Statements II for Music and Home Theatre

[newman]

Greetings all! I have been lurking on this board for so long I feel a part of the community despite having never posted a full thread. Many thanks to the community for your posts and information that I have been learning from over the past few months. I am definitely on the newer side to this hobby but have been making some progress.

My journey started when I build a pair of Quark speakers for a computer (thank you designer Jeff Bagby). I was amazed at the quality of the sound for such small, inexpensive speakers. Being thoroughly hooked after that I decided to get serious. So my next step was to work on my tools. I build a workbench and bought a table saw and router. My next project was to build TriTrix towers and center. Thank you Curt and Jim! I am so thrilled with the sound quality and the transformation this has had on TV, Movies and Music.

After the TriTrix project I built a sealed sub woofer. No specific plans - just used a 15" Dayton Reference driver and went for it. Very pleased with these results.

The TriTrix and sub are in our family room. Now I want to build a dedicated home theater and music room in our basement. Main design goals: * Sound-proofed as much as possible for highest WAF. * Excellent main speakers for music listening. Multiples subs (2 to 4), surround sides, and some number of ATMOS speakers.

This thread is centers on goal of excellent speakers for music. To that end, I have started my build of Statement II's as well as Statement center. My plan is to build the speakers as called for - no changes, modifications, etc. I have a few questions that I will detail along the way. I will post some pics of my previous builds as well. Thanks again to everyone who has shared and is willing to answer questions.

Cheers,
Newman

[newman]

First project - Quark Speakers

Here is a pic of my first quark speakers.. I made just about every mistake on these. I never really did any carpentry (thought these were a glue-together kit) nor any electronics work. So they are quite sub-par from a finish perspective. But they sounds great for small computer speakers!



-Newman

[newman]

Workbench build

Here is the workbench that I built once I decided that I wanted to get serious about building speakers.



Thanks,
Newman

[newman]

Tritrix and sub build

Then I moved on to TriTrix and a sub for the Family room. First time veneering. Made more mistakes here but continued to learn.

Sub is sealed and I build an external box for the plate amp and mounted that to the back of the entertainment cabinet. I wanted maximum flexibility to change amps later if necessary. And it kept the sub box simpler.




Cheers,
Newman

[newman]

MDF cut for towers and mid

Just starting on my Statements now. Finished the main cuts for the towers and center. Put holes in the base for the vent. Lots of sawdust picked up by the dust collection. I have not ordered the kits yet so I cannot go further at this time. Waiting to hear on a new job before pulling the trigger! Of course if I get it, I will have less time to build. Catch-22...

If anyone can detail the spec's on the notch cut-outs for the tweeter on the mid-tunnels, I could proceed with assembling them...

Cheers,
Newman

[Jim Holtz]

Hi Newman,

Thank you for your interest in the Statements II. I think you'll enjoy them a lot.

A clarification, Curt is the sole designer of the TriTrix. That was before we started to collaborate on the Statements.

I didn't document the notches for the ribbon cutout and added them during the original build with a rasp. Unless someone jumps in, I'd suggest trial fitting the ribbon before the front baffle is glued in place and adjust the notches as necessary. That's not real precise but it works. There are many, many builds here on HT Guide that might show close ups of the notches.

Some other thoughts; be sure to measure the drivers diameter of the drivers before cutting the recesses. The NE123's are slightly smaller than the W41337's and the recess should be adjusted accordingly for the "perfect" fit. Also, if you're down porting rather than out the back, there is an undocumented 5" wide opening in the rear of the bottom 3 base panels that allows the port to breathe unobstructed. It'll still work just fine without as long as you have the 1 1/2" tall spikes but the rear opening allows more air flow.

Good luck with the build. I'm looking forward to seeing you're progress.

Jim

[newman]

Hi Newman,

.....

Some other thoughts; be sure to measure the drivers diameter of the drivers before cutting the recesses. The NE123's are slightly smaller than the W41337's and the recess should be adjusted accordingly for the "perfect" fit. Also, if you're down porting rather than out the back, there is an undocumented 5" wide opening in the rear of the bottom 3 base panels that allows the port to breathe unobstructed. It'll still work just fine without as long as you have the 1 1/2" tall spikes but the rear opening allows more air flow.

Jim

Hi Jim - thank you very much for the kind words and clarifications! I stand corrected- Curt's TriTrix towers and centers are fantastic and I am anxious to hear both your work on the Statements.

Just received a job offer yesterday so I will be pulling the trigger on the kits from Meniscus. Therefore I can just wait until the tweeters arrive to fit up the mid tunnels. I will also wait on cutting the driver recesses until I have the kit - thanks for the advice.

Not quite certain I can picture where the 5" hole goes.. I have the 9" holes in the center of the three base plates already (that orient vertically from the bottom woofer section to the floor). Are you indicating a hole that goes parallel to the floor in the three base plates? I am a bit confused as aren't they 2.25 inches tall/thick? (.75 x 3). I do plan to use the 1.5" spikes as I will have freedom to arrange the height of my seats around the finished height of the Statements. In addition, I may put the Statements on a raised plywood stage filled with sand to help with isolation.

