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Hello All,
I have read a number of build threads and it inspired me to take the plunge and see if I could build out a home theater room that could also play great sounding music of all styles. I am appreciative of the many email responses I have gotten from both Jim Holtz and Curt Campbell. I should add the guys at Meniscus Audio have also been very patient with my questions!
My basement setup was as follows:
Marantz 7011 Receiver
Subwoofer from Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 computer speakers used as a center channel
Desktop speakers from Klipsch Promedia used as rear surrounds
Technics Sb-LX7 3 way speakers I got in high school as L/R channel. I added dowel braces inside and 3/4" ply to the back of the speaker to try and deaden these a bit better than the 1/2" particular they are built with.
I also have Dayton audio SAT-BK speakers I am using as "mid ATMOS" height speakers
Just so you know where I came from....
Anyway, I decided to start with the Statement 2 center for cost reasons. Ill post photos and try to keep them in chronological order. Since the center is finished ill list the key points or any stuff i "learned":
-Courtesy of some other center builds, the box went together pretty easily. The biggest frustration is that I didn't have enough clamps. I have made a point to buy a clamp or two now each time I go to Menards, Home Depot etc.
-The kit from Meniscus really made things fun and relatively simple. Everything was just as it was described on the delivery sheets and I opted for the pre-assembled crossovers and they arrived beautifully done. Soldering the provided wires was easy thanks to the labelled crossovers
-I purchased the Jasper cutting guide which made things surprisingly pain free on the routing. I did have to stop and do some math and check my depth for the recesses a few times. I have to say, I probably rushed just a bit and made my recesses too deep. I plan on adding some gasket tape behind the drivers later to make it perfectly flush with veneer. I also have to mention that my last speaker cutout was for the tweeter and I forgot to subtract the difference in bit size since the Jasper jig references a 1/4" bit as has been well documented on this forum. This left a gap around my tweeter which I painfully filled with small leftover MDF and then sanded down and used wood filler to make smooth. Additionally I was just a hair small on my woofer cutouts so they were very tight. I used a file to gradually open these up.
-Lastly, I finished the cabinet with Walnut veneer sourced on Amazon. It had 3M adhesive but I augmented with wood glue. I used Tung Oil Finish (5 coats) and sanded the last 2 coats with 600 grit. I also used 2x Flat Black paint for the back baffle with tung oil finish on that as well.
Overall I am extremely pleased with how it came out. There are some imperfections but not glaring and I learned what to do for the next build. Most importantly, the sound is fantastic. I know almost anything would be better than what I had as a center but I am floored by the detail I am hearing and can't wait to round out the system.
I have already cut the wood for the Micro Statements and Bordeaux. I am waiting on delivery of the Micro Statements currently but its going to be a while before I can afford the Bordeaux kit so stay tuned!...
I have read a number of build threads and it inspired me to take the plunge and see if I could build out a home theater room that could also play great sounding music of all styles. I am appreciative of the many email responses I have gotten from both Jim Holtz and Curt Campbell. I should add the guys at Meniscus Audio have also been very patient with my questions!
My basement setup was as follows:
Marantz 7011 Receiver
Subwoofer from Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 computer speakers used as a center channel
Desktop speakers from Klipsch Promedia used as rear surrounds
Technics Sb-LX7 3 way speakers I got in high school as L/R channel. I added dowel braces inside and 3/4" ply to the back of the speaker to try and deaden these a bit better than the 1/2" particular they are built with.
I also have Dayton audio SAT-BK speakers I am using as "mid ATMOS" height speakers
Just so you know where I came from....
Anyway, I decided to start with the Statement 2 center for cost reasons. Ill post photos and try to keep them in chronological order. Since the center is finished ill list the key points or any stuff i "learned":
-Courtesy of some other center builds, the box went together pretty easily. The biggest frustration is that I didn't have enough clamps. I have made a point to buy a clamp or two now each time I go to Menards, Home Depot etc.
-The kit from Meniscus really made things fun and relatively simple. Everything was just as it was described on the delivery sheets and I opted for the pre-assembled crossovers and they arrived beautifully done. Soldering the provided wires was easy thanks to the labelled crossovers
-I purchased the Jasper cutting guide which made things surprisingly pain free on the routing. I did have to stop and do some math and check my depth for the recesses a few times. I have to say, I probably rushed just a bit and made my recesses too deep. I plan on adding some gasket tape behind the drivers later to make it perfectly flush with veneer. I also have to mention that my last speaker cutout was for the tweeter and I forgot to subtract the difference in bit size since the Jasper jig references a 1/4" bit as has been well documented on this forum. This left a gap around my tweeter which I painfully filled with small leftover MDF and then sanded down and used wood filler to make smooth. Additionally I was just a hair small on my woofer cutouts so they were very tight. I used a file to gradually open these up.
-Lastly, I finished the cabinet with Walnut veneer sourced on Amazon. It had 3M adhesive but I augmented with wood glue. I used Tung Oil Finish (5 coats) and sanded the last 2 coats with 600 grit. I also used 2x Flat Black paint for the back baffle with tung oil finish on that as well.
Overall I am extremely pleased with how it came out. There are some imperfections but not glaring and I learned what to do for the next build. Most importantly, the sound is fantastic. I know almost anything would be better than what I had as a center but I am floored by the detail I am hearing and can't wait to round out the system.
I have already cut the wood for the Micro Statements and Bordeaux. I am waiting on delivery of the Micro Statements currently but its going to be a while before I can afford the Bordeaux kit so stay tuned!...
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