GWN Cornscalas

[bliss53]

Very cool. I may need to build my own set of horns for the next project. Your thread inspires me. It is the sustained effort that is my problem. Nice work.

[Mike Dubay]

Hope to get an invite to listen to your GWN's when they're done! -kevin

. Sure thing Kevin, That is one sweet looking turn table in your avitar. Who makes it?

Mike, that's my JVC TT installed in a plinth I made this summer. I bought another JVC TT that I'm going to build a similar plinth for out of oak to match the Khorns.-kevin

After you do the onesin oak, you should go wild and paint flames on the red one, would go with your vette[]

[Mike Dubay]

Very cool. I may need to build my own set of horns for the next project. Your thread inspires me. It is the sustained effort that is my problem. Nice work.

Thanks Pete. My problem is not the sustained effort, but the time to put the effort forth. Work seems to take up so much more of the day than what I remember in the past. But the end is such a reward when you are done and you know you did the project, that is what drives me.

[Mike Dubay]

I gave some thougt to what would be the final dimensions of the top cab should be. The bass cab was determined to be 25.25 in wide and 24 inches high, 23.5 deep.

I do scale drawings to get a good general impression of what a wood working item is going to look like.

I did scale drawings of bass cabs with horn cabs:

1) 14.4 inchs in height (the golden ratio to the bass bin),

2) what would just fit my squaker and tweeter, 20.5 inches in height.

3) cabs of equal heights (24 inches)

4) A golden ratio with a stand alone tweeter cab measuring 7.5 by 7.5 inches. My squaker horn would have just fit insdie he golden ratio cab.

The "just fits" drawing looked wrong to me, the upper cab just slightly shorter than the bottom. Although the cabs with the separate tweeter looked interesting, I tend to go to more of a less cluttered look to my furniture.

So I ended up going with the cabs of equal heights, drawing 3.

[G.Kennedy]

Hey Mike .... I am going to be finishing my Cornscalas over the winter ... I have my tops done already, I used the same tweeter and an Altec 511B's. I just need to get to the bass bins done ... only hold up is $$

The dimensions you gave for your bins ... is that external dimensions ... based on 3/4 ply ... or is that internal dimensions.

What is the latest figure for internal volume of a Cornscala Bass Bin?? I was just about to start sifting through all the threads ... figure I will start my research here by asking you.

[soundbound]

Great job Mike! I've been wanting another speaker project and this may be it. You have inspired me too. You've done such a great job with your planing, figures, building, explaining, and photos. I hope I can build some off this your thread. I hope you continue to keep posting so we can see them finished and you telling us how they sound. Keep up the great work you're doing. I know you're enjoying building them and all the enjoyment you'll get from listening to them. Thank you.

[Mike Dubay]

"The dimensions you gave for your bins ... is that external dimensions ... based on 3/4 ply ... or is that internal dimensions."

These are external dimensions, based on 3/4 inch ply wood. But there is also and extra 3/4 inch in depth for the recessed grills

"What is the latest figure for internal volume of a Cornscala Bass Bin?? I was just about to start sifting through all the threads ... figure I will start my research here by asking you."

I came up with 6.35 cubic feet, but you have to subtract internal bracing, the woofer volume, and the port from this number.

I followed the link below pretty closely for my bass bin, with some slight adjustments to cab size. I just did not do the attached top bin.

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/storage/4/1071530/cs4.pdf

Cool top hat, it took a surprise infusion of cash to drive this project to the eventual end.

[Mike Dubay]

"I know you're enjoying building them.."

Yes, I enjoy working in my wood working shop. Coupling that with my enjoyment of audio it was a fun project. This project has been nearly 5 months of on again and off again fabrication. Mostly weekends. The was also countless hours spent researching and designing prior to this. There was also time spent waiting for periodic infusions of cash. In the end it dragged a bit which is common for me in a large project. Either I take a break for a week or two, or push hard to finish. The listening expectations where high, so had to push hard and see them to completion.

[kevinmi]

"I know you're enjoying building them.."

Yes, I enjoy working in my wood working shop. Coupling that with my enjoyment of audio it was a fun project. This project has been nearly 5 months of on again and off again fabrication. Mostly weekends. The was also countless hours spent researching and designing prior to this. There was also time spent waiting for periodic infusions of cash. In the end it dragged a bit which is common for me in a large project. Either I take a break for a week or two, or push hard to finish. The listening expectations where high, so had to push hard and see them to completion.

