I am about to start building a pair of Finalists by Jim Holtz and Curt Cambell.
I currently run a pair of Dali Evidence 370 in which Im not satisfied. Not much bass, scooped midrange and aggressive highs. Actually I only run one as my son blew a woofer at a party this spring. A new woofer cost more than a second hand speaker 8O
Its a leap of faith as I have never heard the speakers, but after reading lots of very positive reviews I settled on this design.
Choosing the right design was tough. Theres a lot of good designs out there. I had four important goals; go deep, good midrange, not too big and affordable.
Several design had my attention:
Paul Carmodys Classix II, Amiga and Tarkus (too big)
John Krutkes ZDT3.5 and SR71
I even looked at some of Troels Gravesens designs but they are too pricey.
Then I stumble across The Statements which are too big for my room. So is the Mini Statements, but The Finalists fit the bill perfectly.
So here I am.
My woodworking skills are above average. I know my way around a table saw but am not too familiar with the router. I never did a circular cut with it, so cutting holes may need some practice
I tend to follow the design and use MDF board. I still havent decided how to make the finish. Veneer, white paint or maybe some coats of clear varnish.
I just received the hardware from LoudspeakerFreaks after more than a month of impatience, only to discover I accidently ordered the wrong woofers. 4 ohms instead of 8 ohms, stupid! :evil:
Unpacking stuff always makes me exited, I feel like a child at Christmas
This is the first time I lay my hands on audiophile capacitors and man they are big!
I had some questions regarding cabinet and cross-over which Curt was very kind to answer. One of them was about the resistance of the coils. 0.3 mH ~ 0.26 Ohms, 0.5 mH ~ 0.34 Ohms and 6.8 Mh ~ 0.29 Ohms.
Disillusioned by the woofer mishap, I decided to lay out the parts for the cross-over having distance between coils in mind. I managed to cram it down to app. 15 x 20 cm.
Now Im going to buy some wood and get going.
I'll be back!