[Kreepin]

Hello all,
I picked up a pair of Duetta Signatures from an estate sale. They are functional and sound good, but I 2 issues.
 1: top section of the planar buzzes like it's loose at higher volumes.
2: The face panel MDF needs some work.
So, how do I get the front/face MDF off so I can get them looking and acting right.

Thanks in advance.

[maxima95]

Look at the Apogee Bass Installation link.


http://https://shop.clarisysaudio.ch

[BobM]

I also have the Duetta Sigs. Here's a couple of tips for dealing with the innards of that beast.

(1) the buzzing is most definitely from the bass panel. The foam they used to isolate the aluminum panel from the frame has deteriorated. The only way to fix this is to get a new bass panel and foam and reinstall it. However, it is just as likely you will damage the new panel as get it right. I would strongly suggest getting the speaker to a registered apogee fix-it shop. There aren;t many though. That link above will sell you parts, and you could do it yourself. but buyer beware...

(2) definitely consider removing the crossover ferom inside the speaker and moving it to an external box. Absolutely upgrade the caps and resistors while doing so as well as the internal wiring.

(3) when the MDF cover is off you could definitely refinish it. Why not?

(4) part of the "upgrade" process is also cleaning and realigning the multitude of magnets that make the speaker function. But you need to take the ribbons off to do so, and tensioning them back again could damage them. Again, buyer beware.

All in all, I don't believe I would undertake this project myself. Yes, the cost of getting them to a real Apogee shop is daunting. One thing I did for mine was I bought a subwoofer crossover that sits between my preamp and my amp. It reduced the signal cutoff frequency to either 50Hz or 80Hz wich will definitely preserve the bass panels on your speaker. I then connected real subwoofers to that crossover to fill in those bottom frequencies. This preserves the panels, got rid of the buzz for me, and gave me damn fine bass at the same time. YMMV depending on how bad your buzzing is, but it was a cheaper solution than the full repair job.

To be honest though, getting the repair done right will give you one of the best speakers you might ever own. Equivalent would cost you $20K or more. As long as you have the right amp to drive these low impedance monsters anyway.

Good luck,
Bob

[Kreepin]

Thanks guys, the videos are really informative and detail the process very well.
And Bob.... I hate you  you basically confirmed everything I was thinking. I got the covers off this morning and reached out to a friend to help with getting the MDF issues corrected. I can borrow a paint sprayer and get a few nice coats of paint on there. I'm using a Nad M12 and I set the high pass to 70hz, that has eliminated the rattle on 90% of the music so I'm satisfied for now. As for the amp, presently have a Cary 200.2es and I put it up for sale, it's doing a pretty good job of powering them but I know a Levinson, bat or krell would be a better fit.
I just sold the Spatial audio M3 Triode Masters, after tinkering for a few weeks I got them dialed in pretty good. They are worthy of the praise heaped on them but without a doubt, these speakers are a whole league above and beyond the Spatial's. My wife has confirmed that 
I guess I will have them rebuilt sometime in the future but for now, I'm going to sit back and enjoy them while I prepare for the hurt.

[BobM]

As for the amp, presently have a Cary 200.2es and I put it up for sale, it's doing a pretty good job of powering them but I know a Levinson, bat or krell would be a better fit.

I'm using a McCormack DNA500. It's like an arc welder with tons of headroom to power the Apogees. 500 watts into 8. @1000 into 4 ohms, and more above that when these babies drop to 3 or so.

[Kreepin]

I'm using a McCormack DNA500. It's like an arc welder with tons of headroom to power the Apogees. 500 watts into 8. @1000 into 4 ohms, and more above that when these babies drop to 3 or so.

I know they are power hungry but wow, I didn't expect them to withstand that much. My electric is pretty solid, dedicated 20 amp circuit, added a few ground rods outside, Hubbell hospital with isolated ground feeding a Equi=tech Q1 modified to q2. But it's gonna be taxed if I went to that extreme

[BobM]

It is sooooo worth it when you get these right though. Here's the sub crossover I use. It's very transparent, but out of production.

https://tmraudio.com/components/preamplifiers/nht-x2-active-electronic-crossover/

[Kreepin]

I don't know why but this website doesn't like me for some reason, keeps locking me out.

Back to work, I can't count how many times I've moved these speakers around and no matter where I put them they sound great 😂 but not perfect yet. I still need to get furniture in here though and I know that is causing most of my tinkering. I put the Cary amp up for sale but it's such a nice sounding amp I'm keeping my eyes open for a single Cary 500.1. If I get lucky and trip over 1 at the right price (cheap 🫣), I can get this 1 converted to a mono block. 1 thing is for certain, I love these speakers and they are officially staying here.

[BobM]

Ahh, the dreaded Apogee placement problem. OK, here's the thing. These speakers are race horses. Very finicky. Yeah, a 1/4" makes a difference - no kidding. I got myself an inexpensive laser measuring thing from Bosch. Well worth the $20-30 I spent on it. You don't need an expensive one, just accurate to a quarter inch should be fine.

First off, the speakers should not be toed in. Face them straight ahead.

Second, the distance from the front wall can't be too great. Seriously, pulling them forward helps the more distance you can get.

Third, make them as close to equally perfect from your sitting position as humanly possible. Hence the laser measure.

Fourth, putting something on the wall to diffuse the sound coming from the back of the panel helps a lot. Not absuorption - go diffusion.

Fifth, There is literally no first reflection off the side wall with these, so you can almost bump them up against the wall on the sides and you don't need any acoustic thing to catch the sidewall bounce, because ther really isn't any. Hard to believe but true.

Sixth, they are a one person sitting in the middle speaker. Yeah, they will sound very good in many places you sit but the true magic only happens right in the middle. Head in a vice thing. Moving slightly left or right off center and you will hear what I mean. That doesn't mean they sound bad in the seat left and right of center, just that the Apogee Magic is dead center only.

Good luck,
Bob

[Kreepin]

I had them toed in about an inch 🫣. I removed the front MDF, they need work, and I had moving blankets wrapped around them and placed behind the speakers sorta like a make shift absorber. I'm slowly selling the wife on the need for something behind the speakers to deal with the back wave.
Now taking your advice, I'm 4ft out from the wall and removed my top of line absorbers 😜. I won't be able to wall mount panels so I'm thinking of picking up these diffusers (23x45) and making some kind of stand for them.

https://www.gikacoustics.com/product/slatfusor-4s-acoustic-slat-panel-bass-trap-diffuser/

Under $300 shipped and I can stain them to match some of the wood accents the wife is going with.

Here is my FB amp listing, the short video gives you a peek of the space I'm slowly bringing to life.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/audiophileclassifieds/permalink/7759681844059449/?mibextid=dXMIcH

[BobM]

Those diffusers look nice. Appropriate for a living space. Here's what I made and use, a bunch of dowels of varying sizes in a random pattern, stained and painted.

[Kreepin]

Nice setup.
I got on the phone with Gik and ultimately ordered the evolution polyfusor. It'll be a couple weeks before I get them. I'm making my way to the sell section and post my amp and speaker cables, hopefully I can move them and start making this as good as yours 😜

[harley1952]

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Pulling apoogees out from front wall too far will lead to an over abundance of the low end per
            jason bloom.