Vintage-Style Stereo Console Design

[RevMen]

I just did a speaker design for a fellow back east making a console... uses a Fostex FF165wk per side.

dave

You also did one for me.

I took the approach of making the console a shell that could be populated with whatever speakers or equipment I like.

For TV or every-day listening, the speakers live in the console. For serious listening, I pull them out and put them on stands to either side. This makes the wife happy and keeps down the clutter.

The Dave-designed speakers sound great and they fit snugly in the console.

Turntable goes on the right, tube amp goes on the left. When the amp is on I just leave the sliding top open for ventilation. HTPC, DAC, and phono stage go in the bottom left. Albums go in the bottom right.

 

[jdrouin]

Wow! That's exactly the functionality I was thinking of, "making the console a shell that could be populated with whatever speakers or equipment I like." It looks a lot like some of my paper drawings, too.

How do you like the sound when the speakers are inside the console?

Jeff

 

[RevMen]

How do you like the sound when the speakers are inside the console?

A lot more than I thought I would. The imaging improves significantly when I move the speakers out, as you would expect, but I like the tone when they're in the console as much or more.

I did the design in Sketchup. I modeled each board as a "component," which made it pretty easy to plan my cuts.

 

[jdrouin]

Sketchup! How could I have forgotten about Sketchup?

Well, there goes my afternoon.

Nice diagram, btw.

 

[River757]

When you're finished, to "break in" the system, run a cable from your PC's audio output jack, navigate over to www.luxuriamusic.com and hit the listen link (listener supported, so they play music you want to hear). You'll get to hear some cool lounge/60s and 70s pop/surf music but you'll be hearing it via a 21st century system, so your new console will be broken in with the best of the old AND the new.

 

[jdrouin]

Thanks for the Luxuriamusic.com tip. Awesome.

 

[Inductor]

...And say "luxuria speakers diy" is not having fun!
(RevMen) What loudspeaker was that anyway, was it a kit? (Looks like the manger)

 

[planet10]

You also did one for me.

Thanx for the pictures... there are a few others out there too.

Very sharp looking effort.

dave

 

[RevMen]

(RevMen) What loudspeaker was that anyway, was it a kit? (Looks like the manger)

The drivers are EL70eNs from Dave. He designed the boxes for me based on the dimensions of the speaker cubbies in my console.

 

[River757]

Ikea is (sort of) getting into the console business!

"Watch Out, Best Buy, Ikea Will Soon Sell Their Own HDTV System And It’s Awesome" (includes Ikea video showing the system)

It is equipped with only a 2.1 system with wireless subwoofer, but I bet for many people that will be enough and I'm sure will sound MUCH better than any flatscreen's built-in speaker system. Its closest competitor is probably Bose's $5K(!!) Video Wave TV.

 

[Inductor]

Ikea is (sort of) getting into the console business!

Good for them. Let's make an upgrade kit (not "UPLIFTA" kit) consisting of better drivers and caps, maybe a gold or diamond tweeter... and a poor's man clone with a plastic dome tweeter.