Building process - The loudspeaker 1

Exciting to see that you are doing.

Have you heard the Vox Olympians?
(Sorry if you've answered already - I've not read all 11 pages).
Many say best speaker they've heard at shows.
Personally I'd go for a straight mid bass horn rather than the slanting folded.
The use of Vitavox drivers in the mix has huge allure.
I just can't get that fired up about tall monoliths with lots of passive radiating drivers.
On the occasions I've heard the big them they have been loud and bold but lacking charm and detail (for me anyway).
Hello speedysteve7! thanks for writing!

I have heard the vox on some occasions and the smaller (cheaper-haha) version as well. Grand, effortless, a real sense of space and occasion. Truly magnificent speaker
 
  • Like
Reactions: Speedysteve7
Hi everybody 🙂

I take no offence at anything 😀
Many decades ago I almost bought a car in that sort of metallic icy green colour. But the dealer wouldn't budge on price.
For me the whole package just works. A large imposing speaker that has been softened by a colour I like.
We are all individuals (Monty Python group voice - yes, were all individuals) and like different things.
Life would really suck so hard if we all wore the same clothes, drove the same cars etc etc 😀
 
Hi
I am loving this thread. it looks like a lot of fun.
I’m going to build a set of the TL-2.
One of my speakers sits on the side of the fireplace and has a door/opening behind it and an Archway to the right. The speaker I have in the spot nous a smallish florist stander. I have a very strong feeling, when I build this speaker, it’s going to force my system into the basement, ha ha. I would love to reduce the mass like you are. My question is, what is that reduction in mass/volume going to do to the base?
 

Attachments

  • E2AD4E8A-806E-4500-8C54-7FF473812816.jpeg
    E2AD4E8A-806E-4500-8C54-7FF473812816.jpeg
    407.5 KB · Views: 208
  • 159DE3A3-D667-4AF2-A22F-4276D42675C2.jpeg
    159DE3A3-D667-4AF2-A22F-4276D42675C2.jpeg
    403.2 KB · Views: 227
  • AB17C672-E602-444C-9F55-EB74D5015445.jpeg
    AB17C672-E602-444C-9F55-EB74D5015445.jpeg
    345.8 KB · Views: 212
Would you like to see some beautiful speakers. In the second shot you will see the case work I had to build to hide them, so I could keep them
Altec lancing voice of the theater A7. 15 inch woofer 24 inch horn
 

Attachments

  • BD547BE4-992B-488A-B9E4-279D083AD8BD.jpeg
    BD547BE4-992B-488A-B9E4-279D083AD8BD.jpeg
    413.1 KB · Views: 207
  • 535C4C41-877D-4201-A170-BCD9754AC752.jpeg
    535C4C41-877D-4201-A170-BCD9754AC752.jpeg
    429.2 KB · Views: 199
  • Like
Reactions: BP1Fanatic
Hi
I am loving this thread. it looks like a lot of fun.
I’m going to build a set of the TL-2.
One of my speakers sits on the side of the fireplace and has a door/opening behind it and an Archway to the right. The speaker I have in the spot nous a smallish florist stander. I have a very strong feeling, when I build this speaker, it’s going to force my system into the basement, ha ha. I would love to reduce the mass like you are. My question is, what is that reduction in mass/volume going to do to the base?
Hello Drjimwillie, thanks for writing and for the photos. looking good!

About the TL2. I have not reduced Bass volume. I have just modified the cabinet and made it deeper. A lot Deeper! as in supercalifragilisticexpialidocious 700mm deep. Who needs place for other stuff anyway?!!?
Capture1.JPG
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zvu
Hmmmm
Thank you for that information.
I wonder what I can do, if I should do anything.
I’d like to find a way for it to work better in that doorway. (more specifically, those two doorways). Tapering it and making it deeper might work?
I’ll have to sketch it out and lay it out on the floor.
But, of course I don’t want to reduce any of its goodness. Or should I say bombastic-ness
 
Hi - I have some newbie speaker building questions, please

I am in the US and I am only able to find Birch ply in 3/4” & 1/2” sheets.
I am going to buy the kit from Troels and I assume that I will get the plans with it.
Is it acceptable to build the case with 3/4” Birch plywood? Is the internal bracing 1/2” or 3/4”?
Should I glue up a couple of sheets to make the face thicker? I called my local building centers and they cannot get high density fiberboard.
If the case needs to be thicker than 3/4, can I use sound deadening material, like they do in cars?
I used to build radio studios, we built a hip-hop studio, because of the bass we put lead sheet between the layers of sheet rock.

for the internal bracing, do they route channels or use biscuits, or does it not need to be that exact?
 
