Forums https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl SPEAKER FORUMS >> DNA2 Loudspeakers >> DNA2 Build https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1578200400 Message started by 4krow on 01/05/20 at 05:00:00

Title: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 01/05/20 at 05:00:00 With the help of a 'friend' I am building the DNA2. I can show what I can show, and I won't show what I can't about the build. I am not even done with the build except to say that I am now trying out a few drivers. I have built the original DNA model, and so, this is an enlarged version. Because I have already had a chance with the first build, this one is a bit better. Let me get to the point. When I completed the first set of DNA speakers last year, I knew that they had the sound that I like so much. I wanted more of it though, and so when the second model was released, I waited for the plans to come out. I waited long enough and was fortunate to have Mr. Ziggy give me some tips.  I tried the Audio Nirvana drivers first, and it wasn't a match. Waaay too much bass, and just a sonic signature that didn't do the classic 8" ALNICO driver justice. They actually sounded better in an open baffle. Now I am trying out the Mark Audio 12P which is a big brother to the 10P that I used in the first DNA build. I can't express the difference between these two drivers except to say that the 12P just has more. It goes deeper, and has a certain presence that I haven't heard since the FRX2. Holy shit, I did it!!! I'm calling mom. https://ibb.co/cK9kQ3r

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by Donnie on 01/05/20 at 17:39:31 4krow, I'm glad that you got everything figured out for your build. Have you tried the Silver Flutes yet? I'm a big fan of those drivers.

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 01/05/20 at 18:44:32 Donnie, I am so gobsmacked by the 12P drivers, I may JB weld them permanently into place! I know, I know, the curiosity factor will draw me in sooner or later. Here is an interesting thing too---- I was using a directly heated tubed input stage to feed a class D Hypex type of amp, and the attack is really good. This morning though, I turned on the amp and it blew a fuse, forcing me to go back to a Carver A220 amp. Oh no, not only that but I have an amp out there that is being remade. Yes, an engineer from Denver who used to work for Sudgen is working on an old Forte' 3 amp that I have had for many years. It is nearly done, and I am excited to hear what it has to offer. Yes, yes, I know, what about a Decware amp? I have owned a few of them in the past, so don't doubt for a minute that one will be selected in the future. Actually the Torii Jr. would fit the bill. Choices, choices.... I am in heaven listening to Pink Floyd--- Endless river like I have never heard it before. The DNA2 design gives me exactly everything that I want. I'm in love.

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 01/06/20 at 02:51:09 More. https://ibb.co/M8H5PkW https://ibb.co/5khp3jx https://ibb.co/GCmjQcm https://ibb.co/G5gLv7s OMG I did it again.

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by deucekazoo on 01/06/20 at 14:36:34 4krow, Looking good. I bet they sound great. I have not heard the Mark Audio drivers yet but hopeful sometime in the future I will build something with them. Most of my builds used the Fostex drivers. What wood is that front baffle? That has some nice grain to it.

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 01/06/20 at 17:27:20 What I especially like about the Mark Audio drivers is the LACK of shout associated with most full range drivers. Yes, they have a bunch of dazzling features incorporated in them as well, but in the end, the sound is something that won't let me leave the couch or skip a track as often on a CD. The wood is box elder, popular for turning bowls. Interestingly, this slab sat in my woodshop for 10 years in rough form, as I considered it unimpressive. So, imagine my surprise when I planed it down and saw what all the roughness was hiding! It is a softer wood that is for sure,and I have hoped that the 1 1/2" makes up for it.... it did.  You may notice that the drivers required an adapter since it seems that no two 8" drivers are the same diameter. I originally planned for the Audio Nirvana to be the first choice, and routed an 8 3/4" recess along with an 8 1/4" through hole. Having said that, I am now tempted to make an adapter ring from 1/8" brass!- and use it for the mounting adapter.

