[stevecuss]

I finished building the AV2s last night.  This is sort of a hybrid kit of AV3 kit in AV2 cabinets to allow for 8ohm load and potentially lower bass response. 

This whole project started when I bought some DIY equipment from craigslist to try to get high end sound on a budget.  I've always had a "high end ear on cheapskate budget" but until now I've satisfied this dilemna by shopping used.  Now I'm satisfying it by going DIY. 

I'd posted here about using some existing tweeters (morel mdt33) with GR Research M130 drivers.  Anyway, I sort of went around the world to come next door and ended up building an AV3 kit in the AV2 cabinets I have.  I chose the sonicap upgrade and passed on the no rez upgrade, using fibreglass instead. 

Ok, so first a word about Danny's customer service - its simply amazing.  He was one of the first guys I called when I bought this stuff.  (the guy selling it to me suggested I call GR Research and Madisound, so I did.)  Little did I know that these are actual AV2 cabinets.  Danny was patient and offered to help on several levels.  I placed two orders with Danny as I was sorting through what to do and the packaging arrived remarkably quickly. 

I'm also grateful for the wiring diagram that is sketched for newbies like me.  It was very easy to put together after watching a couple of youtube clips on soldering.

Now how they sound:  so far, the sound is exceptional and I'm sure they will only improve after some burn in time.  I've run Nickelcreek, Lyle Lovett, Ennio Moricone, Knopfler, Alison Kraus through them and they really shine with their smooth midrange. 

They easily best the Boston Acoustics speakers I was using - smoother, more detail and overall warmer presentation of music.  When they're burned in, I'll take them to my local B&W dealer to see how they fare against the $1000 CM1s I like. 

Anyway, its been a really fun project and I appreciate everyone's guidance as I've gone on my steep learning curve. 

best wishes

Steve

[Danny Richie]

Thanks for the feedback Steve. I hope you really enjoy them.

[Zero the Hero]

cool - saw your posts all over the internet. Glad you decided to go with Danny's plans. Did you use the Morel tweeters? Do you have pics?

[stevecuss]

Hi Zero,

I'll post pics tonight or tomorrow of the finished product.  WAF has become an issue - they are larger than my old bookshelf speakers and they are , as she describes them, "70's oak" so I may yet sand them back a bit and stain them black. 

Anyway, the speakers are really starting to open up and sound amazing.  I'm having a great time with them and they are absolutely the right choice for the singer/songwriter style of music I favor. 

today I bought a used rotel preamp to improve on the old surround processor I was using, so I assume that will help too. 

as for the morels, I haven't used them and I think I'll sell them to recover costs

thanks

Steve

[stevecuss]

Hi Folks,

Ok, I've got some pics to show and some follow up review.

I bought the Rotel RSP980 off craigslist to replace the RSP960ax I was using.  Big difference.  Better bass response, better dynamics and details.  Oddly, now the preamp is a little too bright, but the bass response and transparency makes it a worthwhile trade up.  I know these older pro logic processors aren't ideal for 2 channel, but at $100 each, they absolutely kill the denon receiver I was using.  I suspect I'll one day want to try a tube pre to see if that gives me everything I want. 

-- Can anyone recommend a good DIY tube pre kit that accepts 4 RCA inputs?

-- meanwhile, I've had the GR Research speakers for a week now.  Turbo, I just went with the full GR kit and will sell the morel tweeters to recoup some cost. 

I would guess they've had about 30 hours of music played through them, but only 8 - 10 hours of any decent volume.  Still, they are opening up BEAUTIFULLY and I can see what all the fuss is about.  These really are amazing speakers and now that I've got a better pre, they are responding with killer sound.  I tend to go to my usual suspects to test speakers:  Nickel Creek's self titled album, any modern Knopfler album, Ennio Morricone's "The Mission" soundtrack, Vivaldi's "winter" off four seasons, Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" Cd and some Kate Rusby for kicks. 

wow, what great sound. I can't wait to take them to a dealer and hook them up next to some high end paradigms and B&Ws to compare them. 

