Thanks natural, I plan on veneering them and am waiting for it to arrive. Possibly mid next week. I'll update the rest of the photos today, been a little tight on time lately and due to it being a work camera and taken out on jobs, I've not had access to it for the last couple days. My shop is roughly 20,000 square feet. I've got 5 table saws, countless hand routers, a couple planers, drum sander, belt sanders, orbitals, shapers, radial arm saws, a CNC router, a panel saw, 3 large rotary clamping stations, and a fully functional spray room all at my disposal. My family owns one of the premier custom cabinetry shops in south Texas. I'm like a kid in a candy store. The only thing that holds me back is time. If I can imagine it, I can build it.
I know it's been a couple days without pictures or progress. Time to work on my projects is hectic and I've been working on other projects as well. Here are a few pictures to keep you entertained. Veneer should be here soon and I will finish off these boxes. Though I do need some advice. I haven't bought binding posts/terminal cups yet. Can anyone recommend a budget oriented post/cup for me?
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Apex Jr has some nice gold plated copper binding post for less than 10$ a pair. Work great. If you want to spend big money, make sure this is your final system, otherwise you will have to change post every time you build a new set. You will be building more idf your like most people scowering these forums. Just got done with 10.2 Pensils. You will really enjoy them. Good luck!
Nice boxes. I'd use some 1/4-20 nuts and bolts with washers, but that's me just being me.
Thanks for the recommendation Buzzforb! I'll be ordering a couple pair of those today. And I doubt that these will be my last speakers that I build. I'm already daydreaming about other designs and different drivers. I've actually been breaking in these speakers and am pretty excited about the results. They sound great even in their little cardboard boxes. Hahaha! I can't wait to see what they become in the cabinets I built for them.
One thing that irks me though. To reach their 1mm of excursion I have to turn the volume up kind of high. Well not high, but mid-volume to get that kind of cone movement. Has anyone else experienced this? Also, on male vocalists they can seem a little harsh at times. Very strange. Maybe I have the wrong amplifier/speaker combo. But other than the vocals, everything else sounds fantastically realistic. Obos, flutes, saxophones, cymbals, drums, acoustic guitars, cellos, etc. They're very nice speakers.
It's hard to be patient while breaking in these speakers. I've broken in many speakers before and haven't had to baby them like these. Obviously for the first 50 hours or so, I wouldn't go ballistic with the volume. But at this rate and the recommended break-in time, it should take me over 100 days due to not having much free time. It's somewhat depressing, especially after reading the Alpair 7 and 12 break-in procedure of only about 150 hours (which is much more doable).
One thing that irks me though. To reach their 1mm of excursion I have to turn the volume up kind of high. Well not high, but mid-volume to get that kind of cone movement. Has anyone else experienced this? Also, on male vocalists they can seem a little harsh at times. Very strange. Maybe I have the wrong amplifier/speaker combo. But other than the vocals, everything else sounds fantastically realistic. Obos, flutes, saxophones, cymbals, drums, acoustic guitars, cellos, etc. They're very nice speakers.
It's hard to be patient while breaking in these speakers. I've broken in many speakers before and haven't had to baby them like these. Obviously for the first 50 hours or so, I wouldn't go ballistic with the volume. But at this rate and the recommended break-in time, it should take me over 100 days due to not having much free time. It's somewhat depressing, especially after reading the Alpair 7 and 12 break-in procedure of only about 150 hours (which is much more doable).
From what i have read, break in is about pushing the speakers as far as you can but not too much. I don,think i got them 200 hours before listening to them.I was just careful of volumes at first. By the time you get your sepaekres finsihed, i would feel comfortable listening to them at reasonable levels. Mark is trying to get the best sonic benefits from the slow process and is probably being over cautious. Tha being said, he knows what he is doing. When you get them in the enclosures, you will be surprised how very little excursion will equal a lot of sound. I have mine hopping around like bunnies now. Jst as a reference, 4mm of excursion is about 1/4". I can have mine at very good levels and not get that much on anything except low end stuff. Most of the excursion is for the low end. That is why the 10.2's have better low end extension than other alpairs.
