The BEST Dressed Speaker, Piano Black Finish On A Budget - CSS 1TDX Part 2

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ม.ค. 2025

ความคิดเห็น • 102

  • @Herman-f9m
    @Herman-f9m 6 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Nice work. I built speakers years ago with the "piano black" boxes, a black grill cloth, and teak edges up the sides of the grill. I took a slightly different approach: I coated the boxes in epoxy to take a perfect black paint job.
    I built the boxes using particle board (MDF was nearly impossible to find at the time) and WEST System epoxy.
    All the edges were rounded over.
    I applied several coats of the WEST epoxy to the boxes using a thin foam roller. I sanded the epoxy flat, got the primer pigmented, then primed and painted with a single stage catalyzed black urethane paint for commercial trucks. Back in the day you could get it at NAPA.
    The painted boxes were safe to wet sand because of the epoxy coating and easy to polish because urethane is very hard and it wasn't a two-stage paint. They still look great.

  • @PeterGrenader
    @PeterGrenader 21 วันที่ผ่านมา +2

    two suggestions from a guy whose been working with audio electronics for years: i would have tinned those wires with solder before you fed them through the holes and later when you installed the lugs off the Xover. Also i would not have twisted the xover leads that tight...the torque produced by twisting them tight is transferring all the way up the lead and is causing stress at the junction inside the component which can cause the electrolytics to fail over time. You've got the parts hunkered down well so there's no need to twist like that. If you're worried about the leads vibrating, the spots of hot glue were sufficient to dampen that. You are spot-on correct that solder won't add mechanical strength, but with the part bodies so well secured, you don't need additional support.
    Your soldering skills are great. Solder should REFLOW onto the joint by the heat of the material you're bonding and that's exactly what you're doing. These are not cold joints. Good form!

  • @mikecampbell5856
    @mikecampbell5856 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    You are an awesome craftsman Matt! Great soldering tips too. I was an electronics tech for 6 years in the Navy and I repaired copiers for 40 years. I did a lot of soldering and your tips were excellent! As usual your wood working skills are superb. I like to restore old shotgun stocks. It takes a week. Sand, stain, dry. Next day 0000 steel wool, stain, dry. Do that for three or four days and the next three days, Tru oil, 0000 steel wool, dry. After a week I have a gun stock finish that looks an inch deep. It is super easy compared to what you just did. I did my first maple stock ever awhile back and it turned out so badly that I sanded everything off and started all over. LOL

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I certainly made some mistakes along the way but thankfully with woodworking there is almost always a way to fix it haha. Thanks for sharing your past projects as well, finishing projects can be such a pain but also so rewarding.

  • @mabehall7667
    @mabehall7667 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Beautiful build. I built the CSS Audio 2Tdx and love them. I must say I’m disappointed with my finish but not the sound. I attached the baffle at the same time I glued everything up. This, I believe, made the assembly very ridge, but made the crossover installation a magnitude more difficult-especially since each speaker required 2 crossover boards. I used the sound deadening material sold by Danny Richie and really covered every surface including the surfaces of the cross supports. I now sit and listen to my music for hours! I had Yamaha NS1000Ms before and while very good, they tended to be fatiguing.

  • @bpalpha
    @bpalpha 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I've been shopping for a second pair of speakers, but I'm on an ultra-tight budget. These are so nice and my ideal speakers as I want a simple 2-way bookshelver. Excellent build on these. Thanks for the vid. Finding great inexpensive speakers is HARD!

  • @OldGuyHifi
    @OldGuyHifi 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I am also a belt & braces kind of guy as well. Hot glue, zip ties, super glue, I go for it all if needed. Great video. Thx.

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Right on, a little of this, a little of that

  • @edrosenquist6541
    @edrosenquist6541 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Great job! I've had problems with soldering and watching how you do yours has inspired me!!! Thanks again!

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Really glad to hear that!

