Knights Mini Statement and 2rcc Center build

[looneybomber]

Wow, those look great. I've never heard of the sealer you used. How does it compare, finish wise, to a normal oil based wipe on poly?

[AdelaaR]

Looking absolutely stunning.
A bit awkward how the woofers on the mids are actually bigger than on the sides but that's just a detail.
Also funny how speakers that huge are called "mini"

[FroDaddy]

Very nice, congrats

[KnightsOfNi]

Wow, those look great. I've never heard of the sealer you used. How does it compare, finish wise, to a normal oil based wipe on poly?

Thanks for the compliments guys!
These are my first ever speakers so I don't know how the Deft water based compares to the wipe on poly.
I was planing to use the wipe on, but I found the Deft finish and as I was finishing them in my kitchen I figured I should use water based.
I went on really well, 1 coat, sand smooth, then 5 or 6 more coats to build a finish.
Lessons learned,
#1 DON'T go back over a section to try to improve it.
#2 Don't go too thin or it dries uneven and will not wet out properly.
#3 After 6 or 7 coats the finish did not improove, so time to stop.
I was impressed with the stuff but YMMV
Regards
Knights

[KnightsOfNi]

A bit awkward how the woofers on the mids are actually bigger than on the sides but that's just a detail.

Do you mean the woofers on the center are bigger than the Mini's?
I see what you mean, but I am a big believer of a solid center channel.
Because in movies so much of the dialogue comes from the center I wanted the biggest/ fullest sounding center speaker available.
I can see how this unbalanced look would not suit everyone though, I am still suprised my wife agreed to it :W
Regards
Knights

[sawdust]

Beautiful! Great job and your first build makes this all the more impressive! Love the veneer and finish!

[DeathMonk]

Awesome.. Love the finish!

[David_D]

Nice job matching the grain across top to face on the center. I know that's not the easiest thing to do.
Kudos! They look great

[KnightsOfNi]

Thanks for the compliments guys I appreciate them all.
Also the center channel veneer matching along the top was something I wanted to do with all the speakers but it would have been too wasteful with the veneer.
As it is, I just barely have enough left over for a sub.

Everything sounds great but something has been bugging me.
The Fountek tweeter, can you rely on the red marked post as + or should you test it, if so how?
Also can you rely on the other speakers markings?
I just used the + - markings and I hope they were correct.
If someone could help I would appreciate it
Regards
Knights

[john trials]

I use a AA battery to test the polarity of speakers (I've heard others use a 9V, but a 1.5V battery will get enough travel from the speaker cone without pushing it too hard). Put the positive battery terminal to the positive on the speaker, and the cone should move outward (away from the magnet).

I just trusted the markings on the Fountek tweeters (You shouldn't run the battery test on them!). Mine sound fine, so I assume all is okay. You could always swap polarity on the tweeter to see how it would sound.

[zephyrtear]

I loved your veneer choice! I was thinking of going something more subtle with mine but after seeing yours i actually might change my mind!!!

I use a AA battery to test the polarity of speakers

Im building monitors and havent finished yet, but i did test to see if my speakers were working with a AA battery. Best way to do it. About the fountek i havent tested it and guess i will have to trust the + and - signs.

Talking about testing... Do you guys think there would be a problem if i tested my crossover with my speakers without soldering the cables on the speakers and the binding post? I dont have the clamps (clippers...not sure what they are called) as well. I just want to see if everything is working before mounting them. If everything is ok then ill solder it. Would there be a problem if for the testing i just twist the wire on the speakers and binding posts? Is there a better solution for testing the crossover? Thanks!

[AdelaaR]

Yeah sure twist the wire. It makes a decent connection.
I did it too to quickly test it