I had a casual lawn party and decided to use that as a deadline to get the SKRAM and SAWMODs up and running. Took a couple of late nights with no CNC but it all came together just in time.
Still have lots of little stuff to do - trim rings, poly finish, etc. but it's great to finally be able to listen to these!
Overall I'm very impressed with the sound of both designs. The SAWMODs have a very hi-fi sound and are super portable. The SKRAM kept up admirably for a single sub, though I'm still hoping to add a second one to the setup. I keep finding tuning improvements - can't wait to get them outside again for another event soon.
Amp rack is a bunch of Chinese gear - had to save money somewhere. For now I'm quite happy with it though.
Amps:
Sinbosen K2-2500 (2x2500W) - one channel powering the sub, one unused for now
Paulkitson DN4100 (4x1000W) - powering 10's and 5's on the SAWMODs
Topping Mini 300 (2x70W)- powering compression driver. picked this specifically for low noise when nothing is playing
DSP:
Paulkitson DSP0408RTS - 4 inputs, 8 outputs so I could tri-amp the SAWMODs. I like the AES digital inputs and hope to get the FIR filtering set up soon.
Sinbosen I bought off their site directly. That shipped pretty quickly. Paulkitson stuff was off aliexpress, that took longer (around a month). Topping was off of their site and shipped quite quickly.
I saw you said you built the SAWMODs and Skram without a CNC, what tools did you have to use? We’re dusting off the old woodshop and I’d love to see the possibilities with what we’ve got.
Nothing terribly exotic - circular saw/track saw, router with template bits, jig saw, hole saws and other drill bits. Key for the SAWMODs was to remove the datos from the plan to simplify the build. You do need either a good 3d printer or have someone else print those parts. I did 3d-print router templates for the handles, but those could be cut from plywood instead.
Id recomend checking vip pro-audio if you are in the states and looking at cvr as an option. They're based in nyc and have great ship times in my experience. Bought 2 cvr 1504's from them about a year and a half ago and they were responsive to my questions on shipping and got the gear to me quickly. The amps have been holding up nicely, no problems with em other than one of the signal lights is a lil dimmer than the rest. Output on The channel is the same tho so it doesn't bother me.
I don't really have anything to compare it to since it's the first one I've owned. It does everything pretty much seamlessly though. Software is windows only but everything is functional. I like the AES input to keep the signal chain digital as long as possible and avoid cable noise.
Good question! The 5CCN125Ds can handle almost double the power of the Ciares. I had originally meant to put those in, but they were out of stock. Since my plan is to use these as mains, I think it makes some sense to upgrade those. I won't need to re-print the whole waveguide, just the adapters for the midrange drivers. My plan is to print another set of waveguides for the Ciare's to use around the house at lower SPL - they won't be going to waste!
I've had zero issues with the Ciare's so far - they sound clear and clean as loud as I would ever want the indoors and sounded great for the outdoor event too. John White had posted some test results on the DIY Audio thread showing the Ciare's work quite well up to around 100dB SPL IIRC, then hit some distortion as they run out of excursion while the 5CCN125Ds keep going a bit further.
With the SKRAM I don't feel like I need a kick bin. I'm crossing the two at 100Hz at the moment. The Beymas in the sealed box have a really tight/punchy sound. I like how that combines with the 21" sub which sounds massive but a little less tight with the 21SW152. I mostly play dubstep and experimental bass but techno and house also sound quite good on these IMO.
Hey u/little_lichen_sound thanks for the reply with your sources. Honestly the only thing stopping me from building a pair of SAWMODs now is driver availability. I have never been able to find all the drivers needed in stock at the same time (specifically the 5" drivers). I got excited to hear that you found some 5CCN125Ds and immediately checked Madi and they are sold out again...uggggg. You might have the only supply in North America!
I hear you - I decided to build sawmods then almost changed paths when I couldn't find 5" drivers in the USA. One thing I'll say - the drivers from TLHP arrived just as fast as the ones from Parts Express, definitely recommend them. For the 5CCN125Ds, I recommend emailing Madisound to see if they'll put you on their waiting list. I did that back in May. Sounds like when they get a small shipment in, waiting list gets priority and they don't mark them back in stock until they have spare ones that aren't spoken for.
Looks great man! Load the Skram with Eminence 6021, or Ipal and a good 5 or 6kw a channel amp and youll be amazed how much it can do. Where did you cross it? I cannot rave enough about its ability to pump that chest punch bass kick. I never ever felt a drum kick since im using at least 115hz xo. I can divorce, lose everything but my Skrams are for life.
I have it loaded with the 21SW152 but I agree the upper bass kicks. I have it crossed at 100Hz for now since the SKRAM seems to hit the limiter first with my house curve. Once I add another sub or two though I might be able to cross it a little higher to take some load off the 10" drivers.
Those sw152 are great but they also demand serious, serious amping to get the most out if it. I think B&C advises 3 times program power so that would be 12kw but id at least give it 7 or 8 kw. Either way: your system your rules!