    • @Roddy451
      @Roddy451 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      A quick suggestion. Prep practice "dummy" tie-ins first. I know how to solder and I still practice with a few to get the timing right. A very important step, I clean the tip with a damp sponge before I turn it off. Weller provides all the goods.

  • @rareearthfab5511
    @rareearthfab5511 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Looks great! I built the 2TD-X towers a year ago with the premium crossovers and I ended up selling my KEF R7 Metas because the CSS speakers just sounded clearly better to me. I built them for the project, but I kept them for the sound. CSS put together a really good, well engineered product. I did a cherry veneer on mine, which was the first time I ever veneered anything and I got real lucky. They came out absolutely gorgeous! I look forward to your update on how they sound!

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      That’s really interesting to hear in comparison to the KEF, I look forward to testing and comparing these.

    • @timball4892
      @timball4892 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I've owned 4 different CSS speakers, including 2TDX towers. I also own a pair of KEF R3 Metas. May I ask, in what ways did the CSS sound better than the R7's? I am soon to build the 3TDX with superior crossovers.

    • @rareearthfab5511
      @rareearthfab5511 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@timball4892 I just ordered the 3TD-X upgrade kit. I look forward to getting these built. The upgrade I purchased just has the upgraded crossover instead of the new amber caps. I spoke with one of the owners of CSS and he said even they could barely hear any difference but they wanted to offer the upgrade since customers were asking about them.
      For me, they had better reproduction of female voices. Especially someone like Etta James. There was just more body and realism to them. The CSS really gave her voice soulful richness. The KEF were definitely thinner in the sound. I also found that the KEF were a little sibilent with snare and cymbals. Anything a little bit more busy and they would start to sound like a box of snakes rather than individual pieces with a natural decay. The CSS speakers for me had a very natural cymbol sound that would decay naturally maybe that’s part of the crossover upgrade? I’m not sure but my feelings on the CSS speakers over my KEF speakers was immediately mirrored by my wife and she’s usually pretty reserved with her thoughts on my audio equipment.
      I also had a set of R3 Metas that I let go of. Great bookshelf but again, just overshadowed by the R7s and the CSS. No surprise there though….

    • @timball4892
      @timball4892 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@rareearthfab5511 Thanks for the thorough response. I would agree with your thoughts on the R3's, I have them for sale but not any action on them and they are brand new, with stands, black and am selling for $1800 but that is beside the point. My other speakers are Magnepan 3.7i's and they are awesome in many ways but contrast from dynamic speakers in impact and dynamics. I supplement with a pair of REL T7X's. I live fairly close to CSS and have visited them once and am going to pick up my 3TDX kits either this week or next. Awesome guys and super service oriented.

    • @Purpleyamz
      @Purpleyamz 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@MattCoykendall1 Still releasing a review of these??

  • @JR-ho5qm
    @JR-ho5qm หลายเดือนก่อน

    I’m a Autobody painter and have to say, nice job on the finish of these speakers.I usually cringe when I watch people do a DIY speaker build. Especially on the finish side lol! You did very well. These speakers look fantastic! I just wish they would design there woofer with a snap in trim ring to hide the woofer screws for a non homemade more modern look like a KEF or a Polk.
    PS. Black is the only color that the basecoat can actually be sanded and then clearcoated without the scratches showing through. The clearcoat will hide them. I know it’s hard to believe, but try it sometime on a small imperfection. It actually works! Great job I would love to see you do a GR Research speaker. The Brutes or the Bully’s. 👍🏻 12:32

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Not going to lie, high gloss black challenged me a bit here out of these inconsistent cans. I don’t want to go full size compressor and all that jazz right now but curious if you have any thoughts on the Fuji Mini-mite HVLP systems.

