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Horn loaded Corona Build [message #91874]

Fri, 15 May 2020 13:39

dawiipgh
Messages: 12
Registered: May 2020

Chancellor

Hey guys,

I've been interested in audio equipment for the last 15 years and with this new found time at home, I'd like to take foray into building a large set of horn loaded speakers.

I've always been partial to the heritage behemoths of Klipsch but could never get the cash together to justify the large purchase.

I love live music and would love to bring that dynamic sound into my home.

Getting the DIY bug and making sure I'm not biting off more than I can chew, I bought a Parts Express kit for the blast box and it's been going pretty well.

I am handy, but I don't have extensive wood working tools. I am curious if a table saw and router will be needed, or if I can get by with a circular saw and a jig saw and drill.

I'm also debating between the 4 Pi and the 8 Pi. I still have a lot more to read in the FAQ section. Any guidance is appreciated.

If it's not a problem, could you send me the plans for 4 Pi and 8 Pi.

Thank you.

dawiipgh

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Re: Horn loaded Corona Build [message #91875 is a reply to message #91874]

Fri, 15 May 2020 13:50

Wayne Parham
Messages: 18795
Registered: January 2001

Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Please choose which model you prefer and let me know. I'd be happy to send plans once you decide.

The four Pi is our top-of-the-line free-standing loudspeaker. It sounds great as-is, but sounds best when used with flanking subs.

The eight Pi is our entry-level constant-directivity cornerhorn. It can be positioned in places other than corners, but performance suffers.

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Re: Horn loaded Corona Build [message #91876 is a reply to message #91875]

Fri, 15 May 2020 13:55

dawiipgh
Messages: 12
Registered: May 2020

Chancellor

Thanks Wayne.

I've decided to forward with the 4 Pi.

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Re: Horn loaded Corona Build [message #91877 is a reply to message #91876]

Fri, 15 May 2020 14:01

Wayne Parham
Messages: 18795
Registered: January 2001

Illuminati (33rd Degree)

You've got mail!

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Re: Horn loaded Corona Build [message #91878 is a reply to message #91874]

Sat, 16 May 2020 08:54

Rusty
Messages: 1206
Registered: May 2018
Location: Kansas City Missouri

Illuminati (3rd Degree)

You'll never regret going the diy route. The savings and satisfaction from it enables an exponential boost in high quality audio for modest budgets. A circular saw is ok, I'd get a decent blade with high carbide tooth count. Look into some diy jig's for more accurate rip and crosscut cutting. A tip if you don't know for cutting large sheets of mdf or ply, buy a sacrificial 4 x8 sheet of foam insulation to go under the building material and cut laying flat on the floor. You'd do well to invest in a router. You can get one, even a plunge router for a reasonable outlay. They help a lot getting a better fit and finish to your project. For inspiration, dig around here for some examples of project builds. There's some fabulous examples of the model you chose. Be prepared for being impressed.

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Re: Horn loaded Corona Build [message #91886 is a reply to message #91878]

Sat, 16 May 2020 13:16

dawiipgh
Messages: 12
Registered: May 2020

Chancellor

Thanks guys. This is truly a great forum with stellar members.

Do you guys have a favorite build thread that shows how to position bracing and supporting the horn and driver from the baffle? I'm truly interested in the order of operations of the build. For example, I don't want to build a sealed baffle and then have to figure how I am going to wire it up, when I should have ran the wires and bracing first.

With this quarantine, I've been getting a bunch of boxes in the mail, so I figure I'll mock up a scale model out of cardboard first before I spring for the baltic birch.

Regarding the 3 Pi Subwoofer, has anyone included an inboard amplifier on one of these? Or is it typical to use the only the power from the amp that drives the 4 Pi speakers? Has anyone looked into passive radiators for this? Or does that create too much tuning complexity with the port.

The reason that I ask is that I have a current set up with a 500 Watt 10" woofer pointed at the ground and 2 passive 10" radiators pointed away from each other on the sides of the cube. It looks to be 12" x 12" x 12". The box is sealed. It delivers balanced low end for music, but if I feel the need to rattle the coffee mugs in the cupboard two rooms away, I can make that happen as well.