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 06/20/20 at 23:41:30 It's been a long time coming, and just some finish work left for gaps and finish. https://ibb.co/JqWQvtf

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 06/22/20 at 01:22:52 Ok, NOW is the time that I can add some impressions about this build. From the bottom up>>> Bass is more than I need, indicating that I should move the speakers further from the wall. Pretty surprising to hear such impact from a smallish driver. Just as surprising, I am now using a sub to see if augmenting the bass at the right frequency will have the desired effect on the speakers. For example, if it is not possible to move the speakers where I would like, then perhaps giving them a less bass and send that along to a sub that can be moved might be an improvement. Next, the midrange is something that I would challenge against any other full range driver that I have ever owned. Lastly, I can't say the same for the treble as it is a bit soft for my ears. A ribbon tweeter may be in order.  All in all, it is a speaker that I can work with and am more than willing to do. Note that in the photo in the last post, I have added Corian to the top, bottom, and part of the front of these cabinets. The sides were given an added layer of 1/2" plywood that has three layers of acoustic paint treatment. In fact, I used a bunch of it for assembly of the outer skin.

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 09/05/20 at 21:10:02 Yes, I still have a bit left to do with the cabinet finish, but am finally on the home stretch. https://ibb.co/GVQRB0X https://ibb.co/DD6NgLg

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 09/07/20 at 03:39:06 Here is the last post for these speakers. One down, one to go. https://ibb.co/TqQtkj4 https://ibb.co/7XDqS74

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by Donnie on 09/07/20 at 03:55:56 Nice!

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 10/30/22 at 00:51:19 Stuff happens over time, and here is the story of my DNA2 cabinets and speakers. The cabinets were a challenge to build but worth the time. In short, I have tried at least 3 different drivers in them, and all had their strong points. In fact, one of the last drivers that I used was an Audio Nirvana 8" that I have for sale. Point is this. I was not thinking about changing drivers for a very long time. I really liked the AN drivers. Thing is, a customer of mine had me make some speakers for him using Scan Speak drivers that are a new reality to me for audio, it seems. When I broke them in and he came to get them, it was hard to forget what they sounded like. Turns out, he pays me with two new 7" Scan Speakers drivers sent to my door! He expected me to build two more cabinets, but you know where this going. I had to hear them in the DNA2 cabinets. Truth is, I thought had too much bass emphasis in the other cabinets. Don't worry, these somehow make incredible music like I have never heard before from bottom to, well almost top. Dam, yes, they need a tweeter to finish the job. Fortunately for me, my hearing doesn't require the very best money can buy, and so I chose an inexpensive Scan Speak horn loaded tweeter. The upside here is that the diameter of this tweeter is pretty common, so I can 'upgrade' to a seriously (expensive) tweeter if I want. I did the same thing with the L/R 2 way crossover. No way is it the last statement for crossovers, but it too, can be changed out as I get richer. So the mounting of this tweeter wasn't so hard or anything, but when I do something, it seems that I always have extra steps involved, making a little project take days in the making. Here is a shot of the tweeter mounted, awaiting the crossover to be made and applied. BTW, this cabinet is my favorite by far for bass, even though I sometimes use a sub for some music. https://ibb.co/196N1t8 Th is the farthest that I can get with images. Can someone please make this 'thing' into a picture for me?

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by Donnie on 10/30/22 at 03:40:35 Ta dah!

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 10/30/22 at 17:29:46 Donnie, thank you, seriously. >>>Most people first try to train me. Those who know me, realize that is a waste of time and just get 'er done.<<< Anyway, as I mentioned the crossover parts are hopefully coming in tomorrow, so there is more fun ahead.

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by Hearafter on 04/05/24 at 00:48:25 I am in the planning stage to build a pair of DNA2’s.  I was planning on using the same 2 way drivers that Decware uses with a cap  on the tweeters.  Tweeter is  93db is 5 Ohm and Woofer/Mid come in 4 ohm 94db or 8 ohm 91db. Cap is 3.3 uf. Wanted to ask what is the best Woofer (8or4 ohm)  to use and how to best wire it.  Series, parallel other.  Decware site lists the DNA2 at 94db 6 ohm. Picture of the binding posts shows 4 bi-amp with a jumper bracket which makes me think it is wired in parallel.  Anyone know the answer? Thanks