    • @JR-ho5qm
      @JR-ho5qm หลายเดือนก่อน

      @ I don’t have any experience with it. But I’m sure it will work. It might leave a bit more orange peel on the 2K products over a conventional system. But in all honesty on small paint jobs it will probably work really well. I think you would enjoy it and it would be levels above your rattle cans. It would also spray wood laquer really well, if you wanted to play with that. 👍🏻 good luck and feel free to ask me anything

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  หลายเดือนก่อน

      Appreciate the advice

  • @tedroybal5231
    @tedroybal5231 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I built the CSS MTM. Your finish looks absolutely beautiful! Well done.

  • @thecartruthreport8451
    @thecartruthreport8451 หลายเดือนก่อน

    II did a piano black super gloss on a subwoofer using countertop epoxy. Painted the box then poured like 4mm thick of clear epoxy, one side per time. Literally 6 hours of power sanding to get it from 120 to 3000, plus another few hours polishing after that. The way you did it is like 8x less work. Also I recommend letting the box sit for like a month after gluing before applying any mirror finish that goes over a seem in the wood. Also Also it doesn't hurt to spray a little something on the internal surfaces to seal it up from there as well to help mitigate swelling.

  • @hondaphan4172
    @hondaphan4172 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What a great two-part series and the final results look spectacular. You should be proud of yourself because your time and patience really paid off when it was finished. Kudos!

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Thank you so much! Finishing is one of those things that can be frustrating at the moment but I’m already looking forward to the next one.

  • @johnstump2433
    @johnstump2433 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    They look outstanding Matt 🤩 The fruits of your labor were well worth it 👏🏼

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Took a bit to finish but finally paid off, now onto sound testing.

  • @michaelwright1602
    @michaelwright1602 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Those look gorgeous Matt!

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thanks so much! This build was a lot of fun.

    • @michaelwright1602
      @michaelwright1602 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@MattCoykendall1 So how do they sound? CSS is literally right around the corner from me up in town, I need to visit those guys one day.

  • @timball4892
    @timball4892 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I've built the 2TD, MTM bookshelf, 2TDX TMM tower, the 1TDX with the bass module and will soon start a pair of the 3TDX. All with superior crossovers, First pair were walnut, second black quarter sawn ash and 1tD. and bass modules were rosewood. Not sure what veneer I WILL DO ON THE 3'S. Thinking flat cut ash with a transparent gray or charcoal stain. I love the look of the quilts but would like more contrast in the grain. The CSS products, all of them, are each outstanding and represent amazing sound quality. Building them , for me, is so much fun. Can't wait to hear your listening impressions .

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      The 3TDX will be a really nice addition. What do you think of the bass modules?

    • @timball4892
      @timball4892 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@MattCoykendall1 I actually preferred the bass on the 2TDX towers. Not a powerful and maybe just a touch lighter, less extended, but more articulate. I no longer own any of the models so the 3 will not be an addition. I have either given them away to children/friends or sold them. I love building them and trying new speakers. Some would say it is a hobby and others might say an addiction...ha! Again, great review and anxious to hear your opinion on how they sound

  • @MikkelMarienlund
    @MikkelMarienlund 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Those are absolutely stunning, Matt. Chapeau and thanks for the inspiration!

  • @Evolved_ue7
    @Evolved_ue7 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Terrific job Matt, you're a patient man . They look fab mate ..

  • @tonymolina7744
    @tonymolina7744 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Dying to hear your review of them. This looked fun … and labor intensive. You have patience that I wish I had. 😊

  • @PhillioDoede
    @PhillioDoede 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I really want to do gloss black on one of my builds and this pretty much confirms I'm going to outsource that part, lol. This is a great guide though, and I would certainly reference it if I were to try on my own. Also that black died veneer (which I wasn't sure about at first) looks great now with that extra sheen , nice work.

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yeah, the extra sheen gave it what it needed, I knew it needed something more so I kept playing around with it. If you dont want to mess with the gloss black...try an autobody shop, I might even do that next time.

