Ergo Number Nine - Adventures in Micromonitor Design

[James]

Super work James, I wish I was that quick with the box construction.

Thanks, Garf. Power tools make light work. The most difficult part so far was figuring out how to maximise the small quantity of scrap walnut (and line up grain and colours) I had left to make the cabinets. Gluing together wasn't much fun either.

Personally I prefer the tweeters offset. Makes the speakers look a little more quirky (hang the sound!), lol.

Offset tweeters are supposed to sound better. You think they look better too, huh?

Where's the xover going to go?

In the box behind the tweeter, and probably on a DIY PCB.

James

 

[Mr Tibbs]

Can't wait to see that Walnut oiled-up.

Those mitre cuts look very precise, James. What did you cut them with?

These are going to look superb

Mr Tibbs

 

[Fatmarley]

Im seriously considering building a set of these to (maybe) replace my M2 Kans.

I've got all the tools. . . All i need is somewhere to build them and a supplier for the tweeters. . .

 

[James]

All i need is somewhere to build them and a supplier for the tweeters. . .

As a last resort, importing the MDT37s from USA isn't too ridiculous. Send an e-mail to [email protected]. You might be pleasantly surprised.

James

 

[James]

Those mitre cuts look very precise, James. What did you cut them with?

I got me one of these ...

... when I needed an accurate saw for my decking project.

James

 

[long-time-dead]

... when I needed an accurate saw for my decking project.

James

I, for one, would love to see your decking project on the basis of your stunning cabinets.

 

[chiily]

I've got all the tools. . . All i need is somewhere to build them and a supplier for the tweeters. . .

Madisound is the place to go. I had great service from them, prompt, accurate and very friendly.

Just watch out for those nice people in HM Revenue & Customs.

 

[Mr Tibbs]

... when I needed an accurate saw for my decking project.

James, sometimes a handsaw is good enough

Mr Tibbs

 

[AshleyD]

Superb James,
The extra cabinet depth looks very purposeful, I do like them. Can't decide on the asthetics of the offset tweeter or not, I think you should let the sound decide.

Mitred joints scare the willies out of me, did you have to finish the cut edges after the mitre saw cut?

Looking good, more pics tomorrow I hope.
Ashley

 

[Fatmarley]

Mitre joints are easy with a chop-saw. Will have to dust the dewalt off.

 

[Fatmarley]

Thanks James/Garf will try Madisound. . . . I'm getting a little bit excited now.

 

[MarkS]

James, sometimes a handsaw is good enough

Hmm...tool of last resort. Powered wins hands down each time.

However, if you do have to resort to the sweaty approach, one of these is by far the best solution. Goes thru wood like a knife thru butter, with minimum effort, and a superb surface finish on the cut faces.

 

[RichardH]

Mat - before you get too excited about building these you may need to check with James to see if he's intending these to be a "PFM special" type project or not. With the other Ergo designs I know he was careful to check the DIY credentials of any potential builder to ensure that they were capable of doing the project proud.

 

[Fatmarley]

Is my City & Guilds in carpentry and joinery ok?. . . . I must admit i lean more towards the carpentry side. . . . . Its funny but Carpenters are like joiners - but with there brains kicked out.

 

[Fatmarley]

Richard, I was thinking about you last night (no need to get worried) . . . One project that i'd be really excited about is some Shahinian Arc clones. . . .

 

[James]

I, for one, would love to see your decking project on the basis of your stunning cabinets.

Happy to oblige. It's not very big at around 55 sq metres, but it certainly beats the old concrete patio I had that was subsiding rather badly.

My obsession with hardwoods extend to the decking project. Kwila is such a lovely timber. The picture shows the deck with two coats of decking oil on to preserve the colour of the wood. Here is a night view, with the railings stained to match the Kwila.

Yes, that is a Ron Smith Galaxie G17 perched on the roof.

James

 

[James]

James, sometimes a handsaw is good enough

Not when I had around 600 lineal metres of HARDwoods to saw and joint with perfectly square and clean cuts. I used a manual 20oz hammer though.

James

 

[James]

Mat - before you get too excited about building these you may need to check with James to see if he's intending these to be a "PFM special" type project or not. With the other Ergo designs I know he was careful to check the DIY credentials of any potential builder to ensure that they were capable of doing the project proud.

I have never refused anyone the opportunity to build a pair of Ergo loudspeakers for themselves. But you are right, these won't be published in the public domain as I did the PFM-Specials. However, given the interest in these, I might reconsider. In any case, people interested in replicating any of my designs need only to ask. My only caveats are that they feel confident with woodwork, and they don't pass the design to others for profit or otherwise.

Is my City & Guilds in carpentry and joinery ok?. .

Sounds like Mat is all set to go for these. I'm also interested to know how these compare with the Kans, which makes Mat an ideal candidate.

James

 

[James]

I didn't accomplish nearly as much today as I had hoped. Most of my time was spent sanding the walnut down to a smooth finish, and to make sure all imperfections in the wood (and my workmanship) are obliterated. A Makita random orbital sander with progressively finer grits (80, 120, 240) make it a relatively sweatless effort. The last sanding prior to oiling will be done by hand with 400 grit paper.

The rest of the time was spent cutting strips of leftover marine ply for the inner fillets onto which the baffle and backs will bolted. The front mounting surface is rebated 25mm behind the frontal plane, whereas the rear is 18mm - the machined thickness of my walnut stock.

Finally, I dimensioned a couple of pieces of 25mm MDF for the baffle.

Then it was time for dinner ...

James

 

[Mr Tibbs]

However, if you do have to resort to the sweaty approach, one of these is by far the best solution. Goes thru wood like a knife thru butter, with minimum effort, and a superb surface finish on the cut faces.

Are you kidding - that looks like something I'd use to slice bread

Now, here is a PROPER handsaw that cuts fast and leaves a clean finish.

Not when I had around 600 lineal metres of HARDwoods to saw and joint with perfectly square and clean cuts. I used a manual 20oz hammer though.

Top deck there, James. I'll grant you it's big enough to be the perfect excuse for buying that saw. Can you tell I'm just a bit green with envy...

Mr Tibbs