Wayne, at your convenience, I'd like to peruse the 3 Pi Subwoofer plans as well.

Thanks again!

dawiipgh

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Re: Horn loaded Corona Build [message #91887 is a reply to message #91886]

Sat, 16 May 2020 14:10

Rusty
Messages: 1206
Registered: May 2018
Location: Kansas City Missouri

Illuminati (3rd Degree)

Your baffle will have a cutout for the woofer, so there's your access for wiring. There's all kinds of images on the web for doing bracing. Some of it so intricate and precise is seems a shame to close it all up inside the box. Then, there's simple 2x4 placement. Your horn lens and driver just screws into the baffle. Many double up the thickness of the front baffle and flush mount the woofer and horn lens to the outer surface of the baffle. And use t-nuts or hurricane nuts mounted inside the baffle screw holes to accept heavy duty hex screws.
https://www.parts-express.com/cat/nuts-t-nuts/313
Here's a build post. Not the 4 pi but showing some images of bracing.
https://audioroundtable.com/forum/index.php?t=msg&goto=88075&&srch=4+pi+build+pictures#msg_88075

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Re: Horn loaded Corona Build [message #91888 is a reply to message #91887]

Sat, 16 May 2020 14:36

Wayne Parham
Messages: 18795
Registered: January 2001

Illuminati (33rd Degree)

There are lots of other great build threads too. Some people have built some really great looking home theaters. Some have made super nice dinner theater installations. And there are plenty of great finishes from various builders too. Almost too many to list, so just do some searching.

As for the braces, Rusty showed a nice link with a good example. That probably tells you everything you need to know. It's not really hard - Just put a cross-brace between the woofer and the waveguide. Build the cabinet and then cut a couple pieces of wood to span front-to-ack and side-to-side. Make 'em long enough to fit snug. We want a smidge of preloading on the panels. Then set a sheet of insulation across the braces.

I'll send plans for the three Pi subs. They work great for flanking subs, but pretty much any other subwoofer will too. The only requirement is that it sounds good up to 200Hz. You can use a plate amp, but the thing is you need crossover at 100Hz second-order. Most plate amps have third-order or fourth-order slopes - which is perfect for distributed multisubs - but too steep for flanking subs. So keep that in mind when you choose amplifiers for your subs. You might do a search here for flanking sub amps. We've discussed that on various threads.

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Re: Horn loaded Corona Build [message #91902 is a reply to message #91888]

Mon, 18 May 2020 07:41

dawiipgh
Messages: 12
Registered: May 2020

Chancellor

Thanks for the guidance, I have come across some great builds. You lot are a talented bunch.

Are there any components that require to be mounted prior to finishing the cabinet? For instance, does the compression driver driver need to be mounted before the front face of the cabinet is glued in place. I am working on the cabinet build first and then will purchase the drivers, waveguide, crossovers, wiring etc.

The cabinet looks large enough to easily install all of the components in a completed box.

Thanks again.

dawiipgh

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Re: Horn loaded Corona Build [message #91903 is a reply to message #91902]

Mon, 18 May 2020 09:13

Rusty
Messages: 1206
Registered: May 2018
Location: Kansas City Missouri

Illuminati (3rd Degree)

You have to mount the compression driver to the horn lens first before mounting on the baffle. That's all. If you want to flush mount the woofer and the horn lens to the baffle. It's good to have them on hand to test fit them in the baffle. Looking at the builds you can probably see that having a router makes for a precision cutout for the drivers on the baffle. Build your cabinet with or without cutouts for the driver's, horn lens and glue it up with the bracing affixed inside. You can do driver cutouts after glue up as well. Then you can concentrate on the finish to the outside of the cabinet. Painted, veneered, whatever you choose. Mount your woofer and horn lens with compression driver the last part of the build after you've carefully wired up drivers polarity to the crossover, lined the cabinet with insulation. Polarity is crucial. From experience, I'd miss-wired woofer polarity to my crossover. My first listen was bass shy. The JBL 2226h specifications say, black terminal is + positive.

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