  • @JasonsLabVideos
    @JasonsLabVideos 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That 7" CSS woofer is the best i have ever used & heard ! Nice work BTW I would have used clear silicone to help with vibrations :). ( That's what i did )

  • @Iamtommy69
    @Iamtommy69 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Im getting these, had my eye on them for a while i would keep the cable ties loose and feed the jumpers under them would keep them tidy.

  • @tmdillon1969
    @tmdillon1969 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I love my 1TDX pair but they are probably my worst finish job. One of these days I'll take them apart and redo the exterior with veneer or gloss finish. But they sound...wow. I will say I find their measurements regarding sensitivity are a bit ambitious. Mine didn't really come alive until I put a pair of Bel Canto monoblocs on them. That was after running a Marantz NR1200 and Fosi V3 through them. IMO they are somewhat thirsty and really, really benefit from at least 100W a side.

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I noticed that right away as well, these really benefit from a good power source.

    • @4thewinir344
      @4thewinir344 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yes I can attest the superior x-over need as much power and capacitance as you can afford. 100w A/B minimum.

  • @00penguin
    @00penguin 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Good job. A possible suggestion might be to just nib sand your clear coats and then keep adding until you have more than enough to sand and polish without fear of cutting through. Other than that you might have gotten an auto body shop involved and saved trouble for $?

  • @AggMeisTer28
    @AggMeisTer28 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What a fantastic build! Thank you for sharing!

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Sure thing, thanks for watching as well.

  • @nathandaniels4823
    @nathandaniels4823 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You make it look so easy! My own speakers did not turn out that pretty. 😅

  • @yourchildrensghost9736
    @yourchildrensghost9736 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    They look Great. Looking forward to the sound review as I'm quite interested in these. Thanks as always.

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yes I will get started on the sound review soon, I am expecting good things so far.

  • @4thewinir344
    @4thewinir344 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Wow, great job Matt! The piano black looks outstanding! All of a sudden I now feel the need to refinish my Critons. IMO The upgraded x over is worth the added $$. You will enjoy these speakers, but I found they need some juice and some break-in. I use an Emotiva A2/PT1 combo (with no sub) and experience bliss from my Critons. I am looking forward to your review! Cheers!👍

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It was certainly a fun build, finishing can be so frustrating at times but also rewarding...when it all works out!

  • @ryanstevens2769
    @ryanstevens2769 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Incredible result!

  • @adsph
    @adsph 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you for sharing. Those look amazing. Great job. Very informative.

  • @ryanchappell5962
    @ryanchappell5962 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    They really look amazing

  • @timball4892
    @timball4892 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    When we will see your review? I just finished my 3TDX's and they are absolutely amazing. They honestly give my Magnepan's a run for their money. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

  • @carloscolon5434
    @carloscolon5434 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Turned out great Matt!

  • @Shorby99EK
    @Shorby99EK หลายเดือนก่อน

    Very beautiful work

  • @justasimplefox
    @justasimplefox 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great, silver screws would look nice 😋

  • @FunFiEmpire
    @FunFiEmpire 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great video and fantastic work!

  • @Douglas_Blake_579
    @Douglas_Blake_579 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    DAYMN! Nicely done!

  • @nickburklow5212
    @nickburklow5212 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    what a great video, thanks for keeping it real.

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You bet! Thanks for tuning in too

  • @jacksound5471
    @jacksound5471 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Nice job 🥰

  • @RedSinter
    @RedSinter 29 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Norez is a much better sound dampening material its a stiffer material easily cut and glued it has a dampening membrane layer on the cabinet side with the closed cell foam specific to frequency inhibition. And soldier connections are audibly best from crossover to speaker. Norez runs I think its $40 for a 4 x 4 sheet. They may benefit from and need break-in time as its different from Mfg to Mfg.

  • @TheRealKaner
    @TheRealKaner 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Superb looking end product.

  • @teknolojigundemi
    @teknolojigundemi 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    End result looks very good. What is your opinion their sound, comparing other similar priced speakers.