If you or anyone else can check my thinking on assembly I would appreciate it:

I plan to veneer all sides except the backs. I plan to put the 3/4" round over on the edges of the baffles. I would like to veneer before I cut driver recesses and holes as I found it a bit challenging on the TriTrix to trim veneer in the driver recesses after the fact. My baffles are currently oversized as called for in the plans.

So my plan is to 1) glue the 1.25" baffle to the assembled boxes. 2) Flush trim the baffles to the box. 3) Round over the vertical baffle edges (not the top edge as veneering a compound rounding is beyond my skill). 4) 1 continuous sheet of veneer over the baffle and both sides (over the 3/4 round over). 4) Cut the driver recesses 5) Cut the driver holes.

Does this make sense?

Thanks!
Newman

[Jim Holtz]

Hi Jim - thank you very much for the kind words and clarifications! I stand corrected- Curt's TriTrix towers and centers are fantastic and I am anxious to hear both your work on the Statements.

Just received a job offer yesterday so I will be pulling the trigger on the kits from Meniscus. Therefore I can just wait until the tweeters arrive to fit up the mid tunnels. I will also wait on cutting the driver recesses until I have the kit - thanks for the advice.

Not quite certain I can picture where the 5" hole goes.. I have the 9" holes in the center of the three base plates already (that orient vertically from the bottom woofer section to the floor). Are you indicating a hole that goes parallel to the floor in the three base plates? I am a bit confused as aren't they 2.25 inches tall/thick? (.75 x 3). I do plan to use the 1.5" spikes as I will have freedom to arrange the height of my seats around the finished height of the Statements. In addition, I may put the Statements on a raised plywood stage filled with sand to help with isolation.

If you or anyone else can check my thinking on assembly I would appreciate it:

I plan to veneer all sides except the backs. I plan to put the 3/4" round over on the edges of the baffles. I would like to veneer before I cut driver recesses and holes as I found it a bit challenging on the TriTrix to trim veneer in the driver recesses after the fact. My baffles are currently oversized as called for in the plans.

So my plan is to 1) glue the 1.25" baffle to the assembled boxes. 2) Flush trim the baffles to the box. 3) Round over the vertical baffle edges (not the top edge as veneering a compound rounding is beyond my skill). 4) 1 continuous sheet of veneer over the baffle and both sides (over the 3/4 round over). 4) Cut the driver recesses 5) Cut the driver holes.

Does this make sense?

Thanks!
Newman

Hi Newma,

The 5" cut I'm talking about is actually a tunnel in the rear of the base. It's cut in the bottom 3 panels with the top panel of the base covering it. It simply provides better air flow for the port and works better on carpet etc.

I prefer to do all the driver cut outs before veneering. If I screw up, the veneer isn't wasted. Here's the type of router bit I use to trim the recess holes; https://www.amazon.com/Amana-Tool-Cl.../dp/B000P4QBEU It's very easy and creates a smooth cut. You may need to adjust the bottom depth of the bit with a grinder so it'll allow the cutting portion to go deep enough. I've done multiple speakers and it always works well.

HTH

Jim

[newman]

Hi Newma,

The 5" cut I'm talking about is actually a tunnel in the rear of the base. It's cut in the bottom 3 panels with the top panel of the base covering it. It simply provides better air flow for the port and works better on carpet etc.

I prefer to do all the driver cut outs before veneering. If I screw up, the veneer isn't wasted. Here's the type of router bit I use to trim the recess holes; https://www.amazon.com/Amana-Tool-Cl.../dp/B000P4QBEU It's very easy and creates a smooth cut. You may need to adjust the bottom depth of the bit with a grinder so it'll allow the cutting portion to go deep enough. I've done multiple speakers and it always works well.

HTH

Jim

Thank you again Jim! Tunnel makes sense to me. I am adding this to my plans.

I really appreciate your input on the sequence of veneer, cuts, etc. I found a bit very similar to what you use at a local shop. It is what I used to trim the TriTrix holes and it worked well. Though the journey to research and find it was a bit tiresome... Perhaps that is why I was leaning toward veneering first. I think I will wait until all parts are in do some testing on scrap wood and veneer and see what I am more comfortable with.

Good news/bad news: I start my new job in two days and two days later I am in Europe and UK for two weeks straight. So I won't get much more done for awhile unless the Meniscus kit comes in today/tomorrow. Even if it does, the woofers are back-ordered so I will only be able to use the tweeter and port tubes to finalize those internal cuts. All this is par for the course... as a father of three kids at home I am used to doing these projects in what feels like 15 minute increments! And since I want these to be done right, I will just have to enjoy the journey.

Cheers,
Newman

[Jim Holtz]

Hi Newman,

Best of luck on the new job! It sounds exciting jetting around the world.

Patience will reward you with beautiful music and great home theater!

Jim