It's time for a Statement announcing my latest project..

[borderdad]

Inductor Replacement

Can anyone tell me if the 7 mH inductor in the woofer section could be replaced with the one at Madisound? Parts Express is sold out of theirs for awhile.

"Steel Laminate 7.0mH inductor, 15 awg, 32mm x 45mm x 95mm"

That's all the info they have on the site. No mention of DCR.

[Jim Holtz]

Can anyone tell me if the 7 mH inductor in the woofer section could be replaced with the one at Madisound? Parts Express is sold out of theirs for awhile.

"Steel Laminate 7.0mH inductor, 15 awg, 32mm x 45mm x 95mm"

That's all the info they have on the site. No mention of DCR.

I dug around Madisounds website and found the DCR under the Inductor compare section. Here's the DCR:

Madisound 15 AWG steel laminate 7.0 mH = .307 DCR

PE 16 AWG Super Q 7.0 mH = .297 DCR

That's extremely close. There'll not be a problem using the Madisound part.

Jim

[Gusta]

Number Of Caps

Hi Jim,

I was arranging the crossover parts tonight and noticed I had four Jantzen 3.9 uF caps, which is reflected in the BOM. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't there be only two?

[Jim Holtz]

Hi Jim,

I was arranging the crossover parts tonight and noticed I had four Jantzen 3.9 uF caps, which is reflected in the BOM. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't there be only two?

No, four is correct. Two of the 3.9 uF caps are paralleled with the two 56 uF caps to create the two 60 uF caps you need. PE didn't have a cap that I liked with a 60 uF value, thus the reason for paralleling the two values to arrive at the 60 uF value needed.

Jim

[Gusta]

No, four is correct. Two of the 3.9 uF caps are paralleled with the two 56 uF caps to create the two 60 uF caps you need. PE didn't have a cap that I liked with a 60 uF value, thus the reason for paralleling the two values to arrive at the 60 uF value needed.

Jim

Ok, I was confused as to why the BOM didn't match the crossover drawing, but now the figures add up. Thanks.

[JoeAngelicchio]

I have to applaud all of you who are creating these excellent speakers. I'm glad I found this site. And I haven't even viewed most of them, just a select few. Just amazing. ;x( It's going to be difficult deciding which route to take but I'll have to go with a proven design as I couldn't design a crossover if my life depended on it. :lol:
Thanks for posting your designs.
Joe

[Jim Holtz]

Hi Joe,

Welcome to the HT Guide. I think I can speak for all of the designers in thanking you for your kind words. There are many fine designs that have been thoroughly vetted and tested. Select the one that meets your needs the best and build with confidence.

Jim

[CAAD]

My application

Jim,
Earlier in this thread (p.11-12 I think) you gave the green light for Statement use behind an SMX AT screen, which is what I am going to use. However, the 8'X5' hole I'm cutting in the wall, leaves about 3' of wall on either side. The area in which the speakers will be sitting is 4' deep, so no problems with the rear radiation, but will the 8'X5' opening be enough for the open-back mids to envelop the room as designed?
Thanks,
Chris

[Jim Holtz]

Jim,
Earlier in this thread (p.11-12 I think) you gave the green light for Statement use behind an SMX AT screen, which is what I am going to use. However, the 8'X5' hole I'm cutting in the wall, leaves about 3' of wall on either side. The area in which the speakers will be sitting is 4' deep, so no problems with the rear radiation, but will the 8'X5' opening be enough for the open-back mids to envelop the room as designed?
Thanks,
Chris

Hi Chris,

I'm not sure I correctly understand the 8'x5' hole you're referring to. Will the Statements be less than 8' apart? or is that the space behind the center speaker? Pictures are great for an old guy like me.

Jim

[ThomasW]

but will the 8'X5' opening be enough for the open-back mids to envelop the room as designed?

The rear output from the mids will be killed by having the speakers recessed into the 8'X5' 'box'.

[CAAD]

This is a picture of the screen wall and the room behind it, taken from the door seen in pic one (kindly ignore the methlab). This room is four feet deep from the screen wall (the unfinished sheetrock going down the left of the picture) and is approximately 480 cu.ft(15x4x8).
Looking at pic one, a hole will be cut in the area from the edge of the door on the right to the edge of the stand on the left, approximately eight feet across and five feet high equidistant between floor and soffit. The screen will cover this hole and black velvet will trim the top and sides.
The speakers will be placed behind the screen, eight feet apart with the outside edges close to the edge of the hole cut for the screen.

