Richards Statement Monitors in granite.

[richnen]

Good to know!!


I really did not need to know that. Really. So, er, um, how was it beefed up...

Higher HP motor and bigger bearings in the spindle. It has a belt drive spindle rather than direct.

Keep in mind my machine is milling 1.25" granite everyday, if you are going to do the occasional piece of .75" granite on yours I don't think it will be an issue.
Main thing is to keep your tools running at the correct rpm and feed rate, running to fast will load the machine and running too slow can glaze the tools.

I would be happy to answer any questions that arise when you get around to milling some granite.

[richnen]

Wow!! :E :E :E

That's some speaker build! The finish looks awesome! Just don't drop one on your toe - I bet they weigh a ton!

I've noticed that many jobs in life are easier when you have access to proper tools and toys :B

Nice work!

Eric

Thanks Eric!

Yes they will weigh a lot. I will throw them on a scale when they are done.

I am fortunate to have the equipment to fabricate stone. I am toying with the idea of some tower speakers with Onyx inlays in the bottom.. back lit. Onyx is semi transparent so it would look very cool in dimly lit room.

So many ideas...

[dsrviola]

".....some tower speakers with Onyx......"

Something like this?

http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/roadtourklangfluss/1.html

[Hdale85]

Wow...that is cool with it all lit up like that!

[richnen]

".....some tower speakers with Onyx......"

Something like this?

http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatur...ngfluss/1.html

Wow! Those are amazing!

What I had in mind is much more simple. I don't think I would be comfortable with an all Onyx enclosure with out significant testing. It is a fairly fragile stone, not sure how it stand up long term.

[dsrviola]

A potential DIY event...

....featuring a comparison between your granite speakers and a pair of identical speakers (same crossover parts, layout, bracing etc) made out of MDF would be very very interesting. Well, it would to me. I've done some tinkering with using different materials in prototype projects, and I certainly hear a difference.

[evilskillit]

Not sure where you're at, or how heavy these ended up being. But if you wanted you could bring em to DIY Iowa if you wanted and show em off. I doubt anybody would complain.

http://dpeterson.home.mchsi.com/

It says all the entry slots are taken up, but thats just for contestants showing in the main room, there is a second room where anything goes if you just want to come hang out and show off.

[richnen]

Not sure where you're at, or how heavy these ended up being. But if you wanted you could bring em to DIY Iowa if you wanted and show em off. I doubt anybody would complain.

http://dpeterson.home.mchsi.com/

It says all the entry slots are taken up, but thats just for contestants showing in the main room, there is a second room where anything goes if you just want to come hang out and show off.

That would be a blast. I would love to see and hear some of the other offerings, but it is too far to drive and would cost me a fortune to ship them. I live in San Diego county. If there was ever a DIY event in southern or even central CA I would be there in a heartbeat.

Should finish polishing the enclosures tonight, I will post some pics with the drivers in place. Hope I made the right decision in getting the silver Neo's.

[snmhanson]

I've been watching this thread from afar and have to say that those look like they'll be spectacular. I wasn't sure at first what I would think of all granite speakers but they look great and I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. If you do start building granite baffles for others I may just have to sign up for a pair - plus one for the 2RCC I am building.

I am also excited to see how the silver Neo's look as I am building a Statement Monitor (just a lowly MDF and veneer model though) and I need to order some Neos for it. I am so tempted to go for the silvers since the blacks are on backorder but I can't commit until I see how they look with the other speakers.

Looking forward to the "unveiling".

Matt

[Brian Kingsbury]

That would be a blast. I would love to see and hear some of the other offerings, but it is too far to drive and would cost me a fortune to ship them. I live in San Diego county. If there was ever a DIY event in southern or even central CA I would be there in a heartbeat.

Should finish polishing the enclosures tonight, I will post some pics with the drivers in place. Hope I made the right decision in getting the silver Neo's.

There's a DIY event in Cardiff. Well, techinically it's not an event, it's my house, but I do have some DIY stuff Shoot me a PM if you want to get together sometime.

[richnen]

Finally have all but the backs polished out. The drivers are just set in place, the tweeter will be straight when installed!

Tough to get decent pictures with my crappy camera and the glare.

Ughhh, time to tackle the crossovers. My first time building them and they have to fit through the driver hole.

Getting close!

[---k---]

Amazing. Selection of the right screws are going to make it!

[evilskillit]

Holy smokes those look sweet. I'm supposed to be working on a pair of bookshelf Statements for a friend but man that almost kills a guys desire to build these things. They'll never look that good.

