Wavecor Ardent Mid Priced Build

[JonMarsh]

Looking very good, Ron- :T

Those dollies look very familiar- we must shop some of the same places!

[TEK]

Those look awsome already!

[scottvalentin]

Wow very incredible Ron!

[Renron]

Jon, When I saw yours on a dolly, I bought a pair. These are Heavy speakers!
Thanks everyone for the kind words. Something I forgot to mention with the above picture; Charles Neil recommended when applying de-waxed shellac (as a pore filler) to BRUSH it on 45 , 90* against the grain. If you brush it on // (parallel) with the grain, it pulls the shellac out of the pores. Ya know what? He's right! If you've never heard of Charles Neil here's a link to his Youtube page. One of THE BEST finishers, IMO. He also sells THE best pre-stain conditioner available. I've used it on cherry, perfect!
This video is on how to remove a dent in solid wood. :hb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdtsa4Sazvw

Ron

[sdl2112]

Looking good Ron...beautiful veneer.

[JonMarsh]

We always appreciate useful links and tips like you've posted today!

[Renron]

Up or Down?

I'm going to use the proper Mundorf M-reisist resistors as specified. I can be taught. LOL
However, in the tweeter circuit the available values are not exactly as specified. Specifically the 3R and 4R (Ohm). 3.9 is pretty close to 4R so I'll go with those values. But should I purchase the 3R3 or the 2R7 resistors for the 3R value? Given the recent PDF by Jon which implies a drop in Tweeter dB as frequency increases is preferred to a ruler flat XO, I'd guess the 3R3, but I'd rather not guess. Placing an order with HiFi Collective soon.
Thanks for the help / clarification.

[BobEllis]

A little pricier, but 2 1.5s in series will give you 3 ohms net. You're buying 2% caps, I'd think you'd rather have a tighter tolerance on the resistors than 10%.

[Evil Twin]

Go with the 3R3 this time - but keep in mind that paralleling resistors is often used to get the specific value. If you see a value such as 11 ohms, it was because two 22 ohm resistors in parallel made that value. And 22 ohms is a standard E24 value. Likewise, my recollection is that they did have 6 ohm resistors, we paralleled them to get 3 and more power handling/less tempco response. Blame it all on me, Mr. Marsh was in need of motivated adult supervision.... :roll:

[flamethrower1]

I just looked per ET's suggestion on the 6 ohm, Madisound does not list any at that value in the M-Resist

[Renron]

Thank you all for the intelligent answers.
In the midrange circuit I see that some Rs were // to arrive at specific values, however, in the tweeter circuit they showed individual Rs to achieve that desired value. Hence my reluctance to complete my purchase.
Thanks
Ron

[flamethrower1]

Ron, what route are you going to go with the tweeter resistors?

[JonMarsh]

Thank you all for the intelligent answers.
In the midrange circuit I see that some Rs were // to arrive at specific values, however, in the tweeter circuit they showed individual Rs to achieve that desired value. Hence my reluctance to complete my purchase.
Thanks
Ron

I'll flip over one of the Ardent's this afternoon and re-confirm the resistor values.

[Renron]

Jon,
Wear you hernia belt. My comments were based on 12mu schematic that you so kindly posted earlier i this thread.
Flamethrower,
I'm going to use the Mundorf M-Resist 3R9 and 3R3 / 20W . I don't want to upset Evil Twin..... a lesson you don't want to experience.
Ron

[JonMarsh]

Jon,
Wear you hernia belt. My comments were based on 12mu schematic that you so kindly posted earlier i this thread.
Flamethrower,
I'm going to use the Mundorf M-Resist 3R9 and 3R3 / 20W . I don't want to upset Evil Twin..... a lesson you don't want to experience.
Ron

3.3 and 3.9 are what's in there now... Safe to proceed...

I didn't get out the hernia belt- after moving the Isiris into Storage yesterday, this was more like flipping over a bookshelf speaker... :B

[Renron]

Awesome, Thanks Jon.
Now that I think of it, Evil Twin could have used Force Push / Pull to turn them over. Wish I'd thought of that earlier.
Glad you didn't hurt yourself. Bookshelf speakers.......LOL. Riiiiiiight. Hell of a bookshelf.
Ron

[JonMarsh]

It's all relative... :;

Ok, so I might have grunted on that final lift going back to vertical- it's hard to find something to get a grip on!

