24" THTLP with TLAH towers and SLA curved center channel

[shane2943]

Picture log from my 24" THTLP and TLAH tower builds. You can see there's a bit of warping on the plywood in the THTLP Doesn't seem to effect the sound any though. It's going to double as a bench. Still need to veneer it and get a custom cushion made for the top.

First the THTLP:

[shane2943]

MOAR THTLP

[shane2943]

It put the photos in the opposite order. Oh well.

Here's the TLAH towers:

[shane2943]

MOORE

(sorry about the sideways pics y'all. Not sure why it flipped them)

[shane2943]

The review.

First, the TLAH towers. It took me a little bit to get used to them as they were very "bright" (likely due to all the tweeters). But a little adjustment of the treble down and the bass up a bit and these sound mighty fine! They are very clear and the detail they produce is incredible. The Keeper by Bonobo (Alex Banks remix) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yYS6D-C3ew) is a very difficult song for sound systems and headphones to get right. With lesser sound systems, the song sounds distorted, but it not distortion, it's a complex layering of growly bass with more growly midbass. These TLAHs come the closest I've heard of reproducing this song right. I can hear nuances in the song (and many others) that I couldn't with previous sound systems.

With movies, they also shine, producing vocals, action, and music clearly without harshness or strain.

The THTLP is, of course, an absolute monster. The best words I can use to describe it are "accurate house destruction." This thing demolishes but does so without sounding like it's even trying hard. I'm running it off of a tiny 300W class D plate amp and it's MORE than enough to rattle every bone I've got and some I don't. But, I didn't build it for shear volume, I built it for CLEAN bass and it does not disappoint. It sounds effortless at any volume and digs deeeeep. There's a scene toward the end of the movie Ready Player One where Nolan Sorrento sets off the "cataclysm." A bomb that decimates everything around it. For a good 20 seconds, the sub and infrasonic rumble from the THTLP is nothing short of awe inspiring. It reminds me of the (true) IMAX movies at the museums with the Ton Danley sound systems that shake ones very soul. This THTLP does the same.

I look forward to building the SLA curved center channel to complete the system.

[jimbo7]

They look great. How did you make those corner filler things for the tweeters? Time for a center channel build.

[shane2943]

That's actually gasket material that I need to trim out of there lol. I used a single sheet of thin foam as the gasket and use a razor to trim the gasket around the outside of the tweeters.

And yes, definitely time for the center channel build!!

[DaveMacKay]

Congratulations on an awesome build!

[Tom Smit]

Great story!

[Keryn O'Shea]

First, the TLAH towers... They are very clear and the detail they produce is incredible.

The THTLP is, of course, an absolute monster..

Absolutely..! Excellent choice of cabs mate, and very well built too.
Which receiver are you running there? Is it a Yamaha?
Have you decided on which Curve Array centre to build?

[shane2943]

Thanks everyone! I'm super happy with how they turned out. I did mess up the finish of the right tower a bit but it's not terribly noticeable.

That receiver is an older Harman Kardon (AVR-330).

For the center channel, I'm working with the WAF to determine which one to build. Right now, it's a toss up between the 9 driver version above the TV (wife is wary of this option, she says it'll look funny) and the tiny 3" 4-drive version sitting in the slot where the receiver is now. I'm hoping to not go that route as I'm afraid these towers will just drown it out. But it'd be better than the TV speakers. Wife has already "allowed" this much to happen, I don't want to push too hard.

[shane2943]

Here's a fun vid of testing the THTLP in the garage. In the last 10 second of the video, you can hear something fall upstairs! LOL

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qUwXMH4P57cZ3TGg7

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Put the TLAH in the corners and toe them in. It will enhance their low end.

[shane2943]

Put the TLAH in the corners and toe them in. It will enhance their low end.

Will give that a shot. Thanks Bill!

[shane2943]

Here's my idea for where to put the center channel and what to put it on. The stand will have adjustable "feet" on the top that I can screw up (pun intended) or down to raise/lower the center channel, level it and angle it downward. The TV will mount to the face of the stand with a standard TV mounting bracket. It'll be made of 3/4 plywood sandwiched together so should be plenty strong.

The reason for the TV having to mount to it is because the TV needs to be lowered a bit so the speaker doesn't block too much of the window. I don't want to put the speaker under the TV and raise the TV up because it's already near the top of what is acceptable from a viewing angle standpoint. Any higher and necks would start to hurt from craning up to look at it.