OTop12 Build Thread

[Tom Smit]

Way ta' go!

[88h88]

I feel like I now have to try much harder, those are fantastic.

[biggerrigger]

ps
An important footnote on speaker gasket compression. Last night when I installed the woofers, I tightened the Kreg screws (Recex...same thing) in a star pattern snug, waited about 15 minutes, then tightened them again. I let them sit overnight. Tonight, before buttoning up the back cover I went back and tightened them AGAIN. Most screws turned about another 3/4s of a turn. Check your woofer mounting screws/bolts before buttoning up the cab!

I have always came back the next day and re-tightened drivers not only on BFM builds but any build. On my T39's I had fasteners that turned over a full turn the next day. Good tip and great looking build.

[miked]

Thanks for the kind words. They came out OK...I chose the angles for my pictures carefully, to hide the flaws. I am capable of building these better than they turned out...The angled horn panels are what threw me, but hey, I'm smarter on that now. They're not BAD, but all the extra trimming/sanding I had to do just ticked me off. The end result is what matters though. They're air-tight and sound great. They will look 10x better w/grills and corners. I'll order from Reliable on Tues and should have them early the following week.

I'm really looking forward to getting them hooked up properly (through the Driverack PA+ and my GX5 poweramp) and seeing what they can really do. Also looking forward to hearing them with subs, even if my subs aren't Titans. Low bass, OTops definitely don't have, but man do they have that midrange "snap" that feels like a finger-flick to the chest when the snare drum hits. Think I'll shoot some video of the test run, too. Look for a review thread later this weekend...I'll link it from this thread too.

Quick question[ on the blacked-out grills. I bought the foam AC filters; they are the perfect size. As I understand it, I'm supposed to spray the glue on the GRILL, then lay the foam on and trim foam to size after the glue dries. Does that sound right? I don't want a whole lot of dried glue visible through the grill. Thanks.

[67baja]

I sprayed glue on the foam and still ended up with it on the front of the grills when I pressed the foam down onto the mesh. Sorry, I can't give any help.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I'm supposed to spray the glue on the GRILL, then lay the foam on and trim foam to size after the glue dries. Does that sound right?

+1. If you spray the glue on the foam you'll fill the pores and you don't want that. Initially place the grills atop waxed paper, spray them, then move them to a fresh clean piece of waxed paper, also so no glue gets on the foam where it shouldn't.

[miked]

I'm supposed to spray the glue on the GRILL, then lay the foam on and trim foam to size after the glue dries. Does that sound right?

+1. If you spray the glue on the foam you'll fill the pores and you don't want that. Initially place the grills atop waxed paper, spray them, then move them to a fresh clean piece of waxed paper, also so no glue gets on the foam where it shouldn't.

That's exactly what I needed to know. Thank you, Bill.

[bmf]

Lets see..
You started off here
went through all these
and ended up here:
after a lot of hard work you left us all here:
Very happy for you
Great project...build and thread

[miked]

Well, yeah, that about sums up the gamut of emotions right there. I wish I already had the grills so they would be "done" done, but gotta wait until payday. Another week or so and they'll be buttoned up.

I've already started on my mounting platforms for them.

[miked]

My Otops are FINALLY finished. As in, FINISHED, finished. Complete. Fini.

Timing is everything. Today, my grills were finally delivered (Reliable does great work, but they are slow) AND, it was the first day I've had time to drag everything from my garage, around the side of the house, through the uneven terrain, to my back yard, set it up and let it blast. But the grills got delivered at dinnertime and I set the rig up late morning. So, the "setup pics" have no grills. But first, here's what they look like done. Excuse the cell phone pics...they look better in person. Oh, I weighed them on my digital postal scale. They are all 52-freaking-pounds and a few ounces. Yeah, they are beasts.










And here's the setup from earlier. Not in the picture is the American DJ SDJ-2, SD Card MP3 player that I use to provide source material. Yeah, I know: SUBS. I'm building two T48 very soon. Those subs in the pics have 18" Neo drivers in them and are built from 1/2" BB. They weigh 60 pounds each. Not heavy at all. They are no T48s. With my old tops, these subs USED TO get the job done, but they can't keep up with 4 OTops.

Note the black cargo straps. A nice touch, IMHO.




RTA/Auto EQ REALLY smoothed things out.


