Forums - Bubinga Betsy baffles

Randy in Caintuck

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Bubinga Betsy baffles
02/20/17 at 01:31:59

I have enough 18" wide stock to make two additional pairs of Betsy baffles from 3/4" thick Bubinga (African Rosewood).

This is the hardest, heaviest and densest (most dense ?) wood I have ever used to build Betsy baffles. I sold one pair and have enough stock for two more pair with one pair nearly completed.

Of all the woods I have used (hardwoods and plywood), this is the only one that actually sounds different. The sound is a bit tighter and more detailed than the other types of wood used. This could be good or bad depending on the rest of the equipment in the system. I would not recommend these baffles for a system that is already "thin" or a little "hot". With a slightly "mellower" or "warmer" amplifier and / or a vinyl front end they should sound very good.

The wood is a pain in the butt to work with because of the density.
On all of the other speakers I build, the drivers are attached with self tapping pan head screws that I just run in with my cordless driver.
With Bubinga, I MUST drill pilot holes and even then I twisted the head off of one of the rear mounted convenience handle screws on the first pair I built .....

They can be found on the Speakers in Stock page of my website.

Happy listening,
Randy

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Jeff of Arabica Seasoned Member Posts: 974	Re: Bubinga Betsy baffles Reply #1 - 02/20/17 at 04:13:11 Hi Randy, If you can build me a pair of your Augie bass baffles with this wood, I will take them. Been wanting to play with dual sub's, particularly OB subs and it seems this wood may be ideal for said application. But please, set me straight if you believe otherwise :) Cheers, Jeff
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Randy in Caintuck

Seasoned Member

Tube be ... or not
tube be ... it's a
no-brainer.

Posts: 975

Re: Bubinga Betsy baffles
Reply #2 - 02/20/17 at 05:18:27

Hi Jeff,

I think the Bubinga will make some fine bass baffles .....
Unfortunately, Hawthorne Audio is no longer doing business and the Augie drivers are no longer available to the best of my knowledge .....

I only have one "slightly used" Augie driver in stock.
The baffles could be made with either 12" or 15" Eminence Alpha drivers which sound just fine to me or we can try to round up a couple of Augie drivers.

Let me know if you have a definite preference and we can go from there.

Best wishes,
Randy

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Cambridge Audio Azur 851N DAC / Streamer
Schiit Audio Saga+ preamplifier
Decware SE84UFO amplifier
Caintuck Audio Betsy Open Baffles
Caintuck Audio Lii Silver-10 Magnum Open Baffles
Caintuck Audio Lii W-15 Magnum Open Bass Baffle

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Jeff of Arabica

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Posts: 974

Re: Bubinga Betsy baffles
Reply #3 - 02/21/17 at 08:16:15

An update on the bass baffles, Randy and I discovered Hawthorne Audio still exists (at least for now) via an Amazon storefront and are selling their Augie 15" drivers. Therefore, if you are interested in an OB subwoofer using these drivers and Randy's baffles, you can still get them.

I just sold my Vienna Acoustics Subson active subwoofer and am having Randy build me a pair of these bass baffles with the Augie drivers. I acquired a Snell PSA-750 subwoofer amplifier to power the pair. I expect superior results over my prior setup.

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Randy in Caintuck

Seasoned Member

Tube be ... or not
tube be ... it's a
no-brainer.

Posts: 975

Re: Bubinga Betsy baffles
Reply #4 - 02/23/17 at 23:22:10

Update time .....

The Augie drivers are scheduled to arrive tomorrow .....

I spent some time today working on the baffles and just finished applying the linseed oil / beeswax finish.

It made me wince making driver cutouts almost 14" across on two nice slabs of hardwood ..... but the remaining wood is absolutely gorgeous.

I'm always amazed at the variation in coloration and grain patterns of hardwoods ..... and the pieces used for these Augie baffles are even more attractive than the photo of the speakers shown above, in my opinion.

