My ZDT3 Build

[stangbat]

First off, I can't thank John Krutke enough for his time and generosity. After getting these done, I'm floored that I was able to build something like this with plans provided for free.

Okay, I know you came here for pics so here goes. There are four pics, so if Imageshack is being its usual reliable host, you may have to refresh to see them all.

Images not available

I made a small change to the front/baffle that is visible in the first picture (the overall shot not the close ups). Can anyone spot it?

I've always appreciated hi-fi and I've owned decent audio equipment in the past. But nothing in this realm. It was a lot of work, and at times I wondered if I was doing the right thing since of course I had never heard these. But believe me, it was worth the time and effort. So I guess you can call me a happy camper.

[kevmurray]

Nice job! :T

[Bill Schneider]

That's an excellent job!

You, sir, must be an engineer. If you're not one, you should have been one. Very careful workmanship!

I see the baffle integrates with the enclosure at the bottom, with a little flare where you didn't route. Is that the modification you mentioned?

Again, very nice looking speakers and crossover construction.

And you are so right about John Krutke being so generous to the DIY community.

[bonehead848]

wow those baffles look INCREDIBLE!

[stangbat]

That's an excellent job!

You, sir, must be an engineer. If you're not one, you should have been one. Very careful workmanship!

I see the baffle integrates with the enclosure at the bottom, with a little flare where you didn't route. Is that the modification you mentioned?

Again, very nice looking speakers and crossover construction.

And you are so right about John Krutke being so generous to the DIY community.

Yes, I'm an engineer. And I'm kind of obsessive when it comes to details, like John. I'm probably not as bad as him though. :B

Yes, the baffle integrates with the front. I it is hard to see in the pic, but I stopped the roundover and flared the edge of the baffle to meet the 90 degree edge of the front.

[HeatMiser]

Beautiful work.

Any impressions of the sound you'd care to share?

[WillyD]

As everyone else has said, wonderful work! Now I will be ashamed to post the pictures of my ZDT3s when they are finished.

[technimac]

Congratulations, and I agree with those above who commented on the quality of your workmanship.
These are superbly done! :T
I am a big fan of matching baffle finish with that of the drivers - you seem to have been able to achieve that, perfectly.
Your great photography also helps to make this an invaluable resource for anyone embarking on a ZDT3 build.
Hope they sound as good as they look. :W

[Operandi]

Man, those are beautiful... and the attention to detail on the crossovers is truly inspirational, impressive work.

Can you share a bit about the cabinets and finish?

[Hdale85]

Did you build the cabinets?

[stangbat]

I'll try to answer some questions. As for the sound, it is so hard to describe such things and I'm not very good at it. I also don't have a huge knowledge base of good hi-fi loudspeakers to draw from for comparison. All I can say is the work John did designing the crossovers and the Dayton drivers and Aura tweeters make me grin from ear to ear. I don't think anyone would be disappointed with these. I think my wife's eyes about popped out of her head when I played them for her.

As for the finish, I followed John's advice regarding his design mantras. That is, sanding sealer on the MDF, Rustoleum texture finish for the black, topped off with a Rustoleum gloss coat. It worked great. One thing I did on the edges of the baffles was to smear a couple of coats of PVA glue on them to seal the MDF, let it dry, then sand. The roundovers ended up nice and smooth and took the paint well.

I did build the cabinets and they are veneered with red oak paper backed veneer. I used the PVA iron-on method. It went really well. I have had to go back over a few spots that didn't bond well. I think it was due to me going to fast with the iron. They are stained with Minwax Golden Oak stain. And I have to admit that I'm a little hasty posting my pics as they aren't finished yet. I was thinking of using a polyurethane semi gloss. Any suggestions here?

One tip regarding the port tubes John speced, I'm not sure exactly what plastic they are made of, but it is the kind that model plane/car cement works on. So instead of taping the tubes together, I glued them with some plastic cement I had laying around.

I've got more pics if there is anything else anyone wants to see.

[Hank]

Beautiful baffles! You treated the MDF correctly.

[technimac]

I've got more pics if there is anything else anyone wants to see.

Thanks, I would!
Have you posted them on Imageshack? If that's the case, just a link would do.
That would be appreciated very much. :thanku:
Cheers, Bruce

[Gir]

Wow, those are really gorgeous! Just curious, when you put the black coat on, do you take it in a lot of very light coats, or several thick coats? Finishing isn't exactly one of my strong points, so my hats off to you! ;x(

[stangbat]

My Imageshack page:

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/stangbat/

Have fun looking at my homebrewing stuff.

