X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains

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gmurray618

Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #20 on: 17 Nov 2016, 06:56 am »
Mike those look fantastic.   :thumb:  I like the texture you got.
 I'm going to start a X-LS Encore for my son and you got me thinking.  :scratch:  I was going to paint them metallic blue and throw some Sparkley glitter and spray pint some accents but now I'm thinking of using the duratex as the base.  Do you think it would take spray paint or would the color get lost in the back?  I'm thinking of lightning bolts sun stars and wherever stencil I come up with. 
George

mlundy57

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Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #21 on: 18 Nov 2016, 12:50 am »
Mike those look fantastic.   :thumb:  I like the texture you got.
 I'm going to start a X-LS Encore for my son and you got me thinking.  :scratch:  I was going to paint them metallic blue and throw some Sparkley glitter and spray pint some accents but now I'm thinking of using the duratex as the base.  Do you think it would take spray paint or would the color get lost in the back?  I'm thinking of lightning bolts sun stars and wherever stencil I come up with. 
George

George,

I have no never tried to paint DuraTex so I don't know how it would work out.  If I get a chance I'll try it out on a scrap piece of board.

Mike

jparkhur

Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #22 on: 18 Nov 2016, 12:55 am »
I roll it on and then I have spray painted on set of my kids speakers the blue he wanted. Worked well. The blue was dark so that helped.  I did not brush the dura tech I rolled it. 

Danny Richie

Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #23 on: 18 Nov 2016, 07:14 pm »
George,

I have no never tried to paint DuraTex so I don't know how it would work out.  If I get a chance I'll try it out on a scrap piece of board.

Mike

I think I am going to do some counter tops in it. I had great luck with some sample pieces that I did. After rolling it on I presses a crunched up plastic bag into it and it give it a bit of a leather look. I then added several layers of various paint colors and made it look a lot like granite. It paints easy. 

gmurray618

Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #24 on: 19 Nov 2016, 12:03 am »
Either of you have any pictures?  Its starting to sound like its time to engage imagination and start experimenting. 

mlundy57

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Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #25 on: 19 Nov 2016, 01:31 am »
I'm definitely going to be experimenting with the plastic bag technique.



Wayne1

Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #26 on: 18 Dec 2016, 10:58 pm »
The speaker cabinets were shipped out to me in a very timely fashion,

Mike packed them well and even bagged them up in a cloth cover.



I spent quite a bit of time debating what wire to use internally. I finally decided to run the Neotech UPOCC Copper litz wire offered by ZenWave Audio.
I drove up to Lafayette to meet with Dave and pick up the wire. I used the 14 awg for the woofers and 20 awg for tweeter.



I decided to go with the Neotech because it was so flexible and well damped with the cotton insulation. I was concerned that any solid core and Teflon insulated wire would transmit vibrations. This has been a problem with some other speaker builds I have done. I believe it causes a blurring of imaging and a reduction in transients. I ran the wire between the seams in the NoRez pieces that Mike installed.

I built the crossovers on two separate boards just sort of kludged together for now.



After all the drivers, wiring and crossover components break in, I plan to try out different caps, inductors and resistors to see what I like the sound of best in my room and with the gear I am using. I do have some measurement gear that I will be using to fine tune everything. For now, I used all Sonicaps with Gen 2 bypasses. AlphaCore foil inductors and Mills resistors.

The wire going from the high pass network is a combo of Neotech UPOCC solid core in Teflon and the copper cored silver I used in the BOLDER Cable M-80 cable. The low pass cable is a dual star quad made from 14 awg stranded and 18 awg solid core copper cored silver. The runs from the amp to the crossovers are separate. The high pass sections gets a star quad 14awg and the low pass a modified dual star quad with an extra couple of runs of Cardas solid core 20 awg copper.

All in all, these sound VERY good. Fantastic imaging. For now I have them mounted on a pair of Sound Anchor 24" speaker stands with Herbies Square dots between the cabinets and the stand.



Thanks again to Mike for the great communication and build quality of the cabinets.

Danny Richie

Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #27 on: 18 Dec 2016, 11:40 pm »
Looks like you are trying to take them to their maximum performance levels.

So I'd recommend trying the tube connectors. They will make more difference than the wire, or inductors.

Also, from my experimenting I have gotten away from the Silver coated Copper wire. It caused a phase shift that was pretty easy to hear. Try just the high purity Copper only.

And if those screws that you have holding stuff down are steel screws then that will have an fairly adverse effect. Getting them out of the path will help.

Multiple banana plug adapters are eating up performance too. Use the tube connectors and get rid of all of that. It will improve clarity across the board.

Wayne1

Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #28 on: 19 Dec 2016, 12:18 am »
Thanks Danny,

I have the tube connectors on the input to the speakers.

The copper holders on the crossover boards are only for convenience in changing out parts. Once I find out what I like, I will hard wire the connections.
 
I will slowly start changing out speaker cables to mostly pure copper to see what difference I can hear.

Danny Richie

Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #29 on: 19 Dec 2016, 03:14 am »
Thanks Danny,

I have the tube connectors on the input to the speakers.

The copper holders on the crossover boards are only for convenience in changing out parts. Once I find out what I like, I will hard wire the connections.
 
I will slowly start changing out speaker cables to mostly pure copper to see what difference I can hear.

Sounds like a great plan.

mlundy57

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Re: X-CS Encore build - as L&R Mains
« Reply #30 on: 19 Dec 2016, 04:04 am »
Wayne,

Keep the updates coming. I have never heard these with the stock crossovers but I have built and listened to them with Sonicaps, Mills resistors, Erse XQ inductors and Gen II bypass caps in both circuits.

I'm really interested in what your different configurations sound like.

Mike