Flint Acoustics: Rocketman Loudspeaker (one off build)
- Thread starter Flint
- Start date
While the polyurethane on top baffles is curing, they need another 36 hours, I completed the following tasks on the original bass cabinets this morning:
Photo 18: Rocketman Bass Cabinets in shop after a coat of Polyurethane
Photo 19: Closeup of a single bass cabinet with the polyurethane drying
Now they are curing in my shop, which is a tad on the cold side so it'll take a bit longer than normal. Once the polyurethane is no longer tacky I have other tasks I need to do in the production of these speakers which will create dust.
These are turning into much nicer looking speakers than I had originally expected. My knowledge and skills in making a furniture-like finish on speakers has vastly improved this year.
- Removed the woofers from the cabinets
- Hauled downstairs and into my shop
- Sanded and touched up and scratches or other blemishes
- Cleaned them first with Denatured Alcohol to remove any wax I may have used on them
- Cleaned them thoroughly with Mineral Spirits to prep the surface for finishing
- Put a smooth coat of Polyurethane on them for the final finish to match the tops
Photo 18: Rocketman Bass Cabinets in shop after a coat of Polyurethane
Photo 19: Closeup of a single bass cabinet with the polyurethane drying
Now they are curing in my shop, which is a tad on the cold side so it'll take a bit longer than normal. Once the polyurethane is no longer tacky I have other tasks I need to do in the production of these speakers which will create dust.
These are turning into much nicer looking speakers than I had originally expected. My knowledge and skills in making a furniture-like finish on speakers has vastly improved this year.
Now I am down to the dull, tedious work. While I wait for the polyurethane to dry, I have been:
- Cutting-off the midrange enclosure ports to spec
- Manufacturing the port plugs for regular use (removable for satellite use)
- Doing the metal work for the rear adjustable feet
- Assembling reliable pads to protect the top of the bass module
Now that the polyurethane is dry, I glued the rear midrange enclosures onto the top baffles:
Photo 20: I used weights as clamps for this sort of work to protect the finish on the fronts of the baffles
Photo 21: I had cut a sloppy shallow rabbet for the rear enclosures to fit into and allow for more glue to be applied ensuring no air gaps and more strength.
Photo 20: I used weights as clamps for this sort of work to protect the finish on the fronts of the baffles
Photo 21: I had cut a sloppy shallow rabbet for the rear enclosures to fit into and allow for more glue to be applied ensuring no air gaps and more strength.
Really?
In an attempt to do things properly for sellable speakers, I put a nice black finish on the rear of the top enclosures. Once setup and being used, one would rarely, if ever, look behind the baffle except to satisfy curiosity. But, I like the look.
Photo 24: The back side of the upper cabinet
Photo 25: Another view of the back side of the upper cabinet.
Photo 24: The back side of the upper cabinet
Photo 25: Another view of the back side of the upper cabinet.
That was the original plan, black or a dark gray. But stained it just to see how it would look. I like it with stain.
Xgm3
Active Member
Looking bad ass!
Today I finished wiring the drivers up and the speakers are as close to be done as I can get right now. The midrange drivers are brand new, so I decided it would be fun to measure them, break them in, then measure them again to see how break-in time affects the performance of a new high end driver.
Well. I measured their electrical and acoustical performance then ran quite loud varying test tones through the midrange as well music, news radio, and did a conference call where they served as the speakers in my speakerphone. Then I measured them again and compared the to sets of measurements.
And, the verdict is.....
wait for it....
There is absolutely no difference between the first measurements and those made after 10 hours of burn-in. Now, someone in the audiophile snake-oil world of imagined audio "facts" will tell me that 10 hours wasn't enough and that 48 hours is necessary. Well, if that were true, would there be at least some change between freshly out of the factory packaging and after 10 hours of pretty aggressive usage? In fact, I had mentally prepared myself, should there had been a measurable difference, to continue the burn in period until the last measurements were identical to the previous ones - suggesting no more change was expected.
But, alas, this greatly convinces me that me previous experiences with high end drivers were not unique and that a well engineered, properly manufactured driver won't require a burn in period. I have, however, seen mass produced cheap-ass drivers shift as much as 10% from the initial measurements and those taken after a burn-in period.
Well. I measured their electrical and acoustical performance then ran quite loud varying test tones through the midrange as well music, news radio, and did a conference call where they served as the speakers in my speakerphone. Then I measured them again and compared the to sets of measurements.
And, the verdict is.....
wait for it....
There is absolutely no difference between the first measurements and those made after 10 hours of burn-in. Now, someone in the audiophile snake-oil world of imagined audio "facts" will tell me that 10 hours wasn't enough and that 48 hours is necessary. Well, if that were true, would there be at least some change between freshly out of the factory packaging and after 10 hours of pretty aggressive usage? In fact, I had mentally prepared myself, should there had been a measurable difference, to continue the burn in period until the last measurements were identical to the previous ones - suggesting no more change was expected.
But, alas, this greatly convinces me that me previous experiences with high end drivers were not unique and that a well engineered, properly manufactured driver won't require a burn in period. I have, however, seen mass produced cheap-ass drivers shift as much as 10% from the initial measurements and those taken after a burn-in period.
So everything is assembled and I hope to start working on the sound soon.
Photo 27: Finished speakers with amps and crossovers ready for hooking up and initial calibration and listening
Photo 28: back sides of the top modules with input terminals and adjustable foot.
My plan is to capture electrical and acoustic measurements for potential passive crossover design & development via computer modeling. Then I will use a digital active crossover to model both ideal sound configurations and plausible passive crossover networks (which won't include steep slopes, aggressive EQ, delay settings, or phase adjustments) to see how good they can sound without advanced processing (just a crossover and level setting). I would prefer to sell these as active speakers as I know how amazing that will sound, but not every customer is ready for that.
This is getting exciting as I will soon be hearing what I have created for the first time.
Photo 27: Finished speakers with amps and crossovers ready for hooking up and initial calibration and listening
Photo 28: back sides of the top modules with input terminals and adjustable foot.
My plan is to capture electrical and acoustic measurements for potential passive crossover design & development via computer modeling. Then I will use a digital active crossover to model both ideal sound configurations and plausible passive crossover networks (which won't include steep slopes, aggressive EQ, delay settings, or phase adjustments) to see how good they can sound without advanced processing (just a crossover and level setting). I would prefer to sell these as active speakers as I know how amazing that will sound, but not every customer is ready for that.
This is getting exciting as I will soon be hearing what I have created for the first time.
TitaniumTroy
Well-Known Member
Man, if only I had waited a couple of years. I could have had a pair of artisan, custom crafted speakers from Flint, the man himself. A fine pair of Sasha Flint W/P, wonder if he would have signed them for me ?
https://www.wilsonaudio.com/legacy/sasha-series-2
https://www.wilsonaudio.com/legacy/sasha-series-2
TitaniumTroy
Well-Known Member
Awesome looking job, really wish I could hear them in person.
My post was intended to poke fun at the passing similarity in appearance. The design is obviously nothing alike.
I used to sell Dahlquist speakers back in 1990. I'd completely forgotten about them, but they sounded good.