Yet Another Statement Build Thread

[BigJim_inFLA]

So I am back at it. The temps in the garage have risen into the 100's during the day so I have a much harder time getting myself out there. On the up side it will help the paint dry quicker! Got the baffles painted black.



Now I will be putting 3 coats of clear lacquer on the entire cabinet each day for a while. I will be lightly block sanding every other day or so. I needed stands that would allow me to comfortably reach all sides and the top so I made a couple out of some scrap.

[BigJim_inFLA]

Some pics with the masking removed. Ready for today's coats of clear.

[BeerParty]

Some pics with the masking removed. Ready for today's coats of clear.
<snip>

Why did you remove the plastic from the speaker holes? It wasn't just so you could take a good picture, was it?

[BigJim_inFLA]

Why did you remove the plastic from the speaker holes? It wasn't just so you could take a good picture, was it?

Don't need it there anymore. I'm not set up to spray here so I will be brushing the clear lacquer on. I will probably end up installing the drivers so I can listen to them after I have the clear coating done, but before it cures fully for the polishing to begin.

[BigJim_inFLA]

Taking a break from painting to build up the stands. All the pieces cut and ready to assemble.



Slots cut for the biscuits I will be using.



1st step of assembly.



Column is almost complete.

[BigJim_inFLA]

As far as I can go today. The base will have 1" of granite on top of it, under the column, and adjustable spikes at each corner. Top and base will be black, the column will be veneered with left over zebrawood.

[Coconutout]

wow... nelson pass with statements. i can't even imagine. my statement monitors loved 300b, and it's still magical with a fisher 400. it even liked nait 5i, an amp notorious for synergy issues. in fact, i don't think there's an amp that it doesn't like. and i bet a nelson pass amp would be the best of them all. please let us know how the sound turns out, Jim. good luck, and it's looking great already.

oh and curt, are we sure that the monitors are 87db? then there's gotta be magic involved :T

[BigJim_inFLA]

I'm out of town for vacation, driving from Florida to Michigan, and what did I find was "conveniently located just 2 minutes from I-75?"



I wasn't planning on doing anything speaker related this week, but I can save on the shipping...my girl is very supportive, thank goodness. Waiting for them to locate a few of those QSC 152i waveguides...they did find them eventually.

[DeathMonk]

I would be so broke if I could just walk into a parts express

[Justaguy]

My wife is very supportive of all my hobbies but When I walk into a store like PE she gets a glazed look in her eye. I would also be broke if I went there.

Those bases are a very cool design. Particularly the bottom. Now the whole setup won't look like a box setting on a box.

[stevovee]

great build....its nice to see someone take the time to record all of their steps like you did....build threads like this are what helped me get started in diy/speaker building

[BigJim_inFLA]

Hello again, back from vacation and ready to get a little bit of work done to these. Still painting and sanding the clear lacquer. I did talk to some granite shops about the bases for my stands and have gotten some crazy prices. Higher than I thought, and very different from shop to shop. Still waiting to hear back from some, but I may have to go a different direction if I don't get some more reasonable estimates.

Today's latest is more work on the stands. Here I am coating the column and veneer with glue.



And here are the columns after ironing on the veneer.

[BigJim_inFLA]

Done for today. Veneer is trimmed, sanded, and shellac applied.

[BigJim_inFLA]

Got the back edges beveled, painted the exposed MDF, and started with the clear.

[BigJim_inFLA]

So it has been a while. I have learned a few things. Evidently it is really expensive to cut and polish granite on an arc. The curved triangular bases would have cost me almost 10 times as much as simple rectangles. I decided, after visiting many local granite shops, to redesign using rectangular bases. They will be ready for pickup on Monday. Today I cut the plywood bases that will be under the granite. These will provide support and give me a place to mount the spikes. These will be about 3/8" smaller than the granite on each side.

Here are the bases, cut from doubled up 3/4" plywood, and finished the edge with a bevel.



I installed screw in threads for the spikes



Here they are painted black with the spikes installed.



Stands should be done on Monday after I get the granite.

The other thing I learned is that a good test panel does not always mean things will work well. I painted the back and bottom of the speakers with black lacquer and then covered it with brush on clear. I had used a test panel to be sure the clear would go on over the black without any problems. The back and bottom came out great. I used the same black lacquer on the baffles, but when I started applying the clear the underlying black wrinkled and lifted. Same lacquer, same technique. I'm not sure what happened. I have sanded down the problem areas and will try again after letting the new coat of black cure a bit longer.

[BigJim_inFLA]

Some more progress on stands...

4 1/2 inch carriage bolts through the wood bases will hold everything together.



