Thanks for starting the thread!  We will move it to the DHF forum once it gets created.  Meanwhile, I plan to make a stand for the speakers soon and will report back.

Steve

DJF - I'm really interested in where this project goes. Great call on getting some ideas from the hot rod show. I know that chrome on my bike is a beautiful thing, but being married to an interior designer there is not a lick of chrome inside our house. As far as the feet, I ended up using IsoAcoustic GAIA feet for our Omega floorstanders (Not 150 lbs each) and had one of the guys at work modify some all thread to allow a lot of tilt flexibility...they work great in our room and on our floor. Keep us posted (pun intended) and happy listening, Chris.

Thanks guys on color thoughts and feet suggestions.

Going to the car show was a good idea. Looking at all that chrome and the colors surrounding it gave me some ideas.
The Lii P10 is a work of art but from another planet. The material colors are challenging.
The tan leather colored cone, the thick black surround and the shinny diffuser in the center is making the artist in me work overtime.

The amazing cars at the Syracuse Nationals showed me what works with chrome. For contrasting  and bold compositions, Black and red work very well but I was looking for something less alpha. What I found was, shiny chrome also work well with subtle pastels, like the photos below. I like the soft creamy greens and blues, teal and turquoise, could they work with a 60" behemoth? Maybe.

I also appreciate the soft vintage silver grey paint on the grey car. If I could do that on HDF with a very subtle gain, I might do it.
I know that I also have to pick up the tone of the tan speaker cone so I will adjust the cabinet color's temperature and tint to fit. I am tidderdering towards a pastel turquoise with a satin finish. This should
make the cabinet size less "large looking". The DFH speaker sound is dominate enough.

So, on the way home, my car swerved into the guitar store because there is a lot of chrome there.
I entered, within moments, utterly bedazzled with the chrome color and texture combinations,
I suddenly realized that i am building a pair of musical instrument just like all the guitars, basses, drums and pianos we love so much. Now I know my goal...a DFH musical instrument with the perfect zen of art and design applied. Like Steve does.
]I also am thinking of installing the GIZMO2 magnetic crossover/ TX's in each cabinet, with a knob and bypass switch.
I have decided to name my build YOLO (You Only Live Once).


https://ibb.co/Y73fkkP
https://ibb.co/z8YCFM8
https://ibb.co/q7T5ygH [img][/img]

As my design develops, I'm seeing the need to be able to move the 140 lb. speakers. I like Steve's dolly but was thinking of using the magic sliders and adding side mounted recessed handles.
The kind of handles that are on the sides of Marshall amps seem like a good choice.

https://www.mojotone.com/Metal-Recessed-Cabinet-Handle-Older-Cabs-Lg?srsltid=Afm...

They would detract from the pure aesthetic beauty but would allow movement of the boxes.
I don't want to imagine trying to lift 140 lbs and then accidently dropping and smashing a corner.
Function over form in this case. There are also recessed stainless steel lifts available.

Yeah, the drivers have arrived! Got to get down to the wood shop and start building.

Quote:


I used MDF from Menards because I wanted to make it easy for the DIY speaker builders to exactly duplicate my results.  Of course you could make it from whatever you want.  It. does not require anything stiffer, as the design is self bracing.

I did however dramatically strengthen the MDF by using an oil based primer which I talked about in the DFH10 thread.

As for the machined ring, the baffle itself which is small, should be made from cabinet grade plywood.  MDF or any other material will not work.  I found that using washers was adequate with the plywood.

Steve

Thanks DJ, I ordered mine about a week ago so we will see. This is my first speaker build! So I think I'll be following the instructions as carefully as I can and I'm sure I'll need some tips and guidance from anyone with more experience. The only thing custom that I picture doing is the paint color. Although, I am certainly open to ideas and suggestions. Good luck on your build as well.

Lol Donnie. I want to see pictures of your red speakers! I hope they're shiny. I will have to look up Koa veneer.

Wow! Thanks for the pics Donnie. Those look like awesome speaker builds and high quality finish. I really like the Koa veneer. Red is a little too flashy for me but very cool combination. Kind of like your signature trademark finish. Are you going to try a dFH 10 build?

