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Small 2-way speakers with linear on-axis and power response characteristics (Scan Speak and SB Acoustics drivers). H&V off-axis measurements included

Thank you to everyone who chimed in!

It looks like the first tweeter was faulty. However, I did sand the copper wire and remeasured it, and it did significantly help. However, when I inserted the second tweeter, it was a whole new experience.

Updates measurements new tweeter.
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Sorry for the poor photography. I spent the last few hours tinkering and measuring, so I thought I should at least upload the finished product.
Unknown wood species (Walnut?) had enough for the two speakers. It was finished in gloss polyurethane. I decided to round all vertical sides. All in all, it was a total PITA. I will make a standard box next time.

Edit: Taking it apart left too many smudges and fingerprints. I spent a fair amount of time buffing and polishing with an orbital.

Edit two: This is my wife's work desk. You will notice the nail file next to the "soft hands" bottle.



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HighFutility said:
One step ahead, I took it apart and put the speakers back together. I ran a sweep much better, but the tweeter crapped out on me. Put in the second tweeter, and voila! It's alive!

Does anyone have experience with a warranty on something like this? I'm located in Canada, but I ordered from Sound Imports EU. I am assuming by the time I pay to ship it back and the new ones get to me It will probably cost the same to just order new ones.
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Congrats on a very nice build!
 
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New member and new to speaker building.

I'm in the process of putting together my first system in a long time, but I'm trying to fit it into a location with some significant limitations. I've struggled to find a speaker that literally fits while being an excellent performer and great value for money. The Mechano23 is looking to be my best option and a chance to have a little fun with the build.
I'm a joiner by trade and it's always enjoyable to do something a little different.

At the moment the only location I could place the speakers is on a wooden dresser which would mean them being close to surfaces both behind and also slightly enclosed on he left and the right of the placement. My concern is that rear facing ports firing into what is effectively an open fronted wooden box is going to sound terrible.

Would an upward firing port be a possible option, or am I over thinking things?

The other option might be a down firing port with the speaker having legs as part of the construction to give correct spacing from the surface they are sat on. The legs could be constructed as external cross bracing of the cabinet sides.

All input most welcome, and huge thanks to the designer for creating the design in the first place and then offering their continued support and advice.
 
Hangtight said:
My concern is that rear facing ports firing into what is effectively an open fronted wooden box is going to sound terrible.
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The frequency range of port operation is so low that it can be treated as an omnidirectional source, so I guess the port placement should have a marginal effect. But the "wooden box with an open front" can have its own modes and can also act as a kind of horn, and all of this can affect the sound.
 
May I ask, does anyone know someone in the UK or Europe who can build these for me?

I tried building some DIY speakers in the past and it was a failure………
 
90sNintendoKid said:
May I ask, does anyone know someone in the UK or Europe who can build these for me?

I tried building some DIY speakers in the past and it was a failure………
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Is there a makerspace near you? Or a suitably equipped branch of Men's Sheds? They can probably help you through the process and make it a success this time.
 
90sNintendoKid said:
May I ask, does anyone know someone in the UK or Europe who can build these for me?

I tried building some DIY speakers in the past and it was a failure………
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Was it just the boxes that didn't go so well? If so, you should be able to find some pre-made cabinets that'll work. Getting them to look good without the right tools and skills is rough. Pre-mades can look fantastic. Aim for ~8L but also pay attention to the size of the front. There's really not much room to go too much smaller.

FWIW, I 3D printed the cabinets. If you have a printer or know someone who does, another option is to use pre-made cabinets, mount the drivers by just sticking them in a basic hole, but then 3D print a face-plate that makes the drivers appear to be recessed. It'd be a nice accent piece to boot.

If you do decide to do this, I've got a 5-part video series on YouTube showing the process about a page back in the thread here.
 
Thanks for your replies. I got a guy called Gordy who’s known on avforums for making subwoofer cabinets to make the speaker boxes. I thought they were excellent but it all went wrong when I screwed in the Lepai plate amps and wired up the drivers……

I’ll check out the YouTube videos.
 
Look at locking miter bits. I just got one and am trying to get it dialed in. I think I'll get it working and it will be very convenient. My cabinets are quite big, I think it would be a lot easier with a small box like the Mechano.
 
a4eaudio said:
Look at locking miter bits. I just got one and am trying to get it dialed in. I think I'll get it working and it will be very convenient. My cabinets are quite big, I think it would be a lot easier with a small box like the Mechano.
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Im unfortunately just a hobbyist. I dont own a router table or a miter saw. I do own a router, though. So I was wondering about making a future purchase. However, for a single build, it is probably not an ideal scenario.
 
Mitered edges need to be pretty precise. A table saw with a good fence isn't very cheap. However, you can make a good quality DIY router table that isn't very expensive. If you are interested, just search, there are a lot of good ideas on woodworking forums. But if you aren't going to use it for other things, I'd just skip the mitered edges.
 
A great result for the Mosman Men's Shed speaker project! Four pairs of birch plywood 'Mechano 23' speakers designed by Xmechanik at Audio Science Review and built by four shed members over several weeks of part time work at the shed. Everyone learned so much in the building process. Sounding fantastic with WiiM Amps - even Apollo Hifi in Sydney was impressed! Thanks to Xmechanik for the design, Phil Norman for the crossovers and NB Audio for the crossover boards. Why not visit your own local shed and try building them together? All instructions on NB Audio's 'Projects' page.
 

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As the world burns, does anyone have a source for the tweeter in Canada? Sound Imports EU and Solen (Canada) are sold out.
 
I figured that might be the case, but since you didn't say it, I wanted to make sure you knew it was an option.
 
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