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  1. #1
    Senior Member jerry_rig's Avatar
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    Custom TAD-JBL Studio Monitors

    Hi everyone. I thought I'd share with you the fruits of my summer weekends. With much planning, guidance and help from forum members -- you know who you are -- I designed and built a pair of custom studio monitors based around a new pair of TAD TD-4003 drivers and solid resin clones of TAD's TH-4003 horns. The crossovers are TAD TN-4 units and I have mixed the 15" woofers: JBL 2234H on top and JBL 2235H on the bottom. Each woofer is in its own chamber and is separated from the other by a slanted, internal double-walled panel.

    The boxes themselves are double-walled -- outside 3/4" birch plywood panels each glued to an interior of 3/4" MDF. The veneer is 22.2 mil thick "bubble-free" rosewood from Oakwood Veneer Company (which I highly recommend). The baffles have an extra layer of 1/2" plywood and are 2" thick. The woofers are countersunk 1/2" in order to be flush mounted. The interior is filled with Sonex foam panels. The horn and 2234H on top are connected to a TAD TN-4 crossover mounted inside the cabinet. The 2234H's higher sensitivity matches almost perfectly with the TAD 15" units for which the TN-4 was designed. The deeper reaching 2235H on the bottom is hooked to a 100Hz low pass filter that is wired directly to the lower (jumpered) inputs (very similar to the JBL 4435 except that I'm mixing drivers). I'm guessing these weigh close to 400 lbs each.

    Right off, perhaps not surprisingly, they sound fantastic. They have a full-range, clear and coherent sound to them. Very well balanced with a wide and stable image. Even my wife, who rarely comments on the music, noticed a dramatic difference over my previous DIY efforts.

    That's enough for now. Time to sit back and listen! Cheers,

    Jerry

    Here are pics of the cabinets and my workshop:
    Attached Images Attached Images     

  2. #2
    Moderator hjames's Avatar
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    They look gorgeous - so if they sound HALF as good as they look ... I'm sure they are wonderful! So - they are basically 2 1/2 way speakers? Paired 15s to spread over the low end, and the TAD 4003 on top? ... very intriguing!
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  3. #3
    Senior Member jerry_rig's Avatar
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    Again, thanks to everyone. Both chambers are tuned to 30Hz. It's very hard to tell when they both kick in -- a good thing, I think.

  4. #4
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    Your wood shop looks like an operating room! Oh by the way your speakers look great to!

  5. #5
    Unabashed Speakerholic cosmos's Avatar
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    Those look fantastic! I'd love to hear them... The combination of drivers is one I have considered and it looks like you have exploited really nice design ideas.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Woody Banks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Caldwell View Post
    Your wood shop looks like an operating room! Oh by the way your speakers look great to!
    I agree with Mike 100%. Beautiful speakers! I think the rosewood and black horns look great together. Your operating room shop makes me feel a bit guilty. My shop looks like something you would see on an episode of the Hoarders.

  7. #7
    Senior Member jerry_rig's Avatar
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    Thank you Heather! Yes, that is exactly what they are (2.5 way). I was advised against running both 15s full range in order to avoid lobe effects. The image is better focused and stable with just one (the 2234H) running up to the 800Hz crossover point.

  8. #8
    RIP 2010 scott fitlin's Avatar
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    GREAT choice with the TAD - 4003! One of the VERY BEST compression drivers you can get. Known for exactly what you describe, the most coherent, and clearest sound possible. The TAD passive crossovers are GREAT, as well.

    VERY NICE LOOKING SPEAKERS, INDEED! Enjoy them, you do great work!

    scottyj

  9. #9
    Senior Member louped garouv's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jerry_rig View Post
    Thank you Heather! Yes, that is exactly what they are (2.5 way). I was advised against running both 15s full range in order to avoid lobe effects. The image is better focused and stable with just one (the 2234H) running up to the 800Hz crossover point.

    great to know, and timely for me!

    thanks for sharing your admirable work!

  10. #10
    Senior Member richluvsound's Avatar
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    very tasty !

    love the rose wood ... you have triggered my TAD envy again


    Rich

  11. #11
    Dang. Amateur speakerdave's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jerry_rig View Post
    . . . . The image is better focused and stable with just one (the 2234H) running up to the 800Hz crossover point . . . .
    My experience also with the woofers paralleled in a two-stack arrangement. There is also audibly improved clarity and definition when only one woofer plays to the horn (I'm using 1400nd's). With an MTM arrangement it is slightly better, but in a rather small area. Paralleled drivers have to be operating in full acoustic coupling mode to avoid a blurring effect, which masks the beryllium benefit, and in my experience that is not easy to achieve, and is impossible at the necessary crossover frequency with the woofers separated by a horn of that size. Side-by-side woofers in a two-way ala Augsburger create a footprint that is awkward in a living space, for me anyway, and big heavy speakers that need to be elevated. They also need to be toed in and carefully aimed at the listening position, not a livingroom-friendly form. Your format choice is probably the best one.

    Nice work on the cabinets. Your workshop and mine are in different galaxies. Where's all the stuff?

  12. #12
    Senior Member 1audiohack's Avatar
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    Those look great! So does your work space. Nice choice for a cabinet saw too!
    If we knew what the hell we were doing, we wouldn't call it research would we.

  13. #13
    RIP 2010 scott fitlin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1audiohack View Post
    Nice choice for a cabinet saw too!
    Yeah right, I noticed that too. Looks like a POWERMATIC! Those are GREAT MACHINES!

    scottyj

  14. #14
    Senior Member jerry_rig's Avatar
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    There is stuff all around:
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  15. #15
    Senior Member bigyank's Avatar
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    Truly awesome speakers and extremely nice shop, wow! I am gearing up for a similar project this winter and yours has me inspired now. Only issue I have is my shop is no way even close to yours.

    One question, any plans for a pair of grills?

    Yank
    Basement: JBL SVA-1800 and 2226H DIY Enclosures Computer room: Control-5:Control SB-2 Living room: JBL 240ti

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