Steve said that he shopped at Menard's to make it easy for others to duplicate his results with commonly available products.

Our Menard's store stocks two types of MDF. One is 3/4" and the other is 1/4".  
I am pretty sure that the pics Steve published shows 3/4" materials.

I should point out that if I go to Lowe's to buy MDF, they stock 19mm, which is just a tad shy of 3/4" and will make some of your measurements off by a slight hair.

Before committing to several sheets of material, I might bring along a small pocket scale with metric and standard markings, just to know from the beginning what you are buying.
Sometimes composite products are marked specifically, but for "construction purposes" many consider 19mm and 3/4" to be effectively the same. For flooring, they are, but precision cabinetry usually requires a  better fit.

I am not sure that the thickness dimension was ever specified, however.

Good Luck. I am anxious to see some build these to completion "in the wild."


Who knows, maybe he'll chime on here and tell us that his Menard's stocks 19mm materials and to shut up about all that.

While that would be true if 19mm always measured exactly 19mm, but it almost never does as you begin to fit them all together.
Just offering something to think about as buying materials can be a caveat emptor prospect.

It often depends for me if I am doing dados.
Most of the old school reproductions I have done to recreate/clone studio monitors from the past include dados and precise rabbets. They were made with 3/4" materials of fairly high precision.
You can not follow the published blueprints exactly!
I couple of wobbly thousanths here and there makes for a loose joint and an out of square box. Those would not pass inspection.
Not the same as keeping it tight.

I am not trying to bitch this up, just offering things to watch for and keep in mind as you measure and set tooling, nothing more.

As I mentioned before, those dimensions, 19mm and 3/4"  are considered equal for some projects.

Thanks for the heads up on material sizing! I will check my supplier. I get my wood from Mennonite's in PA, they have quality wood. I can use cherry or maple but at a higher cost.

I put self-stick crafting felt on the back side of the removable baffle to create the seal.  To install the baffle once the driver is bolted to it, you set it on the bottom of the opening and tip it back into the cabinet.  Keep your hand on the bottom so it doesn't fall out until you have one of the bolts threaded in.

Project update:

My first choice to cut the parts informed me it would be February before they could cut the pieces.
It must be nice to be so busy. So, I looked around for others with CNC machines and may have found a company that can deliver by end of November! These guys are genuinely excited about the project.
They will modify the plans and program the machines to cut in rabbet / dado slots to ease assembly.

We will use Trupan High Plus MDF and white oak for the speaker panel and the elephant ears.
I have received the round wood pillows and the binding posts.

So, the excitement is building and we may have the speakers finished by Christmas! A very nice Christmas present I think.

Is anyone else making progress on their builds?

Note to Dave... no my P-10 do not have a chemical smell or scratches. The pillows, I purchased from AliExpress, received in 10 days. I should try my P-10's in their shipping boxes to start the burn-in.

Dave,

How is your build going? I have committed to a CNC shop for $2000 each finished and painted cabinet. You should shop around if you can. One wood shop quoted me $18481.04, unpainted. I must have had stupid or stupid/ rich on my face.

Well it has been a long journey building these Headwrecker type speakers, but they are finally finished.





Well it has been a long journey building these Headwrecker type speakers. Just getting a decent quote for the CNC took some time, but they are finally finished.

The build was very much fun with the help of great craftsmen. Today they are still laying horizontally, not a good way to listen to them. Waiting on ears to be finished. Interesting that the Lii build uses metal ears, we used the thick wooden ears.

Just listening horizontally, they are asking for a good break in time. If comparing to the LED color temps, this speaker is 6000k bright blue. The cabinet, as far as I can tell, is a monster. I'm using Steve's UFO amp and kind of wishing for more. I have a 25 watt per push pull by Mark Sinclair that I will eventually try for more punch.

I thought I knew a lot about watt and efficiency but I learned on a logarithmic level. A long time ago I discovered my ears liked about 96 dB for perfect excitement, so moving to this 100 dB driver may be too much for my young and sweet ears, even the kids say they are too loud.

