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Steve's TINY RADIAL project! (Read 69654 times)
Jeff of Arabica
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #250 - 07/10/20 at 17:10:57
 
😍😍😍😍
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #251 - 07/10/20 at 17:26:10
 
I see things staring back at me in that burl.

Stunning!

Damn I want some in Koa.
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #252 - 07/11/20 at 03:17:16
 
Here is my beautiful, burgeoning Purpleheart stash. (Also known as the best "Bang for the Buck" buys in audio today). I haven't had much time to play with the Tiny Radials yet, as I don't have my office set up yet, (since most of my office stuff is still in Seattle), but I did hook them up to my TV for a couple of hours. My first impression? It's nice to (finally)be able to hear dialogue. I'll post more as I get them set up better, and they break in.
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D1450133-F8AC-408B-8B17-90F24C1B2D95.jpeg
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #253 - 07/11/20 at 03:43:44
 
The shadows on the wall are priceless.  God bless you for posting it!

Steve

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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #254 - 07/11/20 at 04:10:29
 

So, I did actually dive into the second half of this insanely hard brittle wood with enough bottled up stress to support a full size tree...

Resawing the panels to 3/8 went better than yesterday.  No drift due to a bandsaw blade with more rake.  Also no heat built up in the panels from the cut so less warping.  Everything is going great!

I got all four panels cut with an 1/8 inch veneer left over for some other project.  By coating the back side of the veneer immediately after cutting it, it remains usable with minimal warping.

The panels  as you can calculate from the size of the block of wood, are slightly oversized which is always a good thing with bitchy woods I would think.  

Interesting aside, the re-sawing of each panel went so well I really could have easily just run them through the drum sander and I remember having that thought...

To get each panel perfectly flat after they all warped I re-ran them through the jointer and then the planer.  Both are set to take only about 15 thousandths of an inch at a time...  Everything went well.

Then we get to the last of the four panels.

Despite the ultra shallowness this panel was still warping on the fly - remember it's a race after the panels are created to finish them and glue everything together... if you wait even an hour it's not going to happen with this wood.

I stick it in the planer and just as I said could happen in last nights posts, the unthinkable happens!

The panel EXPLODES in the planer!!!

Yes, it's over folks... this is how my behind the scenes life always goes too. ; )

Have a look at this!



That's a lot.  And just to add insult to injury as you can see it looks like it's probably only a 1/4 inch away from still being usable.

So when I had the thought earlier that I could actually forgo the planer and just use the drum sander until they are perfectly flat, I should have listened.

A lesson for sure.











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Donnie
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #255 - 07/11/20 at 04:17:49
 
Hmm, I think that a tiny radial with a black backside would look fine......

Or perhaps with some sort of inlay in the black panel? A nice burl inlay???

I try to make the best of every situation.

Heck a nice polished piece of aluminum would look good, and I know a guy...
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Reply #256 - 07/11/20 at 04:26:05
 

It gets better...  stuff like this makes you really ponder if life as we perceive it is not what is actually going on.  

For example, just as WE watch videos for entertainment, perhaps other higher density beings actually just watch us. We are their TV.  

Because the definition of human nature is it's unpredictability these beings probably entertain themselves betting on the outcomes of the particular episode of human unconsciousness they are watching.

In my case, some of the higher density individuals with money on the outcome must have intervened when the shit started to hit the fan inside the planer.

I mean seriously, what are the odds of this.  One side is longer than the other and on the longest side it is just exactly enough.



Here is a panel of some other wood to show the size that I need from the burl to make this happen. Ponder this for a bit. It is literally within 1,000th of an inch of what I have to have to make a perfect pair.

And it gets even better still because I was able to shape the panels and run all 4 panels (8 edges) through my router at an ultra slow speed to get the miters and internal shapes without any further outbursts...

Kinda reads like a one of those space movies when the ship is damaged and you're pretty sure we're all going to die instead of make it home safely.

Grin



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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #257 - 07/11/20 at 04:43:16
 

So here's to a safe landing and the spontaneity of the universe!



A perfect pair without flaws.

Just crazy.  Hehe, do you know how much they charge for a ball point pen made out of this shit?

