CSS Criton 1TD-X "living room" build

[IliaV]

Hi All,

I'd be happy to photo-log my DIY work on building my CSS Criton 1TDX speakers. I'm not a woodworker neither an electrical engineer (though have some understanding of the former), however I'm really pleased with the result. Another important thing to mention - I've made all my build steps literally in my living room, with some dust-intense sanding and trimming done on the balcony

I'd like to thank my beloved wife for being stoically calm and supportive despite the mess I turned our appartment into in the recent weeks
Another kudos goes to well known Peter Rawlings, who in fact teached me the basics of wood working and veneering with his "hair-splitting techinque" videos. That was my first DIY cabinet assembly!

The project is still not finished as I planned it, I'll be publishing additions in the thread as soon as I get back to it. I need to purchase 3D printer (it's not just for me, my wife has her hobbies as well) so I'm planning to do CSS logo on speaker's front pabnel and magnetic grills.

Spoiler: The end-result for the date

 

[IliaV]

I don't have any photos of the cabinet gluing part, unfortunately.. But that was not too complicated.
The sanding took a while though.. I don't have an orbital sander so I was exercising with the sanding block

After having that done, I've marked small magnets and embedded them into the front panel

 

[IliaV]

I used an iron-on veneering method, was pretty striclty following all Peter's recomendations. I did a few mistakes, but I managed to (almost) fix them. don't think anybody (non-professional) would notice.

 

[IliaV]

I've modified the crossover layout a bit (surely without actually changing any schematics). I felt like the kit's one was not optimal in terms of adding addional patches. Danny did a great video about XLS-Encores crossover assembly. I'm hundreds lightyears far from his skills, but learned some suff, i.e. solder should hold the connection and not "be" the connection, it's always better to not cut the wire, etc.. My layout is for sure not ideal, but I belive it's a small step forward compared to a standart one.

I had some leftovers of Canare 4S11 cable that I used to do my speaker cables, so I used 14 AWG wires for my build. I felt like the standart suplied is kind of crapy, though I don't really think the difference would've been audible.

I run some "eye of a tiger" crossover testing right on the living room's carpet.

 

[IliaV]

Finishing was exciting. I used water-based matte polyurethane I bought from home depot.. That possibly was notthe best idea. It added just a tiny bit of dark coloration to the final look, which I tried to avoid. I made 4 coats total. I used white oak veneer, and that one is very porous. First coat it was literally drinking the poly. I sanded the raised grain after first coating with 150 grit. Second coating - lightsanded with 240, 3rd - lightsanded with 320. And finished with 400 grit after the fourth coat.

 

[IliaV]

Final assemble went pretty smooth, except I forgot to predrill crossover's mounting holes in the cabinet bottom. It could've turned into complete disaster, if my wife didn't lend me her Dremel Variable Speed Corded Rotary Tool, which was small enough to fill into the cabinet and do the job. The foam that comes with the kit is almost not sufficient to cover the whole cabinet internals. I used some additional from the crossover part's shipping box.

 

[IliaV]

That's all for now folks!

As I wrote before, next step would be printing and 3D-printing of logos and grills. i hope it comes in some nearest future.

Make sure your wife will not see the following.
That's how your living room will be looking like if you decide to go this route.

Spoiler: one's builder's living room

 

[Doodski]

That's all for now folks!

As I wrote before, next step would be printing and 3D-printing of logos and grills. i hope it comes in some nearest future.

View attachment 213142View attachment 213143View attachment 213144



Make sure your wife will not see the following.
That's how your living room will be looking like if you decide to go this route.

Spoiler: one's builder's living room

View attachment 213145

For homebrew/assembled in the living room those appear excellent. Well done!

 

[groovybassist]

That's all for now folks!

As I wrote before, next step would be printing and 3D-printing of logos and grills. i hope it comes in some nearest future.

View attachment 213142View attachment 213143View attachment 213144



Make sure your wife will not see the following.
That's how your living room will be looking like if you decide to go this route.

Spoiler: one's builder's living room

View attachment 213145

Great looking build! I’d like to hear these speakers some day as they get plenty of positive feedback.

 

[AudioAaron]

Great build and good photo documenting. Whered you get the veneer from?

 

[IliaV]

Doodski, groovybassist, AudioAaron - thanks a lot for your evaluations!