This speaker would really shine in a music bar, it seems to have quite a throw. I can imagine then sitting up high aside a DJ booth in long room with a couple of big subs in the back of the room, the effect would be enticing, people would stay for a 3rd drink, I think.
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The ears are on now and they are upright. Wow, this speaker is like nothing I have ever heard in a home speaker. It's got a distinct crisp sparkle that really fills the room. The bass from the folded horn cabinet is like a lurking giant, you always know it's there ready to move some air and when it does, it's pleasurable.

The pictures show some of the build process. I wrapped the driver in a soft cloth to reduce ringing as Steve did. I have temporary 5/16 bolts for the front baffle, so I can easily get in the box if needed. Decorative bolts will be installed later.

I played these two records as a first listen...
Player Piano - Daniel Lanois, wonderful vinyl, I could hear the artist breathing and fingers moving on the piano, which I could not hear before.
Moses Sumney - Aromanticism , getting to be one of the favorites, his voice is an amazing falsetto and backed by a very good band.
Both these records bloomed like never before, the stereo image from these speakers is outstanding.

Our home is a long "L" shaped layout, so there are wonderful speakers at both ends with kitchen and dining room in the middle. The headwreckers have about a 45' throw and the music is all over that space. Then we played some Andrea Bocelli and some techno.... really good listens.
Am I glad I did this? Yes! It was a 500 day journey and costly.

I think the Lii P-10 drivers need a good workout to break in. Steve Decker was very brave to design this enclosure and has done a great job.
If you are considering a build, I would recommend cutting the parts on a CNC machine.

I would like to see Steve Decker re-imagine the Altec A-7 or Western Electric enclosures with modern drivers and maybe TAD HF drivers.
This headwrecker build will keep us happy here and I think will grow on our kids as they love music as much as us.
I will post more opinion as time flies.









Here are some finished photos.

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your comments. I sense break in time will do some good. Yes, the wires were temporary to ease removal. If you are good with a table saw, it should work as Steve's plans are pretty accurate. In reference to the drawings, I suggest cutting out the green line perfect triangles to aid in placement of interior parts. Dado the inside cabinet if you can for easier placement. The interior has 2 coats of oil based primer and the exterior has 3 coats of oil base paint, I did not use the SkuffX paint that I mentioned earlier. I did sand everything. Put the pillow, felt and foam sheets inside per pictures. Use Tightbond II glue and clamp the parts to set up.

Will you use the P-10 driver or another?
It's a fun project for and audiophile with patience. Please keep me posted as to your progress.

Hi Gilf,
They sound interesting and reveal a lot. I also like the S-10.
Here is an OB of S-10 in stone.

Very nice job!  

Wow quire an impressive build…🤔 I wonder what they sound like lying on their backs?😂

Hi DJ, thanks for your response.  I have not started my build yet, and am considering whether the HDT-2 would be a better fit for my room size of a 16 by 21 foot rectangle.  I have not decided yet.  My thought about using the newer drivers that Steve has recently used in this cabinet is related to how enthusiastic he is about the sound and my worry that the PT-10 might be too bright.  I am currently using the PT-10 in a (thrown together with scrap wood) open baffle driven by the UFO-25 and with Lii W-15's on the bottom driven by a crown XL1002 amp.  They sound really good to me now, but that P-10 does sound a bit shouty at times in this set-up on some music.  

If I do the DF 10 or 95 build, I am not sure what you mean but a round marble baffle or how that would be integrated into the current design.  I am having a hard time picturing it.  Since I have no experience building crossovers, I would need some guidance from Steve or another forum member about how to build the one that Steve has pictured in his DF-95 version. If sounds like i could build the Headwrecker cabinet based on the plans that I have from Decware and then decide on which drivers to install later.  Or I could try both using two different baffles.  That is a nice feature with this build.

I appreciate your info about the machine screws you used.  I do plan to wire them from the back for convenience with my set up.

I will keep you all posted once I make my decision and move forward.

Dave