[Renron]

Just placed the order for the remainder of the XO parts, including proper resistors for the tweeter and mid. No Clarity MR parts, Jantzen superior Z (series) and Cross Caps for the // circuits. With the drop in the British Pound it came to just a whisper under $600 with shipping. Not too bad, keeping with the "MID PRICED" theme of this Ardent.
Thanks for the help guy!
Ron

[BobEllis]

Uh oh. You're ahead of me there...

[Evil Twin]

Unquestionably good pricing can be a matter of timing... this may force my hand to advance crossover component purchases for the DFAL project under way.

[flamethrower1]

Jon, how quickly does Hificollective usually get your orders shipped?
The status of mine still is "payment received".

Thanks, Greg

[Renron]

Your Lordship E.T. .
If I have helped the Forces of DFAL in some minor way then my life will have had meaning. The exchange rate has continued to outperform the Terran Colonists of PE and Madisound. Further communications with the Off Continent Sales Brigade will be reported back here as soon as my spies have something to report.

FT1,
I'll let you know how quick they ship.

Humble servant

[JonMarsh]

Jon, how quickly does Hificollective usually get your orders shipped?
The status of mine still is "payment received".

Thanks, Greg

On at least two occasions I have ordered late afternoon, and had the parts in hand two days later. That surprised me, especially the first time!

When did you place your order?

I'm waiting right now on an order from HobbyHiFiLaden; there is something left with customs to sort out, then it should go out mid week, according to their most recent email update today.

I order with PayPal, if that makes any difference.

[flamethrower1]

I just placed the order on Friday, I kind of thought that it would have shipped today based on how fast you had received orders in the past.

[Evil Twin]

Early or late on Friday? Remember the time zones of this planet... ordering on Friday is like ordering Monday as far as when anyone is around to process an order. A company like this would not be operating on the weekends.

[flamethrower1]

Yeah, it was early as in around 7 am, I was kind of hoping to see at least a shipping confirmation today though.
Maybe tommorow, oh well

[Renron]

Dark one,
By your command. My spies have informed me that a suspicious package has been dispatched from the British Empire. We are preparing for it's arrival within the week. Perhaps this will allow us to attempt and end run on the "Ellis" counter offensive.
Humble servant,

Ron

[flamethrower1]

Renron, are you eluding to your cap order?
I received an email saying they were out of the 10uF Superiors and they are going to sub the Silvers at no extra cost

[Evil Twin]

Dark one,
By your command. My spies have informed me that a suspicious package has been dispatched from the British Empire. We are preparing for it's arrival within the week. Perhaps this will allow us to attempt and end run on the "Ellis" counter offensive.
Humble servant,

Ron

You appear to be properly motivated to succeed in your quest- we can only offer congratulations in realizing the proper utilization of a component vendor not well known (yet) in the United States. Some might complain that your use of a little known but hungry vendor from the home of Brexit is taking an unfair advantage for your efforts, but then consider the thought occasionally offered, and fully aligned with the Dark side, which is that if you aren't cheating, you're not trying hard enough...

[BobEllis]

Dark one,
By your command. My spies have informed me that a suspicious package has been dispatched from the British Empire. We are preparing for it's arrival within the week. Perhaps this will allow us to attempt and end run on the "Ellis" counter offensive.
Humble servant,

Ron

I, too, have learned from the Master and foreseen such a possible tactic. An electronic equivalent of the crossover has been prepared within the music server and is awaiting the completion of the main chassis. These Ardents will sing with most of their glory in short order, rising to their full glory as component choices are defined.

[Renron]

FT1.
Nice! What a great bonus! I didn't order any 10uF superior Z, but I did order 4, 22uF superior Zs plus a bunch of other caps and M-Resist Supremes.
I had some 10uF already from a previous order.

Dark One,
I have it under the highest authority that I am not alone in "Cheating". There has been a huge surge in business for G.B. because of their market dropping. Two ways to make credits, raise prices or lower prices and increase volume. They are doing the latter. Perhaps not of their own volition.

Bob,
I should have known.......... you, of all the Masters disciples would have a contingency plan. Sneaky like a Fox! We serve the same master and I'm sure he will be pleased with your audio sorcery. I will have to wait until later to join the battle, save some rebel scum for me!
Ron

[Renron]

Awe Shitsnacks!

Next repair on my list...............

Point of note;
When I purchased my veneer from Veneer Supplies dot com, / Joe Woodworker, I purchased two different grades of Veneer. one 5 star and one 3 star.
This was because I needed different sizes for the sides and the front / back / top. I didn't want to book match the veneer on the sides, I wanted a single piece. I'm not sure it was easier in the end, but it's what I've got now and it's appearance matches my goal.

