Speaker Build - CNO Grande

Looks great Mark :+1:t3: chop chop Peter

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Looking really good Mark, wonder if you might want to think about putting more of a chamfer on the front baffle, between the top and middle driver just to try and take a little of the step out of it, maybe even match the angle with the side panels, just a thought .Coming along really nicely and top class work again.

Hi Mark, would it be worth slightly chamfering the top part of the thicker lower front baffle, so the distance from the edge to the midrange driver is the same as from the inner edge of the protrusion to the tweeter? ATB Peter

How funny, Silverback just beat me to it! :clap:t2: Best Peter

Fabulous thread and project Mark. Thanks for taking the time to document the build, including all of the trials and errors along the away. Superb :sunglasses:

@silverback @PeterR Great minds think alike :grinning:

Aesthetically that would look better but the things that cannot change with these designs is the driver positioning and the dimensions/angle of the stepped baffle … Troels has a note on every page that says that if any of these are changed you’ll need a new crossover :slightly_smiling_face:

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Thanks! Glad you’re finding it interesting … it’s certainly an evolving process … my attempts at veneering are likely to be entertaining :joy:

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Really good work Mark, I think your concerns about ‘finesse’ are totally unfounded, thank you for allowing us to share the project with you. I’m very much looking forward to the rest of the process, and of course the finished items.

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For a bit more info on the above Troels outlines the reasons on his site, search for “troels gravesen crossovers” and “troels gravesen baffles” and you should find the studies he did on this, interesting stuff.

These are the speakers I’m building, note how close the tweeter is to the stepped baffle, a lot closer than I have it on my test cabinet.

To be honest I’m not a huge fan of the look of the stepped baffle, but it’s necessary for phase alignment of the tweeter and midrange, otherwise a more complex crossover is needed and hence more electronics in the signal path.

So definitely a case of function over form.

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I see some nice Ear power amps. :+1:. I know, they are not yours, but it must be a great match.

Both of my recent builds have used the stepped baffle and both have had excellent mid/tweeter integration, coherence and transparency. It can be tricky to get it to look right I agree, but I like that Troels is ruthless in his function over aesthetic approach. It really makes me feel that he did the best that he could with the set of drivers in his hands. Well, also within the limits of a DIY construction.

Yes looks like he’s a fan of EAR! Look near the bottom of his home page and you can see the system he uses.

@Mark84 ’s speakers are part of his reference system :slightly_smiling_face:

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Doesn’t he use a pair of modified 861’s?

Yes completely agree, once I understood the “why” I’m more than happy to forego some prettiness for better sound.

And I also now know why PMC speakers have sloped baffles … that had puzzled me before :slightly_smiling_face:

Not to mention SBLs!

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Great topic.

Having read from the beginning, finish seems to be a big talking point.
Check out Gel coats. They come in all colours. I’ve used them a fair bit in making composite car body panels.
You’ll find them at fibre glass supply shops.
I’ve only ever used them in reverse (as in painted the gel coat into the mold, before laying weave/chopped strand)

Once out of the mold and cured, the gel coat is easily flatted and polished to a gloss finish. It’s just a bit tricky getting into fiddly bits.

The staff in such shops are usually very knowledgeable ad should be able to advise if a particular type would be suitable.

Found this, on his website. “Some EAR power amps have these features and being happy with my EAR-912 preamplifier I might give one of the power amps a try. Doing the usual google study reveals quite a few positive reviews and I was lucky finding a nice looking and “non-smoking” amp on eBay. I’ve bought used gear before and given a current retail price of 7000+ EUR for a new amp, which is a crazy price for 32 wpc, I took my chances - and was lucky. The amp is like NOS despite being 11 years old. Based on the looks of tubes and circuit board, this amp has had very little use and no need for tube replacements.
Later I was able to buy 2nd hand mint condition line stage, the EAR-868L which is a perfect partner for the EAR-861. The EAR-868L has double balanced outputs and besides the usual SE inputs a single pair of balanced inputs. The line stage itself is similar to the EAR-912. And it has a remote! Just what I needed for my workshop system.
Having had this system now for 1½ year (late 2018) I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of these two components.”

Hi, thanks :slightly_smiling_face:
I’ve done some fibreglass mould making and panels back when I worked on cars … not sure how I’d use the gel coats for this though … it’s an interesting thought though!

Check out brush flow coat.

Another thought was to carbon skin them, then lacquer.

Hats off to you regardless :facepunch:t2:

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What’s the ETA on your parts Mark. I’m getting impatient. :grimacing:

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