[dwr]

LOL....sent it thru a-gon.

[jtwrace]

Gloss is sprayed and that's it.  Piano is actually polished to a smooth finish. 

[poseidonsvoice]

Gloss is sprayed and that's it.  Piano is actually polished to a smooth finish.

I think its different depending on each finisher to be honest. With my speakers, he called it gloss, but it was very apparent that he had buffed it by hand tons of times. He said that it wasn't buffed to the extent of piano black gloss, although to me, I can see a reflection of our floor which is good enough to be honest.

Anand.

[dwr]

That describes exactly how mine were done also Anand.

[jtwrace]

I think its different depending on each finisher to be honest. With my speakers, he called it gloss, but it was very apparent that he had buffed it by hand tons of times. He said that it wasn't buffed to the extent of piano black gloss, although to me, I can see a reflection of our floor which is good enough to be honest.

Anand.

OK.   

[joschmo]

I have the white, which is really nice though on one of my speakers it is bubbling around the foam. I don't know if this a rarity or not.

[poseidonsvoice]

I have the white, which is really nice though on one of my speakers it is bubbling around the foam. I don't know if this a rarity or not.

Depends on if you had the MDF built version or the new version made out of a poly material. The poly material is superior and the finish is more permanent. MDF is tough to work with. I think this move to poly on Earl's part is going to solve a lot of problems, is structurally more inert, and lighter. A win, win situation, with the exception of cost. Earl needs to export these speakers, so the lighter they are, the better, regardless of the usual audiophool dogma ("heavier is better").

Anand.

[turkey]

That describes exactly how mine were done also Anand.

Same here.

[joschmo]

Thanks, Anand. I got my right before the switch to poly.  Good thing for me as the polys are out of my price range (but knowing what I know now!).

[DougSmith]

If I remember right, I think Earl said that MDF actually has better damping properties than the poly, although the difference is probably not very great.  The main reason for the switch was the superior dimensional stability of the poly (hence its ability to support a higher quality painted finish).  From the looks of the new design it seems to me that it would be straightforward to veneer the sides as well if one wanted to do that.   

[Letitroll98]

Sorry if I'm a little late in this notification, but if Anand, TomS, Tyson, goskers, turkey, doug s., Bear, cujobob, sts9fan, et al are looking for their subwoofer posts, by popular demand they have their own thread here:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=87428.0

[jtwrace]

I should be in queue this week...

[Letitroll98]

I assume this means you're just a little on the excited and anxious side?

[jtwrace]

I assume this means you're just a little on the excited and anxious side?

To hear them, yes!  I will be able to listen to them next month.  In the meantime I'll be sending funds so I'm in queue as Dr. Geddes gets booked quickly and I'd rather be on the list than not. 

[jtwrace]

I have the white, which is really nice

I'd like to see some pictures of white Abbeys.   

[jtwrace]

Question for you Abbey owners.

Do you find with the gloss black that you get TV reflections in them?

[goskers]

Your install will determine the finish in my opinion. If the speakers are to be shown then go ahead and do any finish you like. If you are building an ht room then I would go with a flat finish as you will most definitely get reflections which annoy me greatly.

[jtwrace]

Your install will determine the finish in my opinion. If the speakers are to be shown then go ahead and do any finish you like. If you are building an ht room then I would go with a flat finish as you will most definitely get reflections which annoy me greatly.

My wife brought up a good point though.  In my setup the speakers are placed in front of the TV.  She mentioned that if the TV is on and the speakers are gloss you'll see the reflections.  For that reason she has recommended satin...

[goskers]

I personally think that flat black/dark gray is an understated color choice.  Your wife is placing you on the right track 

[turkey]

Question for you Abbey owners.

Do you find with the gloss black that you get TV reflections in them?

I don't have any problems with this. I suppose there are some reflections off of the front of the speaker, but most of the front is either foam or woofer cone, so it's not really an issue.

The side of the speakers that is towards the TV is not visible from my seating area, so reflections aren't an issue with the sides either.

I think I'd be just as happy with a matte finish as with gloss, so I don't think I'd recommend one over the other.

Maybe you should get some cardboard and some cans of spray paint and mock up a pair of Abbeys? You could try different colors and finishes and see what you like best. Have a small piece with a 12" hole cut in it so that, whatever color or finish you use for the rest of the box, you can spray some matte black on last to represent the woofer and the foam in the waveguide.

I think that you'll find that it's the size and the color that are more important than whether the finish is shiny or not.

I wonder how Candy Apple Red would look?