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      So far so good on the sound but it’s still very early in my review, separate review will be coming.

  • @jasonc331
    @jasonc331 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great Job, now after making this and the GR Research kit, stock speakers sound lame in comparison. Parts matter.

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      There is certainly something to building it also, feel a little more connected to it.

  • @billmcginley
    @billmcginley 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I need to write a work instruction for reloading an x-ray tube. I think a video by Matt would be a better approach. What do you say, Matt??😉

  • @peter_nepalais
    @peter_nepalais 26 วันที่ผ่านมา

    CSS similar Dynaudio haut de gamme ?

  • @doughills8024
    @doughills8024 11 วันที่ผ่านมา

    a note of clarification: the cross over bases are injection molded and not 3D printed:)

  • @hachuelo69
    @hachuelo69 9 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Only hot gluing all the components would be more than enough to hold them to the board, and it will provide a better-looking finish to the crossover than using tie wraps.

  • @rodrigo7506
    @rodrigo7506 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Where is the sond test 😩

  • @tonymolina7744
    @tonymolina7744 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Noice! Looks great!

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Hey Tony! How’s it going?

    • @tonymolina7744
      @tonymolina7744 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @mattcoykendall1 All good in the ‘hood my friend. Can’t wait for your review of their sound.

  • @mabehall7667
    @mabehall7667 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    When are you going to review these sonically? Which are better sonically, these are the Purifi Buchardts you reviewed?

  • @Purpleyamz
    @Purpleyamz 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Where's the full review on these bad boys??

  • @Fred-ck1gh
    @Fred-ck1gh 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Sweet!👍👍

  • @andrewdeming5285
    @andrewdeming5285 7 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I’m pretty sure that crossover board is molded, not 3D printed

  • @น้ําเย็น-ฦ6น
    @น้ําเย็น-ฦ6น หลายเดือนก่อน

    มันสวยมากๆเลยพี่ชาย

  • @jwayneair
    @jwayneair 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    These are definitely in the running for ridiculous overkill crossovers of the year. And for this price why wouldn’t they include a set of recessed binding post cups? For the price of these, a very nice set of vintage Klipsch Heresy’s can be had, including recapping them. Hell, even a set of Forté’s. I mean, they look great, but that depends entirely on the assembler, and have a hard time believing they sound $1100 good.

  • @Montebruno
    @Montebruno 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    fellow DIY electric guitar makers... Wouldnt a guitar paint job be less nightmarish than this?

  • @wendellgayheart9228
    @wendellgayheart9228 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I like my joints with fire on the end …for a toke 😝

  • @FJB2020
    @FJB2020 7 วันที่ผ่านมา

    For $400 upgrade, you would think they would have included a $10 PCB....

  • @NeilBlanchard
    @NeilBlanchard 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The coils really need hot glue and zip ties if these ever get shipped.

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I don’t think I included it but as glue happy as I was I included the coils as well.

  • @WarriorProphet
    @WarriorProphet 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    For al gore's rythym

  • @josephlalock8378
    @josephlalock8378 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    not bad for rattle can but definitely not what i consider to be a piano black finish. i'm also an automotive painter that has done quite a few show cars(and bikes) so my levels are much higher than this. looks good nonetheless.

  • @peter_nepalais
    @peter_nepalais 26 วันที่ผ่านมา

    perso je demande à ma femme de sa s'assoir sur le coffret, ça m'aide beaucoup.. 120 kg Le mariage spa simple

  • @Roddy451
    @Roddy451 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Wax-on, Wax-off...

    • @MattCoykendall1
      @MattCoykendall1  หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Exactly ha

    • @Roddy451
      @Roddy451 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@MattCoykendall1 😁😁

  • @Linux_Lucy
    @Linux_Lucy 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Erm, It's GLOSS BLACK ( & DIY ! ? ) ..... No Thanks .... ! ! ! !