Building Your First DIY Speaker - The MB27

[mattsk8]

It's easier to be a big fish if the pond is small, like the DIY forum here. My goal is to get a few people interested enough to try it themselves. I'd be much less noticed at the PE Tech Talk forum.

I doubt it. This forum is great, and I'd highly recommend it to any newcomer. Its nice because there's a GREAT group of guys in the know, however small; guys like you, GranteedEV, and jinjuku. (If I didn't mention your name, please don't be offended; that's not to say that I haven't recieved help from others, but these guys have given me a lot of awesome direction.) There's no real fear of asking dumb questions, I've asked plenty of those; and it doesn't seem like the guys here run around w/ a huge chip on their shoulders. PETT is a great forum and there are also great guys there, but there's something to the collective group here for sure.

Thanks for all the help so far. If it weren't for guys like you, I would still be listening to my JBLs thinking I'd never be able to afford better. W/out the help here, I'd never have attempted anything close to what you guys have recommended so far; and so far the recommendations have been spot on . About to finish my 3rd build, already have the plans for my 4th, and I have my sights set on my 5th build!

I love this forum; my wife on the other hand ...

 

[Sylar]

why do some DIY speakers have this moderate *burnt black* on the inside?

 

[Swerd]

why do some DIY speakers have this moderate *burnt black* on the inside?

That's spray paint. It probably got in during the finishing process.

 

[Alex2507]

Now I'm seriously jonesing for them ... is Del short for delay?

 

[Dan76]

Looks awesome!@

 

[Swerd]

Here are those MB27s in their new home.

I thought the reflection difference in the first two pic's was cool.

I need to clean off the finger prints. My camera skills and understanding of light matter little when the subject matter is such. Stop looking at my outlet porn.

Here's the only decent one I got of the right speaker.

 

[Alex2507]

I just remembered this thread! I was too busy with the other one and didn't want to turn it into a MB-27-athon. These are really something and while Swerd cautions against the curved cabinet I think they should be mandatory. Stupid square cabinets ... who wants that ?!?

It may be that I'm what Harman Audio calls an unreliable listener but these sound so good. At a DIY meet with some PETT guys, I liked pretty much everything I heard. This is a little different. The word 'clarity' is bouncing around my head like crazy but you can only say that so many times that it means nothing.

With the cabinets this is kind of steep for me to be buying into a pair of bookshelves but man, there won't be any parting with these ever ... unless that evil Jerry Love happens along.

Big clarity ... and they hit like a sweet spot around 82 db. That's a little louder than I normally listen at.

 

[Alex2507]

I was suppose to turn my computer off but I've got these speakers hooked up to it and then I found this while searching for the Big Head Todd and the Monsters version. I thought maybe it would be a welcome addition to this thread.

 

[Alex2507]

My girl's niece was over last night and got to hear these in action. Knowing your audience has it's advantages. Britney Spears' Baby One More Time got an unsolicited "these sound so good" and Adele's Rolling in the Deep had her talking about being able to pin point different instruments in space as if they were nailed down aside from the realism of the vocals.

It's always fun surprising non audio types with this level of performance.

I'm a little too lazy to track down the various Salk SongTower threads so I'll just sneak this comment in here. Having her listen to Fanfare for the Common Man on the ST's had her laughing with delight like a little kid.

 

[Swerd]

It's always fun surprising non audio types with this level of performance.

Having her listen to Fanfare for the Common Man on the ST's had her laughing with delight like a little kid.

It's always fun seeing non audio people get it for the first time. Just like it was fun for me last January to watch you and KEW hearing yours for the first time.

I find it somewhat rare that your niece (a young woman?) was this interested in anything audio. She must like you .

 

[Alex2507]

I find it somewhat rare that your niece (a young woman?) was this interested in anything audio.

It's less actual interest than it is just a matter of humoring me when I say sit here and just listen to this. I think it might mean something that she's not staring into her phone when the music plays.

 

[KEW]

I find it somewhat rare that your niece (a young woman?) was this interested in anything audio. She must like you .

More likely; she has good intuition and is scared sh1tless of perverted Uncle Alex and the way he always keeps duct tape and zip-ties close by!

 

[Alex2507]

I work hard at not scaring people and with all the new colors for duct tape, it is purely decorative. The zip ties are a little more difficult to explain but I'm working on that too.

I need to get you to go through your stack of unwanted gear again. There's stuff I be needin' for this system and looking around Audiogon usually just depresses me. The only things I can afford are the occasional power cords. Amps and pre-pros? ... forget about it.

 

[Rickster71]

More likely; she has good intuition and is scared sh1tless of perverted Uncle Alex and the way he always keeps duct tape and zip-ties close by!

Well....then there's that too.

 

[lsiberian]

I work hard at not scaring people and with all the new colors for duct tape, it is purely decorative. The zip ties are a little more difficult to explain but I'm working on that too. /QUOTE]

I call them cable ties.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Alex, what version of "Fanfare for the common man" do you like?

 

[Alex2507]

Alex, what version of "Fanfare for the common man" do you like?

It's from this Telarc CD. Even if you click credits you end up with a variety of orchestras etc so I have no way of telling who performed it but Swerd might be able to correlate it to the version played down in MD and tell us all the particulars. I think it might be the same version. Swerd is more well versed in this as he has been a music geek for many, many, many long years ... not that he's old ... as dust.

 

[Swerd]

Alex, what version of "Fanfare for the common man" do you like?

It's from this Telarc CD. Even if you click credits you end up with a variety of orchestras etc so I have no way of telling who performed it but Swerd might be able to correlate it to the version played down in MD and tell us all the particulars. I think it might be the same version.

The version of Fanfare for the Common Man that I have is on this Telarc CD (all digital recording & mastering – spectacularly good sound):
Amazon.com: Copland: Appalachian Spring; Rodeo; Fanfare for the Common Man: Aaron Copland, Louis Lane, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Music

Fanfare is a great demo track. Dennis and Jim Salk include Fanfare on their demo CDs they give people when they buy speakers. I made sure it was the first sounds that Alex heard on both pairs of his new speakers, and I think Dennis also played it on KEW's new Phil 3s later that same day.

As a guess, its probably the same recording as on the sampler Alex has.

 

[Alex2507]

Swerd, what happened to your pic's?

 

[Swerd]

The pics were stored on an Adobe Photoshop site. Sometime in the past year, they switched to a new site, Adobe Revel. They kept some but not all the photos I had, unless I paid them a fee. I did get email notices, but I didn't read the fine print until too late .

I still have all the photos on my computer, but I need to put them on some online place again. Which photo site do you use?

Then I'll have to ask an AH mod to help with restoring the MB27 build photos. What botheration.

If you recall, I also made a pdf file of the build text with photos, just before posting it here. Do you still have it? If you need it, I can email it.