I am in the US and I am only able to find Birch ply in 3/4” & 1/2” sheets.
Those are standard sizes world wide. Outside of the US, 3/4 inch sheet material is sold as either 18mm or 19mm. 1/2 inch is sold as 12mm.

Should I glue up a couple of sheets to make the face thicker? I called my local building centers and they cannot get high density fiberboard.

Yes, this is a good way to make thicker wall material.

j.
 
Hi - I have some newbie speaker building questions, please

I am in the US and I am only able to find Birch ply in 3/4” & 1/2” sheets.
I am going to buy the kit from Troels and I assume that I will get the plans with it.
Is it acceptable to build the case with 3/4” Birch plywood? Is the internal bracing 1/2” or 3/4”?
Should I glue up a couple of sheets to make the face thicker? I called my local building centers and they cannot get high density fiberboard.
If the case needs to be thicker than 3/4, can I use sound deadening material, like they do in cars?
I used to build radio studios, we built a hip-hop studio, because of the bass we put lead sheet between the layers of sheet rock.

for the internal bracing, do they route channels or use biscuits, or does it not need to be that exact?
As for now my Favorit material for loudspeaker building is: Beech plywood and tank wood.
if I would rate materials from great to awful, it would look as follow:

-Tank wood is the definite king. Although expensive as hell and will make your tools weep.

- Beech Plywood- this is what tank wood is made of (with a few tons of pressure and Harz)
Beech plywood is stronger the Birch plywood, heavier, and cost (in Germany) 1.5 times more then the Birch.

-Birch Plywood- this is what Troels is using. Great material, strong and much more durable then say, mdf. Not as durable as the materials mentions above. affordable thou.

-MDF- not my Favorit cup of tea. Cheap and easy to work with but week… to really appreciate how week mdf is, you need to hold in your hand the equivalent in tank wood. Then you’ll really get it 😉

honorable mention is the HPL or “Vollkern” (auf Deutsch). this is what Wilson’s audio are using as X or M material. horrible to work with but very very tough.


Try to use 30mm of material thickness if you can. Especially with the Tl1-Tl2. If this speaker can move houses what would it do to a cabinet made of vibrant material as 19mm ply?
I have used 30mm of beech ply and I regret not going for 40mm.
Braces are very important as well. 19mm is minimum ( in my book) I would never consider using 12mm, I will be afraid it will act as a panel absorber, starting to vibrate in harmony with lower notes.

Use biscuits extensively. it will firm things up and keep everything in line.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Quaesitor300
Nice to see your progress! I have used my Hypex-active TL2/3 hybrids for some 150-200hours or so and they still sounds better and better.
Im not ready with the finnish on them, I fix that later. Just had to try them first.

I just wanted to cheer you up by saying that these speakers are truly amazing. They play super super unsteressed and realistic. Now after some work with placement, filters and EQ I start to get good soundtage from them. And on top of this they play insanely loud without hesitation. The attack and quickness in the bass and midbass is something I havnt heard before in any of my ~75 speakersbuilds. They seems to like the over 2000 watts per speaker I give them.🙂
 

Attachments

  • TL23 Test.jpg
    TL23 Test.jpg
    239.9 KB · Views: 257
About material.. In most of the speaker I used 16mm MDF glued with 16mm Valcromat (very good material BTW) and that seems like good enough. Super stiff and doesnt flex much at all even at full "throttle". Ofcourse use much internal stiffening.
TheoSweden, cool that you wrote!
thanks for the encouragement, I do need it… since I’m in the very boring episode of covering all panels with HPL. Time consuming and boring.
your speakers do look like they can bring the roof down. And that’s alone is an encouragement for me 🙂
i am not familiar with Valcromat, I’ll look it up
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheoSweden
A friend of mine just built the TL-1. I asked him what material he used, he told me 40mm baltic Birch, throughout.
When I do my conversion millimeters to inches, that is 1 1/2”!
What are your thoughts on this?

