Hi, Troels
It’s been a long haul for me, with health issues interfering, but I’ve finally completed and listened to The Loudspeakers (TL1). First LP was “Kind of Blue”; second was “Sketches of Spain”; third was Solti/Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Bruckner 7th Symphony. I am so happy, and so relieved, that the voicing is neutral, and these are NOT the usual “high-end hi-fi” speakers, designed to render audiophile sound effects. They do, however, play complex, full-range acoustic Music naturally, without strain. I will shake them out as soon as I have the house to myself. Meanwhile, my wife commented that the  drum roll at the end of the first movement of Bruckner 7 “shook the house” (it’s a big house, and she was at the other end of it, watching TV).  I guess it did, but I did not mention to her that I wasn’t playing it all that loud!
I will try for photos and say more soon, including construction details and more on the sound in my system, in my room.
Best regards,
Paul

28-06-2023:

I already mentioned that I hit snags along the way that dragged out my project. I also did everything myself, in my garage, which I do not recommend. Get Help! What I have going for me is 60+ years of Audio, including DIY, and 50+ years as a Master Carpenter and Builder. “Circumventing” giant panel saws, I put a nice 60 tooth Diablo blade on my Skilsaw, and I used straight edges clamped to the panels to cut all parts from 5’ X 5’ X 1” Baltic birch plywood, with additional 15mm MDF laminated (total 40+mm) for the front baffles. I made sub-assemblies for the braces/midrange boxes and the X/O boxes. I used large biscuits on the mitered corners and small biscuits to keep all other mating parts aligned during assembly, glue-up and clamping. I dry assembled and clamped all parts and assemblies repeatedly, making necessary adjustments until everything fit together perfectly before committing to glue, at each stage along the way. I tested several glues before settling on Titebond polyurethane multi-surface adhesive for the casework, and Henry 1171N “Surelock” adhesive for the laminations and for gluing (as opposed to stapling) cabinet dampening materials. I could not have done the project without the 25 minute working time the Titebond polyurethane affords! After testing, I decided not to include the extra bracing or horn box Troels used for his TL2s. I did glue in “critically sized and located” pieces of 15mm MDF above and below, in the horn alcove. As I have done for years, based on tests, I “parged” inside the cabinets with stone and large format tile mortar, about 40 pounds (dry weight) per cabinet. I prefer this treatment to bituthane, sheet asphalt, or mass-loaded vinyl tile. I used the recommended 4” ABS pipe for ports, and I wrapped each port in thin, self-stick bituthane (waterproof flashing…) before gluing the ports into the front baffles. I went for the all-passive X/Os, wired part to part, set-up for bi-wiring from 1 amp per channel. My amps are Marantz MA-9S2 monoblocks that put out 300W into 8 Ohms and 600W into 4 Ohms, and they are made for bi-wiring. I used 12 AWG Speltz Anti-Cable wiring. I tested and came up with a solution for horn ringing: “Mortite”/modeling clay/electrician’s putty, applied to the horn as shown in the picture. The black screws included in the Jantzen kit (1/4” head diameter) drove right through the woofer frame, so I used #8 X 1 ¼” truss head screws instead (3/8” head diameter) for the woofer only. Too bad these screws are silver. I’ll trade them for a black version if I see it. I took a couple of wrong turns and made the wood finishing way harder than it needed to be, but Birch is tough to stain dark, in any case. Based on my trials, the right way to do it the best and the “fastest” (no do-overs…) would have been: Charles Neil prep/filler; General Finishes oil based gel stain; Minwax oil based wipe-on Poly. Let everything dry thoroughly and sand very lightly between coats.
 
As for sound in my system, I listen mostly to LPs, and some CDs, no streaming. I’ve put a lot into the system over many years. I enjoy all sorts of Music, from Jazz, to Classical (including opera), to Country, to Rock, and Pop (including musicals). These speakers are meant to “improve” upon speakers I’ve spent a long time tuning the way I wanted, that “grew up”, as it were, in my own system. Meanwhile, my TL drivers are still breaking in. Safe to say, even now, however, The Loudspeakers are “objectively better” speakers. The power, clarity, articulation, and downright authority of these speakers is plain with my amps, loud or soft, but more so loud. They can do live (or darn close…) volume without strain, according to the recording, and in The Real World this means “headroom”, which in this case means more Music without the “cringe factor”. They have already taught me more about Bruckner than my previous speakers have done over many years. Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte is thrilling, loaded with color, moods and Joy. As mentioned by others, they have a “flat frequency response”, which in this case means natural, very lifelike voices and instrumental sounds that carry the story and intent of the music and the performers. Details do not “jump out” but they are “inherent” in the Music, there for the close listener. Like Troels says, it is easy to listen to Music with these speakers; they do not ram it down your throat. They render clearly from most recordings what I care most about, without overdoing it or highlighting problems. A great recording can make great Music. A poor recording of a great performance can still produce great Music, even though it does sound like a poor recording, and this is very important to me, to maximize available program. They do “ambience” and “soundstage”, and the Music detaches from the speakers and charges the room. They are amazing anywhere near on-axis, and there is enough musical energy “in the room” to dance around them. All in all, very nice, just what I wanted, in fact, and worth the effort and the expense to Music Lover me. I will talk more about Music via these speakers at the GoodSoundClub Forum, and there is more about my system and listening habits there, as well.
 
Add another “Thank you, Troels”!
 
Best regards,
Paul

04-01-2024:
As great as The Loudspeakers sounded early on, they are really living up to their promise as the drivers, etc. have broken in, and this process took a while.  Then I got a New Year’s Day gift of truly spectacular bass and “soundstage” when I turned up and used my Hi-Fi News test LP, and I finally got my tonearm dialed in again. Wow! Upright bass is very natural, whether plucked, slapped or bowed, and it’s as loud as any other part of the sound spectrum, apropos. Orchestral bass is astounding, very powerful tutti, and a great rendition of the very low frequency and very “full” bass that some composers (like Bruckner) use to “float” the rest of the orchestra on. Jazz and rock LPs I am well familiar with are refreshed and energized with this bass, and well-recorded and mixed drums sound spooky real, with tremendous impact and overall energy. The Loudspeakers’ calling card is that no matter how they are pushed they do not choke up or otherwise call attention to themselves, they just fill the room with Music. I have been at hi-fi for over 60 years, and The Loudspeakers are as versatile, “natural” and “realistic” sounding overall as any speakers I have ever listened to/through. I am VERY happy with The Loudspeakers for small and great Musical works, alike, as they scale up and down seamlessly, keeping voices and instruments realistically sized and in their proper relationships, proportions and perspectives. I realized I was holding my breath about the 18” woofer crossing over at 200 Hz, so I am glad to report that these heavy woofers can tiptoe very adroitly, no problems with the stock XOs! Overall, great, compatible drivers, brilliant X/O work, and unimpeachable results!
 
 
Happy New Year to All,
Paul