Signet SL-388 tower speakers..

[3db]

Awesome job on the cabinets

 

[Kvn_Walker]

Awesome job on the cabinets

Thanks!

I saw last night when I posted how bad the lighting was when I snapped those shots. I'll get some more shots at some point.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

Looks like I found my solution. Gonna take another $250 though (I will get some of that back... will explain later). At this point I don't care because I'm stubbornly adamant about seeing this through. Probably be a couple weeks before I get the next phase implemented. 'Til then!

 

[Kvn_Walker]

Update...

Running some sweeps with both woofers disconnected approximates the midrange crossover around 500Hz.

BTW, Spectroid for Android phones is a killer app when you need to do some down-and-dirty on the spot. Highly recommended!

I did some rough math from measuring the cabinet internals. I didn't account for bracing or crossovers, but I did approximate the volume of the midrange tube and subtract that. I came up with a net 1.15 cubic feet for the lower chamber and .73 for the upper.

I plugged my numbers into a port tuning calculator with the 3"Ø x 5" port and got a tuning frequency of 48Hz. To confirm, I did the "salt test" and got an actual 46Hz, so my math wasn't far off.

My conclusion from all this is that the only way forward with these speakers is to make them a 3-way and somehow cut out that divider, so both woofers can breathe. That sealed space is a hindrance. Will also have to replace the woofers with 8-ohm drivers that would perform well in that expanded space (and connect them parallel). Modeling the full 1.88 cubic feet gave a 37-38Hz tuning frequency. The results will be interesting. From the start I've not wanted to modify the cabinets but I have no affordable options left.

So with a 3-day weekend coming up and having the house to myself for most of it, the desecration shall soon commence!

 

[Kvn_Walker]

It is good that the restrictions on elective surgeries have been lifted. The OR is now getting prepped, and the patient has arrived.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

Like everything else thus far, my first try was harder than it needed to be. Cutting and pounding and cutting and pounding and finally I got the divider out.

But I learned in the process and took care of the second speaker in less than 10 minutes! After I got the wires out of the way, I made a cross cut with the sawzall.

(should have made it a full cross and not a tee from the get-go though)

Then I grabbed my Gordon Freeman Special...

And finally... HAMMER TIME.

Candy from a baby.

Now I have the full 1.8-1.9 cubic feet to work with. Still working on the woofer part, but I do have a few ideas in mind.

 

[Soeakerserious]

Wow

Great job so far. They were so very sexy when naked !

I have the option to buy a pair of these 388's for $39 - but now I'm kinda worried that they're either not going to sound good or the 4 ohms thing will be a problem.

But for $39, will be fun to play with

 

[Soeakerserious]

Wow

Great job so far. They were so very sexy when naked !

I have the option to buy a pair of these 388's for $39 - but now I'm kinda worried that they're either not going to sound good or the 4 ohms thing will be a problem.

But for $39, will be fun to play with

 

[Soeakerserious]

I have these same speakers. Great job building the new cabinets.

Mine are so sweet sounding - I wouldn't want to turn them into 3-ways. I mean, I am blown away by their clarity, their soundstage, the ability to discern every instrument. They can get freaky loud but also sound fabulous at low volume outputs.

My cabinets do need some work only on a couple places near the bottom corners. Do you make house calls?

 

[Eppie]

I have these same speakers. Great job building the new cabinets.

Mine are so sweet sounding - I wouldn't want to turn them into 3-ways. I mean, I am blown away by their clarity, their soundstage, the ability to discern every instrument. They can get freaky loud but also sound fabulous at low volume outputs.

My cabinets do need some work only on a couple places near the bottom corners. Do you make house calls?

Particle board can be a challenge to repair. If the corners are damaged, I mix sawdust with wood glue to form a sticky putty which will adhere to the corners. You can mix in some stain as well to add colour to the putty. Once hardened you can shape it with a file. You can go flush with the veneer and use furniture repair markers to match the veneer, or go flush with the boards and patch the surface with veneer. On the bottom corners the repair should be hardly visible.