BillFitzmaurice.info

Template to route inlay for top hats. Left about 3/32" all the way around in case I get sloppy with the paint:





You can see the small 2.5"x2.5" brace I put in the center:

Clamping the second side to the baffle. Tighter fit than trying to drive fasteners in that sliver of wood on the baffle.



Unfinished cabs with dampening weigh in just over 11 pounds. 4 drivers weigh in at 18 pounds in the boxes, so I underestimated the total weight a bit. Still should be under 30 pounds when finished with the grille. Once I get my EVs back from my buddy I'll take a pic with them for reference. They're just about the same height as the JBL Eons - but my clients should like the slender, tall cabs better than the larger boxes or wedges.

Interesting to see the Eon sitting there. How do you think the SLA Pro will stack up against it? That is, in coverage, power handling, bottom end, and any other revelant comparisons.

Knowing some of Bill's designs first hand and going off my experiment into this type of speaker....


EON Smeaon!!!

Give me an SLA. Really like the 6W12T version we built although basic model show Bill should be louder with only 4. But the sound was SWEET!!!

Not really interesting, I have an iota of sentimental value attached to that Eon - it was my first cab when I started this silly business It and its twin are relegated to monitor and rental duty, and still work well after 8 years of service.

However, it's a piece. It's like me holding onto my leaky, paint-chipped, underpowered, rusted, squeaky '77 Corvette. Except the Eons still make me money off the JBL fanboys.

Output is OK on them, but the OT12 has just as much bottom end as the Eon. And the OT is crossed over at 100Hz. Nowhere near as clear as the OT, and they weigh about the same. When you get to "war volume" the OT is loud and clear, but very bright on the high end. When you get to war volume on the Eon... well... it doesn't really go to war volume before it starts distorting.

I expect the SLA Pro to easily beat the Eon with 1/4 of it's potential power. I hope it sounds as clear as the OT without the piezos being as bright... but obviously will not go as loud. I hope they can go louder than the EV ZX1-90s, although those little cabs are troopers - but you need a lot of power to get them loud, and then they get honky.

Basically, I'll have a couple options for the "hear with our eyes" crowd, in order of "sleek look":

1. T39s corner loaded, SLA Pros
2. T24s tucked somewhere, SLA Pros
3. T24s under the table, EV ZX1s

I fully expect option 3 to be for the bridezillas/plannerzillas that expect everything to be hidden, but still loud enough for the crowd to enjoy. Not something I particularly enjoy doing, but I've got a good number of repeat clients booked already that want the "hidden" setup.

The color may help you there, too. I think black boxes with alu flightcase corners are the worst look for those clients. Something like the oxblood jacks that Nick has posted in the fs section look more friendly. Could be a good color for the SLA pro's as well, if you intend to use them for bridezilla/plannerzilla audiences. Fine mazed grille, backed with black foam so the drivers are invisible.

AntonZ wrote:The color may help you there, too. I think black boxes with alu flightcase corners are the worst look for those clients. Something like the oxblood jacks that Nick has posted in the fs section look more friendly. Could be a good color for the SLA pro's as well, if you intend to use them for bridezilla/plannerzilla audiences. Fine mazed grille, backed with black foam so the drivers are invisible.

I was planning on doing Duratex, but started thinking white would be more appropriate. I still have some time to decide, since nature decided to screw with us some more.

bzb wrote:
I was planning on doing Duratex, but started thinking white would be more appropriate.

You can get white DuraTex, as well as just about any other color.

Bill Fitzmaurice wrote:

bzb wrote:
I was planning on doing Duratex, but started thinking white would be more appropriate.

You can get white DuraTex, as well as just about any other color.

Nice to know, thanks. I'm thinking I may end up having to get some bags done for them if I go with white. The top hats are black, though...

I can get white speaker grill:

http://www.reliablehardware.com/customs ... gered.aspx

Only pro I got is them being white so the wedding folks might like them more. Veneer is no longer an option, since I rounded over the corners. Grr.

If you're going to bag'em, why not go with auto paint? Sand them smoother than a baby's butt, then pearl white, or alpine white (piano style) with a polished and waxed 3 layer clear-coat would look sharp contrasting the hardware bits. Black grill might even look nice on that too.

Radian wrote:If you're going to bag'em, why not go with auto paint? Sand them smoother than a baby's butt, then pearl white, or alpine white (piano style) with a polished and waxed 3 layer clear-coat would look sharp contrasting the hardware bits. Black grill might even look nice on that too.

Well then I'd have to get the stands and my turntables done to match

Although I'd dig em, I'd be so incredibly nervous carting those things around. Not sure what the plannerzillas would think about em.

I'm kind of leaning towards just the black tex I got on hand.

White is more wedding planner friendly.

bzb wrote:I can get white speaker grill:
http://www.reliablehardware.com/customs ... gered.aspx

25% open area, according to the web site. Might want to ask Bill for a ruling before using that.

DaveK wrote:

bzb wrote:I can get white speaker grill:
http://www.reliablehardware.com/customs ... gered.aspx

25% open area, according to the web site. Might want to ask Bill for a ruling before using that.

55% open area or more would be my recommendation.

I'll go with the bigger ones then, they claim 64% open.

Here's a coat of Kilz on em, sprayed the tweets white semi gloss.



Wife looked at them and says, "So... everything else you have is black, except for the table and two speakers on black stands? If you're bringing white speakers to my wedding, they better not have a single ding in them."



On a good note, it's supposed to be in the 60s this weekend. Although I'd love to rock the white tuxedo, I think I'm going to use up the rest of my black tub.