Hi Chris,
Sure, thanks for asking!
There's a nice picture of the interior of an AKSonic here:
http://www.aksaonline.com/products/products_aksonicsassembly.htmlThe AKSonic 165V is almost the same physically as the 165; there is very little difference in construction aside from a different driver hole regime and a longer port piece. The crossover is similar, though several values are changed over the earlier version.
The speaker was inspired by several kit/DIY designs which are particularly difficult to assemble, and require inordinate woodworking skills. Based on my own experience with autos that difficult tasks often don't get done, and rarely get done right, I decided to push this notion with Ron so he'd come up with a design which could be assembled very easily on the kitchen table - my usual reference location! At the same time, it had to have elegant, simple lines (no curves, curves are DIFFICULT!), and be tweakable, and floor standing (around 1 meter tall).
If you can cut timber to size, using straight cuts, it's a breeze. A more complicated cut is the speaker hole, (Ron uses a router for this job) but a lumber shop can often do this for you at a small charge. There is just one measurement which must be made very accurately, to about 1mm, but all others are non-critical as there is no natty mitreing, all butt joints. The joining arrangement inside uses a simple batten; clearly visible in the picture and invisibly secured with wood screws into front and side panels.
The tweakable nature of the speaker enables setting the bass response to suit your room; the speaker is open at the base for design reasons, and thus seals nicely on carpet. You can also place a thin strip of neoprene along the base to seal on tiles and wood surfaces; either technique permits variable cabinet size and works very well.
The port is top firing, which means it is far less sensitive to placement near walls, improving flexibility of use.
The crossover is complex, reflecting optimal use of the driver bandwidth, and scrupulous attention to impedance correction with rising frequency, a major problem for SS global feedback amplifiers. It is third order, yet designed so no detail or transient response is lost. While first order is great, very few drivers can cope with them since there is too much input outside their passband, and second order would seem a nice option, Ron's experience has been that only the third order can deliver the driver engineering requirement whilst maintaining outstanding imaging. All his speakers are specifically designed for dynamics and imaging, with midrange and top end accuracy a close second. Speaker design is an art, of course, and very much the careful management of compromise. Every designer uses a different approach, reflecting a wide diversity of tastes amongst the listener community.
Timber cost should be around $US80, total, and driver cost would be around $US250, although these are indicative costs only as I've not yet researched the US market.
I commend these speakers to anyone who wants top performance and outstanding ease of assembly at moderate cost. They are moveover designed using the AKSA for amplification, so are an outstanding match with my power amplifiers. The AKSonics have an understated European elegance, exquisite weight and balance to the sound, absolutely extraordinary imaging, and a scintillating top end due to the wonderful Vifa ring tweeter. Their tweakability is an added bonus which will appeal to many, particularly those living in smallish areas.
Hope this explains the technical issues, and complies with your rueful request for shameless plugs!!
Cheers,
Hugh