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 12/03/24 at 00:24:12 Been a long time since I posted here about anything. The speakers have evolved for reasons that I can't really back up. Mostly, it is about the main driver which was a Scan-Speak driver. Totally amazing driver, but in this cabinet, I had trouble controlling the bass. It was just too much. The driver that I used before, a 12P Mark Audio driver, was great for a lot but had a 'hole' in the midbass. Crap. So, since I really like the Mark Audio drivers in general, I tried the 12PW hoping that it would at least sound different in a good way. Yes, kind of shooting in the dark here. I kept the crossover just the same and it seems fine to my ears. So then ALL of the bass frequencies increased, but not as much as with the Scan-Speak drivers. Where I am at now is with new placement of the cabinets. Not really very far from where they were but a good improvement over the beginning placement. The hole is almost completely gone and the bass is more than sufficient without the need for a sub. Not surprisingly, everything matters when it comes to speakers. I may try upgrading the caps in the crossover at some point, but mostly for the sake of experiment.

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by Hearafter on 12/03/24 at 00:38:25 4Krow- Scanspeak are incredible drivers.  I have a pair of 2014 Fritz 5 Rev SE monitors for my second system and they never fail to amaze me. They do everything right in these monitors.  Still on the fence whether to build the DNA2’s with stock drivers.  Have you heard them with stock drivers?

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 12/04/24 at 17:36:08 I have used the Scan-Speak drivers in a few builds for a customer/friend of mine. Frankly, in every case, I find them to be strong on mid bass, but completely wonderful at upper bass.  This could be my listening room, so there is not too much 'heat' on the driver itself. This might sound silly, but more than once I tried to find the exact make, and model of the drivers used in the DNA2 speaker (circa 2021), but never got a decisive answer, even at the Decware sales site where I was sure that it would be given for both drivers! So, to date, I have used the following drivers in the DNA2 cabinet>>> Scan-Speak 18W8481? something like that... Mark Audio 12P (lacked somewhat in the bass), and Mark Audio 12PW (woofer model). The last driver is something that I can work with and will not be changing to another driver. Just out of curiosity, have you found the 'exact' plans for the DNA2? This stalled my build when trying to decipher the 30% enlarged version of the cabinet compared to the DNA original. Plans were promised, but I never saw any. NOTE: Yes, I have read the thread regarding the Diatonic 610 driver, so this is a driver that I Have NOT tried. I think that I should also read the latest ad at the Decware sales site and see if there is any new information about the crossover, and drivers these days. It sure would help.

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by Hearafter on 12/05/24 at 02:35:32 Thanks for the info.  There are no plans available for the DNA2 but I did  purchase the DNA plans available and calculated the larger dimensions.  May not be exact but it will be very close and shoud not make a noticable difference.  The drivers are the same ones used in the Decware 945 bookshelf speakers.  The drivers/Caps only cost a little more than $200 total. - Silver Flute W20RC38-04 8" Woofer Wool Cone 4 ohm -HIVI RT1C-A Isodynamic Ribbon Tweeter - 3.3 uf capacitor on neg (Reverse polarity) tweeter connection.  No crossover needed. I was also considering using the Lil Song:Silver-8 $430pair single driver’s instead.  That’s the driver they use in the Decware HDT. We’ll see if I get off the fence.

Title: Re: DNA2 Build Post by 4krow on 12/11/24 at 00:57:45 There you go. Yes, those drivers I tried to figure out for way too long. I do not care for the Silver Flute driver myself. Wolly in the bass and not made to the standard that I would bother with in the first place. HiVi has a great reputation and I did own a pair of their tweeters quite a while back. I know that isn't really a fair comparison, but I was impressed with the sound and the build quality. For the woofer, I have used Mark Audio 10P, 12P, and 12PW. The 10P was used for the smaller DNA, and I really didn't have a good room to hear these speakers. In my son's house, I found them to be boomy. In my house, I wanted deeper bass. Everything changed when I moved up the line to the DNA2 cabinets. Thing is, I still don't have a room that I like any speakers in. a 45hZ bump and its harmonics are crazy and mess up the bass. Yes, different drivers make differences, and truly, I might have liked the Mark Audio 12P best. I actually had to boost the sub to work with it, but that is better than the 12PW which really responds and works that 45 hz room node terribly. The only thing worse was a very expensive Scan-Speak 18W8481? Anyway, bass all over the place, but what a great driver in every other way. It just wasn't meant for this cabinet, period. Still am very curious about the Diatonic 610, but haven't heard a peep about any of this stuff lately (last year or so).

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