Yeah I was surprised by how much sound they can produce at low-mid volumes. I was also surprised at the amount and quality of bass, even in these rinky dinky cardboard boxes I have for them. I'm very cautious not to over-do the break-in process.
Listening to these is a whole new musical experience. I'm hearing things I haven't heard before, I'm hearing fullness of instruments and smoothness that I've not thought possible. It's nice to hear a speaker free of filters, XO's, and any and all processing. I'm not sure I'm in love with these speaker, but they are definitely growing on me the more I run them in. I should also note that i'm burning in my amplifier at the same time as the speakers. I just recently had a full restoration done on my Pioneer SA-7800 so that may lend to the slight harshness that I was hearing.
Listening to these is a whole new musical experience. I'm hearing things I haven't heard before, I'm hearing fullness of instruments and smoothness that I've not thought possible. It's nice to hear a speaker free of filters, XO's, and any and all processing. I'm not sure I'm in love with these speaker, but they are definitely growing on me the more I run them in. I should also note that i'm burning in my amplifier at the same time as the speakers. I just recently had a full restoration done on my Pioneer SA-7800 so that may lend to the slight harshness that I was hearing.
Another thing, Buzz, what have you found to be the optimum amount of stuffing and which kind did you use? I plan on using some poly batting from a local arts and crafts store. It's much cheaper per pound than the acoustastuff from PE or any other source I've found online. I'm hoping it'll offer the same results at a lower cost. They also sell loose poly-fill as well. I'm just trying to get a roundabout idea of how much I'll need and what people are using as alternatives.
I built some Firstwatt Aleph J's to drive my 10.2's. There is nothing harsh about the speakers. THey will let you know what is in front of them. THese drivers are capable of a very soft and sweet presentation. Whatever you do, don't look on the amp forums.
I am currently at about a 1lb of stuffing vs the recommended 1.5lb. Normal polyfill from craft store. I will proabably add more. On Jazz and otherinstrumental music, i don't hear a problem, but with rock and orchestral stuff that goes into the lower registers, i get some smearing. It is not much, just a little muddy. My full setup is:
J River -> Diy DAC -> Borberly Balanced Line Stage -> Mono Block Aleph J's.
Started with the amps and added the DAC and Preamp. With each component, the sound improved, adding accuracy, dynamics, depth of soundstage. I have also been experimenting with positioning. I cannot decide whether i like a 9' or 6' of seperation. Doesn't change dynamics but seemed to affect soundstage. I have a cluttered listening room. Moving them away from the wall about 2' made an very significant difference in the depth of the soundstage.
I've noticed the soft and sweet presentation. I've also noticed pinpoint accuracy as to where the instruments and singers are located in the surreal 3D soundstage that they present. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that my amplifier, being that it's basically a brand new piece of equipment may be the reason for a slight harsness. I was told to burn it in for at least 500 hours, but I just couldn't do that. I figured I'd burn the speaker and the amp in at the exact same time, being as that's the only source of amplification I have. Could you imagine burning them in separately? It would take me over a year at my rate. That would be nuts and would litereally kill my musical spirit in agony and anticipation.
I could be wrong, but i think that is what he had listed on the cad drawing. I believed this is what he used in doing his calculations for the design. I will check.
It was 1.59 lbs.
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Thanks for the kind words too.
Probably no benefit except maybe they will run cooler (guessing)... temps are over 30 degrees centigrade where I live. Mark Fenlon has advised us to be careful about the temp of the voice coils also. The Alp 12 boxes are decent sized... now that you mention it,
maybe could've used those nicely. 
No harm in breaking them in together.
the Alpair has sufficient resolution to keep getting better & better thru quite a bit of improvement in the amplifier from where you are now,
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
dave
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