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Building the Ergo E-IX mini-monitor loudspeaker system

firestorm said:
James,
I've acquired a pair or your Ergo E-IX, it has the close to the wall crossover. I'll be using them in free space close monitor position. Would the resistor across the tweeter mod work in this instance or am I better off changing the crossover components?

The baffle has been glued, is there a smart way of fitting leather covers as per your original examples? Woodworking isn't one of my skills unfortunately.
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A resistor change alone won't fix the baffle step loss. If the crossover is accessible, it'll need to be changed for free-space operation. How are you finding them as is?

As for retro-fitting leather, it'll be nearly impossible for the following reasons:

(1) The driver cutouts needs to be 1-1.5mm larger in radii to accommodate tucking the leather under their flanges.
(2) The baffle needs to be around 3mm smaller to tuck in the leather at the edges of the baffle.
(3) The baffle needs to be removed to make these changes.

Simply sticking a piece of leather on the surface will look rather untidy, I'm afraid.

Your other option is to order a free-standing XO and cabinet kit from Stefan, and reuse the drivers. That way, you can have both versions pending a driver swap.
 
Thank you for replying James.
I don't have an amplifier at the moment, so I'm just admiring the tweeters and little Scanspeak woofer ;-)

Ok, so it's not practical to retrofit the leather. It needs some tidying as the finish is blotchy.

Do you think if I rubbed down the veneer I can use something like Danish oil on it?
Not sure what's been applied to the baffle, oil I believe.
Would a fine wire wool be suitable?

I'll remove the drivers first of course.

I've borrowed the photos from the builder (ThELiz).



 
You can use Danish Oil on most wood, but it'll pay to check that the previous owner hasn't applied a film finish in the first place. That would defeat the penetration of the oil. I'd also exercise caution on sanding. The top layer of veneer will be thin and easy to sand through, particularly edges and corners, unless you are using a flat sanding block and fine grit.

As for better finishing the baffle, you could do worse than masking the ply edges and spraying a few coats of satin black enamel.
 
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I expect @ThELiZ will be along, but I’m sure you’ll find that there is no veneer and that what you have is birch ply with some kind of stain. If the stain has penetrated well, you’ll need a lot of sanding! You may need to look for a darker stain, veneer or a painted option.

On my Ergos, the baffle came up very nicely with Danish oil, and that would be a good place to start.
 
hc25036 said:
I expect @ThELiZ will be along, but I’m sure you’ll find that there is no veneer and that what you have is birch ply with some kind of stain. If the stain has penetrated well, you’ll need a lot of sanding! You may need to look for a darker stain, veneer or a painted option.

On my Ergos, the baffle came up very nicely with Danish oil, and that would be a good place to start.
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I was referring to the top layer of the ply, which is almost as thin as veneer. Insofar as sanding goes, the same care will need to be exercised not to break through this layer.
 
All that was applied to the cabinet was a rosewood gel stain that can be found here: https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/stains/minwax-gel-stain

I think it went a bit blotchy as I didn’t use a pre-conditioner for the wood. In hindsight, I should have just applied danish oil to the cabs.

I did finish them up with a poly type sealer, only one coat.

With regards to the baffle, I second James’s idea of spraying it. Maybe a satin finish?
 
ThELiZ said:
All that was applied to the cabinet was a rosewood gel stain that can be found here: https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/stains/minwax-gel-stain
I think it went a bit blotchy as I didn’t use a pre-conditioner for the wood. In hindsight, I should have just applied danish oil to the cabs.
I did finish them up with a poly type sealer, only one coat.
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So you applied the Minwax gel stain, then used a sealant over it?

I'll need to remove the sealant first before applying anything to it. I wonder if I can get the sealant off completely or is there a risk of damaging the top layer of the ply as James has highlighted?

To all : So in this instance, what's the best way of proceeding? My preference is for Danish oil.

With the front baffle, I'll mask the ply sides and use a block sander to remove the surface then a matt black paint to finish, probably a few light coats.
 
Correct. Only one coat of sealant. You’re supposed to use 2, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to change the cabs or not.