Btw, I think there are a few DIY events in your neck of the woods, one of the big ones is hosted by this site I believe. I could be wrong, but if you want to go to one keep your eyes and ears open.

[joeybutts]

I think I just....yep....

Beautiful. I need to stop watching this thread. The more I look, the more I am tempted to find someone in the area to custom my Khan tower/RS Center builds coming up.

Excellent execution.

[john trials]

Those are so NICE!!!!!!

Now make matching stands (you are going to need some sturdy ones, right?).

[impala454]

Amazing stuff... you really have something unique!

[BeerParty]

Ughhh, time to tackle the crossovers. My first time building them and they have to fit through the driver hole.

Don't sweat it - the crossovers are not that difficult. The documentation is very easy to follow, even for amateurs like us. There are some pictures of my crossovers (built for my Statement Monitors to fit through the driver hole) in my build thread if you want to see an example.

[Hdale85]

Maybe some brass allen head screws? I don't know need something fancy though lol.

[TacoD]

Great result!

Maybe some brass allen head screws? I don't know need something fancy though lol.

I vote for black screws.

[Bear]

Higher HP motor and bigger bearings in the spindle. It has a belt drive spindle rather than direct.

Keep in mind my machine is milling 1.25" granite everyday, if you are going to do the occasional piece of .75" granite on yours I don't think it will be an issue.
Main thing is to keep your tools running at the correct rpm and feed rate, running to fast will load the machine and running too slow can glaze the tools.

I would be happy to answer any questions that arise when you get around to milling some granite.

I think I'd need to find a source for stone, as well, since my local rock yards are a little more interested in retail pricing than wholesale, but my new target completion date is by the end of December. I may have to hit you up sometime afterward. The plan was to use a standard router as a spindle, but I may be talked into an upgrade if it gives me a new, meaningful track to pursue.

If you are looking for guinea pigs for the next set of baffles, I'd be at least curious on costing.

Finally have all but the backs polished out. The drivers are just set in place, the tweeter will be straight when installed!

Tough to get decent pictures with my crappy camera and the glare.

Ughhh, time to tackle the crossovers. My first time building them and they have to fit through the driver hole.

Getting close!

What adhesive are you using and how well will it hold up to the vibration? Is it a hard cure or soft cure? People want to know! And drool. Definitely drool.

[richnen]

Don't sweat it - the crossovers are not that difficult. The documentation is very easy to follow, even for amateurs like us. There are some pictures of my crossovers (built for my Statement Monitors to fit through the driver hole) in my build thread if you want to see an example.

Thanks for the link Beer. I have printed a copy to take home and use as a guide. What a relief it is to have a template to work from!

[richnen]

Thanks everyone for the kind words!

I am going to buy some brass screws and see how they look, there are brass colored minerals in the granite. Not sure how the brass will look with the silver though. If it clashes I know the black will work.

[richnen]

I think I'd need to find a source for stone, as well, since my local rock yards are a little more interested in retail pricing than wholesale, but my new target completion date is by the end of December. I may have to hit you up sometime afterward. The plan was to use a standard router as a spindle, but I may be talked into an upgrade if it gives me a new, meaningful track to pursue.


If you are looking for guinea pigs for the next set of baffles, I'd be at least curious on costing.




What adhesive are you using and how well will it hold up to the vibration? Is it a hard cure or soft cure? People want to know! And drool. Definitely drool.

Hmmm... I doubt a standard router will hold up long with granite. The motor driving my spindle is 15hp and the spindle itself weighs about 50lbs. I have a hand router in the back somewhere that we used before I bought the CNC, I will check and see what size the motor is. I wonder if you could adapt that style of router to work with your design? Not sure if they make wood router bits to fit the spindle though.

It is a hard cure two part epoxy that should hold up fine. I have tried to pull apart seams in countertops and a lot of heat and a lot of carefully applied pressure is needed to get them apart without braking.

[MarkL]

Simply beautiful work!

I've been thinking about a mini-statement build and had already decided to go with the silver Neo's. Based on how yours look, I was right! You might consider stainless steel screws ... they might complement the black and silver theme very well...

I saw this build thread a while back and wondered if I might want to pull the trigger on granite, but in reality I couldn't afford it and don't have the skills anyway.

After some searching, though, I found this:

http://www.gianigranite.com/

It's a granite-look painting system designed for countertop rehab, etc. They have a few base colors, and then you can tint and color as you desire. It finishes with a semi-gloss clearcoat, so it may not be as shiny as your hand-polished granite, but I figure I can either polish it out some more or perhaps use a glossier finish, or just live with a beautiful semi-gloss look. A $50 kit supposedly covers 35 sq ft ... easily enough for a pair of even the full-size Statements and probably a center too.

