eico charlie Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Anyone wishing to to have solid hardwood speaker cabinets manufactured send me an email. I have been in the woodworking biz for almost 30 years. Recently, I rebuilt klipsch heresy speakers in solid african mahogany. I am currently working on a new line of production studio monitors for someone here in NJ. His site is http://www.powerhouseavi.com/ Say goodbye to particleboard cabinets and rebuild those vintage classics. Solid wood actually does sound better. Photos and price quotes are available upon request. Thanks for your time, Charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Those are elegant looking Heresy cabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Very Nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Reed Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Those are very cool. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Something as beautiful as this deserves to be on the front page! Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Solid wood isn't as good as plywood for speaker cabinets. It tends to split and warp over time. Look at old or antique furniture. Look at Kitchen cabinet raised panel doors, they arn't perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooteedee Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Q-man is right. Plywood is better for strength and longevity. Eventually you'll have to refinish them. Probably in 2085 or so. But by then you shouldn't try to refinish them. Have you ever seen what happens to people on Antiques Roadshow when they admit that they've re-finished an old antique armoire or something??? They're crucified. PS: Would Klipsch have made their speakers out of solid wood...had they had unlimited funds to manufacture them that way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eico charlie Posted December 28, 2004 Author Share Posted December 28, 2004 It would be nearly impossible for a major speaker manufacturer to build cabinets from solid wood in large runs. Solid wood will expand and contract with humidity. Special care in designing cabinets and furniture work with the wood's movement. As long as the wood is not locked and allowed to move with the seasons, it will last a lifetime. The new finishes also seal the wood much better than in the past. The face of this speaker fits into a groove around the perimeter and is not glued. A polyurethane sealant is applied to allow for expansion/contraction and to keep it vibration free. Particleboard will absorb more moisture than solid wood as many of us have seen when it swells like a sponge. It does keep the cost down tremendously for labor and material. I'm not surprised that speaker companies talk highly of particleboard and MDF. It's in their best intrest. This Heresy is stretched to 15 wide by 25 high by 14 deep. Wood is 7/8 thick Ribbon Cut African Mahogany. Mahogany is a "tone wood". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olorin Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 How do you satisfy the conflicting needs for the wood to have freedom of movement while the woofer requires an airtight enclosure? Since the Heresy is an acoustic suspension design, how is the bass response affected by changing the dimensions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eico charlie Posted December 28, 2004 Author Share Posted December 28, 2004 ---------------- On 12/28/2004 1:40:24 PM Olorin wrote: How do you satisfy the conflicting needs for the wood to have freedom of movement while the woofer requires an airtight enclosure? Since the Heresy is an acoustic suspension design, how is the bass response affected by changing the dimensions? ---------------- The face is sealed from the backside with the polyurethane chauk sealant so it's more than air tight. It is an outstanding product. The back panel has a gasket of foam on a shouldered edge. The back panel screws compress the back to the foam to make it air tight. The original ply boxes had no foam in them so I added some. I had too much bass at first, so I removed most of the foam. I use an Eico ST-70 tube amp with the Heresy's. The 7591 output tubes produce a very tight bass response. I'm not at all a fan of "rumble" when it comes to bass. I'm not an audiophile by any means. I'm getting a little help from the audio engineer that I'm now manufacturing speakers for. www.powerhouseavi.com is his site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popbumper Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 These are truly wonderful enclosures, but I would assume "costly" (depending on one's own personal view of costly). Can I get a round figure for that Heresy example? I would assume cost encompasses wood type, amount, and labor, of course. Popbumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popbumper Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Er....after looking at the powerhouse web site, I guess I really don't want to know what the price of a solid wood enclosure would be. Nice product, nonetheless, best wishes on your venture. Popbumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eico charlie Posted December 28, 2004 Author Share Posted December 28, 2004 ---------------- On 12/28/2004 4:05:18 PM popbumper wrote: These are truly wonderful enclosures, but I would assume "costly" (depending on one's own personal view of costly). Can I get a round figure for that Heresy example? I would assume cost encompasses wood type, amount, and labor, of course. Popbumper ---------------- Around 1000 for a pair as shown in mahogany. Could do better with multiple pairs either heresy's or cornwalls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 wow, five large. Did anybody mention to this guy that we're a bunch cheapskates that hang around here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 I would not go much bigger than that on the enclosure size using solid wood. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eico charlie Posted December 28, 2004 Author Share Posted December 28, 2004 ---------------- On 12/28/2004 6:00:38 PM Tom Mobley wrote: wow, five large. Did anybody mention to this guy that we're a bunch cheapskates that hang around here? ---------------- The speakers on the powerhouse web site are not mine. I am only the manufacturer of the cabinets. He is obviously targeting the professional market. The heresy's can be made for 1000 or less (volume) a pair as shown. Cornwalls also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Absolutely stunning. You have a right to be proud. FWIW MDF and cabinet grade plywood like the void free grades of Baltic Birch are acoustically better. They are denser and less prone to annoying resonances. That said, if you don't hear any problems, then it is not an issue. And if you think they sound better, even better. Likewise, good cabinet grade plywood is much more stable than solid wood. That is why plywood was invented by the French long ago. Cabinet makers had problems with expensive funiture being affected by changes in humidity and temperature. In today's air conditioned, heated, humidity control household and business environments, however, it probably doesn't make that much of a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 eico charlie so your from nj? I'm from Bayonne. I see your from colts neck by your profile. That a great place to live! Goto Delicious Orchards alot? I have a question where do you find lumber of that quality and grade? I been looking all over for a great lumber and veneer store that sells hard to find and exotic woods around new jersey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eico charlie Posted December 29, 2004 Author Share Posted December 29, 2004 I'm not sure where you can get that kind of exotic lumber around bayonne but you can try this site if you feel like taking a road trip. http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/index.html I get my more or less standard lumber at rex hardwoods in englishtown but they are wholesale. Not many exotics there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 29, 2004 Share Posted December 29, 2004 ---------------- On 12/29/2004 9:15:34 AM eico charlie wrote: I'm not sure where you can get that kind of exotic lumber around bayonne but you can try this site if you feel like taking a road trip. http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/index.html I get my more or less standard lumber at rex hardwoods in englishtown but they are wholesale. Not many exotics there. ---------------- great site thanks, I should visit there one day. And did you get the african mohagany from red hardwoods from that pic you supplied? Hey if it is not pine/maple/oak its not offered in home depot/lowes BTW englishtown is quite far too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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