Troels Ellam

[richnen]

Pics of some cabinets and baffles I made for Troels Ellams. I think they turned out pretty sweet.

[blue934]

looks good! what is the finish on the sides?

david

[richnen]

Thanks Blue.

The cabinet is Black Galaxy granite and the baffle is red granite, not sure of the name.

The cabinet is 3/4 granite as is the baffle, effectively making the baffle 1 1/2 thick. Going to put them on a scale, I am curious as to how much they weigh.

[Undefinition]

Holy crap. That's a lot of granite! You can move those by yourself?!?! :E

[blue934]

how did you make those cuts/miters?
david

[richnen]

Holy crap. That's a lot of granite! You can move those by yourself?!?! :E

They are actually not as heavy as the ClearWave MB5's I made, the granite is full 1" thick and the baffles are 1 3/16. I also are mechanically fastened them to an all granite stand to reduce the chance of a child pulling them over, that would not be good. With the stands they weigh about 180lbs each!!

I am going to weigh them tomorrow, I would be surprised if they weigh 100lbs. They are small towers.

[richnen]

how did you make those cuts/miters?
david

I own a granite fabrication shop so I have a bridge saw and a CNC at my disposal. I cut the cabinet parts 1/8" oversize then miter them on the CNC.

The real time is in the baffles, each baffle requires about 2hrs of CNC time plus all the programming.

[AdelaaR]

Just wow ... too bad a granite CNC does not fit in my workshop nor budget.

[john trials]

Those speakers are so NICE! I've been following your various granite builds...so cool.

I never thought about them tipping over. That could be really painful!!!

[Undefinition]

I'd think that once it topples over, it's never getting back up again.

[richnen]

Thanks for the comments

Yep, it could be disastrous for any one unfortunate enough to be under them which is why I have a disclaimer stating that they must be mounted on a suitable base that provides more stability.

If it were to fall and land flat on carpet it would have a reasonable chance of surviving intact. If it hits unevenly on a hard surface it will at best crack but more likely break in several places.

All an educated guess, not sure I want to invest the time to build one and push it over, plus I would have a hard time recruiting a volunteer :E

[baniels]

Those look great.

[Bear]

Awesome work as always, Richard! You're really cranking through the speaker building.

[kmibb]

I own a granite fabrication shop so I have a bridge saw and a CNC at my disposal. I cut the cabinet parts 1/8" oversize then miter them on the CNC.

The real time is in the baffles, each baffle requires about 2hrs of CNC time plus all the programming.

Where do you live? And what would you charge for a baffle for Jeff Bagby's Continuums in that same red stone? It's the same tweeter and an Aurum Cantus AC130F1 (5-1/2" woofer).

[richnen]

Where do you live? And what would you charge for a baffle for Jeff Bagby's Continuums in that same red stone? It's the same tweeter and an Aurum Cantus AC130F1 (5-1/2" woofer).

I am in North County, CA. Just north of San Diego.

After fabricating the Ellam's using 3/4" granite for the baffle I have reached the conclusion that the material is too thin. This has nothing to do with the density of the stone or its suitability from an acoustic view point, the problem lies with the stress put on the baffle during milling. There is so little material left between the driver hole and the side that it is prone to cracking during milling.

I have fabricated around 30 baffles and have broken at least 6 during milling. I broke 3 baffles fabricating the Minuets,broke one and cracked one(which I was able to repair) building the Ellam's.

Then there is the shipping... I had three break in transportation just recently because I did not pack them well enough. I had the good sense to have the replacements shipped by a service that packs and insures them.

With that in mind the cost of baffles may be more than you are expecting but if you PM me the dimensions I will work up a price for you. I have over sixty colors of granite in 1 1/4 but none of the red used in the Ellams.

Richard

[richnen]

Awesome work as always, Richard! You're really cranking through the speaker building.

Thanks!

I am having a hard time stopping, I have run out of rooms to put speakers in!

I am toying with the idea of a translam using granite and marble :E , after seeing Bigbards Sharkfins I was hooked on the idea. Those are some great looking speakers. :T

[kmibb]

Yeah, I asked where you were because I wanted to avoid shipping. With baffles that are heavy and fragile, it just doesn't make sense.

The good news is I'm in Bakersfield so it's only about a 4 hour drive (one way.)

I am in North County, CA. Just north of San Diego.