He is extremely busy so I did not ask him very many questions.
I do not know if the 40mm came as one piece? For me to get material that is 1-1/2” thick, I would have to glue up two sheets of 3/4”.

Do you have any advice for gluing together (2) 4’ X 8’ sheets?
My concern is keeping a factory edge, to use as a reference, for my first cuts, to run along the fence, to keep things square. (I would probably build the exterior case out of this)

I am just about to do a project where I will be using 3/4” & 1/2” birch plywood sheets. I was thinking I could use scrap to glue up, to use for the internal stiffeners. Most likely, I would use a full sheet and puzzle the scrap to it to get the material I would use?? What do you think about that.

Depending on what I do the stiffeners would be either 1 1/2 or 1 1/4 or 1”, or I could just use 3/4”?? Would there be much of a difference using any of these?
Thank you
William
 
Depending on what I do the stiffeners would be either 1 1/2 or 1 1/4 or 1”, or I could just use 3/4”?? Would there be much of a difference using any of these?
Thank you
William
Hello William

40mm seems sensible to me. Here in Germany, one can order up to 50mm in thickness, but that would be just insane.
Gluing two sheets of 19mm without a proper press machine is really not recommend and will involve way too much work. If you're tending to double only the front that's OK.... but the entire speaker?! Probably would be easier to find a wood shop that has those thickness. Or, talk to a carpenter near where you live, maybe he has contacts you are unfamiliar with.

Using 19mm for the matrix is fine. Just make sure it's well placed.
 
I have been busy.
I have been drawing up the speakers. So far, the thickest material I can find is 1 inch birch ply. So I have the case and the internal dividers made from 1 inch.
I have drawn the face at 1-1/2”, but I have not been able to source that material yet.
I may have to glue up the two fronts. I will have all three thicknesses on hand. Is there value in making the front 2 inches? What difference if I make it 1-1/2” or 1-3/4”?
I saw someone mention they used a sound deadening acrylic to glue up their plywood. What would you suggest I use as the glue?
Thinking through the process, I guess, I would cut the front panels a bit bigger before glue up, so after it dries I can run all four edges through the tablesaw. Does that sound correct?

I am wondering about finishing the opening for the horn. The pictures show three circles, the center one is larger and the two on the outside are slightly smaller. After I cut those three circles, do a round over the outside, to make the outside just a bit bigger?

FYI - I started with the dimensions on the website but I ended up having to adjust the height of the horizontal bracing, so that I did not have a conflict.
 

Attachments

  • 55638D9B-44AF-471D-9BD0-D143136D44F0.jpeg
    55638D9B-44AF-471D-9BD0-D143136D44F0.jpeg
    493.7 KB · Views: 124
That looks so awesome!
I love the cyclops eye sticking off the top, ha ha.
I can’t wait to see how you’re going to frame the arched speaker grill?
Are you worried about the fabric staying flat on that arch?
Yessss... I am positive it's going to be awesome in all respects 🙏

I have inlayed magnets to attach the grill... and will probably use what magico use to keep the cloth oval-shaped.
20220314_194629.jpg

look ma no hands!
magico-a3_grill.jpg
 
I have been busy.
I have been drawing up the speakers. So far, the thickest material I can find is 1 inch birch ply. So I have the case and the internal dividers made from 1 inch.
I have drawn the face at 1-1/2”, but I have not been able to source that material yet.
I may have to glue up the two fronts. I will have all three thicknesses on hand. Is there value in making the front 2 inches? What difference if I make it 1-1/2” or 1-3/4”?
I don't see any value in going thicker then 1-1/2". It's not worth the trouble
I saw someone mention they used a sound deadening acrylic to glue up their plywood. What would you suggest I use as the glue?
I have no experience with that
Thinking through the process, I guess, I would cut the front panels a bit bigger before glue up, so after it dries I can run all four edges through the tablesaw. Does that sound correct?
Exactly! That's how we do it.
I am wondering about finishing the opening for the horn. The pictures show three circles, the center one is larger and the two on the outside are slightly smaller. After I cut those three circles, do a round over the outside, to make the outside just a bit bigger?
Yes, Troels went tight. And then routed the edges to fit the horn.
FYI - I started with the dimensions on the website but I ended up having to adjust the height of the horizontal bracing, so that I did not have a conflict.
Looking good 👍