This is what I love about these Tiny Radials... they can be made from solid hardwood, the grain is all one direction only. No top, no bottom. (Well, actually with this burl that's not true but the pyramidal shape makes it impossible to warp once it's assembled.)

They can be made from the most exotic woods that aren't big enough to even make a bookshelf speaker let alone a large floor-standing speaker. That makes it really special since the sound of these is legitimate. I am finding that using them with a powered subwoofer is taking them to a way higher level and making it possible to fill a larger space with meaty background music that has great speed, tone, smoothness and imaging.

Steve
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #258 - 07/11/20 at 05:33:55
 

Back to my earlier comments about higher density beings...  it's been my experience as you know that IF something was actually influenced or "touched" by the "audio Gods" there is always a clear sign for those who look for it.  If you've read my posts on this forum over the years you know of several examples of this.

So you might think that the fact that damage was within a thousandth of an inch of disaster to be a pretty plausible sign in and of itself but at the same time we can all write it off as unbelievable luck. I am never so quick to do so however so I look at it closely. Kind of in the spirit of not looking a gift horse in the mouth especially one with the patients to teach if there is any further communications left, I plan to find it.

So here is what I found.  This is a map of my state, Illinois, super imposed on top of the damaged ship.



If you overlap the borders and draw a horizontal line from the top right edge of the panel and another from the right vertical edge of the panel, they intersect at my location in Peoria.

Ponder that ; )



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Reply #259 - 07/11/20 at 06:43:23
 
Some stuff can't be made up. Spooky.
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #260 - 07/11/20 at 18:17:47
 
LOL, humans are pattern finders/recognizers.  We also don't keep track of the limitless times when the "stars" don't align.   Cool
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #261 - 07/12/20 at 02:57:24
 


Some nice quiet time in the shop today.

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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #262 - 07/12/20 at 03:19:30
 



Pyinma burl (Lagerstroemia Calyculata) AKA = Asian satinwood burl, crepe Myrtle wood burl.  Origin: Southeast Asia

I wonder what's going to happen with this one?



The last one as you might have guessed was a one time experience.  I won't be making anything from that again but it did serve a purpose of testing the process.


Steve

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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #263 - 07/12/20 at 03:24:47
 
It looks like fire!
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #264 - 07/16/20 at 03:28:24
 

Wait until you see a good photograph of it on a Tiny Radial...  it's just sick. I have never seen a wood like this. The pathetic picture I posted from eBay definitely doesn't come even close to what we're really getting here!  

The previous burl I tried after being sealed inside and out have already in less than a week cracked around every burl. Tonight I re-sanded them flat again and shifted to linseed oil so the wood can drink. Monocoat gives the wood nothing. This wood needs lots of oil.  Also, both of these burls require more sheen than monocoat to really show off their beauty.

I can't wait to show the results of both here when they are done!  It's going to totally blow your mind : )

Steve

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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #265 - 07/16/20 at 03:43:49
 
These American Walnut Crotchwood works of art landed on my doorstep today.  So beautiful, you can't help yourself from saying "Wow" backwards!   Shocked

Having them in my hands was like acid dripping in my stomach so I just had to hook them up right away.  Brought over my ZMA from the other system.  Damn!  Not broken in yet... playing in a fairly large room with 18 foot ceilings...  Truly remarkable!  Really is hard to believe that the sound I am hearing is emitting from such a diminutive package.  Just look at this wood!!!







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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #266 - 07/18/20 at 04:45:27
 
Jeff,

Those are some killer pics of the Tiny Radials!

BTW congrats on the Tannoys... that has to be fun!  Thanks for posting the pics - really nice room!

Steve

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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #267 - 07/18/20 at 06:36:12
 
Thanks Steve!

The Tannoy's are special!   That said, I took those pictures for the primary purpose of sending them to my two very near and dear to my heart, "audio buddies."  Reason being is, they are why I decided to purchase the Westminsters.  I knew they would appreciate what you have created in these Tiny Radials.  After sending them some pics and a video clip of the sound, they both reached out to me about how to purchase a set of these.  I have to say that both of these guys are well seasoned and have rolled a lot of gear over the years.  They both are familiar with Decware, respect you and the brand, but have not yet dipped their toes.  That said, they BOTH want a pair of these radials!  Knowing their audio journey, that is a very huge compliment to Decware.  

