I finally decided to part ways with some cash and attempt a speaker build. The kit I decided on the X-LS Encore from GR-Research : http://gr-research.com/x-lsencorekit.aspx
If you want to check it out, please note that the mobile version of the site is broken - can only see details in the full version of the site. The kit doesn't include boxes, you have to build that yourself, but it makes the shipping cheaper compared to a parts-express order which includes boxes, as the MDF is heavy. All in all, the time from placing the order till getting the kit (via UPS Express) was ten days. Everything arrived undamaged and I was impressed with the packing.
The speaker build requires 3/4 inch MDF. That's around 19mm. Local MDF is easy to find in 16mm and 22mm, but struggled to get 18. Finally approached someone I know who builds kitchen cabinets and he was friendly enough to help me get an 18mm board and to cut it for me into the required sizes. He also CNC'ed the holes, but due to the relatively small size of the cabinet, there was a slight problem with one of the holes as the board moved slightly, but small enough to still make it work, I hope.
So far I've started to glue the carcass. Need to make sure the speakers fit in all the holes, then add the rear and front baffle, apply a finish, install damping, build the cross-overs and install drivers and components in place.
I've looked at a couple of paint options. There's some really nice stuff out there, but I would prefer something like a real wood veneer. I understand that can get tricky to apply, but I'd like to try. The problem is finding a place that actually sells wood veneer. I thought that would be easy, but it certainly isn't. Builders, Leroy Merlin, Timber City - they all sell boards that have been veneered but not the veneer itself. There are a couple of veneer manufacturers, but I'm not looking to buy 100m of the stuff. Any recommendations in this regard would be very welcome. Also, I've seen some stunning pics of builds in my short time around here - let me know what your favourite finish is, maybe?
Some pics below...
If you want to check it out, please note that the mobile version of the site is broken - can only see details in the full version of the site. The kit doesn't include boxes, you have to build that yourself, but it makes the shipping cheaper compared to a parts-express order which includes boxes, as the MDF is heavy. All in all, the time from placing the order till getting the kit (via UPS Express) was ten days. Everything arrived undamaged and I was impressed with the packing.
The speaker build requires 3/4 inch MDF. That's around 19mm. Local MDF is easy to find in 16mm and 22mm, but struggled to get 18. Finally approached someone I know who builds kitchen cabinets and he was friendly enough to help me get an 18mm board and to cut it for me into the required sizes. He also CNC'ed the holes, but due to the relatively small size of the cabinet, there was a slight problem with one of the holes as the board moved slightly, but small enough to still make it work, I hope.
So far I've started to glue the carcass. Need to make sure the speakers fit in all the holes, then add the rear and front baffle, apply a finish, install damping, build the cross-overs and install drivers and components in place.
I've looked at a couple of paint options. There's some really nice stuff out there, but I would prefer something like a real wood veneer. I understand that can get tricky to apply, but I'd like to try. The problem is finding a place that actually sells wood veneer. I thought that would be easy, but it certainly isn't. Builders, Leroy Merlin, Timber City - they all sell boards that have been veneered but not the veneer itself. There are a couple of veneer manufacturers, but I'm not looking to buy 100m of the stuff. Any recommendations in this regard would be very welcome. Also, I've seen some stunning pics of builds in my short time around here - let me know what your favourite finish is, maybe?
Some pics below...