I'm VERY pleased to report that my mounting platforms performed very admirably today. Winds were hitting 19mph here in San Antonio today and the stacks didn't sway not even a bit. Seems my design is a solid one. Every once in awhile, I hit a homer. Doesn't happen too often, but hey, I done good.







I tell you, I'm impressed. Ran the tops highpassed at 100Hz/24db (DriveRack PA+), thru a QSC GX5 (700w per side @ 4 ohms). Had the amp gains at about two o'clock. I haven't properly set up my gain structure yet, but just from what I heard today...just WOW. Sound was crystal clear anywhere in my roughly 25 x 50' backyard. Vocals, in particular, had a presence to them...very "live sounding" vs. my old tops. These four OTops just completely destroy the pair of Peavey PR12's I've been using. They were good "starter tops" but OTops are a whole other level above them. I played a bunch of different styles of music through them, but what impressed me most was the Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun." I have a 320KB/s mp3 rip of it and it sounds as good as the CD. My backyard is about 50 long/wide, but I'm on the corner, so there's a good 75 feet beyond my fence, before there's any other "reflective/boxy" walls. I had the volume cranked as loud as I dared w/o having proper limiters in place and at the end of my backyard, I could feel the pressure waves from the OTops. My ears were "pressurized" to the point that I had to turn it down. This was OUTSIDE!!! My PR12s only did that within about 15 feet away from them...indoors. Can't wait to pair these up with a pair of 24" T48s!

Again, thank you for all the advice, encouragement and the sharing of your ideas and experiences. Couldn't have done this without you guys.

[67baja]

I have a few things to tell you:

1. Great job on the build and documenting the build! Thank you for that.
2. You don't have any other hobbies anymore. You will be building more speakers. Then some more. Then reading about other speaker builds so you can do your next build well.
3. I am surprised your cabs weight that much! I haven't weighed mine, but i need to now. My Otops have the 2512 drivers which is at least somewhat lighter.
4. If you did not buy the CD of plans, you will be.
5. Your neighbors are going to gossip about you behind your back. And maybe whine, beg, plead, or threaten you to your face.

Congrats on a great start to an amazing PA setup there.

[miked]

LOL! Thanks, 67baja. I purposely did my "testing" from about 11:00AM to 3:00PM b/c kids are in school and most folks are at work (I'm on vacation this week), so I was HOPING I wouldn't see this guy at my door (I didn't, thankfully). Your Line #2, made me laugh...it's true! I have the disease. While playing the music today, my thoughts floated b/t "Damn, these tops just KILL" and "When can I scrape together enough money to buy the BB and handles I need for the T48s?" Hahaha!

This PA is the start for my DJ business, which I hope to get off the ground this summer. I need to buy a few lights, but other than that, I'm ready to go. (COULD "go now" w/these subs, but want the Titans built first). I'm thinking two T48s', v-plated will easily have more ouput than these two subs. Yeah, I want/need FOUR T48s, but money is always an issue. For now. The DJ-thing will be a side gig. I've got big plans for that...but let me get back OT.

OTops are deceiving as to their weight. They aren't "big cabs" but due to the design/bracing, they are solid little muthas. AND...when you're an idiot like me, and get the ceramic magnet drivers, that just adds to the weight. In my defense, I bought my Delta Pros when the whole Neo price gouging thing was kicking off. They were literally about $80 EACH cheaper than Neos were at that time. But weight aside, these Delta Pros totally kick ass. Freaking LOUD and CLEAR, with no audible strain. It's like they laugh at you as they make your ears ring.

Thanks for the great comments! I enjoyed documenting and watching these things come to life. I'm ready for what I'm hoping will be an easier build w/the T48s. No crazy angled horn panels to cut. No crossovers to build and mount. No mattress topper to fiddle with. All panels just sit at 90 degrees. Yeah, I'm ready for the T48s.

[Bruce Weldy]

Mike,

They look great. Excellent job all the way around.

Congrats.

[88h88]

Hey the only person that has to worry about the weight of the magnets in those things is you... Not everyone has the money to spunk on neo drivers so don't make excuses for it matey! Those look awesome and the stand setup looks solid as hell, I may have to steal that. If I do I'll throw you some cash because y'know, inventor's fees and all that.

Glad you like the sound of them, I'm going to build a second pair verrrrrry soon so your review makes me pretty happy to read.

[Bas Gooiker]

Great looking build, and great thread over all...