wd25a, are they for me?

Well, i was made a good offer for my missions, so i sold em today and just ordered a pair of wd25a.

Cant wait

Unfortunately, i now have no speakers untill ive recieved and built these

Oh well, a small sacrafice i suppose.

[I love my records]

Hi,

I've just spent the weekend removing the X-overs from the cabinet and sticking them in little plastics boxes. The results are significant. Somehow the response seems 'smoother' across all frequencies. Definitely worth the time.

Another plus point is that you can tinker with the components. I've changed
L1 on the WD25std mark 1 from 33mh to about 35mh and feel this sounds a tad better for my room.

However, as I am a born worrier, I was unsure whether or not I'd wired the units in phase or not, which leads to my question.

I know the LF units are in phase (with each other), by playing a test track on the HFN test record (male speech).

But, just to experiment I have tried inverting the polarity to the HF units to see if there is any of the 'suckout' which usually occurs with out of phase units. Maybe my room and its reections is making it hard to tell, but I really can't see (hear) which way is the right way around.

Does anyone out there have a foolproof method of showing whether the units are in phase or not? Maybe there is a vocal track or tune which would easily show the difference?

Thanks in advance,

Dave.

Good info on the crossover rehousing.
Im going to make my own stands, so i might build the crossovers into them.
Do they need to be in a plastic box, or can they be housed in an MDF box?
Cant help you on the phase issue but im sure someone will.

In last months hi fi world (i think) a final crossover set up was decided upon. Are these components now in the kit?

Also, do the cabinet kits come with a little spare sheet?
if not, i think it would be a good idea.
There must be lots of offcuts from the veneered mdf sheets, if a small piece or two was sent with the kit varous finished could be tried to see what colour stains or laquer finishes suit your needs.

Did you carry out the extra damping of the rear panel?

Originally Posted by graeme

Also, do the cabinet kits come with a little spare sheet?
if not, i think it would be a good idea.
There must be lots of offcuts from the veneered mdf sheets, if a small piece or two was sent with the kit varous finished could be tried to see what colour stains or laquer finishes suit your needs.

Good idea.
Maybe six little bits of MDF to practice gluing (and keeping square) a 'mini-enclosure' and then leave you with six panels to test 'speaker finishes on!
Imagine choosing a nice wood stain using the colour charts, only to end up with two reddish fence-panel coloured things in the house.
:p

Thats exactly what im worried about, so many moder stains are too red.
Although ill probable use a clea finish on mine, im not sure whether to oil, was, varnish or laquer.
its a big decision if you have nothing to practice on.
Worst come to the worst ill practice on the base, then paint the base black, or cover it with felt.
But a few offcuts would be a very good free adition.

Is it too late to ask for some to be included in my kit? I ordered on saturday.

[petercom]

Originally Posted by I love my records

Hi,

I've just spent the weekend removing the X-overs from the cabinet and sticking them in little plastics boxes. The results are significant. Somehow the response seems 'smoother' across all frequencies. Definitely worth the time.

Another plus point is that you can tinker with the components. I've changed
L1 on the WD25std mark 1 from 33mh to about 35mh and feel this sounds a tad better for my room.

However, as I am a born worrier, I was unsure whether or not I'd wired the units in phase or not, which leads to my question.

I know the LF units are in phase (with each other), by playing a test track on the HFN test record (male speech).

But, just to experiment I have tried inverting the polarity to the HF units to see if there is any of the 'suckout' which usually occurs with out of phase units. Maybe my room and its reections is making it hard to tell, but I really can't see (hear) which way is the right way around.

Does anyone out there have a foolproof method of showing whether the units are in phase or not? Maybe there is a vocal track or tune which would easily show the difference?

Thanks in advance,

Dave.

As I pointed out in the 'tuning' article there are small gains to be made by housing the crossovers externally.

The phase coherence between the drivers is so good that reversing the phase to one driver results in a very narrow notch at 2kHz. You won't hear this easily but it should just be discernible as a loss of 'air' and 'breathiness' on female vocals.

Best to remove the drive units and then check phase with a multimeter continuity check from crossover to driver leads.

