Anybody tried Selah Audio speakers?

On a mission to do some wood nerd stuff and planning to get my tools out later this summer to build new speaks, anyone here have experience pairing their amp with Selah Audio speakers and kits?  They seem to have a small, loyal fanboy following.

http://www.selahaudio.com/lineup/

Had never noticed their stuff before last week. Their prebuilts are mostly more than I want to go, but he offers kits with nice drivers that are actually pretty reasonable when compared with Madi-Zaph-Troels at same level.

Thanks

Timely thread. I'd like to try biamping but my speakers aren't set up for it. I remember some kit speaker threads around here or somewhere, but couldn't find any when I went back to look.

They look like nice speakers but they are not very efficient. Tube amps prefer speakers that are more efficient. Which speaker model did you have in mind?

Like the looks of there monitors...TEMPESTA!
Would like to give a listen...I love three way monitors.

Yes, Tempesta looks like good possibility and I am intrigued with learning how to build a curved cabinet.  Apparently his efficiency ratings are more conservative than most commercial products, but I built M125's with idea that they should power just about any speaker out there.       Rick at Selah has been quick with reply to my emails and he also seems to do lots of customized iterations of his designs

In meantime I'm back in Troels website and now considering his 3 way classic lineup (this one has super spendy AT drivers but similar price point to the Tempesta kit):
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/AT-3WC.htm#Using_ScanSpeak_D3004/604010_Be-dome
Does not hurt that Euro is about 1.1x USD right now.

So basically I'm all over the map, but that's part of the fun.  Started out thinking floor standers but now 3 way monitor seems like much better WAF, plus half the mass and surface area for lifting and finishing during construction.  

Like all DIY, at some point one throws the money down then spends dozens of hours building with no chance to audition.  Pay ahead of time and hope it sounds great??  (or perhaps be so emotionally invested that one imagines it sounds great???)

Bluemeanies- is your upside down anti gravity M125 avatar gone now?  I always liked the idea of a 45 lb floating tube amp.....

Floating m125 gone..if I had to choose I would pick the http://www.selahaudio.com/lineup/
but that is my opinion.
I am not a DIY when it involves electronics and speakers.

I've been very happy with the Troels speakers I built last summer/fall/winter. They did take longer than expected to buld.

Well, after flopping around most of the summer this project got out of hand and I'm now building a top end 3 way floor stander kit from Rick at Selah Audio (Scan Speak Illuminator bass+tweet and a Morel Carbon Fiber mid)  He seems like a real good guy in the vein of Bob & Roy here.

Have waded in deep enough chasing rainbows with this project that over the weekend I wastefully chopped up a beautiful 4' by 8' sheet of Lacewood veneer just to extract the best 40"x8" book matched areas for front and top of cabs (wife says no one but me will notice and she's right) - (even if they sound like crap they will look good, but I'm likely the only one that will notice how they sound, so what's all the fuss for ...)

On a mission to get a certain look, so (gawd help me) ended up UPS shipping a cut up 120 pound sheet of black MDF for the sides (no local source for this stuff - freight bill be damned, I'm getting it)  Only thing missing from the project is an excuse to throw down for a new power tool, but one can't have everything.  

Will see what Bob & Roy's amps will do with these in about a month and maybe post a few photos along the way in case others are interested.

Which model did you opt for? I'm on the page and looks like there are a few choices.

Hi Dave
As best I can tell he seems to have a half dozen unpublished designs for every model he posts on his website.  They appear to be variations on a theme based on his favorite drivers and a couple cabinets.  A lot of them are commissioned for individuals but offered up as kits as well.

My take is Rick is very competent and understated, stays busy enough to not really feel the need to make splashy marketing effort but can design a crossover in his sleep within the parameters of his chosen sets of drivers and cabinets.  Probably does not cater to neurotic audio types, but they are unavoidable in his biz and surely can make them happy as needed.

The kit I'm building is called "Finezza" and some details can be seen on the Selah page on Audio Circle, here are links to relevant threads:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=144538.0
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=145334.0

Your DTQWT's were one of the kits I looked hard at as well.

Tim

Hi Tim,

I think you're responding to me... Somehow I've picked up the nickname "Dave", but it's Brenton instead. Not that I'm offended or anything, but I've noticed lately the mistake is catching on.

I'm really thrilled to see how there's an increasing number of kits and plans-built speakers available that are designed by talented people and fearturing top quality bits and pieces.

I'll read up closely on that model of yours. I plan to build a speaker for my mum, and the bigger Troel models are outta the question.

Tube Nube wrote:Hi Tim,

I think you're responding to me... Somehow I've picked up the nickname "Dave", but it's Brenton instead. Not that I'm offended or anything, but I've noticed lately the mistake is catching on.

Brenton:
My apologies, I must have osmotically absorbed the incorrect nickname - likely not the last time I muck something up ...

One other Rick kit I looked at hard was the Satori based floor stander "Essenza", probably your best bang for the buck:
http://www.selahaudio.com/lineup/#/essenza/
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=143884.0

The links above show Lee Taylor built cabinets and are what I'm knocking off for my build, lots of examples of these cabs on Madisound site with simple black side panel and chamfered front edge -fairly understated and right about the level of wood working that I can actually execute well.