-- next project is to replace my interconnects.  I've decided to not go crazy with this, so I'm building my own. 

-- so here are the pics.  My wife doesn't like the oak matte finish.  Can I sand them back and stain them darker or add a higher gloss to help with WAF?

-- note the double port on the back as per Danny's suggestion.  I feel foolish admitting this, but I didn't shave the brace to make room, so had to trim 5/8" off the top port to fit it.  The speakers sound amazing, but I hope the odd length ports don't cause any trouble.

anyway, that's the update for now.  thanks again for everyone's guidance and thanks to Danny for exceptional customer service, patience and most all, killer design. 

I'll be listing the morel tweeters and audax drivers for sale soon to recoup some costs

Steve

[stevecuss]

Sorry, I'm having trouble posting pics.  here is a second attempt:

[Hank]

Steve, yes, you can sand them back and stain black.  I recommend TransTint dye.  I've used the black TransTint to dye oak speaker bases and outboard crossover enclosures.  Even though Transtint is very concentrated, it will take quite a bit.  Please try it on some scrap veneer if you have any left over.  If not, and you veneered the bottoms of your cabinets, try there first.
 http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=1718

[stevecuss]

Hi Hank,

thanks for the suggestion - I found a dealer of that product about 30 minutes away, so I'll stop by and pick some up.

I've not posted in a while, but I've been busy with projects related.

-- I broke down and bought a sub off craigslist.  10" Athena sub with 200 watts or so.  I decided against DIY and went cheapo used.  I set the crossover to around 60hz and it sets well with the AV2. 

-- brought over some friends who are professional audio installers and we ran all my cable inside the walls, rather than along the carpet.  (finished basement underneath, bedroom above.  it was quite a challenge.)  They were very impressed by the AV2s and were quite surprised at the bass response w/o subwoofer on. 

-- next is to refinish the cabs in black and then onto DIY tube amp attempt.  I'll also try to make it to the RMAF - sounds like a great time. 

best wishes to everyone

Steve

[Ron]

Stevecuss

 First of all,your speakers look great. Very nice cabinet work. I am thinking about building a pair like yours for my son.If you don't mind,I have several questions regarding the construction that I would like to ask which are as follows:

1. Are the cabinets dimensions for the hybrid the same as the AV-2? If they are different,what are the revised dimensions?

2. I noticed from your pictures that the cabinet shows two (2) rear vents in lieu of one. What diameter and length vent did you use? Is the bass - 3 db down point below 50 hz?

3. Did you go with the Sonicap and No Rez options?

Your help in answering the above questions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ron

[stevecuss]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the questions and to clarify, the cabinet work kudos must go to someone else.  I bought the cabinets on local craigslist which is what got me started on this whole project!

So the dimensions are identical to the AV2 specs and I drilled the extra port based on Danny's recommendation.  So the ports are identical GR Research kit ports and I made the mistake of not shaving a brace, so one port is 1/2" shorter than the other, but I can't seem to hear any problem with it. 

I went with sonicap, but didn't spring for no rez.  I can't speak to the difference sonicap makes, but I am for sure extremely happy with the sound. 

Not sure about the -3db point as I have a sub for the system now.  I would hazard a guess that it is 3 dbs down at 55 hz or so, but I have no science to back it up.  I set the sub's crossover at 60db. 

Anecdotally, a friend of mine who is a professional AV installer and sound engineer came over to help me run some wire and he thought the sub was on when it wasn't for a "Hell Freezes Over" Eagles track. 

make sure you allow for burn time - they really hit their stride after the first week of playing.  Bass came out of nowhere!

Steve

[Ron]

Steve,

 Thanks for your reply. Glad to hear that you went with the Sonicap's. In my opinion,they do make a noticeable improvement in sound quality.You might want to eventually try the no rez damping. It is somewhat expensive,but it too improves the speakers performance and worth the extra cost. I built a pair of AV-3's back in June for myself using Sonicaps and no rez and they sound extremely good.Danny is presently working on a newer version of the AV-3 that uses the Neo tweeter in lieu of the soft dome which is suppose to be even better.

Ron