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Illuminator-7751, built by Adam
Copyright 2023 © Troels Gravesen

Hi Mr Gravesen,
 
I hope you are well?  I’m in my fourth week of COVID and still napping throughout the day.  I managed to get the 7751’s up and running through my illness.
I guess you could say that I might have enjoyed it more if I were in good health?  It was a lot of work and a lot of waiting… which I did mostly while sleeping.
 
I noticed that this isn't the most popular kit, so I took lots of photos through my journey.  Unfortunately we only have 18mm BB here and it turns out that the quality is really bad once you get below the veneer.  Lots of crappy wood stuffed in between, so the effect I was looking to emulate your version didn't quite happen.  The very thin veneer caused significant ripping which I spent much time trying to cover-up in the final product.
 
I really enjoyed the crossover build and appreciated your diagrams and photos for assistance, it’s been too long for me to enjoy the satisfaction of that burning lead smell and a perfect shiny solder joint, I loved it.
 
The Cabs came together slowly but surely (with patience) and most was done indoors in the comfort of heating.  I thank my wife for her understanding.  I messed up a few things but ended up being able to sand my way out of most small issues.
 
The “arts and crafts” period was a little tedious as I was very sick, the bitumen/felt I think I should have outsourced to my daughter, she would have loved it.  The cat also spent many days fighting with, and yet sleeping on the pile of felt.
 
I did the feet as you suggested with the epoxy and it was a great success, thank you, an awesome result.
 
I wired up the crossovers next, which was on the kitchen table.  Our cleaners came the next day and were worried that I was making bombs due to the large red caps and the twisted wires like they see in the movies.  Funny.
 
I screwed in the crossovers, glued the front panel and headed to the garage for the messy part.  Sanding away my excessive glue then High oil poly finished with a matte spray poly which turned out looking pretty good (not my favourite part of the build).
 
After that, I had to do all of the wiring together which was incredibly satisfying after the weeks of work.  I took my time and enjoyed it.  Mounting the drivers was an almost sad experience because I was ending the project and I marked it with a Beer to toast.
 
Before I go on about what happens next, I just want to say thank you Troels for providing me with a great and challenging project.  My Dad passed away a couple of months ago and I really needed this to help me work through my grief.  He was the one who gifted me the mechanical and technical ability which has seen me through my career, and I thought about him through the project.
 
To preface the next description, I’m not an audiophile, just a guy who loves music and had recently gotten back into vinyl.  I was looking for a project to introduce my 17 yo son into the real world of sound and get him away from his headphones.  
 
My reaction to the speakers: 
 
I listened for about 6 hours on the first night and was somewhat confused yet very impressed.  I guess I wasn't prepared for how brutally honest these speakers would be, so in the first few hours I was reaching for the EQ (which I don't have) and had to come to the conclusion that some of the recordings were just simply badly produced. I went through this process of being either blown away and the hairs standing up on my neck, or being underwhelmed by the poor production of the recording. FYI this is all through TIDAL ultra high quality streaming.  In that instant I guess I became a production snob.
 
Am I correct to react this way?
I guess you're right... Quite a few recordings are badly produced and leaves a lot to be desired. Making a speaker that plays all kinds of music of all origins and processing practises is pretty impossible.
 
Thank you again, My son and I are now about to hook up the vinyl and see what that sounds like.  I’m interested to see if it’s a little warmer and fills the room in a different way across the same tracks.
 
Thank you again Troels, I owe you a debt.