Some very nice examples there to be seen. I'll be eager to hear your listener review when she's all done!

Any opinions on these ones?

http://www.critesspeakers.com/cornscala-style-b.html

Tim (shopdog),

I'm following your threads (here and on AC) with interest. As time allows, please post updates and photos. Someday, once your speakers are finished and broken in, I'd like to hear (read) your impressions.

Regards,

Michael

They are progressing and just cut driver holes in the cabinets last weekend. Now doing tedious hand rubbed Danish oil finish.  Black MDF is thirsty stuff!

Will try to post up some photos soon

Here is back of baffle panel with woofer cutouts chamfered before assembly.  (Note: left extra material at screw locations for driver mounting strength)  Debated this as one can make full driver cutouts before assembly and if things go wrong simply cut a new panel.  Opted to do full assembly and veneer before making driver cutouts to make side panel fitting more accurate.




I'm lucky enough to own a Festool Domino joiner tool - makes hand held mortise and tenon joints.  Super accurate and makes assembly easy and strong.  This is a close up of a mortise cut and the matching tenon




Clamp time!  Took my time and in this shot am only gluing bottom joints of the three braces on right side of cabinet (see wet glue "squeeze out" while two joints on left are already dry)  Panel on top is dry fit and aligned with Dominos - this keeps assembly really true.  Highly recommend the big Cabinet clamps with large faces - these keep things square as well.  
I could have gone for one single shot and glued it all at once, but MDF drinks glue and sometimes the tenons bind up in drying glue and everything gets stuck where one does not want it - been there, not pretty and this is for fun, no need to rush.




Test fit black MDF side panels after veneering main cabinet frame.  Painter's tape on corners to save inadvertent snagging and splintering the veneer




Flush trim side panels.  Nasty clouds of black MDF!!  
I cut panels slightly oversize and used the Domino tool to align front edge of panels and baffles.  Next ran flush trim bit around top, bottom and back edges.  If I had pre-cut the driver holes holding router steady would be more difficult  




Gratuitous shot of Domino tool:




Test fitting of drivers in newly made cutouts.  Full paranoia when making the cuts as mistake now will ruin quite a bit of work and some expensive materials.  Threw down $30 for a budget 8" Harbor Freight digital caliper to measure test cuts (there were many tests for each driver!!!)  Money well spent as I tried to hold tolerances to +/- 0.25mm.
Very happy with results on front.  Slightly mucked up the binding plate holes on back, but no one will see them.




Now it's on to a week or two of tedious finishing.  I've found taking the time to get finish right is worth it in long run.  Making lots of test applications to scrap pieces before slopping on a coat of something.

Cheers

Finish line in sight:

Damping material installed, crossovers mounted and internal wiring done.  (wiring harness turned into an overkill P2P deal with cable anchors and way too many zip ties - oh well, kinda had fun on a stormy evening ...)  Side panels glued up and cabs just need another couple coats wiping varnish to clean up after removing glue squeeze out, then mount drivers.

Would be possible to have them making sound in a few more hours, but decided to build mini-feet/stands with a combo of wood and a strip of 1/8" thick copper.  Combining metal and wood is always slow going and this will doubtless will take another 10 days or so.

Will post again when they are making sound.  Rick at Selah has been consummate pro to deal with.

These feet took a bit of effort.  Cut Lacewood slabs, routered to final shape then laminated oversized copper bar stock with epoxy.  Next finished off by sanding away excess copper on a spindle sander.
Speakers are done and have had them fired up in spare bedroom but only powered by a small portable class T amp that is seriously overmatched by 8x 4 ohm drivers. They sound really clean with nice mid and bass response, I think I'll be happy with them.

Will post again soon after they get moved to final home and have listened for a while.

TOP OF OUTRIGGER FOOT



FRONT VIEW DETAIL



ALL FOUR FEET

You're just torturing us now, Tim. And dont think that, despite knowing it, we're not sitting with baited breath, tongues out and askew.

Hurry, man, hurry!

Pure craftshumanship. That's the PC version.

Tube Nube wrote:

Hurry, man, hurry!

The clock is running:  
Son is coming home from college for holidays and the spare bedroom is only available for about another 20 hours, so one way or another I need to move them out of his room tonight .....

They are up and running, but have only had a couple hours to play them.  Very favorable initial impression but the driver suspensions should take a bit to break in and the sound likely will change some.  They don't seem finicky for placement or listening position - one thing I wanted was something more forgiving and less "audiophile" - time will tell.

They sound just great with M125's, using the 4 ohm taps at the moment - happy I took the time during amp build to add 4 & 8 ohm binding posts to chassis as it is now very convenient to swap around.  Might have to roll some driver tubes just for fun - at moment running vintage Mullard 12AU7's that got repurposed when they became too noisy for the SP-12 but there is a stash of 12BH7's in basement.

For the record:
2x Scan Speak Illuminator woofers, Illuminator beryllium tweeter and Morel Carbon Mid.  Cabs are book matched Lacewood veneer on 1" mdf and 3/4" Valchromat black MDF sides

Beaut-ee-ful job, Shopdog. They look terrific!

Don't know where all the forumites are with their over due praise. Praise Grinches they all are, I say. Or maybe just frantically shopping in the dwindling hours before Christmas.