Personally, I’m not sure how deep the oil penetrated. Maybe best to try sanding the underneath of one of them first? You could test the danish oil out on it, too.

Careful sanding the baffle, MDF doesn’t sand so well, in my experience. Maybe just a light surface sand and then spray.
 
Most film finishes can be removed with paint stripper, which is less damaging to the wood surface. That is how I refinished my black Yamaha NS-1000M without damaging the real wood veneer and grain. But I'm not sure if that would also remove the stain. I suggest testing in an inconspicuous area like the bottom panel.

In a worst case outcome, the cabinet could be refinished with paint or veneer.
 
ThELiZ said:
Correct. Only one coat of sealant. You’re supposed to use 2, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to change the cabs or not.

Personally, I’m not sure how deep the oil penetrated. Maybe best to try sanding the underneath of one of them first? You could test the danish oil out on it, too.

Careful sanding the baffle, MDF doesn’t sand so well, in my experience. Maybe just a light surface sand and then spray.
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Last time I sanded MDF it went all furry, so I've come across some of the pitfalls of MDF.

Did you apply the rosewood gel on to the baffles too?

Did you use the flatpack kit from KFJ Audio?

James said:
Most film finishes can be removed with paint stripper, which is less damaging to the wood surface. That is how I refinished my black Yamaha NS-1000M without damaging the real wood veneer and grain. But I'm not sure if that would also remove the stain. I suggest testing in an inconspicuous area like the bottom panel.

In a worst case outcome, the cabinet could be refinished with paint or veneer.
Click to expand...

Paint stripper? Sounds harsh, but ok to apply to the plywood surface?

This sounds like a quick way of knackering the cabinets to me - mainly because I don't know much about wood. I can assemble circuits, SMD, RF etc but wood? Not so confident.
 
firestorm said:
Last time I sanded MDF it went all furry, so I've come across some of the pitfalls of MDF.

Did you apply the rosewood gel on to the baffles too?

Did you use the flatpack kit from KFJ Audio?
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No stain on the baffles. They are as is.

Yes, flat pack kit from KJF.
 
ThELiZ said:
No stain on the baffles. They are as is.

Yes, flat pack kit from KJF.
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Thanks for that - the baffles I should be able to sort out by :
1) Removal of the drivers
2) Careful masking
3) Light sanding to prep the surface

Does the surface need any treatment before spraying with matt black paint?
Or just light coats building it up slowly?
 
firestorm said:
Paint stripper? Sounds harsh, but ok to apply to the plywood surface?

This sounds like a quick way of knackering the cabinets to me - mainly because I don't know much about wood. I can assemble circuits, SMD, RF etc but wood? Not so confident.
Click to expand...
It depends on the paint stripper you use, I suppose. The problem with a film finish is that it will be a barrier to Danish Oil, if that is what you're intending to use. That is why I suggested you try a gentle stripper on the lower panel. I used Citristrip on the Yamaha NS-1000Ms.
 
James said:
It depends on the paint stripper you use, I suppose. The problem with a film finish is that it will be a barrier to Danish Oil, if that is what you're intending to use. That is why I suggested you try a gentle stripper on the lower panel. I used Citristrip on the Yamaha NS-1000Ms.
Click to expand...

Looked up Citristrip - costs 80GBP :eek: , majority of that is postage, needs to be imported from USA. I'll see if I can find a gentler stripper and will try it on the bottom panel first.
 
I plan to use Danish oil on the cabinet, assuming I can get enough of the sealant and stain off.
Plan B1 is to apply veneer onto of the ply. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.
Plan B2 is to apply more stain after I get the sealant off.

I've got the paint stripper. Waiting for the fine sandpaper and sand block. Also have matt black paint and primer on the way.
 
I've asked someone to build some iron stands for me, but he warned me that it might be a while. In the meantime I decided to throw something together with a bit of wood:

Wood_Stands.jpg


I haven't decided how to finish them yet.
 
Metal artisans seem to be busy just now! I’ve seen my stands (drawings sent in January) as raw metal and they are off being powder coated. They look remarkably like those....

We live near a canal and the metalworker has welded a barge that had nearly split in two as his priority
 
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