the way of our young and high energy German Shepherd   We did pull them out when listening.

[Folsom]

Wouldn't horn based systems, or at least waveguides be one of the few ways to get something into a wall? A LOT of people would love in-wall speakers that performed but... physics.

I like those speaker wire runs through the stands, and how they're not attached as well.

[mlundy57]

Looks really good