Just knowing you built them yourself will make the sound coming from them all that much sweeter, I'm sure! --Kevin

[bliss53]

I can vouch for the pride of ownership thing. My friends tell me they are great but they probably don't want to hurt my feelings. I like them anyways (friends and speakers). Ignorance is bliss.

[Mike Dubay]

. ... Ignorance is bliss...

I was just fine and very sane, but Kevin from Flint had me listen to his K-horns with Mac amplification. AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!! At least I now have a very high bar to attain and some thing to become complusive about.

[kevinmi]

. ... Ignorance is bliss...

I was just fine and very sane, but Kevin from Flint had me listen to his K-horns with Mac amplification. AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!! At least I now have a very high bar to attain and some thing to become complusive about.

Just wait 'till you come back to Flint and hear the newly renovated Khorns! I can't keep myself out of the basement!--Kevin

[Mike Dubay]

. ... Ignorance is bliss...

I was just fine and very sane, but Kevin from Flint had me listen to his K-horns with Mac amplification. AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!! At least I now have a very high bar to attain and some thing to become complusive about.

Just wait 'till you come back to Flint and hear the newly renovated Khorns! I can't keep myself out of the basement!--Kevin

I take it that the wood horn lens turned out well?

[kevinmi]

I take it that the wood horn lens turned out well?

The wood horn turned out very good, but now I've got a larger horn drawn out, like 9X27 inches, 23 inches deep, for a 1 inch driver. 3:1 ratio, just for kicks. It should fit width wise on the bass bins, but will be taller than stock. We will see.....-kevin

[kevinmi]

I would like to find some 2" compression drivers that go down to 300hz and cross them over at 350, but so far I've only found some that are about $500.00 and that's just too much to pay. Keep your eyes open for me if you happen to run across any reasonable drivers. Also let me know how your $35.00 drivers sound. I'll bring my K-55-V's with me if you want to do a comparison when your project is done. -Kevin

[jhoak]

I too am VERY curious to hear how the Selenium drivers sound compared to to K-55s.

[Mike Dubay]

A final over all drawing. Two equal cabinets, plus a small stand on the bottom. The stand and the cabs will be separated by a blacked out 3/4 inch band. It will give the illusion of the cabs floating on each other in low light conditions.

[Mike Dubay]

Next decision was materials of construction, came down to two choices: Birch Veneered Plywood or Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)

This was a tougher decision than I though.

On the plus side for Birch veneer plywood: Much of the heritage Klipsch is make of Birch Plywood,WWKD. Some of the other positives with Birch Ply is that you can use the Birch as is for the final treatment, just stain and finish. Birch Ply is also much lighter than MDF.

The down side of Birch Ply is that the looks of Birch is not that exciting. And it is difficult to complete a birch project with out damaging the birch veneer on the plywood. If you finish birch plywood as is, you also get the end laminations showing. Done right this can look nice.

The only way I would see Birch veneer plywood being cheaper is to pait the project. I want a wood finish, so the lower cost of MDF is off set by having to veneer the project. So costs are a wash.

[Mike Dubay]

The second option is MDF.

The pluses of MDF is the density, I believe it is 3x as dense as plywoods. MDF can be assembled more easily than plywood. MDF is 'screwed and glued", counter sinked screws act as clamps join two boards that have been glued together. So no clamps. The counter sunk screws are then filled in and sanded flush. Veneering MDF opens up many choices in the many type of hard wood laminte. I believe this looks much nicer than birch veneer plywood.

The negavtive is MDF is the mass, it is very heavy. This is going to be a large project, and using MDF will greatly increase the weight.

Below is project consisting of MDF with an Oak veneer.

[Mike Dubay]

A third option I did not consider long is the low cost finish, felt on MDF. I though it would look too industrial.

In the end function ended up playing a major role in my decision. I have done several project in both Birch veneer plywood, and MDF. I have formed an opinion that MDF tends to be a much more solid material to build speakers out of. The MDF is a deader material less prone to vibration. Others might have better luck with plywood that I. Just my opinion.

Thus, oak veneer on MDF.

The fronts of the speakers will be blacked out, so only the top of the top cabs and the cabs side will be veneered. So I went with two sheets of flat cut red oak from veneersupplies.com, and a 250 foot rool of iron on red oak edge banding .

At this point a week long family vacation came up. I used this time to do detail line drawings of the cabs to flush out the design. Drawings to come.