Will the solid wall next to the speaker reduce the rear radiation so much that I should look at a different design?
If I removed the wall completely, would the velvet material be a similar type of barrier that mitigates the speaker's design advantages?

[Jim Holtz]

This is a picture of the screen wall and the room behind it, taken from the door seen in pic one (kindly ignore the methlab). This room is four feet deep from the screen wall (the unfinished sheetrock going down the left of the picture) and is approximately 480 cu.ft(15x4x8).
Looking at pic one, a hole will be cut in the area from the edge of the door on the right to the edge of the stand on the left, approximately eight feet across and five feet high equidistant between floor and soffit. The screen will cover this hole and black velvet will trim the top and sides.
The speakers will be placed behind the screen, eight feet apart with the outside edges close to the edge of the hole cut for the screen.

Will the solid wall next to the speaker reduce the rear radiation so much that I should look at a different design?
If I removed the wall completely, would the velvet material be a similar type of barrier that mitigates the speaker's design advantages?

The picture helps. Now the bad news, I agree with Thomas. Placing the Statements in the cut out area will be like putting them in a hole. I can't recommend any of the Statements designs for your application.

Check out K's (Ryan and Chris (CJD)) Khanspires which are designed to be close to walls. Also Jed K. has a number of designs that would work extremely well for your situation too.

Sorry but the cut out just won't work with an open back speaker.

Jim

[CAAD]

Thanks. The good news is there is no shortage of quality designs and help here!

[flamethrower1]

Ok the quest was not satisfied, after building the minis, center and, the monitors, I feel as if I am compelled to build the Statements.
I want to make sure that the BOM dated 5/14/2007 is correct or if any changes have been made.

[Jim Holtz]

Ok the quest was not satisfied, after building the minis, center and, the monitors, I feel as if I am compelled to build the Statements.
I want to make sure that the BOM dated 5/14/2007 is correct or if any changes have been made.

The only thing that's changed are the prices for the components. I just updated the link from Curt's website in the 1st post. If you click on it now, it'll pull up an updated BOM from last November which should still be pretty close to current pricing. All of the parts are the same.

Jim

[Gusta]

I am travelling this week but will try both of your suggestions this weekend.

Thanks for all your help.

Was this ever resolved? I don't believe this was mentioned, but perhaps the RS225's in one cabinet are out of phase with the RS225's in the other cabinet (external issue). Or, they may be out of phase with each other in each cabinet (internal issue).

To easily check the former, reverse the phase on only one Statement at either the amp/receiver or the leads on the cabinet. For the latter you'll have to do it on one RS225 per cabinet. But, before doing anything, try listening to one Statement only. How does it sound on its own? Compared to one Axiom? If still bass shy, then you could try the latter test first. If that doesn't work, then I'd suspect a crossover issue.

I've never heard either, but this wiring oversight is actually very common. I hear it all the time in audio showrooms! After I point the problem out, I usually get a look of disbelief until the salesman reverses the phase on the suspected speaker. Perhaps it may be intentional to sell higher commission speakers over others. :B

This can take practice, but one way of telling if two speakers are in phase is to listen to the source in mono. Then slowly move the position of your head to the left or right (don't turn your head). Does the image suddenly move quickly with the movement of your head? If so, then the speakers are out of phase. A trained ear can do this in stereo.

EDIT: I just noticed Curt suggested reversing the leads for one speaker on the previous page. Note that if you do not hear a bass increase or decrease (assuming the source of bass frequencies are recorded in mono, which they commonly are), then I would suspect the RS225's are wired out of phase per cabinet. In this case, reversing the leads on one Statement shouldn't change the bass response much.

[DBLD]

Was this ever resolved? I don't believe this was mentioned, but perhaps the RS225's in one cabinet are out of phase with the RS225's in the other cabinet (external issue). Or, they may be out of phase with each other in each cabinet (internal issue).