Happy listening,
Randy

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Cambridge Audio Azur 851N DAC / Streamer
Schiit Audio Saga+ preamplifier
Decware SE84UFO amplifier
Caintuck Audio Betsy Open Baffles
Caintuck Audio Lii Silver-10 Magnum Open Baffles
Caintuck Audio Lii W-15 Magnum Open Bass Baffle

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Jeff of Arabica

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Posts: 974

Re: Bubinga Betsy baffles
Reply #5 - 02/24/17 at 00:29:45

Nice! Thanks for the update Randy. Yeah, I was kinda thinking the same thing when I saw the picture on your website of an OB Augie. It is a BIG hole. Will make me appreciate that much more what is left.

Maybe you can repurpose those large 14" discs somehow....

Ive got a newly acquired Dayton SA1000 subwoofer amp waiting to power this dynamic duo. Definitely looking forward to this bass upgrade!

Cheers!

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Jadis JA-30 MKII//ZMA//Zen Ultra//Waversa DAC3//ModWright Oppo UDP-205//EMM Labs DS-EQ1//DS Audio DS-003//FFYX T1803 TT//SonoruS Reel-to-Reel & tube playback preamp//Pipedreams Reference 21 Speakers

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Randy in Caintuck Seasoned Member Tube be ... or not tube be ... it's a no-brainer. Posts: 975	Re: Bubinga Betsy baffles Reply #6 - 02/24/17 at 02:17:26 Hi Jeff, Yep ..... the cutout rounds are pretty nice ..... My plan is to clean up the edges with the router and pack them with the speakers when I ship them. You can probably make something very cool for your listening room. Best wishes, Randy
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Core32 Seasoned Member Posts: 1858	Re: Bubinga Betsy baffles Reply #7 - 02/24/17 at 13:26:49 I had my deck completely rebuilt using Ipe. It must be a similar wood. The contractor cursed me repeatedly as he ruined blades and bits over and over. All the screws are counter sunk and capped with wood plugs. I think this stuff is rated higher than concrete for fire proofing.
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Randy in Caintuck Seasoned Member Tube be ... or not tube be ... it's a no-brainer. Posts: 975	Re: Bubinga Betsy baffles Reply #8 - 02/25/17 at 18:52:57 Hi Core32, Hopefully, it will also ruin the dental work of any curious termites ..... Best wishes, Randy
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Randy in Caintuck

Seasoned Member

Tube be ... or not
tube be ... it's a
no-brainer.

Posts: 975

Re: Bubinga Betsy baffles
Reply #9 - 03/01/17 at 16:15:27

Well ..... the Bubinga Augie baffles are finished .....

I currently have them playing in my home system to make sure that everything is in good working order before shipping.

Larger photo here.

Wow ..... not only are they very attractive, but the bass is amazingly tight and tuneful .....

I must say though, that I'm thankful that this will be a one and only pair of baffles. As previously mentioned, the Bubinga wood is not the easiest to work with and since the Augie drivers mandate that machine screws and bolts be used for mounting because of the weight of the drivers I had a lot of "fun" drilling all the holes and being very careful not to make any mistakes.

I just played Bela Fleck's "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" and the bass literally made the studs under the drywall buzz in my listening room.
It's amazing what a cheap plate amp can do with the right driver and baffle ..... and I only had one of the baffles hooked up .....

Happy listening,
Randy

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Cambridge Audio Azur 851N DAC / Streamer
Schiit Audio Saga+ preamplifier
Decware SE84UFO amplifier
Caintuck Audio Betsy Open Baffles
Caintuck Audio Lii Silver-10 Magnum Open Baffles
Caintuck Audio Lii W-15 Magnum Open Bass Baffle

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Jeff of Arabica

Seasoned Member

Posts: 974

Re: Bubinga Betsy baffles
Reply #10 - 03/01/17 at 22:13:43

Oooowweeeee! Those are some beauts! The wood came out great Randy. They will look mighty fine in my room next to my mains.

I am really excited to hear them with that wood combination. From what you wrote, it sounds like they will fill the void just as I intended. And I am sorry it was such a PIA. LOL. But thank you for your efforts and dulled drill bits.

It will be fun tuning them with my subwoofer amp and ZMA/Omega combination.

Looking forward to their arrival.

Cheers!

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Jadis JA-30 MKII//ZMA//Zen Ultra//Waversa DAC3//ModWright Oppo UDP-205//EMM Labs DS-EQ1//DS Audio DS-003//FFYX T1803 TT//SonoruS Reel-to-Reel & tube playback preamp//Pipedreams Reference 21 Speakers

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