I finally had a chance to finish off the Ergos, sort out the crossovers etc:
The XOs are built on thin wood with a layer of leather on top to dampen vibrations. I was originally going to put them in Sapele boxes with clear perspex lids, but didn't have the materials. Instead, I put them into hobby boxes from RadioShack:
I debated about how to join all the components up underneath; in the end I opted for twisting the component wires tightly together and adding a dash of solder to keep the connections solid. The ground wires were all soldered around a ring of copper that is actually one of the component legs bent into a circle. It's hard making neat joins with 12gauge cable!
The input wire is 2-core Mogami 3103, and the output wire is 4-core Mogami 3104. The output wire leads to a Neutrik Speakon:
And of course, my babies:
I had hooked them up for a test run a few days ago, but I had used skinny generic cable between amp and XO. There is a clearly audible difference now that I'm using the Mogami: the bass is much deeper (not subtle), and the entire presentation is even more open and clear than it was. Think of the much over-used phrase of "lifting a veil". I surprised myself because I wasn't expecting much (if any) of a difference when switching to the Mogami wire, which is thick (12 gauge), low-inductance, low-capacitance stuff. I'm a convert!
So what about the music? Well, the sound of these little speakers is far from little. They sound huge. More importantly, they're incredibly coherent, balanced, and highly enjoyable. The treble performance is beautifully refined, sweet, and together with a crystal-clear midrange particularly shines on well-recorded female vocals and acoustic music. The overall impression I'm left with is that everything about these speakers just gels together in harmony, creating a really enjoyable performance with anything I chuck at them. Amazing stuff, and I feel so rewarded for all the hard work, time, and money I've invested in making them.
James: thank you for sharing your design, your help, guidance and patience. You should be very proud of your work and I see why you coined the phrase "organicity"!
Carl