Here is the video clip I sent them.  Mind you, this is merely my iPhone recording a video clip.  That said, you can't deny the "special sauce" these Tiny Radials are capable of producing!  And yes, it is the Tiny Radials (driven by the Decware Zen Mystery Amp) playing in this video, not the Tannoy's!  This is a rather large room with 18 foot ceilings. 

https://tinyurl.com/y579updn

So, I have been tasked with snatching up two sets of these amazing little wonders as soon as they come available.  One standard wood, and the second set standard or exotic.  

Cheers!
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #268 - 07/19/20 at 00:55:11
 

The link is not working : )

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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #269 - 07/19/20 at 01:49:53
 
Damn Vimeo!  Ok, Switched hosting services and got it back online.
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Reply #270 - 07/19/20 at 05:49:16
 

Jeff, saw the video on the new place... Wistia.  I also use Wistia for all Decware videos, probably 10 years and running so far.  

Yes, the video is great.  These are fun speakers.  Each wood sounds a little different.

Presently I am experimenting with 3D printing a lens using a resin printer and by keeping the thickness of the walls of the part 1.8 mm with a honeycomb inside that, the entire lens weighs in at 28 grams.  

This compared to the wood lens that weighs around 6 grams.  The super heavy resin lens is the most inert object I have ever held in my hand.  It is really unbelievable.  This kind of mass and vibration control could take things up to a level where fun becomes a little more serious.  

When I get through the long learning curve on the programming of this lens and subsequent print attempts, we can compare the sound and see what is happening.  My guess is that using the same hollow geometry and extra thick solid resin walls could create a tiny radial enclosure that was so far beyond the performance of wood that the difference in sound would become noticeable to even my cat.

The goal here, before I got so completely side tracked, was to print the lens with the stand offs attached in black with a resolution that would not require sanding or finishing.  Just print, and use.  Tonights prototype only cost about a $1 in resin and took probably an hour to print which would further reduce the time it takes to make sand seal and paint the lenses for these speakers.  

I can tell immediately from the insane weight and inert quality of this lens that this concept is going to be pursued to an end result. All this from a $350 printer!  Once you spend a couple grand on one things get really good, a lot bigger and 10 times faster.

From what I just experienced tonight, if I were a large hi-end speaker manufacture with market share, I would invest in a 3D printer that could do a 4 foot loudspeaker out of resin. You could create absolute 100 fold more complicated internal enclosure designs and control panel resonance at every point.  Even a Tiny Radial design could be turned into a high order transmission line lowering the bass even further.  


I think a lot of the inertness comes from the part being built from layers, each one cured and then another one applied on top of it.  The lens was 1500 layers thick.  

Once I quit printing inspiring duds and get to a final product I will certainly post some pictures.  

Leaning curves... I get so frustrated when I have to learn new software wanting it to happen in 30 minutes and we all know it's going to take more like 30 days.  It's like my consciousness is strangulated by my brain because it's to damn slow.  Figuring something new out (software from some other demented mind) is like growing grass because it's not how I would do it.  

Usually a couple hours of mumbling, slapping my forehead, and a few stern scoldings to the imaginary buttholes that wrote this... well you get this idea, and then I have figured out enough to rush through it and shoot myself in the foot over and over until I can't walk.

Steve





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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #271 - 07/19/20 at 06:02:40
 

I just realized that this lens is such a resonance sink, that once it is glued (chemically welded) to the face of the driver (baffle), it will remove vibration from the driver baffle at the upper midrange frequencies giving an even cleaner sound.

God help me -- I just realized with 4K resolution resin printing you could 3D print a speaker cone that simply redefined the absence of modal resonances, not to mention stiffness. Having both rarely happens.

Damn, I knew this was going to happen.





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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #272 - 07/19/20 at 06:30:19
 
Quote:
God help me -- I just realized with 4K resolution resin printing you could 3D print a speaker cone that simply redefined the absence of modal resonances, not to mention stiffness. Having both rarely happens.