Contact cement will hold a layer of non skid shelf liner on top of the stands.



Home from the granite shop!!



Layer of construction adhesive will keep everything nice and vibration free. The large holes allow a little movement during placement. I test fit the column on the base and mark with tape before adding adhesive to the top of the granite as well.

[BigJim_inFLA]

The column fitted onto the bolts.



Held together with nuts and fender washers.



And if the granite wasn't heavy enough, lets fill the empty column with sand to add some weight and density. These will make a very stable base for the Statements.

[BigJim_inFLA]

The tops are then glued and screwed onto the column and we are done!



Now with its twin.



And some close ups.

[BigJim_inFLA]

I just had to get a look. Still working on the messed up baffles, but they are gonna look nice...

[Jim Holtz]

Beautiful! :T

Jim

[JimAckley]

Nicely done Jim! I've been reading a about the Statements, and haven been working up a mockup via SketchUp for the past few days and it's good to know you and I feel the same way about bracing :B

I think I'm going to shoot for the ported version, but your sealed Statements look absolutely exceptional!

p.s. is it just me, or does it seem like there are a lot of Jims interested in the Statements?

[Hank]

I just opened your build thread. Good job, Jim - great workmanship! I'm sure you'll enjoy the beauty and music for a long time to come.

[BigJim_inFLA]

Thanks for the props gentlemen. I appreciate the kind words. When these are finally done they will be more than worth the time and effort put in. I had hoped to be done by now, but soaring temps in the garage, some minor mishaps with the finishing, and just life in general have conspired to slow the build.

I do plan to finish the baffles in the next week and have them playing in my living room shortly thereafter. Final polishing will wait until we tear down the entertainment equipment for the move in the Spring.

These will turn out to be the last speaker project I build for the foreseeable future. We will be moving shortly, and I already have more speakers than I know what to do with. Besides, my time and DIY spirit are being directed more toward brewing. Beer is much more consumable than speakers, I can never have too many.

[BigJim_inFLA]

Not quite finished, but this is how they will be for the next few months. Final polish will wait for the lacquer to fully cure.



I have to say thanks to Jim and Curt, these sound amazing! Playing music without the subs I was surprised by the amount of bass. Full and deep, yet very tight. Even sealed you almost don't need the subs, almost.

The mids and highs are very revealing, I find myself listening to favorite pieces over and over hearing things I've not noticed before. I've never used ribbon tweeters before, but I like these quite a bit. Overall I am very happy with these!

[Jim Holtz]

Excellent! :T

We're very pleased you're happy with them. They look amazing!

Jim

[Fishy]

Seriously STUNNING!!!! I just wonder how much they weigh.

Hope they sound as good as they look.

Fish

[BigJim_inFLA]

They weigh a lot! I didn't weigh the speaker, but the stand weighed in at 92 lbs. I will throw the speak on the scale and see what it comes to.

[Dean100]

Jim-

As usual another very nice build by you. Those look beautiful!

Just wondering what your thoughts are in regards to how they sound compared to your bass bin / Nat P combination that you ran in the past.

I am presently running a bass bin / Nat P combo and am considering another build of some sort. Thanks!

[BigJim_inFLA]

Thank you Dean!

Compared to the NatP + bass bins, hmmm. Well that depends. Do you have a sub in the mix? I've listened to the NatP + bass bins without the sub, running full range and they definitely had more bottom end. I listened to the Statements full range with no sub and they sound fantastic, but sealed as I built them, they don't play as low as the 4 RSS315HF's in the bass bins. 4 12" drivers vs. 4 8" drivers it really isn't a surprise.

The mids and highs of the Statement are just better than the NatP, though. More revealing, more "airy" quality. Better soundstage, I can close my eyes and picture where the instruments are. Vocals sound more real on the Statements.

Now throw in any old subwoofer, or a big powerful subwoofer, or two big horn subwoofers...cross to the subs at 60Hz and the low end differences disappear. Mid bass on both setups is strong, tight, musical. Now I don't miss the lowest of lows that the sealed Statements couldn't manage. Without trying to go deep, the mid bass cleans up a bit. The difference is noticeable when the Statements don't have to go below 60Hz. Of course they still best the NatP's up high.

If you don't want a sub stick with the bass bins, or try the Statements vented. If you have a subwoofer, or are going to add one, the Statements would be my recommendation, they are better sounding to my ear. How much better? There is an interesting question. I'm not sure how much I spent total on this project, and I got the drivers much cheaper than they sell for now. Are they $700-$1000 better than the NatP + bass bin? Can you have a more noticeable impact spending that money elsewhere in your system? I think half the fun is finding out.

