The Lambda Strykes! (1 Viewer)

[Mark Hayenga]

I *finally* got this project to the 'listenable' state tonight. Muchos gracias are in order for Scott Hinson and Jonathan Atkins for their time and use of tools, ThomasW, Hank Frankenberg, and Austin Countertops for their advice on finishing it, and my uncle for funding the thing (gotta love that ).
Initial impressions are VERY positive. I'll post more when I don't have electromag homework threatening my academic well-being.
Link Removed
Mark

 

[chris hunigan]

Mark,
Looks awesome! Very nice job. Now I did you use a veener to finish your sub? Looks great! Which driver did you use and how big is your enclosure?
cree

 

[Chris White]

Mark, do you know what you get when these speakers aren't being used? Silence of the lambdas.
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[Brian Bunge]

OHHHH! That's BAD! Sounds like Chris hasn't had his first cup of coffee yet!

Brian

 

[Mark Hayenga]

Cree,
Thanks, it's actually just WilsonArt laminate - it has a nice kitchen cabinet style to it It's by far the easiest finish I've ever done. Driver is a Lambda 15001 PFPHN, Janowitz is now the dealer for these (hence the thread title). Box volume is seven cubes, double walled 3/4" MDF with multiple shelf braces.
The sound quality it produces is amazing, I'm really surprised these drivers aren't more popular. I'm going try and arrange for interested Austin HTF members to come listen to it before it gets shipped off to the uncle so we can perhaps get some more feedback (I'm sort of biased ).
Mark

 

[Chris J R]

Are there any certain techiques to laminating a speaker cabinet? I just did my sub, and while it turned out great(using black laminate) I think it is too thick. Meaning you can see where each piece butts up to the others. Is that laminate just really thin or is there a certain way of doing things so to get a seemless, natural look? THanks for the help!!
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Laters!!
Rollo

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Good job, Shop Monkey! I was impressed when I saw your driver at Scott's. I know your uncle specified that laminate and your work is pro looking. You may get more orders from Arizona now .
Chris, besides the obvious sequence in which you laminate a cabinet's sides to hide the seams, laminate manufacturers make a "vertical grade" which is thinner than countertop grade laminate, thus will have a thinner edge showing. They also make a variety that is a solid color, so edge will not be the usual brown color. Visit a dealer and they can advise you.

 

[Mark Hayenga]

Chris,
There's no special technique, we just glued it down with two coats of 3M aeresol 90 (after experimentally verifying it was too cold for contact cement) and used a regular flush trim router bit to trim it up. We carefully used 150 grit sandpaper to take care of the sharp edges (couldn't find a file). Vertical grade laminate should help out on the edge appearance (though I used the regular stuff for durability reasons). As for the color through products, Home Depot quoted me an outrageous price on color through gloss black formica - $8 a square foot! I even checked the catalog they had to be sure.
Hank,
I'm going to re-earn that title when Jonathan makes me clean his garage Thanks for the compliment on the finish. It's too bad we just missed the local HTF meet, I wish I would have comleted it sooner. I'm going to try and arrange something so people can hear it before it ships though.
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Mark Hayenga
www.hayenga.com
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"Saru mo ki kara ochiru"

 

[chad s]

wow, great job..very professional looking..So is the laminate that you used different than veneer? Also did you get it on-line and if so, how much did it run you?
thanks...

 

[Chris J R]

I did the exact thing you said Mark, sanded corners etc. I just think the formica or whatever was too thick and the seems show up more. I guess when I build my fronts I will try and find some thinner laminate. Is there any pattern to putting it together so not to see seems or does it not matter? Thanks for the help!!
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Laters!!
Rollo

 

[Craig R]

So Mark, how does the Lambda compare to that Peerless you have sitting in the corner?
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[Mark Hayenga]

That's a good eye Craig. The Peerless 1727 belong to my friend Jonathan, he's using them until he gets his RD75 system running. They're an OK driver, but Jonathan is replacing them two Lambda 12s if that tells ya something
Chris,
Applying the laminate bottom-back-sides-top-front should help minimize the visibility of the edges (or any other order that suits your needs). The edges are still visible on mine though they didn't show in the pic, but I don't find them too objectionable.
Mark

 

[Chris Huitron]

Mark-
How does that Lambda compare SQ wise to your shiva setup? I currently have my shiva in an EBS alignment, but I might look into the lambda's for automotive use.

 

[Mark Hayenga]

I had a 185L EBS shiva for a while. With regard to sound quality I prefer the lambda by a significant margin, they're definitely worth the extra cash.
Mark