Anthology Towers Newbie Build

[rick844]

Meniscus. Mark there said he would get the tweeters from the supplier Solen in Canada or through his distributor. Regardless, I will get the kit from them.

[rick844]

First box arrived from Meniscus. One photo compares the new woofer to that in my Polk. Only a slight difference. Lol

[rick844]

Everything was well packed. I also got the tweeter crossover, but I'll post up better pics after I get the second box.

[Mikerodrig27]

Pretty sweet! It looks like meniscus does a good job of making sure you have everything you need.

[rick844]

Yes, their kit is exceptional. Very well put together and everything was packaged to perfection.

[rick844]

More pics

[Mikerodrig27]

Crossovers look pretty sweet!

[rick844]

Yeah, they charged around 80 dollars to assemble all 6 crossovers. Worth it to me.

[rick844]

Started assembly

[rick844]

Question, I forgot to bevel the woofer holes on the inside baffle. Is there a difference or is this needed?

[Jim Holtz]

Question, I forgot to bevel the woofer holes on the inside baffle. Is there a difference or is this needed?

It does prevent tunneling. Can you bevel it in any way from the inside of the cabinet?

Jim

[rick844]

I'm sure I can find a way. I have a dremel so worst case I can use that. Thanks for getting back to me. I'll start working on a solution.

[rick844]

Making progress

[rick844]

I glued the front tube support and the tube ends on the front side first. I plan to then glue the back panel, then slide the rear tube support in and glue that. Only way I could figure I could get the most square and solid alignment. If I glued the tubes first, it may not have been square so this way i figured it would be true to form and solidly glued to both the front and back panels.

[rick844]

Bevel by hand worked out. Definitely won't forget on the 2nd one.

[Jim Holtz]

Looks very good! :T

Jim

[rick844]

Thank you sir, means a ton. Im new to all of this so Im praying not to screw up. Trying to take my time.

[rick844]

Question, I have to cut the windows in the bracing. Should I chamfered the cutouts? Aslo, I've seen 4 hole cuts as well as one giant cutout in each panel. Is there one way better than the other?

[Jim Holtz]

Question, I have to cut the windows in the bracing. Should I chamfered the cutouts? Aslo, I've seen 4 hole cuts as well as one giant cutout in each panel. Is there one way better than the other?

There isn't any audible difference between chamfered vs unchamfered or large vs smaller cutouts. Do what ever you like.

Jim

[rick844]

Great news, thanks.

[rick844]

Sorry, one more question. The PVC and port tubes, do they need to be sealed to the enclosure? I glued the PVC mid tubes to the support to ensure no rattles, but need to know if I need to fill any voids with caulk or glue. Thanks in advance

[rick844]

Got clamps? Lol.

[rick844]

Well, got one wired up and tested. I still have to glue one side on but I wanted to hear it to make sure I didn't goof. Needless to say, very little bass as the side was off but the mids and highs already dwarf that of my old Polk. Just so much more presence. Cant wait to glue the side on and put in the port to test it for real.

[rick844]

Side panel is glued. Simply stellar bass and clarity. Makes my polks sound like Walmart Sony speakers. Crazy the difference. Need to get the second one done. Wife isnt too pleased with the size, but oh well. Lol

[rick844]

Oh wow. Just watched a movie. Crazy clarity, and bass. For those of you on the fence, build these towers. Jim, you guys nailed it with these anthologys. Best towers I have ever heard.

[rick844]

Only one tower done and I can tell a huge difference.

[Jim Holtz]

Thanks for the kind words. Curt is the reason all of our collaborations sound so good. He's the brains, I just do the heavy lifting. I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback after both speakers are completed and you have about 20 hours on them. Break in does help.

Jim

[rick844]

Will do. I'm sure they will be amazing. I'm hoping to wrap up the second one this week. Should go faster as now I know the little tricks and steps to get where I'm going.

[flamethrower1]

Nice build, have been enjoying mine for quite some time with no regrets or upgradeitus

[CBM87]

Looking good! Make sure to play with distance from the wall! IIRC, Mr Holtz recommends 16"-24" or that neighborhood. It really does have an affect including bass response. What do you have powering them? I found that my older HT receiver couldn't do them justice, so i went with some Adcom separates for some better power. I'm with everyone else, i have no desire to upgrade.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[rick844]

I can't really push mine that far off the wall, so they will stand at 14 inches away from the wall. I have no doubt this will provide everything I was looking for. As for the amp, I am using an Outlaw M5000 which is ~140 WPC at 6 ohms (all channels driven). Great amp by the way. The distortion I was getting from the Polks was unnoticed until I played the Anthology at the same time on the right channel with the Polk on the left. To be fair to the Polks they are 14 years old, but some of it is just in the build I think. Nuts.

https://outlawaudio.com/shop/products/50-model-5000x-5-channel-amplifier.html

[rick844]

Im curious, what if any have you guys used for grills? I saw the kit at PE and I'm not impressed. Should I just make something out of MDF or is there a better option?

[1Michael]

Most of us like our speakers nekked. There's no reason you can't build some using small neo magnets.

[CBM87]

I just use the old cattle prod on the toddler haha.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[rick844]

Lol, I have 3 dogs, and they tend to get curious so I need grills. Plus wife approval factor. I'm not planning to put the grills all the ways down so as to show some of the veneer in the front too. Would simple plywood do for a frame or is there a better option?

[Steve Manning]

1/2" mdf or hdf would work fine. If you can hide magnets in the baffle it makes for a far nicer, finished look.

[rick844]

Thanks, yes I want to do that. Do you just glue the MDF or drill and screw it together?

[Steve Manning]

The baffle would be one solid piece. Here is one I did for a forum member for a set of Ardent baffles. No need for glue or screws.

[rick844]

nice, good idea. many thanks.

[rick844]

Question, are there and good blue ray concerts out there that are good for really testing the new speakers?

[Steve Manning]

https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Live-Unwrapped-Still-Blu-ray/dp/B01IHVHGFU/ref=asc_df_B01IHVHGFU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241966151235&hvpos=1o3&hvn e tw=g&hvrand=8727369681996370314&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hv qmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008525& hvtargid=pla-425476586572&psc=1

[rick844]

Awesome, thank you. I have one favorite concert on blu ray which is Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City, but I'm wanting more. Thanks again for the suggestion. Peter gabriel is a great for sure.

[morbo]

If you're ok with just listening, not watching, I can highly recommend this:

http://www.2l.no/pages/album/106.html

One of the best recordings I've heard. I was able to buy the bluray/SACD combo on amazon

[rick844]

Wow, I will check it out too. Thanks.

[morbo]

Wow, I will check it out too. Thanks.

My pleasure! Truthfully, I can recommend anything on 2L records, everything I've heard has been well recorded. Maybe not as well as say, Chesky, but the material is more accessible, whereas one often gets the sense that Chesky et al are mainly good as demo material, I rarely find myself listening to the albums outside of critical evaluation situations. This 2L recording is particularly 'easy' in that sense, I find myself returning to it for relaxation and pleasure often.

If you find other well made concert videos please post; I have almost none and am interested in investigating them further to see if I enjoy or not. Last one I saw was Pink Floyd Pulse on VHS if I recall correctly