[petercom]

Originally Posted by graeme

Good info on the crossover rehousing.
Im going to make my own stands, so i might build the crossovers into them.
Do they need to be in a plastic box, or can they be housed in an MDF box?
Cant help you on the phase issue but im sure someone will.

In last months hi fi world (i think) a final crossover set up was decided upon. Are these components now in the kit?

Also, do the cabinet kits come with a little spare sheet?
if not, i think it would be a good idea.
There must be lots of offcuts from the veneered mdf sheets, if a small piece or two was sent with the kit varous finished could be tried to see what colour stains or laquer finishes suit your needs.

Did you carry out the extra damping of the rear panel?

You can put the crossovers in anything other than a steel box. If you want to house the crossovers complete with terminal panels then you will need to replace the terminal panels in the rear of the speakers with Soniqs TP1 terminal panels sold here: http://www.world-designs.co.uk/acata...ker_Parts.html

The kits now have the latest crossovers as outlined in the final article in the series.

[pre65]

Hi-i used those terminal panels on my "really useful box" when i built the Adire crossovers,see picture.

i cant comment on any sound improvement as i never tried them inside the speaker cabinet,but shure makes it easier to mod if necessary.


Philip

[Cobblers]

Originally Posted by graeme

Good info on the crossover rehousing.
Im going to make my own stands, so i might build the crossovers into them.
Do they need to be in a plastic box, or can they be housed in an MDF box?
Cant help you on the phase issue but im sure someone will.

In last months hi fi world (i think) a final crossover set up was decided upon. Are these components now in the kit?

Also, do the cabinet kits come with a little spare sheet?
if not, i think it would be a good idea.
There must be lots of offcuts from the veneered mdf sheets, if a small piece or two was sent with the kit varous finished could be tried to see what colour stains or laquer finishes suit your needs.

Did you carry out the extra damping of the rear panel?

Graeme,

When you buy the laquer/stain/varnish the instructions will tell you what final finish to expect. When you apply your finish do so fairly lightly, you can then go back and apply another coat for a richer or darker finish.
The photo of one of my speakers in the gallery is slightly misleading, they are much closer in colour to the pic's in the Hifi world shots of the WD25a.
I used 2 coats of quick dry clear varnish finish (Ronseal), which is slightly darker than the untreated veneer.
It is important to follow the grain when applying any finish.
Apply a layer, wait to dry, then 1/2 hour later sand lightly with very fine sandpaper to a smooth finish, clean off as per instructions, then apply another coat.

The paper cone is slightly blue in appearance, so you might consider this when choosing something to go with this.

Why not build the speakers as per instructions, then try external crossover at a later date, that way you will know if there really is a significant or worthwhile difference.

The crossovers are already fully soldered on their boards, with the internal cable attached for each driver, so it is easy to try this first.

I use open frame stands which I got from a junk shop for £5. You could probably get some off ebay or s/hand hifi dealers very cheaply.
If you build your own stands try to keep the mass low, otherwise you could get more cabinet interaction, one note boom, and a general slowing of the sound.

I have yet to add bituminous pads to the back panel, the package did not have these though.

Try to get some clamps, this is much better than tape to hold the cabinets tightly together.

The final crossover (as shipped) sounds superb with both tube and solid state gear. I am not tempted to change this as it sounds so right.
That's not to say you might not like a change.

I just ammended my order to include the rear panel damping, so ill add it when i build them.
Good point about the crossovers, ill try em inside first.

thanx for the tips on varnishing, however its more which type of finish that i need to decide.
I e.mailed them and they said they will include some offcuts for me to practice on.
I want a satin sheen really, but not too shiny.
I dont really want an obvious layer on the wood, so am shying away from varnish/laquer.
Thats why i want to try wax or oil, but if it doesnt look right i wouldnt be able to varnish over it. Thats why i want to try it on scraps first.

Im going to get some straps to squeeze everything together, tape will hold it all in place, but wont add pressure. the more pressure you can get on a wood glue joint the better (within reason).
I used to hand build accoustic guitars for my music technology course, but i no longer have the tools or workshop space, thats why i opted to buy the cabinet kit. Its quite annoying to have to buy things you are more than capable of making, but buying the kit is cheaper than buying loads of new tools, and i dont think building cabinets from scratch on the dining room table would go down very well with the other half