AK Design Collaborative - Insignia-Class Economy Speakers (a.k.a Indignia)
- Thread starter Zilch
- Start date
I think several have said that stuffing is not good. Just want to line with absorbent material: quilt batting, foam, fiberglass, etc. Save the polyfill for a sealed project.
I just finished reading all bazillion posts in this thread. Sheesh. Started my build over the weekend. Looking forward to giving these little guys a listen!
dave
I just finished reading all bazillion posts in this thread. Sheesh. Started my build over the weekend. Looking forward to giving these little guys a listen!
dave
So I started my Indignias this past weekend. PE was out of the Erse inductors so I ordered Jantzen P core instead. I think the DCR is close.
I've got a shop full of scrap MDF so I'm building clones of the PE 0.38 cabs out of 3/4" MDF with 1/2" brace (set in blind dados). Note that I had to scallop the brace for port clearance (and support). I rummaged through leftover solids and veneers from previous projects and chose some classic walnut. I know solid wood is not the best for baffles - but I thought it would look really cool, especially with the stock PE grilles
I should have them done in a couple of days. I'll post further pics of the progress.
dave
I've got a shop full of scrap MDF so I'm building clones of the PE 0.38 cabs out of 3/4" MDF with 1/2" brace (set in blind dados). Note that I had to scallop the brace for port clearance (and support). I rummaged through leftover solids and veneers from previous projects and chose some classic walnut. I know solid wood is not the best for baffles - but I thought it would look really cool, especially with the stock PE grilles
I should have them done in a couple of days. I'll post further pics of the progress.
dave
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It's because I'M just now ready to order, that's why.
Since June 2008 when the parts/price list was compiled on page 8 (post #306) of this thread three components (inductors and resistor) have actually stayed the same, or dropped slightly in price.
However, the capacitors are up 5-17% and the drivers are up 59-74%! It will now cost $76.61 for said parts for one cabinet (vs. $56.25 in '08, a 36% increase)
Brian
Did you get a better discount than a "3 and up" price?
My total bill was $185, including $23 for two 1.5 mH Jantzen inductors and $23 for PE grilles. Still probably a bargain compared to any pair of speakers you could buy for that. I'll confirm once I've had a chance to listen.
I did screw up and forgot to take into account the bit of remaining baffle on port length - so my actual length is almost 8-1/2" (with a 1/4"-radius "flare" on the baffle). So - tuned a little lower than specified Build was going very smoothly up to that point! Oh well... they will be on a desk against a wall, so I may experiment with Zilch-plugging the port anyway.
I'll try to get drivers installed tonight and give 'em a listen. Eventually they'll be driven by a 50wpc Audiosource Amp 100 but I'll hook them up (on stands) in the media room (250wpc Bryston 4BST) for initial evaluation.
I did screw up and forgot to take into account the bit of remaining baffle on port length - so my actual length is almost 8-1/2" (with a 1/4"-radius "flare" on the baffle). So - tuned a little lower than specified
Build was going very smoothly up to that point! Oh well... they will be on a desk against a wall, so I may experiment with Zilch-plugging the port anyway.I'll try to get drivers installed tonight and give 'em a listen. Eventually they'll be driven by a 50wpc Audiosource Amp 100 but I'll hook them up (on stands) in the media room (250wpc Bryston 4BST) for initial evaluation.
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BlueFlyingV
Tin Knocker
Looking good wildcataz!:thmbsp: I have mine hooked up to my computer system with a Maverick dac and a Sansui AU-9500 and they sound great.
They won't knock pictures off the walls, but for medium to low level listening they work perfect for me.
They won't knock pictures off the walls, but for medium to low level listening they work perfect for me.
4343
Super Member
Yes indeed! Look much nicer than the ones my son and I built this summer. We went with a Graphite paint for the baffle, and truck-bed paint for the rest. My unfinished pair was setup in the office when he came home for the summer, and he just did not want to let me finish gluing the back on until we had put his pair together! Took all summer to find the time, but they are now finished, and in his dorm room running on a little TEAC stereo that originally had some flat panel speakers. I just registered him on AK as 3939, so hopefully he will get a chance to let us know what he thinks of them after he's allowed to post.