You've definitely got my attention! From the speakers I have owned, to what I have read/learned, this element of speaker design is ripe for innovation.  A resin-based, 3D printed cone, would certainly qualify as a true innovation.  Excited and eager to see what you can develop.
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #273 - 07/19/20 at 06:34:21
 
Jeff,

If you send me that video to Zen at Decware.com I'll add it to the collection!
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #274 - 07/19/20 at 07:45:16
 
Just sent!
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #275 - 07/19/20 at 11:31:39
 
Steve,

I've been following this thread closely. You continue to strive to bring your customers amazing innovations and an audio experience beyond measure.

The tiny radial project clearly demonstrates your dedication to continued product development and quality. While the wood versions are beautiful, the 3D resin based panel versions hold significant potential. A dense, honeycomb panel that controls resonance will allow drivers to perform as they were intended. Plus, I think that once you work out production kinks, it will easier to build these speakers and allow you to scale up to larger designs, if you wish .

Congratulations on the progress to date. You are clearly deserving of an audio innovation award, as well as the collective appreciation of us all. Many thanks for all your striving!

HK
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #276 - 07/19/20 at 15:29:43
 
I have to laugh because a few years back Zygi and I had a conversation that when Steve got interested in 3D printing, all bets were off.
Steve has the sort of inquisitive mind that 3D printing lights up with it's possibility.

If you can draw it, you can make it, within the limits of the machine of course.
But there are also ways to work around the size limitations of small machines by thinking about what you are making as if it were a large 3D jigsaw puzzle that just needs to be fitted and bonded together.
Gotta think way outside of the box when you want to get creative.

The thinner the layer the more resolution, but the more time to print. Manufacturing is always a balance between what you want to do and what you can afford to do.

Additive manufacturing is a important part of the future, or at least it looks like it at this time.
I've seen it go in fits and starts over the last 20 or so years. Companies seem to get enthused in it then for whatever reason they seem to back off and sit on the technology for a time.

It would be interesting to see some speakers with all kinds of wave guides and expansion chambers incorporated into their design printed out. Make the sound waves dictate the design, not letting the "manufacturability " of the part dictate the final shape.

The hard part is letting your mind free up enough to take advantage of the new sets of tools at your fingertips, to stop thinking of how to build something from the materials normally at hand (sheet stock and lumber) and then design something from what the sound waves actually need for best performance.

Why do speakers have to look like they do? I assume that the shape is once again more dictated by the materials at hand than by actual design parameters.

Free your mind and your ass will follow!
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #277 - 07/19/20 at 16:20:55
 
Quote:
Why do speakers have to look like they do? I assume that the shape is once again more dictated by the materials at hand than by actual design parameters.



Great post, and very good point!   It immediately reminded me of my Dukane Ionovac super tweeters.  They are plasma speakers, so they definitely don't look or perform like traditional drivers.  This plasma "driver" is essentially weightless and has no moving parts, so mechanical inertia and resonances are minimized. The sound is created by a plasma emitted from the end of a small, pointed electrode inside a quarts chamber - basically just RF energy that compresses and rarefies the air around it to create sound waves. That glowing light in the pictures below is the driver.  I have not heard a better super tweeter.   I have mine crossed at 7500Hz and it goes well into the supersonic range.  Anyway, these were manufactured in the 50's!!   I feel like the audio industry is overdue for some true innovation in speaker driver technology.  











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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #278 - 07/19/20 at 19:38:15
 
Aptly put, Donnie! Interesting possibilities and times ahead.
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #279 - 07/20/20 at 02:22:33
 

Five years ago I found this video of a 3D printed concrete castle, and am still mesmerized by it.  To get everything dialed-in to make it actually work from scratch is saying something.  Then to watch print without any errors would probably be too much to deal with.  Simply inspirational.  

https://youtu.be/DQ5Elbvvr1M

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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #280 - 07/20/20 at 18:31:48
 
I’v been listening to my ‘beautiful’ #16 tinnies for 3 days now,when they arrived I unpacked and placed atop a pair of omegas,sat down and thought there’s something wrong with the sound,got up and walked over to the biggest soundstage I ever walked into...just plain silly huge!..Love the wood!These are now 2 feet on either side of my brain and I might be tempted on some songs to and I quote ‘may be the best sound I ever had in my room’

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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #281 - 07/21/20 at 04:59:19
 

This is really I think what excites me about Tiny Radials... they accurately demonstrate how our larger Radial speakers (model ERRx) work and if you could actually hear both in the same room, the frequency balance is also the same other than the low bass.  ERRx go an octave lower.