Wow, those are really gorgeous! Just curious, when you put the black coat on, do you take it in a lot of very light coats, or several thick coats? Finishing isn't exactly one of my strong points, so my hats off to you! ;x(

Somewhere between 2-3 coats of the Rustoleum texture finish. I did the first two somewhat lightly. You never want to go too heavy. Then I tried to fill in any uneven spots on the third. The texture finish is VERY forgiving. You need to have the surface smooth and any irregularities filled and sanded, but the paint itself will cover a lot of minor blemishes. I filled some small scratches with PVA glue, let it dry, then sanded it smooth with 320 grit sandpaper on a block.

This was my first "real" woodworking project. I bought a router, I had a radial arm saw from my dad but I had only piddled around with it up until now. So what I'm saying is that with a little studying and practice, anyone can do this. You just have to take your time. I spent a ton of time on the baffles, but I think it shows and I'm very happy. I kept telling myself that I wasn't going to cut corners and I'm going to do these right.

[servicetech]

Awesome work. How much does it cost to build these? I know Zaph quotes them as a "low cost multi-driver tower" 3 way, but doesn't talk about price.

Another thing I like about these is they are somewhat kid proof. No dust caps to push in, midrange is protected, and tweeter is recessed.

[WillyD]

Another thing I like about these is they are somewhat kid proof. No dust caps to push in, midrange is protected, and tweeter is recessed.

Far, far, far from kid proof. The tweeter would need to be recessed by the length of a finger to truly be safe.

[CarlsonCustoms]

I was just about to ask how much they cost also. I was planning on ordering everything and waiting for the tweeter to be back in stock. But now I'm thinking I should wait it out to see if John posts a revised setup with the Dayton tweeter. If he does alot of the parts could be different.

Think I should build the cabinets minus the drivers etc to be a step ahead?

[ahaik]

Far, far, far from kid proof. The tweeter would need to be recessed by the length of a finger to truly be safe.

Yes, Also the RS woofers are easily dented :cry:

[servicetech]

Far, far, far from kid proof. The tweeter would need to be recessed by the length of a finger to truly be safe.

Maybe I should say "toddler resistant" He could probably reach the tweeter but it doesn't stick out like a normal tweeter. Then again the shiny dome would probably get his attention...

I forgot about the woofers being metal, therefore easily dented

[WillyD]

I was just about to ask how much they cost also. I was planning on ordering everything and waiting for the tweeter to be back in stock. But now I'm thinking I should wait it out to see if John posts a revised setup with the Dayton tweeter. If he does alot of the parts could be different.

Think I should build the cabinets minus the drivers etc to be a step ahead?

Yeah, I'd wait until the Dayton tweeter revision.

[WillyD]

Maybe I should say "toddler resistant" He could probably reach the tweeter but it doesn't stick out like a normal tweeter. Then again the shiny dome would probably get his attention...

I forgot about the woofers being metal, therefore easily dented

Unfortunately, if it can be reached, it can be destroyed. Just too fragile. Not like a soft textile dome that can rebound after a finger.

[stangbat]

Yes, they are probably more kid resistant than some speakers. I have a 4 and 2 yr old, and believe me they make me nervous around them. But at least the drivers, with the exception of the midrange, are reasonably priced. And the baffle is removable. So having to replace a driver would be a pain, but it is affordable compared to some drivers and easier than some cases.

BTW, I'm going to build grills in the near future. They will be magnetic and attach to the 8 bolts that hold the baffles. It will make me feel better with the kiddos around.

As for costs, here are my orders from PE and Madisound. If you don't have the Aura tweeters, you are going to have to wait for John's redesign. Misc parts such as the terminal strips, wire, solder, paint, gloss coat, stain, finish, etc. are not included. You could cut costs on some things such as the damping material if you chose to use something else. And if you decide to finish with paint rather than veneer. Sorry for the formatting on the PE portion, I got tired of trying to get it to look nice.

Parts Express
Qty.  Part #  Description                                     Price Ea.  Total
2  091-340   Dayton BPT-38G Binding Post Pair w/Tab     $7.56  $15.12
8  260-402  Port Tube 1-1/2" ID x 4" L Flared              $0.90  $7.20
1  081-1084  1/4"-20 Hurricane Nuts 50 Pcs.               $4.39  $4.39
2  285-020  Dayton RS52AN-8 2" Dome Midrange         $40.78  $81.56
2  260-520  Sonic Barrier 1/2"                              $7.00  $14.00
2  260-525  Sonic Barrier 1"                                $9.00  $18.00
2  260-535  Sonic Barrier 1-1/4"                          $19.00  $38.00
2  260-046  Band-It Veneer 24" x 96" Paper-Backed     $39.00  $78.00
4  295-364  RS180S-8 7" Ref. Shield. Woofer 8 Ohm     $34.25  $137.00
1 	UPS Ground 	$29.27 	$29.27
Total  $422.54

