Grill Material for Stan White "Curled" Horn Reproduction
Hello Everyone!
I am new to this forum but have been interested in DIY for awhile now. I have been a professional woodworker and cabinetmaker for about fifteen years and have recently finished producing two reproductions of a Stan White Opus I "curled, multi-flare" (his words, not mine) horn two way speaker. I used Morel drivers and a bathtub type Sprague 2.0uF military spec capacitor as a crossover (just like the original). I am no expert, buy the bass response is unlike anything I have heard.
I regularly shake the suspended ceiling with only 30 S/S and 15 tube watts per channel and it sounds and feels great and doesn't thump like some subwoofers I have heard.
I know that some of the claims that Stan White made over the years can be a little condescending and sort of "out there" but his patented modification to an exponential horn provided a separate chamber with a large "mouth" ahead of the woofer. He also used linoleum tiles in the original that removed any right angles in the folded part of the horn and smoothed transmission of the sound waves (probably why he called it "curled").
The construction wasn't too bad but experience is a must. There are many parts of the cabinet that need to be worked out ahead of time with atypical machining and joinery. The original used solid core plywood for the top and sides and 1/2" and 3/4" ply for the horn and back and bottom. Working in a cabinet shop does have some distinct advantages--I was able to use solid mahogany for the top, sides, back, and bottom. I used extremely stable Baltic Birch ply for the horn and solid wood everywhere else (including 1/2" maple where the drivers attach). I ended up covering the speakers with Redwood Burl veneer. To replace the linoleum in the curled part of the horn, I used a non-porous, fabric backed, 1/8" piece of laboratory work surface material. It "rolls" around the tight corners well and stays in place without cracking like the linoleum.
Anyway, I hope I am not boring anyone. My question for anyone out there is: What is the best material for grills? The original used 1/4" plywood with a cotton loosely weaved material. I replicated the dadoes from the original so I will probably use 1/4" ply. I was told to use synthetic but I want to stay authentic (rhyme unintended). Thanks in advance for any help. My camera doesn't go low enough to get a picture that will fit. If anyone is interested you can ask me for a few good pictures that I have taken.
--Rlabomb
Hello Everyone!
I am new to this forum but have been interested in DIY for awhile now. I have been a professional woodworker and cabinetmaker for about fifteen years and have recently finished producing two reproductions of a Stan White Opus I "curled, multi-flare" (his words, not mine) horn two way speaker. I used Morel drivers and a bathtub type Sprague 2.0uF military spec capacitor as a crossover (just like the original). I am no expert, buy the bass response is unlike anything I have heard.
I regularly shake the suspended ceiling with only 30 S/S and 15 tube watts per channel and it sounds and feels great and doesn't thump like some subwoofers I have heard.
I know that some of the claims that Stan White made over the years can be a little condescending and sort of "out there" but his patented modification to an exponential horn provided a separate chamber with a large "mouth" ahead of the woofer. He also used linoleum tiles in the original that removed any right angles in the folded part of the horn and smoothed transmission of the sound waves (probably why he called it "curled").
The construction wasn't too bad but experience is a must. There are many parts of the cabinet that need to be worked out ahead of time with atypical machining and joinery. The original used solid core plywood for the top and sides and 1/2" and 3/4" ply for the horn and back and bottom. Working in a cabinet shop does have some distinct advantages--I was able to use solid mahogany for the top, sides, back, and bottom. I used extremely stable Baltic Birch ply for the horn and solid wood everywhere else (including 1/2" maple where the drivers attach). I ended up covering the speakers with Redwood Burl veneer. To replace the linoleum in the curled part of the horn, I used a non-porous, fabric backed, 1/8" piece of laboratory work surface material. It "rolls" around the tight corners well and stays in place without cracking like the linoleum.
Anyway, I hope I am not boring anyone. My question for anyone out there is: What is the best material for grills? The original used 1/4" plywood with a cotton loosely weaved material. I replicated the dadoes from the original so I will probably use 1/4" ply. I was told to use synthetic but I want to stay authentic (rhyme unintended). Thanks in advance for any help. My camera doesn't go low enough to get a picture that will fit. If anyone is interested you can ask me for a few good pictures that I have taken.
--Rlabomb