[aceinc]

Thought I'd post pictures of my OB woofer (GR Research) MMG mashup...

You will notice I never do things the way I'm "supposed" to. First the "W" baffle design from GR Research have been wrapped in an extra piece of 3/4" MDF all the way around extending all dimensions by 1-1/2" including front to back, which I use for a grill cloth on the front (not shown). I use the 3/4" on the back to commit another heretical act, I mounted the amplifier on the cross members on the cabinet itself. This was a nod to aesthetics and practicality. Also I created "cradle style feet which I can use with the woofer cabinet in portrait or landscape orientation. Here they are in landscape.

For the MMGs I designed and built my own bases to make them more practical for sitting on top of the woofer cabinets. The little oak "sarcophagus" on the back with the wires going in & out contains a 12db 4 ohm 80hz high pass filter.

I have tried, but I can't seem to change the orientation of the images. Any help is appreciated. (Thanks to Peter J, I got the rotation issue resolved)


Front


Back

[Tyson]

Very creative!  Looks great. 

How does it sound? 

[aceinc]

First I will admit I am not an audiophile, an audio hobbyist is how I self identify. Having said that, my most recent journey in speakers was a pair of B&W 802 S2 Matrix. After A/Bing I replaced those with these woofer cabinets mated with OB cabinets of my own "design." Obviously my wife & I thought the sound was better. I had them in place for about a year and picked up this pair of MMGs off of CL and used them for a while as surrounds. I then A/Bed the OB woofer & MMG combo and we thought that sounded better, so I built the bases, and I just added the high pass filters.

My wife & I like the sound a lot. I invited a guy from the planar asylum over, who is a purist, in that he didn't believe Maggies would work well with a "sub woofer."  When he left, he said very nice things about my setup.

Here is the interim step mentioned above, before the OB cabinets were totaly complete (no tops, and a rudimentary xover) with test gear all around.

[Peter J]

We'd like to see front too. I like looking at butts, but I stray off subject...

Your images are too big, the site software wants to change orientation to resolve. Shrink by 25% and try that.

[aceinc]

Thanks Peter J, I fixed the images. I also labeled them front & back.

[Peter J]

Hmmm, seems the front/back thing was a problem with my eyeballs.

[Tyson]

As a long term audiophile, I find that OB speakers work much better in 'difficult' rooms like yours than box speakers do. 

And subs can blend perfectly with planars, as long as the subs are OB too. 

Nicely done.

[aceinc]

Yeah, my room ain't perfect. While GR-Research sells these as subs, I call them woofer cabinets, because for HT, they really don't perform that well at high volume below about 25hz. But fear not I have a 15" sealed Rythmik Audio sub in the back of the room.

[stlrman]

The Maggie’s seem way too high.
Why not put them in the floor , with subs near them?

[aceinc]

The Maggie’s seem way too high.
Why not put them in the floor , with subs near them?

Actually this seems to put the center  a little above ear level. The MMGs are only ~5' tall. I had the woofer cabinets in portrait orientation with the MMGs on a pair of stands that raised the bottom about 8" off the floor, but I like the sound better in this configuration.

Below is how we A/B tested them against the OB speakers I designed & built.

[Letitroll98]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree.  With a set up this nice you are an audiophile.  When I first looked at the bases I though, "oh, Maggie has wood tone for their 1.7i bases now".  Very well done.  Many have reported improvements in sound quality when raising Maggie's above their normal height.  My only concern would be vibration from the subs transmitted to the flimsy panels of the Maggie's.  And my final disagreement, 25hz is subwoofer territory, good job all around.

[aceinc]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree.  With a set up this nice you are an audiophile.  When I first looked at the bases I though, "oh, Maggie has wood tone for their 1.7i bases now".  Very well done.  Many have reported improvements in sound quality when raising Maggie's above their normal height.  My only concern would be vibration from the subs transmitted to the flimsy panels of the Maggie's.  And my final disagreement, 25hz is subwoofer territory, good job all around.

One of the reasons I do not call myself an audiophile is because my main focus is building & collecting cool audio gear that performs well. I do enjoy listening to what I have created/thrown together, however I do not sit around trying to hear the sweat dripping off of the tympani player's nose during a break in the 1812 Overture. Additionally I have met (and seen the postings of) some self identified audiophiles I would not want to be lumped in with.

Thank you for the compliment on the bases. The original (to me) bases did raise the level of the MMGs, but they, IMO, increased the flimsiness. I wanted to put the MMGs on top of the woofers, increase the rigidity and be able to "aim" them without a corner going over the edge of the woofer cabinet. So they had to be be circular and substantial.

Regarding the vibration from the woofer cabinets. An OB sub by its nature has less energy directed into the cabinet, because it doesn't try to contain the sound. That coupled with the 1-1/2" construction I used, increases the mass to the point where the vibrations are minimal and only on very loud bass passages. During loud deep musical scores or sound effects, there maybe some interaction, but can you really tell? Perhaps, I don't think I can.

25hz is certainly below traditional woofer range, I think of that being 40hz territory. So you are correct. I differentiate these from 16hz foundation shakers so I don't hear "...those aren't subs, THESE are subs..." type comments.

Thanks again, I do enjoy the system, and just as importantly the journey.

[Letitroll98]

Looking again at the original bases they look exactly like the ones I made for my MMGs, which also had the off white fabric.  I sold them in 2013 or 14, were your original stands unfinished oak and were the fuses removed?

There's no government mandated definition of audiophile, but generally we're divided between gear heads and music lovers, or people who listen to their systems and people who listen to music.  Among those groups are many who get off the upgrade train and start listening to music, they nearly universally downgrade to simplicity, and music lovers who get addicted to ever more transparency and become gear heads.  Everyone's journey is uniquely their own and I encourage you to self identify as you see fit.  None of it really matters as long as you're enjoying it, which you appear to be doing in spades.  Happy listening.

[aceinc]

Looking again at the original bases they look exactly like the ones I made for my MMGs, which also had the off white fabric.  I sold them in 2013 or 14, were your original stands unfinished oak and were the fuses removed?

I bought these about two years ago in S Florida with fuses, from a fellow who said his father moved to a place where he could no longer use them. His father was from SW Florida. The bases were exactly like you see them when I got them, they look like they may have polyurethane on them.

[Merckx1]

Aceinc, I am interested in how you made your high pass filters for your MMG's. I have LRS speakers and am looking to try a 4 ohm - 80hz - 12db/oct. filter. Thanks!