DNA's

Wow, those look great! Those burn marks tell me you need a new blade for your table saw though...

Man those angles are complex. Does the directions clearly spell out the angle and the size of the pieces?

FWIW, over at diyaudio, there's lots of specific info on thr Markaudio forum
re: driver run-in.
Good luck with your project.

The Alpair 10p's now have about 110 hours on them which is just the first step in break in. Tomorrow, will be able to take them to 80db. Mark, at Mark Audio insists that very careful break in is extremely important, eventhough there is not one bit of information with the driver about proper break in. If you didn't search the internet, you would not know. I am thrilled so far with the sound quality of these DNA's. I could tell a big difference at 50 hours break in as the shrillness started to leave and the sound mellowed out. Sax and strings sound like you want to bite them..... sink your teeth in...... juicy! Im looking forward to getting several hundred hours on them to see what they do.
Damping so far is some acousta stuff in the compression chamber and some very thin cork liner on the first two lines of the horn. The sides are just sealed and clamped on but once I determine the effectiveness of the cork, or possibly try some felt, I will glue the sides on and complete the build. Would still love to hear thoughts from others about damping.
I am going to have some really good examples of speakers from both sides of the range. The Cornscalas are very efficient, powerful, extremely dynamic, but forward and technical. These DNA's are going to be musical, great imagers, and intoxicating. Complex crossover/front loaded horns vs. single driver/ no crossover/ back loaded horns.

Way cool!

Thanks for the offer. I would love to have that info.

How do the Super Pensils sound as compared? Which do you prefer? I will dig up the email from Steve and pass it along.

Just an update on the DNA's. I used a 3/4 inch router on the front vertical corners but have yet to veneer them. I installed felt liner in the compression chamber along with the prescribed foam blocks. I have come back and installed some Acousta Stuff in addition and will likely add a bit more. They are getting better over time and it is hard to overdrive them. I purchased some MG944's and at this time, I seem to be listening to the DNA's more. The bass is faster and punchier, the mids seem to be a bit less mellow on the DNA's and the highs are not quite as pronounced as in the 944's. The 944's are just are not as exciting as the DNA's. The mids are what seem to be improving now, it was the bass that improved most already. I will work on my room some more before I tweak too much more on them. I am certain my room is deficient so no used to work on the speakers too much more just yet.
I remain amazed at how much sound comes out of these little speakers. Currently I am listening to Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Archie,

Madisound sells the drivers for $110.00 each. Its the Mark Audio, 6" Alpair-10P paper cone driver.

Using the Mark Audio drivers you will need to add a second inner baffle if you want to flush mount the driver, which I recommend doing. In that case, I'm not so sure a solid wood baffle couldn't be used which would allow you to apply the 3/4" round over to the front edges. A quirk joint  of sorts could then be used for any annual expansion/contraction to hide wood movement.

I haven't tried this, but I'm pretty confident with a few other precautions it would work quite well.

Zygi

Archie,

Because its not your primary system, and the fact that you have all the power/volume you would need from the ZMA/HR-One set up I think the lower 2 watt amp with the DNA's would do just fine.

Thinking we were going to use the new DNA I built for Steve at the fest this year I used the DNA's as a bedroom system with the mini Torii for a few weeks. It was enough to get the wife upset more than once as it got pretty loud!

I think the Mark Audio rating was a bit on the conservative side, unlike most manufactures that stretch the truth just a bit.

You could probably guess that I'd be a little biased toward the HR-Ones seeing as they are still my favorite, if I never sold a pair I'd have been happy, to me they are the perfect speaker. With that said the DNA's are very neutral for a single driver speaker, leaning toward detail. Which is pretty tough to pull off in my opinion.

As far as questions if you do decide to build....ask away!

Zygi