OB5 pictures

Daygloworange · « **Reply #20 on:** 28 Oct 2006, 04:37 pm »

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Thanks DGO, the belt sander route is the method I am currently using, very slow and inexact.

One trick to help you try and shape evenly is to lightly spray black paint on your piece as you take passes with the belt sander, just dust on some dark paint from a spray can, wait a couple of minutes, then take another pass. You use it as a guide to indicate where you've been, if you're shaping unevenly, or going off.

You can achieve surprisingly good results this way.

Cheers

ebag4 · « **Reply #21 on:** 28 Oct 2006, 04:42 pm »

Great tip, thanks!

Ed

Daygloworange · « **Reply #22 on:** 28 Oct 2006, 04:43 pm »

No prob. Good luck.

Cheers

nrenter · « **Reply #23 on:** 29 Oct 2006, 08:17 pm »

I may have missed this information in earlier posts, but...

Why was the OB-5 designed without the included sub of the OB-7?

nrenter · « **Reply #24 on:** 15 Nov 2006, 06:13 pm »

It's been a couple weeks...any update to the various projects?

Daygloworange · « **Reply #25 on:** 15 Nov 2006, 06:29 pm »

My OB 5's are going into finishing in a week or so. I'll have plenty of photo's. Stay tuned!

Cheers

Daygloworange · « **Reply #26 on:** 15 Nov 2006, 07:12 pm »

Quote from: nrenter on 29 Oct 2006, 08:17 pm

I may have missed this information in earlier posts, but...

Why was the OB-5 designed without the included sub of the OB-7?

For different tastes and different budgets no doubt. Spousal approval, perhaps. Sheer size and weight. Obviously the OB 7 will have lower distortion due to having more drivers.
I have Danny's AV/3's and PR sub. The AV/3's go down to a -3bd point of 40 hz. I have the sub crossed over at 40hz. It's almost redundant, really. The vast majority of recordings don't have a whole lot of information down there, or information that is of tremendous value, or importance.

Of course this is arguable. There are some recordings where you would enjoy the benefit of the lower octave, or depending on your personal preference. I enjoy the fact that I have a system capable of flat 20hz to 20 khz resolution, but sonically it's rarely used to it's full potential.

And I can totally enjoy the AV/3's without the sub actually being on, and often do.

Cheers

Daygloworange · « **Reply #27 on:** 17 Nov 2006, 12:01 am »

Ok, here's a few more pics. Baffles are next.

Cheers

Daygloworange · « **Reply #28 on:** 17 Nov 2006, 07:32 pm »

As a side note, the cabinets as they are pictured above are 43lbs each, and as the pictures show, heavily braced side to side, front to back.

You might be inclined to think adding No Rez to the sides of the cab would offer little benefit. So I did some experimenting. I added the No Rez to one but not the other, and marked lines on the sides of the cabinets, then proceded to tap each cab and compare to the other using different instruments,

A hammer, A small rubber hammer, large rubber hammer, dead blow mallet, carvers mallet, small brass jewellers mallet, large steel hammer dolly. I tapped along at different points on both cabs with all these, with varying degrees of force and angles of incidence, A/B'ing between the two. Despite the heavy bracing and thick sides, the results were amazingly different. Not subtle at all.

The cabinet, due to it's bracing is very stiff. It's resonant frequency is quite high. Depending on how it is struck and with what, it can actually ring. ( Like a piece of marble ) The No Rez really kills the ring. The No Rez cabinet sounds like a solid chunk of MDF. If you couldn't see inside, you'd swear there was practically no cavity inside.

I haven't compared the No Rez to Blackhole 5, or any of the Borosilicate coatings, but I can vouch for the effectiveness of the No Rez.

I would recommend anyone who is considering modding their speakers to add extra bracing and No Rez ( or similar product ) The differences are sure to make a significant impact in preventing the cabinet itself from radiating.

For sure.

Cheers

Daygloworange · « **Reply #29 on:** 19 Nov 2006, 11:16 pm »

Another update.

Baffles nearly complete. Bases are next.

Cheers

nrenter · « **Reply #30 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 01:40 am »

DGO,

Those are looking great. I'm interested to see pix of the driver / crossover installation. What's the veneer you used? What are your plans for the finish?

Can you tell I'm living vicariously through your hobbies?

Daygloworange · « **Reply #31 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 03:23 am »

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Those are looking great. I'm interested to see pix of the driver / crossover installation.

Thanks for the compliment. I'll take some pics of the crossovers. Apparently it's a tight fit to get it all in there, so we'll see. I haven't exactly worked out how I'm going to run the wire to the drivers in the open baffle portion. I'm a stickler for neatness, so I have to figure that out.

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What's the veneer you used? What are your plans for the finish?

The sides of the cabinet are flat sliced maple. It's got a little bit of figure in it. The baffle is tiger sycamore, with a heavy figure. I wanted a contrast between the baffle and the cabinet, as my design is a separate baffle/cab. There won't be a color contrast, as maple and sycamore are very similar in color and grain.