The difference between veneer grades has become apparent to me, the 5 star is more figured and is an even cut. Meaning that the entire thickness is consistent, ~40 mils.
The 3 star veneer has more straight grain (which is pretty too) but the thickness varies considerably. In some spots I can see light through the veneer when held up to a bright light source. The thickness of the veneer varies at the natural tree growth rings, which makes me sand down the high spots to the lower levels. It is also more prone to fractures and cracks when drying / gluing. This makes it much more difficult to work with in the long run.
Being frugal to the point of self-detriment. That said, I purchase all of my veneer for ~$220 and I'll have 2.5 sheets of 18" x 98" left over for my next project.
I'm happy with my purchase, just thought I'd share my experiences with the different grades of veneer.
5 star only from now on though. (Photo is 3 star Veneer)
Ron

[Steve Manning]

That makes me weep Ron ....... you are Bob are certainly going through it with the veneer process. I'm certainly taking notes on what the two of you have learned and shared. In the end though, they are going to look amazing.

[Renron]

Fixed

Thanks for the vote of sympathy Steve, I know you have had similar setbacks. Your work is exemplary, I hope mine looks a good as yours.

Patience, a good 10x jewelers loop, razor blade, sawdust and glue can work miracles.
I've lost visuals on Bob over the horizon, but still have him on Radar.

Ron

[Steve Manning]

What's the saying Ron ..... it's not how well you can build something, but how you recover from your mistakes ..... I would say that makes you rather good :T

[BobEllis]

House guests and other festivities will slow me down for the next few days. You may catch up.

[JonMarsh]

That makes me weep Ron ....... you are Bob are certainly going through it with the veneer process. I'm certainly taking notes on what the two of you have learned and shared. In the end though, they are going to look amazing.

+1,000 on what Steve said...:yesnod:

[Renron]

Ooohhh

Look what the Capacitor fairy brought today.
Oh my, while I was helping my Son change out his rotors and pads on his Acura yesterday, 102* hot, I got a special package.
Almost all of this is for the mid driver circuit.

I really wanted to put ClarityCap MRs in the 10 Ohm position for the tweeter. I just could not justify the price difference at this time.
I'll bypass the Superior Z with a Russian Teflon instead. From my experience with Russian caps, I'll bet it comes close in SQ.
Fingers crossed, only time will tell.
Ron

[JonMarsh]

Nice pile of loot there, Ron! :T

[Renron]

Gog and Magog

I've got a pair of finished sealed cabinets!!!
I have to thank Bob Ellis for sharing his (almost) sand through, while sanding the facets on the 2nd speaker I noticed it was getting thin. I stopped sanding and blew a huge sigh of relief. It was close.:^x
Those tiny little triangle corners on the small upper baffle facet broke off each corner about 3/8" from the tip. I used a single edged razor blade like an axe, and cut the broken edges off to 90*, then found a suitable grain pattern on some scrap. Glued in, re-cut, sanded and invisible repair. Not too happy about it, but, I'm getting good at dutchies.

I've ordered the last components for the XOs, 6 small inductors for the mid driver circuit. Just waiting on parts to start / complete the Crossovers.
I'll have to spray the Varnish on my speakers in the morning as it gets hot as the day progresses. >100F / 38C. At those temps it would never flow out smooth.

I'll post more photos as I continue. This Pommele Sapele is beautiful wood veneer. Such a pain to work with due to the wavy wavy grain, it WON'T cut straight when trimming.

Ron (One of my Sons said that TS Ardent sounds like a ship. LOL. Signature change to Ardent TS)

[Steve Manning]

Those are looking beautiful Ron ...... very nice.

[TEK]

Lovely Ron, just lovely!
Now onto the bases and the grills ;-)
Are you putting your crossovers in the cabinet or in the base?

[BobEllis]

Looking great, Ron. Glad confessing my missteps helped save you some heartache.

Is that sealed ready for finish or done finishing? I'm ready for finishing, will probably get to it in the next couple days weather permitting. Then of course is the weeks of hardening. but I think I may at least test fit drivers for glamour shots before that.

[JonMarsh]

Looking great, Ron. Glad confessing my missteps helped save you some heartache.

Is that sealed ready for finish or done finishing? I'm ready for finishing, will probably get to it in the next couple days weather permitting. Then of course is the weeks of hardening. but I think I may at least test fit drivers for glamour shots before that.

Yes, we want to see glamour shots, break out your best camera, and we'll add them to the "official" Wavecor Ardent thread.

[sdl2112]

Very nice Ron...I too am looking forward to seeing the glamour shots.