Here's the pair during final test, and a preview of the next pair that I finally finished today.
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4343
Super Member
Charge-Coupled Indignia Traps
Here is the pair I finally finished. Trapezoid cabs using 3/4" MDF for the shell and 1" for the front and back. Shell veneered in Oak, front and back painted with a Graphite wheel paint from O'Rielly's. The paint on the baffle has cured for about 4 months, while the back was only a few days. I put a few marks in the rear paint while clamping the back on, I should have waited to let it fully harden, but I just couldn't wait! So now there are impressions of the carpet I used to keep from marring the paint on the back...
Label is standard P-Touch using white-on-black tape.
Putting the grille pegs in now.
Here is the pair I finally finished. Trapezoid cabs using 3/4" MDF for the shell and 1" for the front and back. Shell veneered in Oak, front and back painted with a Graphite wheel paint from O'Rielly's. The paint on the baffle has cured for about 4 months, while the back was only a few days. I put a few marks in the rear paint while clamping the back on, I should have waited to let it fully harden, but I just couldn't wait! So now there are impressions of the carpet I used to keep from marring the paint on the back...
Label is standard P-Touch using white-on-black tape.
Putting the grille pegs in now.
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nickrobotron
una bella tazza di caffe
This thread is awesome. There needs to be a thread dedicated just to pictures of the final projects. Who wants to make me a pair? $$$
Thanks guys... I'll take some "finished" pics tonight or tomorrow. I was too busy listening last night.
I put them on stands well away from walls and initially drove them with a Sony 9000ES dvd/cd player and a Yamaha RS-V2200 (100wpc) receiver. My first impressions: nice smooth, well-balanced sound with perhaps a bit of boxy "congested-ness" in the midrange. Bass was nice, especially considering their size. Imaging was there, but not deep or precise. Recognize that my reference system consists of Dynaudio "Myrage" WMTMW towers (incl. Esotar tweeters) and four RSS390HO 15" sealed subs with room correction (REQW + Behringer DEQ2496) - so this isn't really a fair comparison.
Then I moved the Indignias back to within about 2 feet from the wall. Bass became noticeably more robust. Impressively nice, tuneful bass! When I got out of my listening chair and backed up to the rear wall, I was astonished how much bass these little guys could produce. Everything was there, except the lowest notes on a 5-string (low B is 31 Hz) such as in Lyle Lovett's "She's already made up her mind" or Josh Groban's "Vincent"
I swapped out the Yammy for a custom passive pre and a Parasound HCA-750A power amp (75wpc). Back in the listening chair, the image was clearer and deeper - extending well behind the speakers and even slightly beyond the room boundaries. Dire Straits' "Fade to Black" was simultaneously dark/haunting and airy/sweet - as it should be. Reference Recordings' capture of Dick Hyman on a big Bosendorfer was life size. These babies were capable of decent SPL in my large (3000 cuft) and very dead room.
The hint of "boxy-ness" had diminished but was still there. Nevertheless, overall they are very listenable and non-fatiguing. At that point, I had intended to swap in the main system components (Bryston/Lexicon) but I was just enjoying the music - pulling out all of my favorite demo tracks. Sometime after midnight, I finally had to shut things down and go to bed.
These are great little speakers. I may fiddle with damping a little to see if I can tame that slight midrange coloration. I used large square-ish plastic "closeout" PE terminal cups (they say Dahlquist on them) directly behind the woofer and didn't put any damping material in that area. Could be resonance or reflections or transmission through the cup itself.
Other than that, I can't find any faults. These will easily hold their own against commercial speakers 5x or more their price.
I put them on stands well away from walls and initially drove them with a Sony 9000ES dvd/cd player and a Yamaha RS-V2200 (100wpc) receiver. My first impressions: nice smooth, well-balanced sound with perhaps a bit of boxy "congested-ness" in the midrange. Bass was nice, especially considering their size. Imaging was there, but not deep or precise. Recognize that my reference system consists of Dynaudio "Myrage" WMTMW towers (incl. Esotar tweeters) and four RSS390HO 15" sealed subs with room correction (REQW + Behringer DEQ2496) - so this isn't really a fair comparison.
