[Digi-G]

Nice job with the top grill.

I keep debating on whether to use fabric on mine or not.  We have dogs and the house seems to be quite dusty, generally speaking.  I'm afraid the cloth won't look good for very long and will be hard to keep clean, especially being a horizontal surface.

I'm eager to start finishing my baffles but other plans keep getting in the way, especially on the weekends.

[mick wolfe]

Nice job with the top grill.

I keep debating on whether to use fabric on mine or not.  We have dogs and the house seems to be quite dusty, generally speaking.  I'm afraid the cloth won't look good for very long and will be hard to keep clean, especially being a horizontal surface.

I'm eager to start finishing my baffles but other plans keep getting in the way, especially on the weekends.

I don't see a problem with the fabric at all. Dusty, dog friendly environment here and have never had an issue with any speaker grill cloth. Plus the grills make for a nice finish touch. When I ordered my fabric from SpeakerWorks, the smallest option was a piece 36"x67". (well under $20) You could stretch new grill clothes for years and still have material left over. Frankly, the exposed 5" driver would be far more worrisome than a grill cloth if you have large dogs.

[WarmColors]

Do I need to consider thickness of the fabric so it will be fit snuggly? or is speaker fabric for the most part has a universal thickness?

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Do I need to consider thickness of the fabric so it will be fit snuggly? or is speaker fabric for the most part has a universal thickness?

My fabric is moderately thick cuz it was the nicer of fhe two main black cloth fabrics, (Mellowtone) but not crazy by any means, around $25 for a roll.

the adhesive sollution I used added some thickness as well, especially around the corners, and bottom  so it sits up a little higher (1-2mm) than it would otherwise, and on the sides, its fairly snug, but it wont get stuck and can easily be pulling out with a magnet or by hand if needed, but also won't rattle or shift when I test fit them yesterday.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Pulled the tape off one of them to see what touch ups are next after the main sections are finished before I begin the finishing coats.

Not too bad, just need to touch up the edges! 
Have a couple pics! (Sorry about the mess! )

[devious17]

fantabulous!

[mick wolfe]

Do I need to consider thickness of the fabric so it will be fit snuggly? or is speaker fabric for the most part has a universal thickness?

No, different thicknesses are available. So you have decide if you want material that's thicker and more durable or material that's fairly light weight. The lighter material will be bit more transparent if the grills are left in place. But I have a feeling most will take the grills off when listening anyway.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

No, different thicknesses are available. So you have decide if you want material that's thicker and more durable or material that's fairly light weight. The lighter material will be bit more transparent if the grills are left in place. But I have a feeling most will take the grills off when listening anyway.

Yeah the main differences are mostly of either of quality or style/color You could easily get away with a generic porch-screen material if you wanted, or a nice fabric from a craft store.
Hell you could even use a plain q$5 cotton/polyester blend t-shirt from Wal-Mart if thats what you wanted to do..

The NX Studio is definitely different that its probably the only speaker to have a top-mounted grill. (Not including the AV-O/X-Omni which some models had a front/top grill) 
90%+ of speakers only have drivers on the front. Tho I have seen some OB setups with grills on the backs to prevent children from messing with the crossover/wires.

[VinceT]

Really nice work!

[jonsk2514]

Pretty amazing work!

The red and black work really well together, along with blending the front into the top.  The wood grain looks almost like marble in the picture.

And I especially like the speaker for a speaker stand...   

On the subject of the grills - What are you using to hold them in place?  If it is magnets, are they behind the cloth or will they go thru it?

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Thank y'all!

Yeah! I'm really happy with the look so far, & finally seeing it all come together makes me excited to get this finished up.

Yeah! Quilted maple has always been one of my favorite wood grains! It really stands out with the dye and toned lacquer!

Me too! Ive been using them with my XLS and they sound great! Really fast and detailed subs, their only limitation is room size.

They aren't fastened, they're just set in place, but they're snug enough to not move around.

[Digi-G]

Those look great!  It's inspiring me to get moving on my NX Studio's, especially now that we are past the holidays.

I'm guessing we are both in the same boat - waiting for parts to come in to order the electronics for this kit.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Those look great!  It's inspiring me to get moving on my NX Studio's, especially now that we are past the holidays.

I'm guessing we are both in the same boat - waiting for parts to come in to order the electronics for this kit.

Yup! Once the kit arrives, I'll be ordering my own set of resistors and inductors based on the values listed in the schematics sheet.
But I'll be able to get things test fit & finished up in the meantime, thankfully!

[Hobbsmeerkat]

I had an unfortunate event when i was removing the protective tape from the veneered side, and a chunk of veneer was ripped out from the back side around the connector holes...

Luckily it wasn't too bad, so i just put down some fresh glue and clamped it back into place, now I just gotta fill in the cracks with a few layers of lacquer..
Ive got the first layer on now, but it's been too cold outside to apply any more at the moment..

[jonsk2514]

Ugh!
Looking better already. Hope it finishes up ok.

[mkrawcz]

At least it happened on the backside, they are still absolutely gorgeous. You are going to enter a new realm of hifi once you get those running.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Ugh!
Looking better already. Hope it finishes up ok.

Yeah! i think once I coat and edge the area flat a few more times it will be nearly invisible. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, or I'll just end up working on it out in the garage. So I wont have to wait on the weather.

At least it happened on the backside, they are still absolutely gorgeous. You are going to enter a new realm of hifi once you get those running.

No kidding, it could definitely have been a lot worse, all things considered.. i remember watching a video a month or so ago on how to repair old veneer that had peeled up, and that really helped me already have a plan on how to repair them in case of such an issue.

Im excited to finally get these finished and running finally! Its been a long, steady process, but it's been worth it, so far! 

[devious17]

"In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘寂) is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" in nature."

[AlexH]

Thats too bad!!! I could hear you screaming from my home in Michigan. But it ain't broke until you can't fix it.

[jonsk2514]

"In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘寂) is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" in nature."

That is perfect view imperfections... I like it.