A great way to show people the concept who would otherwise never hear it, and I think an unbeatable desktop / computer speaker because you get a highly accurate 3D soundstage no matter what.

Thanks for the posting your feedback!  

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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #282 - 07/21/20 at 14:39:35
 
Steve I completely agree.  For someone who has not had the pleasure of experiencing the radial sound, the Tiny Radials are the perfect gateway.  I absolutely love my Err’’s....mine were built just before you introduced ERRx.   I have an open floor plan and a fairly large space.  This is where the radials truly sing.  You can get that concert hall sound without selecting the fake DSP feature on a solid state A/V amp.

Dom





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Rasp. Pi 4 [Roon], Schiit Bifrost True Multibit DAC, ZBIT, ZROCK2, My Audio Cables Ultra Silver+, ZSB, CSP2+ 25th, DAG Cables, DHC1, Torii MKIV 25th /2 White Zen SE84C+ 25th mono’s, Rega P2 Turntable,Rega Fono MK5, Velodyne Dual Firing Sub, ERR’s [Bubbinga Wood]
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Steve Deckert
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #283 - 07/23/20 at 03:05:15
 

So far the 3D printing learning curve has been tedious.  41,292 ways to fail before you even get to the printer... and then there's that.

Anyway after over 9 failed prints this is the support structure that worked and subsequent print aka my first usable print.





So despite wanting to give up several times and blow something up at least once or twice, I am making progress.

Steve



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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #284 - 07/23/20 at 03:07:40
 
Godspeed!  Your Decware fan base undoubtedly appreciates your restraint and perseverance.  

And that pieces looks GREAT!
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #285 - 07/25/20 at 03:31:27
 


Just an update on these...  a few days after this picture was taken every single burl split and the surface of the wood became wavy despite being sealed.  I re-sanded it flat (.035 to get it flat) and soaked it in linseed oil. I am now in the process of the third sanding to get the surfaces flat again.  This is sealing the entire thing in clear lacquer between each session, yet it still moves. If you wanted to destroy a new wood worker's ego, just send him a block of this stuff.

This reminds me of how I learned to build amplifiers that I liked... learn everything not to do first.

Steve
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #286 - 07/25/20 at 15:20:50
 
Hi Steve, new member here, Wolf, eagerly awaiting my orders  :), and have been following this thread with interest. I'm not a wood worker per say, but I had a thought regarding the Burlwood, I was wondering if you laminated the inside of the pieces with some kind of veneer,just shy of your braces, if that wouldn't give it a structural strength to help stop warping?
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #287 - 07/26/20 at 01:06:59
 
Hi Wolf,

Welcome to the forum!  

The burl in the wood is contracting, the surrounding wood is not, it makes the surface wavy - hard to get mirror flat.  If I can't get an acceptable mirror gloss on it, I will sand it down and hand oil it, no worries.  Besides, I won't be using that particular wood ever again anyway.


Steve

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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #288 - 07/26/20 at 01:12:59
 

I have been printing duds all day today to see if I can lessen the supports on the 3D printed part, and then I decided to just forget the supports completely.  I only used them to tilt the part so it would fit the printer's build platform.

By shrinking the lens from 68 to 66 mm I can print it flat in less than one hour.  




Here is the result of that:



Now we're getting somewhere!

