Mark 3 elsinores
My brother built the cabinets and did the veneer in french walnut. There were 3 items we had to make adjustments for because we could not find the proper materials.
1. Was the port tube, which I mentioned in my previous post. I believe the measurements did fall within Joe's specifications on this thread or in the fact section on his website.
2. For dampening material I used Extra-loft polyfil stuffing that is used for making blankets. I purchased it at Michaels( a craft store) The material comes in thin sheets about 6mm thick. I cut out the pieces and and sewed Them together. I used 12 pieces to achieve the 75mm thickness! PITA.
3. Could not find the right thickness of Felt, so again I sewed a bunch of thin pieces together. I used 10 pieces for each tweeter.
I am very happy with them. I still can not believe how Dynamic they are!!
My brother built the cabinets and did the veneer in french walnut. There were 3 items we had to make adjustments for because we could not find the proper materials.
1. Was the port tube, which I mentioned in my previous post. I believe the measurements did fall within Joe's specifications on this thread or in the fact section on his website.
2. For dampening material I used Extra-loft polyfil stuffing that is used for making blankets. I purchased it at Michaels( a craft store) The material comes in thin sheets about 6mm thick. I cut out the pieces and and sewed Them together. I used 12 pieces to achieve the 75mm thickness! PITA.
3. Could not find the right thickness of Felt, so again I sewed a bunch of thin pieces together. I used 10 pieces for each tweeter.
I am very happy with them. I still can not believe how Dynamic they are!!
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Bob in Abbottsford (CSS) has the REALLY good UltraTouch 1/2" recycled cotton felt.
dave
Sounds like you were able to improvise successfully. Well done!
That is what seems to strike people a lot when they first hear them. And if I may boast, that was exactly what was aimed at. They suffer from very low dynamic compression and believe this has a lot to do with how cool those Voice Coils run. The second thing that strikes first time listeners may not be quite so obvious, but they are very cohesive sounding. That is important for long term listening satisfaction.
BUT...
Time marches on and a Mark 5 is on the drawing board, hope to post something here within the next month. It will require either buying a waveguide or taking on the task of making one as per drawing. The one that can be bought will be available from Australia and custom made.
Cheers, Joe R.
Hi Joe,
I'm finishing up my Elsinores withing the next couple of weeks and wondered if you have any guidance on what changes I should make now, to facilitate the Mk 5 conversion when you are done with the design. Or is it simply fitting a wave guide in the recess for the tweeter? Any advice would be welcome since it would be easier to make any significant changes now.
I also wanted to wish you and all the Elsinore builders a peaceful and enjoyable time over the Holidays. May you find time to enjoy good music.
Francois
Hi all after a couple of years of watching this thread finally decided to go ahead and build the Elsinores, mainly due to good value in the Australian dollar last month and receiving a hardware gift voucher from work which i used to purchase the MDF.
I cut out all the MDF last weekend and will be ready to assemble the panels this weekend.
Thanks Joe and others for all of your hard work in the project.
MERRY Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.
Cheers Spoonted
I cut out all the MDF last weekend and will be ready to assemble the panels this weekend.
Thanks Joe and others for all of your hard work in the project.
MERRY Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.
Cheers Spoonted
Just in case anyones interested i noticed parts express has the 830874 on sale for $39.00
Peerless 830874 6-1/2" PPB Cone HDS Woofer | Parts-Express.com
Peerless 830874 6-1/2" PPB Cone HDS Woofer | Parts-Express.com
Elsinore Mark 5 Announcement:
Well, it has been some road... and a lot of effort to get the Mk5 under way.
There will be some significant differences, all earlier versions are upgradeable, but this annnouncement is limited to as follows.
1. Should have details published hopefully before end of January.
2. Necessitates the use of a Waveguide.
3. The Waveguide will be available to buy as it can be tricky to make.
4. The Waveguide will be supplied un-painted with easy suggestions of how to finish it. This will keep the cost down and also add to the DIY factor.
4. The Crossover is rather different from earlier versions, but older ones can be rebuilt. Some parts will be redundant and other new ones required.
5. The changes also has a welcome side benefit, the Mk5 definitely is more sensitive.
6. The changes also lower critical forms of distortions.
This may well be the last version of the Elsinores. But one should never say never. So I will not make that a total prediction.
Some may like to know what the sonic improvements are like. As I am at the centre of this I am hardly entirely objective, but I think you will find that in virtually all areas the Elsinores are improved. I do know this, their dynamics with the JLTi 30 Watt tube amp are positively frightening in my room.