I tried all the suggestions to increase the bass including checking the wiring (they do seem to be wired correctly within the box as well as between left and right) and cutting a larger breathing hole out of the back of the base to allow the port to breathe better as per Jim's suggestion. Although the larger hole helped, the issue in the end turned out to be room placement I believe. I put a subwoofer right where the speaker had been and cranked it up, and with the exception of a couple of places in the room I couldn't even tell it was on. I have since moved the Statements to the other end of the room and am very impressed. I had some people over to watch a movie, and they were shocked when they later found out I didn't even have my sub turned on.

Further back-to-back testing with the Axioms revealed, as Jim had suggested, that the bottom end on the Axioms was likely boosted. Although the Axioms sounded as though they had more down low, they certainly could not play as low as the Statements and did not sound as powerful at all. They just sounded bassier. When comparing the speakers at higher volumes during a movie (I also have built the centre channel) the Axiom towers could only sound good when crossed over at 80hz while the Statements could quite comfortably be used as full range speakers (which all of you already know ).

Overall the Statements have blown away my expectations in terms of clarity and overall sound balance, I think my expectations were off in terms of what to expect on the bottom end (especially in a large basement room). This is entirely my fault as I've never heard very good speakers before and not a flaw in the Statements at all!

- Derrick

[Curt C]

Overall the Statements have blown away my expectations in terms of clarity and overall sound balance, I think my expectations were off in terms of what to expect on the bottom end (especially in a large basement room). This is entirely my fault as I've never heard very good speakers before and not a flaw in the Statements at all!

- Derrick

Glad to 'hear' you found a simple solution to your aural difficulties. I'm sure it's reassuring to know the issue was not of your doing, but room related. I appreciate your posts, as its always nice to gain insight from the obstacles others face, and this information can help those that follow. Enjoy :T

C

[jyqureshi]

Fountek NeoCd3 not available

Hello Jim,

Just registered a few minutes ago , a total "noobice" here .

I have been digging through avsforum for some time now to find the best DIY speaker project for my room, and I have narrowed down my choices to Zalph's MTMs, and your Statements.

I think I can find most of the parts of the Statements, I haven't googled all of them yet, but I think I'm having trouble finding the Fountek NeoCd3 .

Is there a replacement you can recommend?

Thanks

[Jim Holtz]

Hello Jim,

Just registered a few minutes ago , a total "noobice" here .

I have been digging through avsforum for some time now to find the best DIY speaker project for my room, and I have narrowed down my choices to Zalph's MTMs, and your Statements.

I think I can find most of the parts of the Statements, I haven't googled all of them yet, but I think I'm having trouble finding the Fountek NeoCd3 .

Is there a replacement you can recommend?

Thanks

Welcome to HT Guide! All of the parts are listed in the BOM in the 1st post or on Curt's website. You can pick what ever brand of caps, inductors and resistors you like but matching values to the ones speced is very important to make the Statements perform as they're designed.

Drivers are a different story. If you change a driver, the crossover would require changing too. I see Madisound is temporarily out of stock on the NeoCD3.0. Meniscus is another very good option for parts. They are also Fountek dealers and show the NeoCD3.0 in stock.

If you decide to build the Statements, please start a build thread in the Mission Possible section. We love to see pictures! :T

HTH

Jim

[jyqureshi]

Drivers are a different story. If you change a driver, the crossover would require changing too. I see Madisound is temporarily out of stock on the NeoCD3.0. Meniscus is another very good option for parts. They are also Fountek dealers and show the NeoCD3.0 in stock.

Jim

That's exactly what I was looking for, googling wasn't really returning the desired results.

And yeah, I will sure start a thread when I start to build these.

Thanks,

[jyqureshi]

Another question, does the front baffle needs to be a 1.25" thick ? can it be 1.5" thick?

[Jim Holtz]

Another question, does the front baffle needs to be a 1.25" thick ? can it be 1.5" thick?

You can make the front baffle 1 1/2" thick if you do two things. Increase the overall depth of the speaker 1/4" so the internal volume doesn't change and pay extra attention to scalloping out the back of the baffle around the mid to prevent tunneling. There's nothing wrong with the thicker baffle. I just found it easier to open up around the mid by going to 1 1/4" instead, plus 1/2" MDF is inexpensive and also what I use to make grill frames.