Smiley
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #289 - 07/26/20 at 02:02:48
 
Steve,
Do you have enough Z travel to nest one on top of the other?
It would be more efficient that way.
Perhaps even 4 at a time?
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #290 - 07/26/20 at 02:56:06
 
Lookin' good, Steve. Love the continuing innovation. Here's a pic of my cobbled-together "office". I'm trying not to buy what I already have stored in Seattle, hence the $20 "desktop" door slug. Anyway, I had heard some of you talk about being in the middle of the soundstage, but I had never experienced it to this degree. Pretty damn cool, Steve. And I got a little surprise when I opened one of my mystery boxes to discover that one of my  small-but-mighty powered subs made it down here. A Carver Sunfire True Subwoofer Junior - a 9" cube of pure thump. Really fills in the bottom nicely. As you can see, I have an excellent source, dac, cables and speakers. The pre and the amp...well, I have better stuff coming, but for now, they're acceptable.
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #291 - 07/26/20 at 03:01:36
 
I should also mention that, with up facing drivers (especially here in dusty old Tucson), some sort of prophylactic is in order. So, here's my solution. Some of the more observant among you might notice the resemblance to common, garden-variety sandwich bags. But I assure you that these are actually top-of-the-line, audiophile-grade speaker condoms. You saw 'em here first.
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #292 - 07/26/20 at 04:40:59
 
Is that what you call practicing safe stereo?
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #293 - 07/26/20 at 20:24:34
 
A guy can't be too careful these days.
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #294 - 07/28/20 at 04:22:20
 

My centering jig for the new 3D printed resin lens.  Any resemblance to a vacuum tube is purely coincidental  :-?



This will be the first pair to boast the new lens.  This is the PYINMA burl pair getting finished up tonight.  They have 50 coats of lacquer and have been rubbed out to 3500.   I'll have more pics of these soon.  The price was $679 for the pair with the rubbed out piano finish. I purchased them from myself.

I was able to spray a nearly perfect finish with only a few coats that was 95% as good and had I just stopped there the price for these would have been $499.

I have more of the wood, so I will try to make another pair and see if this was just luck, or can it be repeated : )

-Steve




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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #295 - 07/28/20 at 04:23:25
 



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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #296 - 07/29/20 at 04:35:26
 

Interesting observation...  I replaced the speaker cables, a thinner gauge version of the ZSTYX, with some test leads that were nice and flexible, something the ZSTYX are not, especially when they are only 1 meter long as is the case here.  So the test leads were the same length.

To put this in context, the test leads are copper stranded, super thin strands in a fat silicon jacket.  The smaller version of the ZSTYX is first of all about 10 gauge rather than 18 gauge like the test leads.  Also it is silver coated copper and the jacket is Teflon.

Anyway, for about well, all day, I have been listening to these speakers waiting for them to sound good.  How can something that looks this good sound bad?  The wood was super light compared to normal exotics, and maybe it just sucks?  I kept waiting, and waiting... why is it so lean, so dry, to etched, so mid-fi?

A sense of dread started to build as I began to accept something is actually wrong here... these really don't sound good.  This is the first pair that I didn't like.

Then I remembered the speaker wire... test leads... that has to be the problem.  SO I put back the good ZSTYX 10 AWG clones (ZSTYX are 8 AWG about twice as thick) and bang, there we are.  The density is back.  The liquidity is back.  The dryness is gone.  The image is 3 times the size.  Not even the same speaker.  Seriously.  

So this is a reality check.  Since it is the only speaker wire I ever use (for a reason) it is all too easy to forget how the speakers might sound in another system without good speaker wire.

I can tell you that using the test leads, which are similar to regular cheap speaker cable, made these speakers sound like a con job.  Seriously.  It's scary.  Don't treat Tiny Radials like toys.  That is the lesson.  

I have enjoyed the sound more in the last hour since I changed the wire, than I have in the past 24 hours with the wrong cables.

Learn from my mistakes.  No doubt someone with Tiny Radials hasn't heard them yet.  The difference was on a scale of 1 to 10 like comparing a 4 to an 8.5

Of course the EXACT same thing happens in the listening room with big speakers.  I believe cables are as important as the speakers themselves, in fact they are probably the biggest choke point in audiophile's homes world wide so far as I can see.

It's another discussion better placed elsewhere, but surface it to say, good speaker cables are not an option.  Zip cord is not acceptable.  In fact most speaker cables are not acceptable.  You have to go outside the playground to find the right stuff.  Silver plated copper, heavy gauge, Teflon jacket.  Simple. Get one wire for each polarity.  

