justinsweber

Here are my pics for the Firstwatt F6. AMAZING sounding... the schematic was wrong... killed 4 Jfets as a result but whois counting. The Kit for DIYaudio is no for the faint of heart but it is workable. I would not recommend there chassis... buy it elsewhere. That said, its the very best sounding SS amp Ive heard, followed by the Pass XA30 and the MC252.

SOLD

Mid horn is a custom unit from fastlane audio. It has an elliptical cutout. Dave cuts the baffles for me to match. The seams are all bondo'd... the magic is the finishing. Ive used the same guys for 10+ years, he does all the boxes for our amps. Thanks for the kind words. Ive done the finishing... sanding, pre-cat Lacquer and a HVLP are the tools :-).

I had a bit of an epiphany today. I was still tuning the speakers... the HF was killing me still. I then touched the cab and realized that the 2 back braces were recessed 1/16". I had designed this, such that they would get 1/16" cork. I went and cut multiple strips 2" wide and glued them into place. I cut the holes for the bolt out and bolted everything in. I also included 1" black oxide washers to all 12 1/4-20 bolts. The Squawker is set for 15, -1=14db padding. The sound is fantastic... not fiddling... its done. God does tuning and the little details matter.

I tried my Firstwatt F6 with my new speakers... AMAZING combo. This has replaced my MA2275 for a bit. I didn't miss it either and thats saying something.

I built the blue 2ways as the replacement. The are 30% smaller which make my wife happier. I still own 2 other pair... 1 in black lacquer which is my reference. The combo has become my default for the best sound I can make, but its took large for the wife taste in the living room and I need to respect that fact :-). I built the blue 2ways as the replacement. The are 30% smaller which make my wife happier. I still own 2 other pair... 1 in black lacquer which is my reference. The combo has become my default for the best sound I can make, but its took large for the wife taste in the living room and I need to respect that fact :-).

Cornscala 3 way horn speaker system. Selling off my newly built Klipsch style Cornscala's which are models after the famous Cornwalls and built by yours truly. For those who don't know a Cornscala utilizes the best parts of a Klipsch Cornwall and a La Scala together.
 Veneer is Rosewood with a satin lacquer finish. Mortarboard and back panel are in Black satin lacquer. Gorgeous on the eyes.Cabinetry is done with Baltic birch and utilizes biscuits and additional bracing for strength, reduce distortion and resonance. Grills included and utilize stock Klipsch cloth for the classic look. Utilizing a massive direct radiating 15" woofer for bass. This is the same woofer use in the Klipsch 904 and in the Cinema line. The woofer's weight rests on its shoulder and not its face to increase rigidity and minimize basket flex. The additional double motor board around the woofer provides isolation and the rigidity needed for truly chest thumping bass.

Midrange horn is sourced from fastlane audio Eliptrac 400 with Fc@ 350 and being crossed @ 450hz. Midrange driver is the famous BMS 4592 Mid with Neodymium magnets, Polyester Diaphragm material and incredible 300hz crossover. The Tweeter is fastlaneaudio eliptrac paired with B&C DE-10 Mylar diaphragm crossed and 5800hz will outside of the range of the human voice. 
Crossovers are ALK CSW-450 which is a custom licensed crossover, combining the AP12-450 and the cornscalawal high frequency section. This is a significant improvement over a stock cornscalawal as it proved a 12db 2nd order crossover on the bass thus providing tighter and faster bass response. Frequency response from 34hz to 20Khz -3db. The Cornscalas are 98db efficient means that you can play with authority room filling music with 1 watt. I can demo with 1watt single ended tube amps to 107watts and youll see they sine with both. All internal wiring is silver plated teflon. This is master piece of a project and far more than the sum of its parts.Specs:
Cabinet: 34"H x 24" W x 16" D
Weight: 145lbs/per cabinet
Quoted Frequency Response: 34Hz - 20Khz -3db, 98db
Sensitivity: 99db 1W/1m, 200 watts/maximum power handlingWilling to ship via road freight. Extensive experience transporting via road freight, reasonable pricing. Justin 323-868-9722 Justin 323-88-9722

Bump

I know Dave is still involved but less publicly. The eltracs as a finished horn are very labor intensive. Dave is one of the smartest members I’ve meet online and we’ve become friends over the years. The culture of the forums had shifted over the years to being less open to the cottage industry. I can only assume that there were multiple factors influeencing his decision.

Time allignment is generally handled with steep crossover slopes. I am only using a 12db so I can't test to that here. One of my fav sounds was a AP12-500, ES5800 combo. Full bass and great imaging. What I find so curious about this pair is just how deep and present the bass is. The 15C really is a wonder.

I tried mini DSP many moons ago with active subs... turning on a linear power supply for the DSPs, then the subs... way too much effort and constantly fiddling. Passives are not perfect but once set they are done. Room correction is a similar trap. Fantastic possibilities, but there is always the desire to mess with it. Additionally, I find that DSPs, and room correction can suck the life form the music. I can accept less perfect sound, but not lifeless sound. That said, I realize its a choice for others.