Jim

[jyqureshi]

I guess, I'll stick to 1.25" then

[jyqureshi]

I just realized over at avsforum that I need:

1. Glues: One for MDFs, and another type for ports?
a. Titebond 2 (for MDF)


2. Insulation: In Statement/MiniStatements plans, I didn't see any sort of insulation material in the pictures, is it not required? If it is required, what type?
a. Carpet padding (which I already have, plenty of it)
b. Polyfill ?
c. FiberGlass ?
d. Cotton of some sort ("Ultra touch" was used by penngray over at avsforum)

Thanks

[Jim Holtz]

I just realized over at avsforum that I need:

1. Glues: One for MDFs, and another type for ports?
a. Titebond 2 (for MDF)


2. Insulation: In Statement/MiniStatements plans, I didn't see any sort of insulation material in the pictures, is it not required? If it is required, what type?
a. Carpet padding (which I already have, plenty of it)
b. Polyfill ?
c. FiberGlass ?
d. Cotton of some sort ("Ultra touch" was used by penngray over at avsforum)

Thanks

1. The only glue you need is whatever form of Titebond you choose to use. I prefer Titebond III but it's just my choice. All will work equally well.

The port isn't glued in place. Screws hold it. If you want to glue the various sections together rather than press fit, PVC cement is what you need from the plumbing department. If you want to seal the port to the cabinet (not necessary) then use the same closed cell weather stripping that you use to seal the drivers to the cabinet.

2. I'd suggest that you line the walls of the woofer (RS225) areas of the cabinet with either 2" foam available from Foam by Mail and other places or 2" unbacked fiberglass from Home Depot or similar home stores. Do not use fill in the woofer chamber. The mid tunnels are lined with 1" foam also available from Foam by Mail or Hobby Lobby. Please search the many build threads for specific instructions on how to position the mid tunnel foam.

Carpet padding COULD potentially work if it's the correct thickness and you can blow through it. It has to be open cell foam to work in this application.

I've not followed or participated in any Statements build threads on AVS. HT Guide is the official Statements support forum. You'll find lots of previous builders on HT Guide eager to help and tons of information with building tips in the various build threads.

HTH

Jim

[jyqureshi]

I will check out the other threads here as well.

Once I have what I need, will start a new thread for my project.

[jagman]

Amplification for Statement Line

I'm thinking ahead about amplification possibilites for the Statement Line. I have an integrated amp that can handle the Statement Line, but it is underpowered at 100x2 or 80x5. I will likely upgrade to a new receiver/pre-pro and use an external amp (or two).

The first maker that comes to mind is Emotiva. I'm thinking about getting an XPA-2 for the Statements and an XPA-5 for the center and surrounds. Another possibility is the MPS-2 for all 7 channels. I think the Statement's bass and dynamics would be helped by the XPA-2, but getting the 7 and 2 would pretty much necessitate running 3 new 20 amp dedicated power lines to the HT (one for each amp and the third for the rest of the components). I've read the class H amps are more "refined" and tend to sound a little softer in the upper and lower reaches. If true, the MPS-2 may synergize more with the Statement line since they use the Fountek ribbon. That is purely speculation. The fact that the MPS-2 is modular adds convenience (especially if Emotiva comes out with more powerful modules), and the fact that it is more efficient means I may only need to add one 20 amp circuit.

For those who have built the Statements and use a dedicated amp, what brand/model do you use, and if you had your choice, what amp would you use?

[ahaik]

I'm thinking ahead about amplification possibilites for the Statement Line. I have an integrated amp that can handle the Statement Line, but it is underpowered at 100x2 or 80x5. I will likely upgrade to a new receiver/pre-pro and use an external amp (or two).

The first maker that comes to mind is Emotiva. I'm thinking about getting an XPA-2 for the Statements and an XPA-5 for the center and surrounds. Another possibility is the MPS-2 for all 7 channels. I think the Statement's bass and dynamics would be helped by the XPA-2, but getting the 7 and 2 would pretty much necessitate running 3 new 20 amp dedicated power lines to the HT (one for each amp and the third for the rest of the components). I've read the class H amps are more "refined" and tend to sound a little softer in the upper and lower reaches. If true, the MPS-2 may synergize more with the Statement line since they use the Fountek ribbon. That is purely speculation. The fact that the MPS-2 is modular adds convenience (especially if Emotiva comes out with more powerful modules), and the fact that it is more efficient means I may only need to add one 20 amp circuit.

For those who have built the Statements and use a dedicated amp, what brand/model do you use, and if you had your choice, what amp would you use?

