| My weekend 4Pi Speaker Build [message #83047] |
Sun, 17 July 2016 23:02  |
esoren
Messages: 2
Registered: July 2016
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Esquire |
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I just finished building a pair of 4Pi speakers. They sound great and I am really pleased with how they sound. Thanks to Wayne for providing the plans! I greatly benefited from some of the other build logs I read online, so I want to post one in case it is helpful for others as well.
I still plan to sand/finish/veneer them in the future. I am trying to decide what veneer or finish to go with. I also still need to build some stands.
I will break this post into multiple parts and continue updating as I continue to work on the speakers.
The first step was to model everything in CAD and render to get a feel for the size. I am also working on an Oddwatt tube amplifier to accompany the speakers, although I will probably post details about that in a separate forum. I'm hoping the Oddwatt and the 4Pi speakers will be a good match.
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| Re: My weekend 4Pi Speaker Build [message #83048 is a reply to message #83047] |
Sun, 17 July 2016 23:30  |
esoren
Messages: 2
Registered: July 2016
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Esquire |
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Next I worked on the crossovers. I bought all the parts on Mouser. I got two 10uF capacitors cheaper than one 20uF capacitor so I wired them in parallel.
I bought the H290C horns from Wayne. The build quality is nice and I was pleased with the construction. They definitely need to be sanded to remove the parting lines from the mold. I sanded them with 800 grit sandpaper and painted them with semi-gloss black. Unfortunately, the paint got very scratched during the build as I was test-fitting the horns, so I will need to re-sand and paint.
I cut the holes for the speakers with a router and a jasper circle cutting jig. Super easy and highly recommended.
Unfortunately I don't have great pictures of it, but I made a jig to create the cutout for the horns. You can see it a little in the second picture. It was basically a big rectangle that I could run the router across. The hardest part was getting the jig centered. I routed the corners by hand, using a larger bit (3/4") helped a lot.
The port holes were the easiest part. I glued the port to the back of the front baffle and used a flush cutting bit on the router to cut out the front panel. I got the idea from someone else who did the same thing. I really like how they turned out.
End of day 1, they are starting to look like speakers!
Finishing touches. I added insulation to the bottom and back, also.
First listen.. Uh oh. Something isn't right. Mids were screwed up. A quick review of the schematic showed I had accidentally wired the B&C250 out of phase.
After fixing that I was really, really happy with the performance. I brought a measurement microphone home with the intention of taking some measurements, but I got lost in listening to music and decided I didn't care. 
I do think they will benefit from 1-2 nice subwoofers to improve the bass extension. I was already planning for that.
4 Pi next to an overnight sensation for comparison. These speakers are BIG!
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Attachment: Pi_Crossover_Parts.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_H290C_Waveguides.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_H290C_Waveguides_Unfinished.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_H290C_Waveguides_Buffed_and_Painted.jpg
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Attachment: Router.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_Front_Baffle.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_Port.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_Front_Baffle_Waveguide_Flush.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_H290C_Driver_Mounted.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_Front_Baffle_Port_Cutout.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_End_of_Day_One.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_Insulation.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_Ready_for_Crossover.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_Crossover_Installed.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_Four_First_Listen.jpg
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Attachment: Pi_Four_Overnight_Sensation.jpg
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