A utterly profound hatred of DSP. I like my crossovers passive ;-).

Bought the PCB many many moons ago. Decided to finally make use and was blown away with the results. (1:37 or 18:1) Perfect for a DL103 Gain ratio is 1:37 or 1:18.5. The DL103 likes 1:18 through 1:1:24. Simply pair with your MM phone and have the best MC setup possible. (SUT into MM). Utilizes Parks Audio DIY PCB and Cinemag 3440APC transformers. Case and wire is shielded $220 shipped

Did some extended listening after some napkin math... Turned the mids to -13 (15, -2). Muchhhhhhhhhhh better. I can't say it beats my Eliptracs with the BMS 4592 but darn close.

Its a 2way. It would tamp down the mid too. I do plan to ask Al his thoughts. Im loving it, but needs a treble turned down :-).

So, she is all buttoned up and voiced. Ill need to swap out one cable inside on the HF but other than that, she is good to go. A few take aways... man did I ever go over the top on fasteners... No crews... all bolts... not cheap but works. The back panel maybe have. tad too many. This is the 1st time crossing so high @ 800hz. its a 2nd order AP12-800. The bass is unreal... pounds even more than more other efforts and in a smaller package too. Think sub is being used but no sub. The HF is a tad hot. I have it set at -11db. Trying -10db was way too hot and -12bd seem vailed and the horn behind the LF. Now at -11db, its hot, but with the use of tone controls to pull the treble down Im set. In a lot of ways, Id say the voicing is more familiar to a JBL to the modified klipsch we've all known. I know I could have crossed lower given what the driver could do but the horn seems to prefer an 800hz crossover point. I wish I could A/B then and hear. Getting everting buttoned up and wired in place, Im not sure Id mess with testing as everyone is pinned down so well. I put the blue speakers in the corners to replace my stock sized rosewood cornscalas. The wife is happy with the color, size and sound, so I have a winner.

The eliptrac is the clear winner. I love the HF140 but hate that its 1.4". There are so many good 2" drivers. The eliptrac provides access to them and sounds great... no ringing ect. The Faital is a tour de force... esp when paired with the HF140. Im winning about my lost .6" but you get the idea. If offered a Faital horn and driver combo... I wouldnt pass it up but to make it look right you need a CNC or be a better wood worker than I. The Eliptrac is a rectangle and easy to cut. From a sonic stand point I give the Eliptrac a solid 94 out of 100. If I didn't have to install it... 97/100. The Faital is a 87/100... if not having to install. 93/100... Better than any other stock horn Ive heard... Big JBLs included.

Heres my progress. Had finishing nearly done, but had to weight for touchups. I think I spent as much on fasteners as wood. This one was built for the family and god a lot of love and extra details... painting most of the inside and extra bracing. We went with a med blue as its the family speaker... very unlikely Ill ever find someone who wants in blue and as such its safe form sale. Horns woofers are in. Horns are nuts, washers and bolts. Woofers are thread-certs that were glued into place. Woofers are 1/4-20 Dave added a backing for the woofer for rigidity. The mounting flange is 1-1/4" a result and the from is recessed. All in all Im really liking... the size and color makes me feel like its a JBL rather than a cornscala. Tomorrow will be installing crossover, buttoning it up and tuning.

They sound amazing. The B&C mid range is worth its weight.

That works. I’ve knocked out old motor board with a block of wood and a hammer. Buy the motor board and reglue in. Maybe even drill some kreg screws in.

Ive had CS1s they sound fantastic. I think it a worthwhile build for sure. Use Bobs 12" or the eminence 12LFA.

VPI cliffwood? Pioneer PLX1000 Both incredible choices.

I love the sound of the ASD1001B. The DE10 is about all the driver I need for HF. Really amazing work. The end user to chrome or anodize... I want a set too :-)

Crossover is an ALK design. Its like his AP12-500 but with a 800hz crossover point. The Faital Horn recommends a 800hz crossover point even though the driver can go to 400hz with ease. Cabinet is cabinet grade ply... nothing really special, lots of glue and bracing. Dave of fastlane cut the baffles for me. They are MDF but have a 3/4" ply brace that glues in to support the woofer. As a result the whole front baffle is flat. Ill get more pics soon. The cabs are in finishing currently.

Wife decided on a dark sky blue... will have Dunn Edwards mix it up as a pre-cat Lacquer. Black Baffle, Back rear, Black Riser and Black grill. The body will dark sky blue... should be a wonderful look. The riser is a simple but lovely pice, edges are cut at 45" and then edge banded and lacquered. Ill be fastening it with 6 bolts and the cab will have 1/4-20 thread-certs. The grill is having plastic pegs used. Im glueing in 20gage 2" circles to make sure they never poke through the baffle... the whole thing is over kill but it my project this year... that and the Pass F6.