[Kaiju2189]

Hey Everyone. I wanted to share my first kit build. I have modded crossovers, built amps but never a pair of speakers. I want to start with how pleasant it was speaking with Danny. He was very gracious with his time and his care for audio  and interest in my room and gear was a welcoming experience. I am sure I will move up into an open baffle kit before long but decided to learn a bit about glue ups, routers and veneering before I tackled a project like a set of Oticas.

I also wanted to support Peter Rawlings for his amazing flat packs and instructional videos. Peter was amazing and his flat packs for the Encores are incredible! The attention to detail is apparent down to the slightly beveled edge on the top and bottom panels. Makes getting things together just a bit easier.

I did a dry fit and clamping on everything and the. Jumped right in with gluing and clamping….. after watching Peter’s build video a couple of times. I went with Titebond III just to give myself a few extra minute of working time. To my surprise, everything went well and seams were tight and I kept squeeze out to a minimum. I would have liked to have one more clamp across the front and back panels in a perfect world but it worked.

Once thing dried I did some trim routing to get the edges flush. I have a Dewalt router and used a Diablo flush trim bit. I will definitely be getting the recommended down spiral bit for the veneer work.

Asking for Audiophile opinions can be a dangerous thing but I would love some feedback on veneering and finishing, I will be rounding over the vertical edges of the front baffles before veneering.

I want to go with a walnut paperback veneer. I’ll probably also go with heat lock glue so I can simply follow along with Peters veneering video. This will be my first time applying veneer.

What suggestion does the group have on getting matched  veneer and finishing product. Lacquer, poly, or something fancy like Rubio Mono coat.

Hoping the supply of tweeters keeps flowing. I just placed my order for the kit a few weeks ago. The delay won’t be the worst thing for me since it will force me to take my time on the woodworking part of the build😁

Scott in Nashville

[nlitworld]

Hi Scott,
Sounds like you're having fun with your project so far. When it comes to finishing your speakers, there are multiple options depending on what look you're going for. I finished my Studios in a completely over the top paintjob with all automotive products. I can't have a hotrod little speaker without a paint job to suit it. I sell the stuff so of course I have a stash of it in the garage. If automotive clear is a route you want to pursue, send me a pm and I'll walk you through all the steps and products to make it look A+ perfect.

-Lloyd

[JWCoffman]

Hi Kaiju-
I went with the exact walnut and heat lock solution you mentioned.  Finished with 2 coats of dark walnut danish oil and 4 coats of satin wipe-on poly.  Very simple solution that doesn't require any exotic application and leaves a natural, non-glossy look.  You just need to follow the guidance around allowing enough time for the danish oil to cure before applying the top coat.  I like adding a little tint to walnut, but a natural finish looks great too.  I created a little test board with some offcut veneer pieces to test out a few options before deciding on the final outcome.
I also just finished a restoration of a Pioneer turntable in high gloss walnut burl that was grain-filled then finished in clear gloss lacquer.  This is very fiddly and takes a lot of patience and time to get the final outcome.  The result is pretty good, but the learning curve is steep.
No matter what, your speakers will sound great.

[KTS]

I watched Peters how to veneer so many time I probably send him a tuition check! I just veneered and finished my boxes for the Encore. It went real smooth so +1 on the video! Can wait to see more!

[Kaiju2189]

Got around to damping and adding some insulation to the Encore boxes today. I’m taking my time since parts look to be a ways out from getting shipped. I had some 1” Owens Corning 703 and 3M spray contact adhesive on hand. So I had to put out about $5 in 1/8” industrial tile to home brew a solution. The affect is crazy good. The cabinets sound like hitting a cinder block.
This process wasn’t overly challenging. Peter Rawlings has template measurements on his No Rez YouTube video. It is a bit messy though.

If you are thinking of going the “make No Rez Yourself” route and don’t have foam, glue and tile in your shed… do yourself a favor and order No Rez from GR. Even with a $5 investment in this, I wouldn’t want to do it again 😁.  If you had to buy glue, tile, and foam, you would be in for about $40 or so. The extra $25-30 to get a sheet of No Rez shipped to your door would be money well spent!

I also probably should have done this after  veneering. These cabinets weigh a ton now.

[Kaiju2189]

Made some more progress over the weekend. I ended up painting instead of veneering. I have to keep reminding myself that these are likely to not be my main Speakers, and my wife wants me to do some refinishing/ paint projects this fall. So using HiFi to practice with my new HVLP gun.
 
I recruited some priming help from my 11 year old daughter and used some Sherwin Williams paint that we had left over from a kitchen project.

I would highly recommend the Alkyd stuff from SW. I can’t believe how even it came out with just light sanding between 2 coats. It takes quite a while to fully cure but I is like a rock when it does.

Hoping to have some parts show up here in the next few weeks. I very much hope the GR sound is as much to my taste as all of the reviews would lead me to think that they will. This could start an expensive project of replacing my older Spatial OB speakers with Oticas and OB Subs 😁

[Danny Richie]

Kudos to you for letting your daughter help. 

[Kaiju2189]

Kudos to you for letting your daughter help.

Danny. She’s looking forward to learn how to solder. She will still feel invested and a part of things even if she gets bored and leaves after 10 minutes 🤓

I will say as a father of 4 girls, it’s fun to walk into my office and see the big system going with one of them enjoying some music . My youngest prefers, as she calls it,  “good music” like Led Zeppelin or the Beatles. The older ones are more into Harry Styles.

[Kaiju2189]

Wanted to wrap this up. I received my parts from GR a few days ago and got everything assembled and up and running. I loved Danny’s packing material, pretty clear it was a grandkids homework papers shredded and expertly around the parts. My wife’s family owed a recycling company back in Ohio and this just made me happy.

I realize this is a simple build. I ended up making standard black boxes with base level parts and tube connectors. I will say after a few hours of running, the Encores sound incredible. I am an imaging and soundstage junkie and they did not disappoint. I threw them on top of my Spatials as soon as I got them done but got them on some stands the next morning. They made a surprising amount of bass, not the deepest but very clean and nice. The low mass of the woofer was very fast and pleasant to listen to. The top end was fantastic.

For anyone looking to dip their toes into a DIY speaker build, give it a try. These may take just a touch more effort than something like CSS offers but the thoughtfulness of the design wiring and parts is worth the effort of learning a bit. Watch the videos on the Encore build and ask questions on the forum. Truly a great value.

I’m the end the Encores will be mostly used at my rather oversized desk. I don’t have a good sun to pair with them for use as my main setup. I will say that I am VERY looking forward to what Danny does with the new 8”drivers on future models or maybe some double stack OB Servos will be in my future.

[JCarney]

Good on you for getting your daughter involved. Don't be surprised if she likes soldering. I was surprised when my Granddaughter said she really likes it. Here is a link to a mini build thread my Granddaughter and I did.

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=177906.0

JCarney

[Danny Richie]

Wanted to wrap this up. I received my parts from GR a few days ago and got everything assembled and up and running. I loved Danny’s packing material, pretty clear it was a grandkids homework papers shredded and expertly around the parts. My wife’s family owed a recycling company back in Ohio and this just made me happy.

My daughter, the school teacher, brings me stuff from school to shred. We don't waste much around here.