After fabricating the Ellam's using 3/4" granite for the baffle I have reached the conclusion that the material is too thin. This has nothing to do with the density of the stone or its suitability from an acoustic view point, the problem lies with the stress put on the baffle during milling. There is so little material left between the driver hole and the side that it is prone to cracking during milling.

I have fabricated around 30 baffles and have broken at least 6 during milling. I broke 3 baffles fabricating the Minuets,broke one and cracked one(which I was able to repair) building the Ellam's.

Then there is the shipping... I had three break in transportation just recently because I did not pack them well enough. I had the good sense to have the replacements shipped by a service that packs and insures them.

With that in mind the cost of baffles may be more than you are expecting but if you PM me the dimensions I will work up a price for you. I have over sixty colors of granite in 1 1/4 but none of the red used in the Ellams.

Richard

[richnen]

The baffles alone are not that heavy, but until they are mounted they are somewhat fragile.

[Bear]

Thanks!

I am having a hard time stopping, I have run out of rooms to put speakers in!

I am toying with the idea of a translam using granite and marble :E , after seeing Bigbards Sharkfins I was hooked on the idea. Those are some great looking speakers. :T

That would look awesome, and yet, the amount of waste in the process would make it even more expensive than a wood-based version. You wouldn't have to worry about humidity cracks or de-lamination, though.

For those wondering about Richard's work, it's simply amazing. He did three Minuet baffles for me, and the work is basically flawless. I've been nursing a back injury, so I haven't had a chance to mount them yet, but I have been drooling over the bare baffles even before putting them into service.

[richnen]

That would look awesome, and yet, the amount of waste in the process would make it even more expensive than a wood-based version. You wouldn't have to worry about humidity cracks or de-lamination, though.

For those wondering about Richard's work, it's simply amazing. He did three Minuet baffles for me, and the work is basically flawless. I've been nursing a back injury, so I haven't had a chance to mount them yet, but I have been drooling over the bare baffles even before putting them into service.

Thanks Bear!

I am looking forward to seeing the finished product when you are back on your feet.

[5th element]

I am having a hard time stopping, I have run out of rooms to put speakers in!

Ain't that the truth! It'll be the relatives next who have speakers off loaded onto them. For some reason I don't think they'd mind. Top work as always. :T

[welly192]

Granite speakers

I am the proud owner of thee Ellam's. Some of you guys worry too much, I'll be sure not to open a day care so they don't fall over and squish anyone

Richard did a faboulous job fabricating these- Thank you man. Also had a chance to listen to Richard's 5B's and they sounded awesome even connected to 15 pound integrated amp. Especially liked the 6600 wonder if I can modify these and install them


Anyway, Thanks Richard These are the first speakers my wife actually likes!

(Enclosed pic is the original wood version next to granite)

[richnen]

I am the proud owner of thee Ellam's. Some of you guys worry too much, I'll be sure not to open a day care so they don't fall over and squish anyone

Richard did a faboulous job fabricating these- Thank you man. Also had a chance to listen to Richard's 5B's and they sounded awesome even connected to 15 pound integrated amp. Especially liked the 6600 wonder if I can modify these and install them


Anyway, Thanks Richard These are the first speakers my wife actually likes!

(Enclosed pic is the original wood version next to granite)

Your welcome Ray. Ya, I figured granite speakers would have a high WAF :T I have had just as many women comment on the speakers as men.

Call me when you have them working, I want to hear them next to the wood version.

[Rony]

Did you ever build the continuums?

[JonMarsh]

Did you ever build the continuums?

If you're interested in building Jeff Bagby's Continuums you should head over to Meniscus for the kit offer, or to Salk Sound if you want a finished built version.

You're not likely to get an answer with an unrelated questions (to the original topic) posted to these posts from 2011. They're probably no more likely to have built the Continuum than I am.

[Rony]

Thank you Jon!

I actually built them maybe 3 or 4 years ago, just curious what others are thinking comparing to the mini statements which my brother Asi built, and I love their sound more than others so far. I am looking for someone who may be interested in selling the minis, unfortunately I have no time right now...

I keep on saying minis, but I actually meant to say the monitor statements... the sound range on these monitors is outstanding, mids/highs are supper clean and "gentle", and the low end is incredible for 1 small woofer and a relatively small cabinet. The 4 Ohm Dayton has (maybe there are new ones now, this was few years back) one of the lowest frequency response.

[Rony]

I keep on saying minis, but I actually meant to say the monitor statements...