Then I moved the Indignias back to within about 2 feet from the wall. Bass became noticeably more robust. Impressively nice, tuneful bass! When I got out of my listening chair and backed up to the rear wall, I was astonished how much bass these little guys could produce. Everything was there, except the lowest notes on a 5-string (low B is 31 Hz) such as in Lyle Lovett's "She's already made up her mind" or Josh Groban's "Vincent"
I swapped out the Yammy for a custom passive pre and a Parasound HCA-750A power amp (75wpc). Back in the listening chair, the image was clearer and deeper - extending well behind the speakers and even slightly beyond the room boundaries. Dire Straits' "Fade to Black" was simultaneously dark/haunting and airy/sweet - as it should be. Reference Recordings' capture of Dick Hyman on a big Bosendorfer was life size. These babies were capable of decent SPL in my large (3000 cuft) and very dead room.
The hint of "boxy-ness" had diminished but was still there. Nevertheless, overall they are very listenable and non-fatiguing. At that point, I had intended to swap in the main system components (Bryston/Lexicon) but I was just enjoying the music - pulling out all of my favorite demo tracks. Sometime after midnight, I finally had to shut things down and go to bed.
These are great little speakers. I may fiddle with damping a little to see if I can tame that slight midrange coloration. I used large square-ish plastic "closeout" PE terminal cups (they say Dahlquist on them) directly behind the woofer and didn't put any damping material in that area. Could be resonance or reflections or transmission through the cup itself.
Other than that, I can't find any faults. These will easily hold their own against commercial speakers 5x or more their price.
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Very nice review and I agree with your conclusions!
Completed pics!
Hey they're done. I shot a light coat of satin urethane after the oil finish (Minwax "Natural") had dried.
I had read somewhere that the magnets in the PE grilles didn't hold tightly to screw heads so I inset some neo magnets. I thought about installing them from the back of the baffle before assembly so they'd be "invisible"... but didn't really want to compromise the baffle with four big deep holes [almost] all the way through. Grilles hold tight now, alrighty! In fact, you just need to wave them close to the baffle and they "snap" precisely into place. I had to make two small recesses in the back of the PE grille frames to clear the woofer screw holes.
Did more listening last night. The obligatory Norah Jones "Nightingale" had the right sultry vocal balance and excellent guitar image (to the right of and behind the right speaker). Acoustic bass on Bruce Katz CDs (Audioquest) was spot on - I dare say more accurate at times (less muddy) than my reference system (it's darn hard to get 4 woofers and 4 subwoofers to integrate perfectly)! My favorite CD of the evening was Ronnie Earl's "Still River" (Audioquest). I was hearing much bigger bass and dynamics than a speaker this size has a right to have.
Thanks guys and gals of this forum for a great design.
Hey 4343... what are all those capacitors in your xover? Did you have to series-parallel to get the values you needed? And what about the battery holder on the back of the speaker? Is that some sonic secret you're not sharing? :nono:
Hey they're done. I shot a light coat of satin urethane after the oil finish (Minwax "Natural") had dried.
I had read somewhere that the magnets in the PE grilles didn't hold tightly to screw heads so I inset some neo magnets. I thought about installing them from the back of the baffle before assembly so they'd be "invisible"... but didn't really want to compromise the baffle with four big deep holes [almost] all the way through. Grilles hold tight now, alrighty! In fact, you just need to wave them close to the baffle and they "snap" precisely into place. I had to make two small recesses in the back of the PE grille frames to clear the woofer screw holes.
Did more listening last night. The obligatory Norah Jones "Nightingale" had the right sultry vocal balance and excellent guitar image (to the right of and behind the right speaker). Acoustic bass on Bruce Katz CDs (Audioquest) was spot on - I dare say more accurate at times (less muddy) than my reference system (it's darn hard to get 4 woofers and 4 subwoofers to integrate perfectly)! My favorite CD of the evening was Ronnie Earl's "Still River" (Audioquest). I was hearing much bigger bass and dynamics than a speaker this size has a right to have.
Thanks guys and gals of this forum for a great design.
Hey 4343... what are all those capacitors in your xover? Did you have to series-parallel to get the values you needed? And what about the battery holder on the back of the speaker? Is that some sonic secret you're not sharing? :nono:
