It took me 6 months start to finish, but my Modula MT’s are finally done. They’re very nice. Thanks to everyone for all the various help I’ve needed along the way. :T And the design, of course. This was my first attempt at DIY speakers. I didn’t know much of what to expect. Here are all the details for those who might be interested…
Cabinet construction details:
Being as this was my first DIY speaker project, I wanted to have a rear access panel. That way I can get inside the speaker frequently to reverse my mistakes. I didn’t want to have to unscrew the drivers each time and wind up stripping the wood on the front baffle. So the cabinet design was with the rear access panel, t-nuts, screws, and lots of bracing in mind. I built 3 speakers. The construction photos are taken of the first speaker, mostly. So it’s the ugliest. My woodworking skills are progressing, slowly, and speakers Forum and Blogs came out prettier.
Finishing:
Before deciding on a finish, I read this excellent book cover to cover:
The book is really amazing and I learned a lot of what is possible. I also then learned a lot of what I am not able to do. I experimented on scrap wood, veneer, etc. and things still did not come out close to what I wanted. I decided on flat cut maple veneer. That’s what I like these days. I used contact cement to add the veneer. The cement worked OK, but I did this in my basement (it’s getting cold now) and the solvent fumes were not good. (They didn’t really bother me- it’s more of a long-term health concern) So I will try the iron-on method next time. I added a thin wipe of tung oil to bring out the maple’s chatoyance and that worked out very well. Very, very nice looking. I then wanted a high gloss, smooth, water clear finish. From the book, I picked the Sherwin-Williams (Sherwood) CAB-acrylic high gloss lacquer. It didn’t brush on too smoothly, despite my trying many different layers, thinning with lacquer thinner, etc. So I bought the $100 Rockler HVLP sprayer and that was even worse. There was a fine mist, but also a consistent spitting out of the lacquer. The result was a very bumpy, pitted finish. So I brushed on the lacquer for the actuall speakers. Despite many coats, sanding, etc. I was not able to get a smooth finish. One photo below highlights the bumpy result. Not sure what I will do for my next project. For my sub and shelves I had good luck with Zar polyurethane. After the second coat, it really smooths out evenly just with brushing on. The only trouble there is it yellows the wood somewhat.
Listening impressions:
They do sound very nice. If you’re looking to get into some serious, audiophile speakers, this may be an excellent place to start. I like them. When you consider how little they cost, they’re amazing. They’re pretty clear, the highs are nice, the integration of highs to mids to lows is nice. More bass than I expected. I could be happy with these speakers for a while. Maybe not for a main music-only system (with a sub). But they’re very nice, indeed. Overkill for rear speakers, I’d imagine.
Comparison with Totem Forests:
The Totems can be seen in the first photo below. Like the Modula MT’s, they are a 2-way MT design. They cost something around $3,000. I bought these about a year ago after auditioning many speakers in the under $5,000 category. I quite like them. I was curious how an expensive, commercial 2-way design would compare to a well regarded DIY 2-way design.
I did some switching back and forth between the speakers. The differences between the two were present, but not that large at all. Where I really found more difference was when I was playing both at the same time- the Modula MT as the left speaker and the totem as the right. And I moved back and forth, from left to right. Then the differences seemed much larger. The Totem was just clearer. The Modula seemed less detailed. I don’t want to get into the poor audiophile descriptors of nuance, veils, etc. but the Totems do have more clarity. The Modula might have a wee bit more bass. So they’re close, but I did have a noted preference for the Totem. I asked my gal to compare the two, without telling her my impressions. She said the exact same thing.
So I know it may be heresy to say so around here, but I prefer the Totems. There is a noticeable difference. It’s not an enormous difference, but I think it’s there. Too bad, because I was really pulling for the Modula MT’s given how much time and effort I put into them. Which is not to say I’m unhappy with the Modula MT’s- they’re great. It’s just my preference for the Totems.
Maybe the Modula MT’s will improve their sound with a little break in? I’ve got them playing the radio all day while I’m at work. We’ll see.
So there are my impressions. Happy to answer any questions. They are very nice speakers and I’m quite happy with them. Thanks again to everyone here for all the help. :T
And now, the photos…
The lineup. From left to right, Modula MT, Totem Forest, my DIY shelves, Modula MT, Totem Forest, and my DIY sub:
Image not available
Some pics of what they look like close up:
Images not available
Here’s how the rear baffle, with the flare, will line up with the port:
Image not available
This is the internal bracing assembly. The flared port end you see will be the inside end of the port. The outside end of the port will be flared on the rear baffle. The 4 sides, front and rear baffles will be placed around these internal braces. Braces were then added to all corners as well.