I think I'm going to try this on a 12" sealed sub I'm working on ... told the wife if it looks good, we'll do the kitchen counters!

[impala454]

Mark, I think that stuff would actually work great on a speaker. Not so great on countertops. If it's anything like the stuff I have seen. My apartment sprays all the countertops with either that or a similar granite-looking material, and while it does look pretty good, it stinks as a countertop. It's hard to keep clean, and has a strange feel to the surface. Just my $0.02. Definitely worth a shot as a speaker finish though.

[richnen]

Simply beautiful work!

I've been thinking about a mini-statement build and had already decided to go with the silver Neo's. Based on how yours look, I was right! You might consider stainless steel screws ... they might complement the black and silver theme very well...

I saw this build thread a while back and wondered if I might want to pull the trigger on granite, but in reality I couldn't afford it and don't have the skills anyway.

After some searching, though, I found this:

http://www.gianigranite.com/

It's a granite-look painting system designed for countertop rehab, etc. They have a few base colors, and then you can tint and color as you desire. It finishes with a semi-gloss clearcoat, so it may not be as shiny as your hand-polished granite, but I figure I can either polish it out some more or perhaps use a glossier finish, or just live with a beautiful semi-gloss look. A $50 kit supposedly covers 35 sq ft ... easily enough for a pair of even the full-size Statements and probably a center too.

I think I'm going to try this on a 12" sealed sub I'm working on ... told the wife if it looks good, we'll do the kitchen counters!

Thanks Mark.
I have no experience with this product but am inclined to agree with Impala, it may look great on a speaker but would question its durability as a countertop. Doubt you could take a frying pan hot off the stove and set it on your painted counter!

Browsed through some of the samples and some of the colors look good.

This being my third all granite build I would have to say that the tools and skills required put it out of reach for most DIYers, and the cost of having an all granite enclosure fabricated is fairly high.

My next project is a granite baffle only. I am going to design the baffle to work with the PE .75cuft cabinet. I hope to be able to produce baffles for sale at a reasonable price. I am setting aside pieces of of exotic granites that I would normally throw out but are baffle size. I will start a new build thread in a couple of weeks after my monitors are done. I hope to finish them this weekend, tough to find the time right now.

[MarkL]

Well the FAQ for the product is pretty clear that just like a Formica or other laminate, no .. you can't put hot things on it, or use it as a cutting board! In that regard, it seems no worse than what I've got now. Really shouldn't even use granite as a cutting board, right?

If I pull the trigger on using this I'll be sure to post something up here on the board so people know. Even pictures if it actually turns out!

As for your granite baffles, would it be possible to do a granite veneer type of idea? Just a thin layer (maybe 1/8") just for appearance, all the way around? Again, if you cut to "standard" kit sizes like the PE kits, that might work for many folks.

[Solid7]

Well the FAQ for the product is pretty clear that just like a Formica or other laminate, no .. you can't put hot things on it, or use it as a cutting board! In that regard, it seems no worse than what I've got now. Really shouldn't even use granite as a cutting board, right?

The only material that I know that stands up to that kind of abuse (or "acts as a functional surface", as I like to say) is porcelain. Love my porcelain countertops. Dare you to make a speaker baffle out of it. :B

[impala454]

Really shouldn't even use granite as a cutting board, right?

Right but that's to save your knives not the countertop.

[richnen]

The only material that I know that stands up to that kind of abuse (or "acts as a functional surface", as I like to say) is porcelain. Love my porcelain countertops. Dare you to make a speaker baffle out of it. :B

Actually most granites will take a ton of abuse. I will try to find the link to a video of a guy heating a piece of granite to 500 degrees then cooking a steak on it. After it cooled he cleaned it and you would never know it.

I have been telling my clients they can set hot pots directly on their granite tops and in eights years I have not had one call back for any issue dealing with heat, scratching or staining.

[richnen]

Right but that's to save your knives not the countertop.

Impala is right again. Are you in the business?

The granite surface will take the edge off a knife very quickly. Most granites are actually quite resistant to scratching, there are some though that we send out with a disclaimer about the potential to scratch.

[richnen]

Well the FAQ for the product is pretty clear that just like a Formica or other laminate, no .. you can't put hot things on it, or use it as a cutting board! In that regard, it seems no worse than what I've got now. Really shouldn't even use granite as a cutting board, right?

If I pull the trigger on using this I'll be sure to post something up here on the board so people know. Even pictures if it actually turns out!