There were certain goals that have been built into the new version where current delivery to the individual drive units have been a primary focus (and the solution surprisingly simple but only a lot of computer modelling revealed that) to increase the current index to the drivers. So the Elsinores are now far more linear in their current demand from the amplifier. Keep in mind that it is current that goes to the speakers that creates the sound, not voltage.
Because of this they are more amplifier friendly than ever before.
With tube amps the bass is now also more accurate where in some cases a touch too plummy, and this has been verified by Steve (who makes the waveguide and heard prelimary early results) with JLTi 30 Watt tube amps, and the overall tonal balance is better with both SS and tube amps. They may now actually be better with tubes than SS in the bass, a bit of a reversal.
Also, overall, the Elsinores have much lower distortion in the area just above 1KHz where the ear is most sensitive. It is also at those frequencies linear current delivery was maximised as that is where it is most audible. We need to fool the speakers into thinking it is eating current and not voltage.
Steve will be making the waveguides available this month, and once they are I will need to start posting so you fellows can get under way.
As before, it was always the intention that earlier Elsinores, even Mk1, can be updated. But Mk5 is the most radical upgrade so far.
This may also work out to be the reason why Mk5 will be the last and complete testament to the theories that started them off on this long trek.
Cheers, Joe R.
Well, it has been some road... and a lot of effort to get the Mk5 under way.
There will be some significant differences, all earlier versions are upgradeable, but this annnouncement is limited to as follows.
1. Should have details published hopefully before end of January.
2. Necessitates the use of a Waveguide.
3. The Waveguide will be available to buy as it can be tricky to make.
4. The Waveguide will be supplied un-painted with easy suggestions of how to finish it. This will keep the cost down and also add to the DIY factor.
4. The Crossover is rather different from earlier versions, but older ones can be rebuilt. Some parts will be redundant and other new ones required.
5. The changes also has a welcome side benefit, the Mk5 definitely is more sensitive.
6. The changes also lower critical forms of distortions.
This may well be the last version of the Elsinores. But one should never say never. So I will not make that a total prediction.
Some may like to know what the sonic improvements are like. As I am at the centre of this I am hardly entirely objective, but I think you will find that in virtually all areas the Elsinores are improved. I do know this, their dynamics with the JLTi 30 Watt tube amp are positively frightening in my room.
There were certain goals that have been built into the new version where current delivery to the individual drive units have been a primary focus (and the solution surprisingly simple but only a lot of computer modelling revealed that) to increase the current index to the drivers. So the Elsinores are now far more linear in their current demand from the amplifier. Keep in mind that it is current that goes to the speakers that creates the sound, not voltage.
Because of this they are more amplifier friendly than ever before.
With tube amps the bass is now also more accurate where in some cases a touch too plummy, and this has been verified by Steve (who makes the waveguide and heard prelimary early results) with JLTi 30 Watt tube amps, and the overall tonal balance is better with both SS and tube amps. They may now actually be better with tubes than SS in the bass, a bit of a reversal.
Also, overall, the Elsinores have much lower distortion in the area just above 1KHz where the ear is most sensitive. It is also at those frequencies linear current delivery was maximised as that is where it is most audible. We need to fool the speakers into thinking it is eating current and not voltage.
Steve will be making the waveguides available this month, and once they are I will need to start posting so you fellows can get under way.
As before, it was always the intention that earlier Elsinores, even Mk1, can be updated. But Mk5 is the most radical upgrade so far.
This may also work out to be the reason why Mk5 will be the last and complete testament to the theories that started them off on this long trek.
Cheers, Joe R.
Joe,
This sounds very exciting! Thanks for your continued efforts to perfect the Elsinores, and keep the progress upgradable.
I'm just about to finish my Mk 4's but I think I will take a break and wait for the new plans - will be easier to upgrade that way. Unfortunately I will never know how much of an improvement Mk 5 was over Mk 4.
Thanks and best wishes,
Francois
Yep no worries i have the cabinets primed in 2pak and rubbed down with 800 paper.
To get a decent painted finish on MDF requires a fair bit of work though.
Once Joe has finished, and i can get my hands on a new waveguide i,ll be looking at finishing the the paint on the cabinets along with the mark 5 crossovers.
Also still undecided on the damping material to use from whats available over in WA, postage costs are over $100 for a Bag.
What would i of done different ? After reading the 66 pages of this thread yet again wish i had sourced the HDF for the front panels i think this would be make a noticeable improvement.
Cheers spoonted
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Hi Mike,
My enclosures and crossovers are done except for finishing. I'm now waiting for the Mk 5 details before I will wrap it up. With any luck you could hear them somewhere in Feb - March, as soon a I could source and install the wave guide.
I'm in Champaign, Illinois - long way from Minneapolis, unless you have other business in this direction.
Francois