Great build and good photo documenting. Whered you get the veneer from?

That was the place Peter Rawlings linked to his veneering video, it's called veneersupplies dot com. I used Paper-Backed (10 mil) White Oak Veneer, 4' x 8', Plank-Matched. I was generally satisfied with the sheet I got, but, even though the size could have fit two pairs of 1TDx speakers, I used it all. The reason was - one of the plank cuts was not nicely matched in the second part of the sheet - it got gradually darker along the grain, making the color difference and so the seam too apparent in the second half of the sheet. I'll try ordering "architectural grade" piece next time to avoid that. Second - I tried making both speakers look the same, at least from the front, and so that influenced the cutting layout, making it much less optimal from the material usage point.

Btw, I'd be happy to answer any questions and share my experience. One of the goals of logging my progress here was to inspire people to go with DIY even though they are still in doubt. That's pretty much doable, even if you don't have a nice garage full of woodworking tools.

 

[walkingdogs]

Brand new member here and i joined because of build logs like this, and specifically the CCS Criton line. I'm planning on doing the 2TD-X build in the coming months and I have to say you are now my inspiration! I presume that you just used the flat pack they sell and just routed the front panel to give it the round bevel? That's definitely something I'm looking at doing so as to have a clean veneer wrap like you achieved and I'm glad to see how it looks. You also did the magnetic grill idea that I was thinking of and see you mention a 3D printer above for producing those. Really hope to see an update once those are finished and I would love to possibly enlist you in making a pair for me once the time has come if you're interested. I found one retailer online that does custom speaker grills, but I really like the idea of 3D printed ones. Congrats on your build, and they look gorgeous! I really wish I could hear a pair before buying but between hearing what Randy thecheapaudioman and Ron with New Record Day had to say on them, I feel really comfortable taking a blind flier on them.

 

[michael2v]

I used an iron-on veneering method, was pretty striclty following all Peter's recomendations. I did a few mistakes, but I managed to (almost) fix them. don't think anybody (non-professional) would notice.View attachment 213117

These look fantastic, you've really inspired me to try this with my own build! Are there any online references you'd recommend for instructions? I'm particularly curious about the kind of glue that's used and the best way to trim the veneer edges after it's applied to the cabinet (I understand many will use a router for the driver openings), before sanding / filing. Thanks in advance!

Edit: I see you mentioned Peter Rawlings so I just found his Youtube channel (and I managed to find the Heat Lock glue); in my excitement after seeing your finished product I neglected to do some of my own homework.

 

[carbidetooth]

These look fantastic, you've really inspired me to try this with my own build! Are there any online references you'd recommend for instructions? I'm particularly curious about the kind of glue that's used and the best way to trim the veneer edges after it's applied to the cabinet (I understand many will use a router for the driver openings), before sanding / filing. Thanks in advance!

Edit: I see you mentioned Peter Rawlings so I just found his Youtube channel (and I managed to find the Heat Lock glue); in my excitement after seeing your finished product I neglected to do some of my own homework.

If you haven't found it already, I link most everything I use in the video descriptions. When possible, I link to manufacturer's product page, thus leaving shopping to the individual. Heat Lock is unique though, and only available form Veneer Supplies. They also have a lot of good information pertaining to veneering.

 

[chang]

Hi All,

I'd be happy to photo-log my DIY work on building my CSS Criton 1TDX speakers. I'm not a woodworker neither an electrical engineer (though have some understanding of the former), however I'm really pleased with the result. Another important thing to mention - I've made all my build steps literally in my living room, with some dust-intense sanding and trimming done on the balcony

I'd like to thank my beloved wife for being stoically calm and supportive despite the mess I turned our appartment into in the recent weeks
Another kudos goes to well known Peter Rawlings, who in fact teached me the basics of wood working and veneering with his "hair-splitting techinque" videos. That was my first DIY cabinet assembly!

The project is still not finished as I planned it, I'll be publishing additions in the thread as soon as I get back to it. I need to purchase 3D printer (it's not just for me, my wife has her hobbies as well) so I'm planning to do CSS logo on speaker's front pabnel and magnetic grills.

Spoiler: The end-result for the date

View attachment 213100
View attachment 213102

Great post, think I'm about to take the plunge. What size roundover did you use?