Madisound
2 x Sidewinder 0.2mH 16AWG () = $8.00
4 x Bennic 40 mfd Electrolytic () = $5.00
4 x Bennic 31 mfd Electrolytic () = $4.40
2 x Bennic 80 mfd Electrolytic () = $3.60
6 x Bennic Poly 0.1 mfd () = $1.80
4 x Bennic Poly 16 mfd () = $21.00
2 x 8.2μF PX Range Polypropylene Capacitors (PX8.2) = $10.80
2 x 3.9μF PX Range Polypropylene Capacitors (PX3.9) = $7.00
2 x Sidewinder 0.5mH 16AWG () = $14.00
2 x Sidewinder 2.0mH 16AWG () = $27.00
2 x Sidewinder 1.0mH 16AWG () = $19.20
2 x Eagle- 1.5 ohms () = $2.40
2 x Eagle- 3.5 ohms () = $2.40
2 x Eagle- 6 ohms () = $2.40
4 x Eagle- 10 ohms () = $4.80
2 x 3.7mH 15 AWG Steel Laminate () = $26.90
3 x NT1-204-8D 3/4" Titanium Dome Tweeter () = $26.25
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $186.95
United Parcel Service (1 x 11.025lbs) (Ground): $11.20
Total: $198.15

[CarlsonCustoms]

Wow those prices don't seem half bad actually. I will be painting mine so veneer will save me some money.

One question for those who've built them, I'm planning on using this 100% music in a dedicated 2.0 system (maybe 2.1 if bass is lacking) are these some of the best zaph designs for purely music? I've already got a good 7.1 ht system so this is stictly for music in its own area and will only have one listening position.

Right now I've got Elemental Designs A6 6t6 towers and love how music sounds on them but want even better for my 2.0 system.

Thanks for all the tips thus far.

Also, I saw a post that said john sold his baffles for these and don't have the speakers anymore, how will he be able to redesign for the dayton tweeters without the speakers? I'm in Northern Illinois and would be willing to make the cabinets etc and bring them up to WI for him to work the crossover for the dayton tweeter.

Zack

[WillyD]

Wow those prices don't seem half bad actually.

They are nice prices for sure. One can save a lot by going with the electrolytic caps.

Also, I saw a post that said john sold his baffles for these and don't have the speakers anymore, how will he be able to redesign for the dayton tweeters without the speakers?

IIRC, John kept the enclosure he built, so I figure he'll just build a new pair of baffles.

[stangbat]

One question for those who've built them, I'm planning on using this 100% music in a dedicated 2.0 system (maybe 2.1 if bass is lacking) are these some of the best zaph designs for purely music? I've already got a good 7.1 ht system so this is stictly for music in its own area and will only have one listening position.

Right now I've got Elemental Designs A6 6t6 towers and love how music sounds on them but want even better for my 2.0 system.

Thanks for all the tips thus far.

Also, I saw a post that said john sold his baffles for these and don't have the speakers anymore, how will he be able to redesign for the dayton tweeters without the speakers? I'm in Northern Illinois and would be willing to make the cabinets etc and bring them up to WI for him to work the crossover for the dayton tweeter.

Zack

I haven't heard any other of the Zaph designs, so I can't really comment. But I'm a 2-channel guy and am very impressed for 2-ch music. The only bad thing is having high quality speakers really brings out the flaws in some of the recordings you love. Of course it also makes some things you love stand out like it never did before. If you are ever in the KC area you can stop by and listen.

The ZDT3 uses the same enclosures as the Waveguide TMM, and from what I gather he kept the enclosure and sold the baffles as WillyD said. On another post he said he has cut another baffle and is working on testing the Dayton tweeters.

[jkrutke]

First off, I can't thank John Krutke enough for his time and generosity. After getting these done, I'm floored that I was able to build something like this with plans provided for free.

Nice looking build, thanks for the pics.

Work continues on the ND20 update. I don't really expect it to sound much different from the NT1 version, since the the majority of musical content is below the 3500 crossover point. It's why I like spending under $10 for the tweeters in these designs.

As far as kid proof speakers, I'd call these NT1's "finger bait". :B It's kinda scary considering they are now unobtainium and worth their weight in gold.

[stangbat]

An update to show what is hopefully some "kid resistance". If you can't see the shiny NT1, you won't poke at it, right? The wife likes the way they look too, which is always nice.

The grills are held in place with the magnets PE sells and are easily removable for listening or when the kids get old enough that I need to worry about my son destroying them with the volume knob instead of his little fingers.

The funny thing is, my son has messed with them more since I got the grills done than before. Maybe it is because they now look different. At least I hope that is the reason.

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