As for your granite baffles, would it be possible to do a granite veneer type of idea? Just a thin layer (maybe 1/8") just for appearance, all the way around? Again, if you cut to "standard" kit sizes like the PE kits, that might work for many folks.

No practical way to produce a granite veneer. Even at 1/4" thick it would be very fragile.

I am going to try and produce 1 1/4 granite baffles to fit standard cabinets, but the driver holes and reliefs would still need to be done an a cnc. In order to get a great fit I would need either very accurate specs or the drivers.

[impala454]

Impala is right again. Are you in the business?

Haha nah, just a bit of a cooking nerd. Sorry to keep derailing the thread. How about some more pics of those beautiful speakers?? :T

[richnen]

Haha nah, just a bit of a cooking nerd. Sorry to keep derailing the thread. How about some more pics of those beautiful speakers?? :T

Coming soon Chuck. I am stalled due to the heavy work load at my shop. It is a great reason to be stalled!

[richnen]

Here is my good news/bad news story:

The good news is that I completed my Monitors 5 days ago and have been enjoying them more and more each time I listen to them. My thanks to Curt, Jim and Wayne for an excellent design!

The bad news is the cleaning staff that comes in early Sat. mornings to clean my show room decided that my drivers needed to be wiped down with a wet rag!!!! Who cleans speaker cones with a rag??? I now need to replace the Tangbands as they are both creased in several spots.

Ok, I can maybe understand cleaning the first one and then stopping after you see it messed up the cone.. but to keep right on going and ruin the other one too??!!!! What the hell??

Ughhhhh, when I can see straight again I will post a pic of my "clean and shiny" drivers.

[john trials]

Here is my good news/bad news story:

The good news is that I completed my Monitors 5 days ago and have been enjoying them more and more each time I listen to them. My thanks to Curt, Jim and Wayne for an excellent design!

The bad news is the cleaning staff that comes in early Sat. mornings to clean my show room decided that my drivers needed to be wiped down with a wet rag!!!! Who cleans speaker cones with a rag??? I now need to replace the Tangbands as they are both creased in several spots.

Ok, I can maybe understand cleaning the first one and then stopping after you see it messed up the cone.. but to keep right on going and ruin the other one too??!!!! What the hell??

Ughhhhh, when I can see straight again I will post a pic of my "clean and shiny" drivers.

Make sure they don't use a vacuum cleaner to get the dust out of the tweeters...that'll ruin 'em!

Sounds like you need grills. :W

[numberoneoppa]

richnen: Which drivers are they? Seems strange that they would be ruined from that.

[joeybutts]

richnen: Which drivers are they? Seems strange that they would be ruined from that.

I'm gonna guess the W4's....

[numberoneoppa]

I'm gonna guess the W4's....

Hah, that's what happens when I respond to a post without checking what thread I'm in.

But why on earth would a damp rag hurt them? me == confused...

[joeybutts]

They feel super sensitive to me.... heck, what are the chances that in a matter of 2 weeks I get two with creased cones?

[richnen]

Hah, that's what happens when I respond to a post without checking what thread I'm in.

But why on earth would a damp rag hurt them? me == confused...

The cones are very thin and sensitive, trust me they will crease with very little pressure from a rag. I have several Zaph ZA14WO8's in my surrounds and I can tell you with no doubt that the Tangbands are far more sensitive to touch than thew Zaph.

This is not something you want to test... the Tangbands will crease with very little pressure!

[richnen]

Make sure they don't use a vacuum cleaner to get the dust out of the tweeters...that'll ruin 'em!

Sounds like you need grills. :W

Yes, from a practical point of view I should, but I can not bring myself to cover the granite baffle.

I am taking the Monitors home and will put my Idunn towers in the shop. I have no kids so do not have to worry about the exposed drivers and I like the sound of the Monitors over the Idunns. They have more depth and the voicing is better.

The Idunns do look amazing though, and will generate some interest in granite baffles and enclosures. They will be a nice addition to my show room.

Stay tuned for my next build.. I will be starting a pair of CLD's Minuets. I am thinking of building them as towers with a back lit onyx base.

Wow, I am an addict! Do they sell any gum or a patch to wean someone off of DIY? I need help!

[numberoneoppa]

Oh, the damage was from the pressure - I see. That's really unfortunate. :'(

[evilskillit]

I have coated paper cone drivers that can probably take a fair amount of abuse and I'm still afraid to clean them anymore thoroughly than just hitting them VERY lightly with a feather duster and occasionally blowing on particularly hard to get rid of bits of dust and dog hair.