Image not available
Cabinet construction details:
Being as this was my first DIY speaker project, I wanted to have a rear access panel. That way I can get inside the speaker frequently to reverse my mistakes. I didn’t want to have to unscrew the drivers each time and wind up stripping the wood on the front baffle. So the cabinet design was with the rear access panel, t-nuts, screws, and lots of bracing in mind. I built 3 speakers. The construction photos are taken of the first speaker, mostly. So it’s the ugliest. My woodworking skills are progressing, slowly, and speakers Forum and Blogs came out prettier.
Finishing:
Before deciding on a finish, I read this excellent book cover to cover:
The book is really amazing and I learned a lot of what is possible. I also then learned a lot of what I am not able to do. I experimented on scrap wood, veneer, etc. and things still did not come out close to what I wanted. I decided on flat cut maple veneer. That’s what I like these days. I used contact cement to add the veneer. The cement worked OK, but I did this in my basement (it’s getting cold now) and the solvent fumes were not good. (They didn’t really bother me- it’s more of a long-term health concern) So I will try the iron-on method next time. I added a thin wipe of tung oil to bring out the maple’s chatoyance and that worked out very well. Very, very nice looking. I then wanted a high gloss, smooth, water clear finish. From the book, I picked the Sherwin-Williams (Sherwood) CAB-acrylic high gloss lacquer. It didn’t brush on too smoothly, despite my trying many different layers, thinning with lacquer thinner, etc. So I bought the $100 Rockler HVLP sprayer and that was even worse. There was a fine mist, but also a consistent spitting out of the lacquer. The result was a very bumpy, pitted finish. So I brushed on the lacquer for the actuall speakers. Despite many coats, sanding, etc. I was not able to get a smooth finish. One photo below highlights the bumpy result. Not sure what I will do for my next project. For my sub and shelves I had good luck with Zar polyurethane. After the second coat, it really smooths out evenly just with brushing on. The only trouble there is it yellows the wood somewhat.
Listening impressions:
They do sound very nice. If you’re looking to get into some serious, audiophile speakers, this may be an excellent place to start. I like them. When you consider how little they cost, they’re amazing. They’re pretty clear, the highs are nice, the integration of highs to mids to lows is nice. More bass than I expected. I could be happy with these speakers for a while. Maybe not for a main music-only system (with a sub). But they’re very nice, indeed. Overkill for rear speakers, I’d imagine.
Comparison with Totem Forests:
The Totems can be seen in the first photo below. Like the Modula MT’s, they are a 2-way MT design. They cost something around $3,000. I bought these about a year ago after auditioning many speakers in the under $5,000 category. I quite like them. I was curious how an expensive, commercial 2-way design would compare to a well regarded DIY 2-way design.
I did some switching back and forth between the speakers. The differences between the two were present, but not that large at all. Where I really found more difference was when I was playing both at the same time- the Modula MT as the left speaker and the totem as the right. And I moved back and forth, from left to right. Then the differences seemed much larger. The Totem was just clearer. The Modula seemed less detailed. I don’t want to get into the poor audiophile descriptors of nuance, veils, etc. but the Totems do have more clarity. The Modula might have a wee bit more bass. So they’re close, but I did have a noted preference for the Totem. I asked my gal to compare the two, without telling her my impressions. She said the exact same thing.
So I know it may be heresy to say so around here, but I prefer the Totems. There is a noticeable difference. It’s not an enormous difference, but I think it’s there. Too bad, because I was really pulling for the Modula MT’s given how much time and effort I put into them. Which is not to say I’m unhappy with the Modula MT’s- they’re great. It’s just my preference for the Totems.
Maybe the Modula MT’s will improve their sound with a little break in? I’ve got them playing the radio all day while I’m at work. We’ll see.
So there are my impressions. Happy to answer any questions. They are very nice speakers and I’m quite happy with them. Thanks again to everyone here for all the help. :T
And now, the photos…
The lineup. From left to right, Modula MT, Totem Forest, my DIY shelves, Modula MT, Totem Forest, and my DIY sub:
Image not available
Some pics of what they look like close up:
Images not available
Here’s how the rear baffle, with the flare, will line up with the port:
Image not available
This is the internal bracing assembly. The flared port end you see will be the inside end of the port. The outside end of the port will be flared on the rear baffle. The 4 sides, front and rear baffles will be placed around these internal braces. Braces were then added to all corners as well.
Image not available
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