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Get familiar with the reaction system: Introducing the Reaction System
Criton 1TD build
Like many DIYers, I resist buying any commercial kits, and would rather "roll my own" and take on the challenge of crossover design and voicing because, hey, we like challenges!
About a year ago, I got excited by the Jeff Bagby deign of the Revolutions, with the Satori MW13p woofer and the SB29DAC tweeter. Loved the SQ, resolution, and dynamics (within obvious limits, of course).
Fast forward to the present, and I met a nice lady who was an accomplished pianist who was listening to her beloved classical music on dinky little computer speakers. I searched around, and thought that the CSS Criton 1TD TM would be perfect. In the mean time, I lent her an amp and my Revolutions pair and was subject to daily tweets with a lot of exclamation points (yeah, we know that feeling!)
Built the "large" version for the flatter bass response and possible orchestral music with the lower extension.
My newest box method is glue and screw. Feel that it gives me the best alignment, so less sanding and routing later on.
Decided that I didn't like the original bracing, so I used vertical strips tied side to side in two places.
Crossover board sits between them, directly under the woofer - for once I made the right decision!
Cut woofer relief on the back side of the baffle, then veneered. Trim router to cut the veneer to the holes and recesses.
Veneer trimming finished. No major mishaps (thank you Jesus!)
Finished with a coat of amber shellac (should have used 2 coats), and a wipe-on finish of Tried &True Danish Oil and Poly. Really great stuff
foolproof, forms a hard coat.
My newest box method is glue and screw. Feel that it gives me the best alignment, so less sanding and routing later on.
Decided that I didn't like the original bracing, so I used vertical strips tied side to side in two places.
Crossover board sits between them, directly under the woofer - for once I made the right decision!
Cut woofer relief on the back side of the baffle, then veneered. Trim router to cut the veneer to the holes and recesses.
Veneer trimming finished. No major mishaps (thank you Jesus!)
Finished with a coat of amber shellac (should have used 2 coats), and a wipe-on finish of Tried &True Danish Oil and Poly. Really great stuff
foolproof, forms a hard coat.
Got the cabs finished and loaded, and finally pulled up my playlist of favorite and torture tracks.
Steely Dan "Cousin Dupree" - the snare had a great visceral "whack" and everything else was great.
Trio II "High Sierra" - Linda Rondstat has incredible dynamic range, and this will show any problems with your tweeter crossover. She came through totally undistorted, even with a 2nd order HP on the LD22. You can hear the backup singers take a breath... wow.
Mozart's "Requiem" (Hogwood). I've heard this piece fail, even on a highly regarded ScanSpeak TM. Result - total clarity, resolution and detail, even on the most complex passages.
Yello "The Expert" - played about 90 dB of course, even the subsonics came through loud an authoritative without a hint of distress.
So now I am totally enthralled with these CSS drivers, and dreaming of a pair of Criton MTMs for my own reference. Thanks guys!
But Chahly - Stahkist don't want speakers that look good, Stahkist wants speakers that sound good!
and 2 others.
Comments
I liked the CSS woofers when i had heard the MTM - that was a long time ago.... it had a ribbon tweeter and sealed?
PS - The speaker comparison page is a very nice touch guys! Kudos
I enjoyed the speed of brad nailing, but didn't quite get the perfect alignment I wanted, because I was not using enough clamps, and the impact of the brad nailer would often move the pieces a bit - and then my brad nailer jammed up real bad. OK, now you've convinced me. I need to unjam the nailer and figure out a fixture with a couple of clamps for my next build with bare BB, so screws would not work at all.
The router doesn't throw them out of there like shrapnel?
The brad nailer worked perfectly, and very much faster than screw and glue. Thanks for kicking my ass into gear on this.
KB, every once in a while you might get a rogue brad, but I've never had an issue. I miter through them, route through them.... I've probably table sawed through them.
Happy to help Don! Not often I get to offer much on this forum 😁. If I am in a rush or know that the box is getting an easy finish (bedliner, duratex, exohyde, rough paint texture) it's my go -to. Once in a blue moon I screw things for mechanical bond but not often, generally for accessibility.
Ron