| Eight months in the making and still not done, but: [message #43282] |
Sun, 07 December 2003 08:04  |
BillEpstein
Messages: 886
Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (2nd Degree) |
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Here are the Art Deco inspired, Pi-aligned, Twin Towers: 
The oil finish needs to be waxed and buffed, the ports are dusty and that pink spot on the horn cabinet is a flaw in the veneer that needs to be repaired. But it took so long to get here and I'm so wrapped up in listening to them, it might be additional months before I get to these annoyances. 
Here you can see the brass casters and brass trim in the reveal between top and bottom. Tough to get a shot that really shows those 811B horns. Need a strobe and a mylar umbrella.
The veneer is Fiddleback Anegre with Mahogany border. 
I've had wires hanging off the 3677's for so long I decided to do something extra for the crossovers. They're mounted on (supposedly) vibration absorbing nylon standoffs, bi-wireable and with CAT5E triple twisted pairs (21 ga.) throughout.
As usual, our Lord's Department of Practical Jokes and Unintended Consequences became involved and the cheap "backer veneer" I used for the rear panels, 'weeping cedar', turned out to be absolutely gorgeous and flawless.
Now that the 811's aren't perched on paperback books I can attest that the 'cutting the welds' tweak is without merit (like so many others) and simply screwing the flanges down tightly to a piece of wood makes a major difference in sound.
There are a few more pix on my website and in the future I will compare Bill's Woodhorns and so forth. I will say that the horns are now more revealing of changes in amplifiers and even tube bias; the baffle has eliminated some of the ringing that makes the 811 sound lively but at the same time obscures some detail.
I'm so grateful to Wayne Parham and Bill Martinelli and Ron(Speakerman57) Semega. Wouldn't have started without Wayne and couldn't be anywhere near ALMOST finished without Bill. And Ron showed me how to turn Wayne's schematic into an actual crossover: "this is a pencil, this squiggly line is a resistor....."!I guess I'll call these the Waynetinelliega's! Merry Pranks Website
Creating is more like performing than listening
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| well done! [message #43288 is a reply to message #43282] |
Sun, 07 December 2003 16:26  |
replay
Messages: 284
Registered: May 2009
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Grand Master |
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imagine the stuff you can hide behind the horn. what's up with the green stuffed toy?
cheers,
caesar
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| Re: All questions answered........... [message #43289 is a reply to message #43288] |
Sun, 07 December 2003 17:19 |
BillEpstein
Messages: 886
Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (2nd Degree) |
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"Many Banthans died to bring us these plans" 
Looks like a case should fit, hmmm?" 
And I have never heard the Altec woofer, the 416? But I understand from Ron that it lacks the bottom and some of the detail of the JBL. I've heard the 416 described as "sonorous" and also that it doesn't like going as high as 800 Hz. Speakerman could fill info here.
Creating is more like performing than listening
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| Re: Eight months in the making and still not done, but: [message #43293 is a reply to message #43282] |
Mon, 08 December 2003 08:40 |
Garland
Messages: 269
Registered: May 2009
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Grand Master |
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Great looking speakers! How do they compare to your other speaks, esp the Theater 4's? I note your use of Cat5E. Have you tried RS magnet wire for low powered tube/ speaker cable? I find the cat5 to veil the sound in comparison. Of course, your results may vary. Can't wait to see what's next from the Tillster! Garland
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| Altec 416 vs JBL 2226 [message #43294 is a reply to message #43282] |
Mon, 08 December 2003 10:06 |
spkrman57
Messages: 522
Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (1st Degree) |
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Bill,
Sweet looking cabinets!!! Thanks for the compliment, I really did very little compared to the others. My personal preference is for the JBL 2226 as while they don't go as deep as the 416, they also don't have that "bungee" bass sound. The 2226 also drops off at 20db/2Khz and therefore are very crossover friendly if 1.6Khz crossover is used. Read that as needing only single coil in series with the woofer. The thing I don't like with the 416's is the midrange keeps going all the way to around 4Khz, even with 2nd order crossover and zoebel(yes, I have a pair and tried, don't like, but nobody wants them either, so I am stuck with them). Even the Altec Model 19 crossover schematic is 500Hz 2nd order/1.5Khz high pass with different type of compensation(instead of "L" type - it is "T" type compared to Wayne's). I have a new amp I am burning in: ASL MG SI 15 DT(KT88 single ended pentode for 15 watts/chnl pure class "A") Cheaper than SET amp, but good enough for me since all tubes are common and construction is brand new. Only 20 hours on her so far, need around 120 hours for new amp/tubes to be sounding right!!! Bill, are you running in Triode mode on Ella???? Call me at home before the Browns play tonight on Monday night football. I have questions/comments for you!!! Marvin looks quite contented, don't let his bottle run dry, he might get cranky!!!
Regards, Ron
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| Re:For Garland and all Pi'sters [message #43297 is a reply to message #43293] |
Mon, 08 December 2003 14:06 |
BillEpstein
Messages: 886
Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (2nd Degree) |
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I think all the narrow gauge wire has a similar sound: alive with detail, slightly tilted up and a sense of spaciousness beyond normal ambience or the character of the venue. Almost a subtle 'reverb'. If you go back in the archives you'll find that I had the Mapleshade double helix which was 21 ga, I think, then I duplicated it's geometry with 26ga RS magnet and finally I used 22 ga CCC Vampire magnet in a lightly twisted pair as designed by our friend Kevin Haskins via John Risch. I like'm all. The CAT is hotter in the treble than the others, the authentic Mapleshade has the best bass and the Risch-Haskins is warmer and better balanced.
All these impressions were taken while I concurrently enjoyed the Theatre 4's and the JBL Tent SAle 3677's with 2226J woofs. Which led me to the inevitable ccomparisons. I found that I liked the crisper bass and transients of the 2226J and the sweeter treble of the PSD-2002. Oddly, I never pulled the Delta's and substituted the JBL. Cabinet tuning was wrong, anyway.
Then I visited Speakerman and he had these Altec things perched on his 3677's. (Keep in mind that I was brand new to speaker building and pro sound type components) I heard mid-range I immediately lusted for. They had the warmer sound of the PSD while at the same time revealing more of the music. And they look so great! We cut a deal for my Theatre 4 cabinets and I went home with the Altecs. Isn't it great that everyone has dissimilar tastes?
So this past year I played with the Altec/JBL combination, toyed with the idea of building a tower version of the Theatre 4 and finally wound up selling the Theatre 4 motors to finance the construction of these speakers you see here.
They are as much Pi speakers as anything on the site, Pro 4 cabinets and woofers with Altec instead of JBL Horns.
Damn Bill Martinelli for introducing me to his Woodhorns after I was well along in the construction!:) The 811B's are definitely over-matched against the Woodhorns. But now that they don't ring like cowbells anymore.........
We'll have to wait and see. Is that a rumor I heard about wooden sectorals? Hmmmm?
So Garland, when are you gonna quit foolin' around with capacitors and build some more speakers?
Creating is more like performing than listening
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