The finish is one that I developed for a customer a few years ago. It's going to be a dark charcoal grey. Very dark. Almost black, but translucent. I don't want to obscure the grain too much. It's a four step process. Analine dye, then stain, then toner, then a tint in the lacquer adjusts the final opaqueness. The finish is an acid cured conversion varnish called Krystal. It's the most resilient and abrasion resistant finish out there, short of epoxy, or UV cure.

Bases will be painted, probably a grey metallic, as an accent. They'll give a techy look to the otherwise organic curves of the speaker cab. I'll save pics of those for when I'm done.

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Can you tell I'm living vicariously through your hobbies?

It's cheaper that way.

Cheers

Rocket_Ronny · « **Reply #32 on:** 20 Nov 2006, 04:30 pm »

Thanks for posting Day. It's an inspiration to us all in the trenches.

Your OB 5's are just beautiful. Can't wait to see them complete.

It must be a joy to work with such fantastic tools.

Good for you.

Rocket_Ronny

Daygloworange · « **Reply #33 on:** 21 Nov 2006, 09:36 pm »

Ok, some more pics. Baffles are complete. The lines you see on the insides of the cutouts are the glue lines. The baffles are 1 1/8" thick. Three layers of 3/8" mdf.

Just one more final mock up, and they're off to finishing.

Cheers

Daygloworange · « **Reply #34 on:** 22 Nov 2006, 12:22 am »

Here they are during final mock up with drivers mounted. This will give an idea what they would look like in a light finish. Mine will be quite dark. I'll post pics of those as well.
Now, they're off to finish.

Cheers

Cacophonix · « **Reply #35 on:** 22 Nov 2006, 12:33 am »

Wow ... those are some seriously good looking cabinets! Plain awesome!!

Daygloworange · « **Reply #36 on:** 22 Nov 2006, 02:41 am »

Thanks for all the compliments, guys.

These were a challenging build. It gets real hard with all the curved surfaces. The baffles were particularly tricky, the front profile is curved as well and the edges are cut on a bevel to blend into the curved sides, so you don't have 90 deg. surfaces to work from, or register from. But I really wanted to have all the curves, and I'm real happy with the end result.

The veneer on the baffle was a bear. It was raw veneer, not paperback. It was something I had in the shop for a while. Sometimes veneers are brittle, particularly figured ones. This stuff was beyond brittle, just picking it up and it would tear. So the baffles ended up being the most difficult part, with the curved profile and the dished out parts where the drivers sit, was very time consuming. But again, the results were worth it.

I love the look of this configuration, with the open baffle portion exposed like that, on a narrow baffle. It's a tall speaker at 49 1/2 inches, but doesn't seem tall because of the the open portion. I think they'll look great pulled out away from a wall in a room.

I'm eager to finish them and wire them up. I can hardly wait to hear the open MTM with the Neo 3.
Should be interesting, I'll post my thoughts, for those of you who have the AV/3's already like me, you'll be able to gauge the difference.

Cheers

Spirit · « **Reply #37 on:** 22 Nov 2006, 02:55 am »

Holy Bejeezers Batman!!
Dayglow, you are a master, man.
I cannot believe that I am actually going to see these babies this weekend
at the inaugural meeting of the Toronto Audio Club (or whatever it will ultimately be named!!)
I am afraid that after i see these puppies and then HEAR them, I'm going to need you to build a pair for me. Oh no, not the Audioitis bug again!!!
Please Lord - let them sound awful when I hear them and maybe when I see them they will have splinters sticking out. I really can't afford these right now.
Dayglow - please tell me that these really aren't as stunning as they look in the pictures. Please tell me they won't sound smooth and silky.... I know why don't you paint them bright Orange like your name. Or maybe Green...yeah green, like the Kitchen appliances from the 1960's. Then for sure I won't like them!!
But, alas, I know you are going to finish them with total aplomb...sigh.
Woe is me, I had to find a new friend like Dayglow - a freaking master cabinet maker with a talent for making speakers!!!
Oh well.

Daygloworange · « **Reply #38 on:** 22 Nov 2006, 03:04 am »

Yeah, they'll be heard by everyone that's coming this Sunday. I told Danny he's gonna have to add a few more phone lines and have some operators standing by after this weekend.

They'll be alongside the AV/3's which I really love, with his PR sub, so I'm eager to hear the difference.

This weekend is gonna be killer!

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I am afraid that after i see these puppies and then HEAR them, I'm going to need you to build a pair for me. Oh no, not the Audioitis bug again!!!
Please Lord - let them sound awful when I hear them and maybe when I see them they will have splinters sticking out. I really can't afford these right now.

I'm afraid you might be outta luck on both counts.

Cheers

mpauly · « **Reply #39 on:** 22 Nov 2006, 02:48 pm »

Dayglow - How did you mount the baffle to the main cabinet after both had been veneered?