Hi jagman,

My suggestion to you is to build the Statemenats first and try your existing amp, you might find it sufficient.
I only had the opportunity to listen to the LPA-1 of the Emotiva product line and I wasn't impressed by it at all, IMO it is good enough for HT but not from music, though the XPA might be significantly better.
I am using an F5 pass clone and extremely happy with it. It is rated at 25 Watts per channel (pure class A) to 8 ohms and I think 50 to 4 ohms.
I also tried an Aleph J which is 25 Watts to 8 ohms and 12.5 watts to 4 ohms (it is current limited) and was powerfull enough for my needs.

HTH,
Asi.

[Jim Holtz]

I'm thinking ahead about amplification possibilites for the Statement Line. I have an integrated amp that can handle the Statement Line, but it is underpowered at 100x2 or 80x5. I will likely upgrade to a new receiver/pre-pro and use an external amp (or two).

The first maker that comes to mind is Emotiva. I'm thinking about getting an XPA-2 for the Statements and an XPA-5 for the center and surrounds. Another possibility is the MPS-2 for all 7 channels. I think the Statement's bass and dynamics would be helped by the XPA-2, but getting the 7 and 2 would pretty much necessitate running 3 new 20 amp dedicated power lines to the HT (one for each amp and the third for the rest of the components). I've read the class H amps are more "refined" and tend to sound a little softer in the upper and lower reaches. If true, the MPS-2 may synergize more with the Statement line since they use the Fountek ribbon. That is purely speculation. The fact that the MPS-2 is modular adds convenience (especially if Emotiva comes out with more powerful modules), and the fact that it is more efficient means I may only need to add one 20 amp circuit.

For those who have built the Statements and use a dedicated amp, what brand/model do you use, and if you had your choice, what amp would you use?

Hi Jagman,

I agree with Asi in that I'd start with what you have and then work up from there.

However, I do disagree with him about Emotiva. I'm a big Emotiva fan and power my Statements with a LPA-1. It sounds great and easily powers them to home theater levels. I've also heard the Statements powered with older NAD amps and a $5K Plinius pure class A power house. IMHO, the LPA-1 was a lot closer to the Plinius in sound quality.

My experience has been, the front end electronics have the most significant impact on the sound quality. You will hear how good your electronics are and pay attention to your cabling to get the best sound from the Statements. I've not heard the Statements with a tube amp but I'll bet it would be excellent.

Regarding the MPS, comments I've heard about the MPS lead me to believe it may be a bit on the bright side. Personally, I'd suggest a class A or A/B amp. Those designs have been the choice of audiophiles for many years for a reason.

We're looking forward to hearing more about your experiences. Please start a separate thread to share with us.

Jim

[ahaik]

Hi Jagman,

I agree with Asi in that I'd start with what you have and then work up from there.

However, I do disagree with him about Emotiva. I'm a big Emotiva fan and power my Statements with a LPA-1. It sounds great and easily powers them to home theater levels. I've also heard the Statements powered with older NAD amps and a $5K Plinius pure class A power house. IMHO, the LPA-1 was a lot closer to the Plinius in sound quality.

My experience has been, the front end electronics have the most significant impact on the sound quality. You will hear how good your electronics are and pay attention to your cabling to get the best sound from the Statements. I've not heard the Statements with a tube amp but I'll bet it would be excellent.

Regarding the MPS, comments I've heard about the MPS lead me to believe it may be a bit on the bright side. Personally, I'd suggest a class A or A/B amp. Those designs have been the choice of audiophiles for many years for a reason.

We're looking forward to hearing more about your experiences. Please start a separate thread to share with us.

Jim

Well, maybe maybe I have grown to be too picky , its thanks to people like Jim Curt Wayne and the rest of the DIY contributors ;x(
I have compared the LPA-1 (my brother has one) to a parasound 2200II and a parasound 1000A and found them to be fairly close (which is a great thing for the LPA-1), I also compared it to an Aragon 8008BB and found the Aragon to be A LOT better then the LPA-1, then I we compared my brothers Aragon to the F5 and the Aragon found itself listed at AudioGon the next day :W
Last weekend I had a Plinius at my house and it was pretty close to the F5, I felt that the F5 was a little more refined and detailed.

