Last week we had a pleasant chat with Jacob Cheang about 3D printing, speakers and life in general. A great guy who appreciates fine music and owns an impressive collection of hifi stuff including B & O's. We started talking about DIY speakers and he graciously decided to commission a project which has been designated Project Carpio. Having a large living room, the system had to project enough sound to fill the space and yet retain crystal clarity and deep bass. Also, the enclosure had to be compact and light for portability. We chose BMR drivers for their great mids and highs and DVC Poly subwoofer for deep and defined bass.
<6.5 inch Dual Voice Coil Subwoofer>
<2 inch Balanced Mode Radiator driver>
Then, the fabrication started in earnest. Plywood was cut (by hand) to the required dimensions.
<Cut plywood for sides of enclosure>
<Cut out for subwoofer and passive radiator>
Dampening material was then applied to the inner surfaces for reduction of vibrations and enhanced stiffening. Triangular support structures were attached at the edged for strength and rigidity.
<EVA Vibration Damper and Triangular supports>
Speaker connectors were then attached.
<Speaker connectors>
The sides of the enclosure were then glued together.
<Glued sides>
The cable assembly was then fabricated and tested.
<Cable assembly>
The Cable assembly was then attached to the speaker connectors.
<Speaker connectors and cable assembly>
Polyfil was added to absorb stray acoustic signals. Panels at both ends were glued on as well.
<Polyfil and panels for subwoofer and passive radiator>
Finally, all drivers were mounted.
<BMR drivers mounted to front panel>
<Passive radiator mounted to left side panel>
<DVC Subwoofer mounted to right side panel>
Phew! That took us about five days to design, fabricate and assemble. This is our most ambitious project so far but well worth the effort. Vocals are reproduced fluidly with crystal clarity. The wooden enclosure brings out the brightness of stringed instruments and the bass has oomph that is impossible with smaller enclosures and bass units. The ultimate bass test, "Another One Bites the Dust" passed with flying colours. Hey Jacob, thanks for giving us the opportunity to create the Carpio Series 1 Speaker System. It is the only one in the world, lovingly hand-built. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed making it.
We want everyone to have the joy of making their own speaker systems. Come down and talk to us. We'll be happy to create a system that suits your needs and budget. Remember, only your ears know what makes you happy, make something special that is only created for you, only at Kreativ Werkz.