Speaker build - CNO4

And you are driving them with an Atom - amazing

Wowzer, thank you so very, very much for this post/thread

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Wow! Amazing work!

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Congratulations!!! Thanh you for sharing. Your effort and the result are very impressive and inspired.

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Wow thank you so much to everyone for the kind comments. It really means a lot to me. It has made the build much more interesting to share it.

My posts were roughly 3/4 hours behind the progress so I have had a while to set up and make adjustments. All I can say is wow!

They are not even broke in and they sound so natural and incredibly transparent and dynamic. I have attenuated the tweeter to the middle option as it was a little hot for my room, and the adjustable bass… well… when I run a test tone I have solid bass from 25hz. The hypex amp is fed from the speaker cables so it has all the same sound signature from the Naim amp. Also, my goodness do they go loud and stay crystal clear!

I will record some videos soon and post to here.

Being the second pair of Troels’ speakers I’ve heard driven from a Naim amp I think I can say they are a really good match.

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In the past I have heard changes as much as a few months down the line.

The top cabinet is sealed. The sheep’s wool is to essentially kill any rear reflection and stop it from coming back out the cone and smearing detail.

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What a cracking thread. Hugely satisfying seeing them progress and finish. Hope they meet your expectations. (edit: I see they do!!)

I also love the fact you drive them with an Atom. Really shows the diversity of approaches to music reproduction people take. Those speaker kits are appropriately priced, but between the cost of the kit and the atom, with a clean sheet of paper, I bet the advice wouldn’t be “buy an atom and a high end speaker kit” - it’s great to see.

Building a speaker kit has always been an aim of mine, and have spent more than a few hours on Troels’s site (love his approach to web design :slight_smile: ) since you posted your previous pair on another thread. Thanks for the inspiration, and time taken to post your progress here. Much appreciated.

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Yes, the beauty of this speaker it that as the top 3 drivers are a really easy load they can be driven from the likes of low wattage valve amps 15/20 watts and up. Then the bass takes the speaker signal and passes to a 250 watt plate amp.

My future plans are a SN3/NDX2.

I have always preferred a speaker first philosophy. I know many oppose the idea but I find it provides me a longer term satisfaction. As long as the amp can drive the speaker.

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If you weren’t on the other side of the planet, I’d be asking whether you do commissions!

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Hi Mark

Yes the speakers I have built use very inexpensive QTX drivers, the tweeters particularly sounds quite course when first fired up but sound improves drastically after about a month if used every day.

Would love to build something with the sort of quality drivers you have used but not sure I have the skill level you possess as everything I have built is just square cut which is very easy to assemble. Although I worked for a joinery company for many years I am an Electrical Engineer by trade, I just find joinery a very relaxing way to unwind.

Oh just out of interest what was the first piece of music you played on the new speakers?

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Congratulations Mark! They look incredible, a testament to your workmanship. I can only imagine the satisfaction this must have given you :+1:

I have really enjoyed following your build, one of the most interesting threads I’ve read on here.

What’s the reasoning behind the slightly recessed tweeter mount? Seems to be used a lot on his designs.
Cheers,
Mark

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First piece of music… interesting question!

Chris Jones - long after your gone.

What do you play with a new piece of equipment?

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Thank you for the comments.

The stepped/sloped baffle is used in low order crossovers for time and phase alignment.

Although that is the extent of my understanding.

I just know that it means fewer components can be used in the crossover.

Thanks Mark!

Looking forward to hearing more from your listening tests :slightly_smiling_face:

I haven’t looked to see what designers comments are on this; but slopping baffles for time alignment purposes have been around for a long while & not with low order (6dB) xovers.
Naim SBL SL2 & PCM Twenty to mention a few, not mentioning my own speakers.
Whatever, waiting for your report on the first test runs … hope its all good

Quite often its Rickie Lee Jones- Under the Boardwalk from the 10" EP Girl At Her Volcano

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Yes ok, you’d probably know better than I do.
I was under the impression that it is more essential in a 1st order xover though.
Anyway, they sound extremely cohesive and very smooth. I’d describe them as delicate but dynamic. Hard to describe sound of course.

I’ll have a listen. :+1:t2:

Another thank you for sharing your build, it’s been fascinating to follow. The finished speakers look superb and a testament to your skill and quality of construction. I hope they give you many years of listening pleasure :+1::+1:

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been away for a couple of days and come back to enjoy reading and seeing the pictures - stunning…

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