That said, IMO the LPA-1 is a great value for HT use and for music at that price range (in fact I am planning to get one for my future HT setup).
Comparing it to a world class amp like the F5 isn't really fair.

Asi.

[Jim Holtz]

Well, maybe maybe I have grown to be too picky , its thanks to people like Jim Curt Wayne and the rest of the DIY contributors ;x(
I have compared the LPA-1 (my brother has one) to a parasound 2200II and a parasound 1000A and found them to be fairly close (which is a great thing for the LPA-1), I also compared it to an Aragon 8008BB and found the Aragon to be A LOT better then the LPA-1, then I we compared my brothers Aragon to the F5 and the Aragon found itself listed at AudioGon the next day :W
Last weekend I had a Plinius at my house and it was pretty close to the F5, I felt that the F5 was a little more refined and detailed.

That said, IMO the LPA-1 is a great value for HT use and for music at that price range (in fact I am planning to get one for my future HT setup).
Comparing it to a world class amp like the F5 isn't really fair.

Asi.

Hi ASi,

Ha! You haven't grown picky, you've just progressed to the connoisseur stage of audio enjoyment. :T

Over the last few months, I've went to a Squeezebox Duet as a transport with a Pacific Valves Lite Audio DAC-62. I did change the tubes in the DAC to EH6922's and fell in love with the sound. Everything that I've changed in my system has caused an audible improvement in sound quality. It is very crisp and clean sounding yet extremely smooth with great detail, so I've deduced, right or wrong, that I haven't exceeded the the amp or the processor yet. If I tried other amps as you have, I'd probably find other much more expensive amps that I liked too. That would rapidly get very expensive. :rofl:

I'm glad you're still enjoying your Statements as much as I do.

Jim

[ahaik]

Hi ASi,

Ha! You haven't grown picky, you've just progressed to the connoisseur stage of audio enjoyment. :T

Over the last few months, I've went to a Squeezebox Duet as a transport with a Pacific Valves Lite Audio DAC-62. I did change the tubes in the DAC to EH6922's and fell in love with the sound. Everything that I've changed in my system has caused an audible improvement in sound quality. It is very crisp and clean sounding yet extremely smooth with great detail, so I've deduced, right or wrong, that I haven't exceeded the the amp or the processor yet. If I tried other amps as you have, I'd probably find other much more expensive amps that I liked too. That would rapidly get very expensive. :rofl:

I'm glad you're still enjoying your Statements as much as I do.

Jim

I absolutly love them :T
I have tried quite a few expensive high end amps and nothing (other then the Plinius) was comparable to the Pass clones (F5, Aleph J).
Last friday I had the chance to listen to some Martin Logan speakers, I don't remember the model, but those where a few years old and were about $6000 new.
To sum the differences: Bass was VERY VERY muddy, mids where harsh and not detailed and highs where very distorted. They where running with some expensive equipment using a CD player and a high end LP player. This is compared to my setup at home :W .
I have a Shanling CD player that I purchased from Pacific Valve as my source, I changed the OpAmps and the Tubes.
12 Gauge unshilded (DIY) power cable to my F5 clone Amp.
14 Gauge Shilded (DIY) power cable to my CD player.
Pure silver over cotton DIY RCA cable identical to the one I sent you.
And 10 Gauge "DIY" BlueJean cables to the speakers.

Asi.

[Jim Holtz]

I absolutly love them :T
I have tried quite a few expensive high end amps and nothing (other then the Plinius) was comparable to the Pass clones (F5, Aleph J).
Last friday I had the chance to listen to some Martin Logan speakers, I don't remember the model, but those where a few years old and were about $6000 new.
To sum the differences: Bass was VERY VERY muddy, mids where harsh and not detailed and highs where very distorted. They where running with some expensive equipment using a CD player and a high end LP player. This is compared to my setup at home :W .
I have a Shanling CD player that I purchased from Pacific Valve as my source, I changed the OpAmps and the Tubes.
12 Gauge unshilded (DIY) power cable to my F5 clone Amp.
14 Gauge Shilded (DIY) power cable to my CD player.
Pure silver over cotton DIY RCA cable identical to the one I sent you.
And 10 Gauge "DIY" BlueJean cables to the speakers.

Asi.