[BigJim_inFLA]

Had to move some things around tonight so I set one of these on a scale, 89.8 lbs. Speaker and stand together come in at about 182!!!

[JimAckley]

Thank you Dean!

Compared to the NatP + bass bins, hmmm. Well that depends. Do you have a sub in the mix? I've listened to the NatP + bass bins without the sub, running full range and they definitely had more bottom end. I listened to the Statements full range with no sub and they sound fantastic, but sealed as I built them, they don't play as low as the 4 RSS315HF's in the bass bins. 4 12" drivers vs. 4 8" drivers it really isn't a surprise.

The mids and highs of the Statement are just better than the NatP, though. More revealing, more "airy" quality. Better soundstage, I can close my eyes and picture where the instruments are. Vocals sound more real on the Statements.

Now throw in any old subwoofer, or a big powerful subwoofer, or two big horn subwoofers...cross to the subs at 60Hz and the low end differences disappear. Mid bass on both setups is strong, tight, musical. Now I don't miss the lowest of lows that the sealed Statements couldn't manage. Without trying to go deep, the mid bass cleans up a bit. The difference is noticeable when the Statements don't have to go below 60Hz. Of course they still best the NatP's up high.

If you don't want a sub stick with the bass bins, or try the Statements vented. If you have a subwoofer, or are going to add one, the Statements would be my recommendation, they are better sounding to my ear. How much better? There is an interesting question. I'm not sure how much I spent total on this project, and I got the drivers much cheaper than they sell for now. Are they $700-$1000 better than the NatP + bass bin? Can you have a more noticeable impact spending that money elsewhere in your system? I think half the fun is finding out.

Pardon my ignorance Jim, but what's the difference between a bass bin and a sub?

Gorgeous build man. It makes me more and more anxious to build mine!

[BigJim_inFLA]

Pardon my ignorance Jim, but what's the difference between a bass bin and a sub?

Gorgeous build man. It makes me more and more anxious to build mine!

Typical subs handle from 80Hz on down. Mine are actually crossed at 60Hz. The Nat P uses two 7" woofers crossed to the tweeter around 1800Hz. So those two drivers handle all material from 1800Hz down to the sub crossover point, let's ay 80Hz. That's a lot to ask of those drivers, especially at higher SPL. The bass bins use sub drivers that to cover from my sub crossover point at 60Hz to about 250Hz. These are sealed. They do the job really well and sound good even quite loud. The 7" woofers are left with less program material to cover so they can play cleaner and louder. The cost is additional drivers, an external crossover, and two extra amp channels.

[AdelaaR]

Very nice build!
Your speakers weigh quite a bit more than I do ... they're huge

[dk_theater]

Zebrawood Veneer

Hi Jim. Great job on the speakers. Could I please ask you where you purchased the zebrawood veneer? I am looking for exactly the same veneer and love the way it came out on your speakers.
I also sent you a PM with my contact info.
Thanks

[BigJim_inFLA]

VeneerSupplies.com

PM sent.

[Fishy]

Now you've had time to run them in, how do they sound? Has to be the most important question!

Fish

[BigJim_inFLA]

They sound great! So good that I have not finished polishing them yet. I can't bring myself to move them back out to the garage.

[oneplustwo]

Are you happy with your decision to go sealed vs. ported? Full size vs. Mini/Monitor? I'm trying to decide which variant to go with and would love to hear your thought process.

[meb46]

Just catching up on this thread now - the speakers look great!!!! I suspect they are far more "finished" that a lot of other DIYer's speaker projects out there including myself Most impressed with the stands too...

[BigJim_inFLA]

Are you happy with your decision to go sealed vs. ported? Full size vs. Mini/Monitor? I'm trying to decide which variant to go with and would love to hear your thought process.

I'm very happy with the choices I made. Size was not an issue, these are actually smaller overall than what they replaced, maybe a bit taller, but slimmer and not as deep. I prefer a sealed alignment, and would require a subwoofer either way (I do enjoy organ music and I am using these in my HT for movies) so again I would not have done it any differently. I also like the look of a large imposing speaker, WAF is not so important.

I haven't heard any other variant, but I am sure they all sound good. I say build the best you can afford, the best you can fit in your room. That way you won't have to wonder what you might be missing. :T

[oneplustwo]

I've never built a sealed speaker... what does a 'sealed alignment' mean? Does it present as more controlled? Less boomy? Guess I could always build it vented and experiment with stuffing the vent and adding foam to take away volume if I wanted to simulate sealed given the x-over is the same.