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CSS Audio Criton 1TD-X Build Log

Kerry Armes

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Aug 13, 2021
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Hey Kerry - should I line the side walls of the upper portion of the cabinet with foam? Some of the YouTube builds just seem to do the lower portion (near the woofer).
Thanks,
Mike

I recommend using all the foam in the kit until it's gone. We portioned out the amount we recommend using. Start with the back wall first, then the bottom and lower sides. The rest can be placed either on the upper sides or top as long as you keep it away from the port exit.

Your grain matching was done really well. Did you use a veneer saw or a router to cut the pieces? I'm going to be switching to a veneer saw next time because the router takes off a 1/4" of material and you can align well, but not perfect. The veneer saw is only about 1/16" wide so I think it will help better with the grain matching.
 
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mtmpenn

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I recommend using all the foam in the kit until it's gone. We portioned out the amount we recommend using. Start with the back wall first, then the bottom and lower sides. The rest can be placed either on the upper sides or top as long as you keep it away from the port exit.

Your grain matching was done really well. Did you use a veneer saw or a router to cut the pieces? I'm going to be switching to a veneer saw next time because the router takes off a 1/4" of material and you can align well, but not perfect. The veneer saw is only about 1/16" wide so I think it will help better with the grain matching.

Thanks! This may be a silly question, but for the bottom/back wall do you just lay over the terminal ends and the crossover?

I think a decent amount of the credit for the grain match goes to the veneer, which has a very prominent and consistent striped pattern (so that even after the waste from edge trimming things still lined up well).

I used a trim router, mostly because I thought it might put less pressure on the veneer and I was worried about adhesion. I used a veneer saw when cutting the raw veneer to size and it was great. If I build again and use your pressing technique I will hopefully be confident enough to trim with the veneer saw.

When sharp, the edge is as good as the router and I find it more pleasant to use (the fear of tipping the trim router and ruining an edge is real, and it makes so much dust/shards).
Mike
 

AudioSQ

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This feels like a season finale cliff hanger. So close to seeing the final results and left hanging. Real life get in the way?
 
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mtmpenn

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Yup… and I’m so close. Crossovers are probably 70% done. Hopefully this weekend I can get back at it a bit.
 
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mtmpenn

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This project has returned!

Life got in the way hard… started a new job August 16th 2021. It’s been great but demanding and when added to everything else, this project stalled.

I had the day to work on things today and got them buttoned up.

Finished crossover work (I am not good at soldering but it seems to have done the trick), a coat of paste wax on the cabinets, installed binding posts/ports/foam and drivers.

I listened just long enough to test them and then had to wrap it up. What I heard sounded good though (lows coming from the woofer, highs coming from the tweeter, speakers sound the same, bass extension is good).

Next steps: build grills, get them in position, setup the subs, figure out dirac, listen more. Hopefully I can accomplish all of the above before 2023!
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617

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Love the 3d printed crossover.

By the way, the contact adhesive you can get on some veneers works really well. You have to really scrape it down but the bond is excellent.
 

AudioSQ

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Great job! I think those look way to pretty to put grills on. This renews my interest in veneering mine, but currently I'm spending my time and money on another hobby, the car. I can't go too far down the rabbit hole on that one though. Gets expensive real fast.

Let us know your initial impressions when you get to listen to them a bit, and after you try Dirac. I've been thinking about buying the Flex.
 
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mtmpenn

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Thanks for the kind words!

I started to make the grills…

But then I was fiddling with them and my wife said: “What are those for? Do we need them? They look so much better without them.”

So, I immediately told my wife I loved her and stopped!!!

I have done some listening and I am very happy. They sounds great!

I don’t have a lot of experience with commercial speakers, but these best my prior diy speakers by a fair margin (WayneJ’s MorePee’s for the old timers in the group, Tritrix, Madisound Recession Busters, and Zaph ZA5’s).

Bass extension is quite good, which definitely helps with the tonal balance.

I’ve got two RSL speedwoofers that I plan to integrate. I’m having trouble pairing both to the wireless transmitter but just with 1 going things are sounding very nice.

Once I get the second sub sorted I’ll start playing with dirac (I got a good deal on a refurb nad m10 after the v2 came out which is providing power).

Mike
 

Wolf

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Just a suggestion, I wouldn't place them in the cabinets like that. You're going to have over bloated bass response because they're tuned for a full 6 dB of baffle step. Against the wall like that inside a cabinet you're going to be boosting the low end tremendously. Either way I hope you enjoy them.

Edit: corrected autocorrect.
 
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mtmpenn

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Just a suggestion, I wouldn't place them in the cabinets like that. You're going to have over bloated bass response because they're tuned for a full 60 dB of baffle step. Against the wall like that inside a cabinet you're going to be boosting the low end tremendously. Either way I hope you enjoy them.
Thanks Wolf! I know the positioning is not ideal, but it’s my only option in this room, unfortunately. I’ll say that comparing their sound in the current position to when I was testing them in the basement (with several feet of empty space around them), there is some bloat but I could live with it as is. (Maybe I just like the change from the za5’s though, which are very lean).

I am very curious to see what Dirac can do though. From my minimal understanding, it should be better at pulling down peaks than dealing with troughs.

I’ll post some updates when I can get some measurements.
 
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mtmpenn

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Well, brief update. Still loving these speakers. I don’t have any pictures of the measurements, but will say that Wolf was of course correct. Major bloat in the lower frequencies.

That said, it’s possible that I am all about that bass.

I setup dirac and tried things out with the stock curve. The proverbial veil was lifted in that clarity was much improved. But, at the same time, the sounds was actually considerably less enjoyable.

I am looking forward to playing with some alternate curves. I’ve changed things to more closely reflect the harman target and I am curious to see how that sounds. If nothing else it’s fun to see the measurements and hear the difference.
 
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