That sounds like a VERY sweet system! :T

Jim

[ahaik]

That sounds like a VERY sweet system! :T

Jim

Thanks Jim,

I am very happy with it at the moment, but I love the idea of having something like a squeezebox one day.
After I get my new house in a decent shape I will start looking into that too.

[jagman]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm in a quandry regarding amplification. I'm in a unique position to get a damn good receiver at a great price so I'm definitely going to jump at it. If I don't care for how it sounds, I'll sell it for more than I paid. Or, I'll use it as a pre-pro. My concern is it won't drive the Statement line-up as well as the integrated, but the integrated is about 10 years old. I have to use an optical switch and an HDMI switch and the thing is a PITA to use, not to mention it cannot handle any of the new audio formats. I'm really interested in the XMC-1 pre-pro, but of course it would necessitate the purchase of external amplifiers, not to mention it won't be released until Q3'09. I think I'll get the receiver I mentioned, and when the XMC-1 comes out, I'll consider selling the receiver and getting the XMC-1 if the reviews are good. I'll take you up on the new thread thing when I start the build process!

[jyqureshi]

Hey Jim,

After waiting for my friend to help me with the cut outs for some time now, I have decided to go with the sealed Statements, only because I can easily find smaller MDF sheets at Home Depot and they'll fit in my SUV plus smaller sheets will be easier to work with too.

I hope I'm making the right decision

What would you prefer yourself if you were building statements now?

[Jim Holtz]

Hey Jim,

After waiting for my friend to help me with the cut outs for some time now, I have decided to go with the sealed Statements, only because I can easily find smaller MDF sheets at Home Depot and they'll fit in my SUV plus smaller sheets will be easier to work with too.

I hope I'm making the right decision

What would you prefer yourself if you were building statements now?

That's a very tough question to answer because the bass is so good on the ported there's not a lot of incentive to go sealed, for music. The sealed version has a F3 of around 50 Hz. and the ported version is around 34 Hz and it does so with authority. That said, I do think the sealed version might be just slightly tighter (and I do mean slightly) in the mid bass. However, you will want to go with a sub(s) for the bottom octave if you do sealed.

Both are great, IMHO.

Jim

[jyqureshi]

Oh boy, I do want to build the Statements.
I guess I'll wait another week.

[mikela]

Sealed Statements

I am using sealed Statements with a Velodyne DD18 subwoofer crossed at 40hz. It's hard for me to imagine that I could get better or more accurate sound. The integration is seamless.

Mike

[jyqureshi]

Some MDF questions

I've seen pictures of in-progress builds, where I've seen some people using only glue to attach MDF pieces and others using screws along with glue.

Any link to a website guide that answer these questions and others regarding working with gluing, finishing etc would help greatly.

1. What's the best way to attach MDF pieces together, screws and glue or just glue?

2. After applying glue on the pieces, how long should one wait before clamping the pieces together?

3. Should surfaces of the pieces be pre-processed with something so the glue doesn't get absorbed by the MDF?

This weekend I will be starting work on the Statement Center speaker since it doesn't require big MDF sheets, and by second weekend of April, I will hopefully have the big pieces cut out for the Statements by a friend of mine :T, this means I will be starting my own thread very soon :yesnod:

I found Harbor Freight Tools in Gaithersburg, MD which is very close to where I work and bought some clamps, router bits, will be visiting them again soon.

Good luck to me :B

Thank you again
Yusuf

[JonMarsh]

If you use screws, always pre-drill holes that are carefully sized; it's easy to split many grades of MDF with screws going into an end section.

In general, I never use screws, but use wood clamps and glue- Titebond 2, and for some applications, epoxy. YMMV.

[jyqureshi]

Jon,

Do you have a thread for this build?

Thanks

[Smokinghot]

Jon,

Do you have a thread for this build?

Thanks

It's his M8ta build...:

https://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3430&page=1&pp=35

For furture reference... I found this by quoting the his above post and fortunately enough the pic link had the build name in it. I then went to Jon's member profile and searched the threads started by him. Low and behold...there it was.

...just thought I'd mention how I do it, so you can lurk more effectively :T

[jyqureshi]

Thanks Smokinghot.

Jim,

1. If I use the rectangular NeoCd3's, how much will it affect the performance, if any?

2. I see silver NeoCd3's available at Madisound and Zalytron, can the face plate be taken off and painted black?

Thanks