I've said it over 60,000 times so far, and that is that you only hear your system rise to the weakest link in the chain.  In the hi-resolution work of single-end triodes with zero feedback, you can't and don't want to use regular speaker wire.  It is a filter.  You don't want a filter.


Here's a closing hypothetical example...  Person buys a Decware amplifier, a great DAC, perhaps even a power conditioner, really awesome speakers, and left over speaker cables from a mainstream hifi system.  Left wanting, he sends the amp back in for anniversary mods.  After getting it back , he hears a 10% improvement and is happy.   Now, had he been running proper speaker cable, the improvement would have been in this case 40%.  That means that with the right cable he was 30% ahead of where he ended up after spending money on anniversary mods.  So following this line of thought a bit further, had he had the right cables to begin with, he would have been 40% better than he was with the wrong cables, and then after doing the anniversary mods his money would have bought him another 40% improvement over where he was, totaling 80%, not 10%.

The hardest part of hi-end audio is accepting and identifying the weak links in the chain. But the rewards of success are always well worth the extra effort.

---

As a followup, now having several hours back with the good cables, the sound is back to sounding like it is coming from the speakers in the listening room.  I've talked about this before.  It has already happened three times in the past hour that I have been fooled into thinking I was listening to the main system in the other room, not Tiny Radials in this room!  With the test leads for speaker wire, the sound was coming from the speakers, and there was ZERO chance of being fooled into thinking the sound was coming from the other room.  ZERO.  The density and the imaging are essential giveaways.  

This really worries me... I might have to get on a mission about ZSTYX.  I think it might be time to offer them in 10 AWG at probably half the price (just guessing) with 90% the performance...  should have done this years ago.  

Have a great night!

Steve
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #297 - 07/29/20 at 05:07:16
 

Before I got sidetracked by hearing my stereo go from hi-end to mid-fi and back to hi-end, let me get back to this crazy wood...

After I made this Pyinma burl (Lagerstroemia Calyculata) AKA = Asian satinwood burl, crepe Myrtle wood burl from Southeast Asia pair of Tiny Radials, I used the Rubio Monocoat finish, it was lovely no doubt, but wood like this really needs a deep mirror gloss to appreciate what it really has to offer.  I guess my point is that the wood made me do it. Someone who was a pro at it, would have certainly got perfect results without 50 coats, but after sanding through the finish in just one tiny spot more than several times, I just decided to make it impossible to sand through it. This stacked on lots and lots of hours.  

As part of the design exploration, this is so far the most exotic and most expensive I can foresee a pair of Tiny Radials.  Put another way, it sets the highpoint.  Myself, if I had heard a pair in person and were only talking a few hundred bucks to get a pair that looked and felt like this, I would probably do it.

With enough of this wood to do two more pair, I am anxious to see if I can get a similar finish in around 5 coats and then polished out to the same shine.  That will knock off a couple hundred bucks from the price and be almost undetectable in looks if all goes well.



https://decware.wistia.com/medias/qm1op6ln9e

Check out this video of just one of the pair...  If you set outside in the sun and hold one of these in your hand the sky suddenly becomes boring.

I did this video in full 1080P High Def. because the wood made me.

There will be more, on the page, for sale in the future, don't worry.

Steve



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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #298 - 07/29/20 at 13:34:35
 
TR022 are the ultimate going "ape shit" crazy on the finish!

If it is worth doing, it is worth overdoing!
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Re: Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Reply #299 - 07/29/20 at 16:05:03
 
Tick,tick,tick...WTF!...I hear a faint ticking in my tiny radials..in the soundstage..there’s a ticking clock..I’m thinking a bomb!for 2 hours I’m thinking I’m loosing it...I change speakers,ticking stops,I get out my omegas,no ticking,linn,naim amps n speakers,quiet,no ticking,magnepans,no ticking,place these gorgeous tiny shits back and there’s the ticking,so I’m thinking there’s dsp in them there tinnies.My bluesound was ticking through the speakers,placed well away from the amp and ticking stopped.Resolution.


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