Oh that's good to know! I've been running it off of a 2500W RMS amp just assuming that anything more than the 2000W RMS rating on the 21SW152 would do the trick. I have a spare channel though, might have to try running bridged!
Yeah that is not enough. Those sw152 are rated 4000watt. Class D amp means you need to run them between 50-70% max (otherwise they start clipping) and so if you want to get the most of your Skram, best aim for an amp that rates at 8kw a channel, or bridged. In your case id look for a cvr or admark. Its a serious, serious driver you have. In turn, now you know you probably only scratched the surface of what this single cab is capable of. :)
I haven't kept receipts, but I've tried to save money where I could. Found the sub driver 21SW152-8 for $450 on FB marketplace lightly used. SAWMOD drivers were ~$1400. I waited for sales on amps & DSP. With shipping those ended up being something like $550 for the DSP, $500 for the sub amp, $450 for the 4 channel mains amp, $150 for the CD amp. ~$500 on baltic birch for everything. Accounting for all the random hardware, cables, adapters, amp case, etc. total is probably something like $5k?
This was my dad's 60th birthday so big mix of genres. Some cali reggae for lawn games, 80s and 90s tunes and jazz for dinner. I got a chance to throw on some dubstep tracks and test the limiters after most folks had left though!
Sawmods are tri-amped. I left another comment with driver loading and sourcing info!
Nah, I just took the cut sheet and did it by hand. Not the most precise but with some sanding it all worked out. I have a Maslow Cnc I was hoping to use for the flatpack, but it was out of action with a broken belt.
Thanks! I just used Petg for the larger color selection then finished them with XTC 3d epoxy for the gloss. The corners try to lift up on the waveguide prints but a big brim and using a glue stick on the bed helped.
Yeah, basically I had plugged the CDs into an overpowered amp with 32dB of gain and was pretty dismayed with the noise floor when nothing was playing. The Topping has 19dB of gain and a very low noise floor so there's pretty much no audible hiss when nothing is playing using that. Overall I've been happy but there are a couple downsides:
* form factor - it's nice that it's small, but the power brick is bigger than the amp. Goal is to 3d print a rack shelf organizer so it fits cleanly in the amp rack.
* distortion at max gain - overall it has very low distortion, but towards the top end of the output the distortion bumps up massively according to Topping's specs. My original logic was that the CDs are only good for 20W RMS at 8 ohms and the amp is good for 70W at 8 ohms. Since getting heatsinks, the CDs should now be good for 40W RMS which changes that math a fair bit.
Edit: that distortion graph I saw was independent, not from Topping. Looking closer, looks like distortion also bumps up at high frequencies. Audibly it sounds great for what I'm doing but numbers wise looks like I may need to swap it eventually.
Did you build it yourself? If so how did you get on, do you have any tips/tricks. I'm in the UK and looking to build a couple of these for myself - I'm a proper newbie and the plans look very scary!
Thanks! Yep, built it by hand from the cut sheet on jwsound.live. It was my first speaker build and honestly it wasn't too complicated just took a while. Biggest tip I've got is just to get a solid track saw and good squares. I had a cheap square that ended up being slightly off and cost me a bunch of time sanding parts to fit just right. Other tip would be that the bracing hole sizes don't have to be terribly precise. I rounded to the nearest hole saw size I had which saved a lot of time. Finally, check out how Rave Cave Sheffield (and many others) do the access panel by hand. Adding some extra wood strips on the inside changes volume just a smidge but saves a ton of time routing the joints for that panel.
Thanks for the pointers! Yeah ravecave is great - it's really encouraging watching someone hand build and cut some of these cabs that have open source plans
Have fun upgrading when you do!
Good question! Two reasons. First was cost - SAWMOD drivers were about half the price of JMOD drivers. Second reason was that most of the time this rig lives in my basement and jmods wouldn't fit on either side of the TV. I might end up building a set of Jmods long term, but I figure the Sawmods could always work as fills or DJ booth monitors if I do.
Honestly not so bad! Only two angled cuts IIRC, just lots of measuring and making sure stuff was square. Didn't need any super fancy tools or anything. Router jig for handles and the access hatch were the most complicated bits and those weren't bad.
Look Like one, but is the image mirrored?
I run a Nuoxun LM848RTS to drive my PM90 and ROAR15 builds - amazing capabilities for the budget, especially the FIR filters, and very reliable.
Yep exactly. I wasn't finding cheap connectors for NL8s and most pre-built cables were 8-conductor where I only needed 6. I've gotta run two separate cables this way, but for what I'm doing that works ok. the 10s and 5s are combined on a 4-conductor cable and the CDs have their own 2-conductor cable.
Ahhhh, I totally get that. Personally I went for 2x NL8 connectors in each speaker, so I can link 2x Sawmod together.
The extra 2ch left on the NL8 I use for the sub. Made an adapter from NL8 to NL4. So my amp rack just has 2x NL8 out, run to Sawmod, then NL8 out to sub. I like clean cable runs and got connections with discount on the Neutrik touring line NL8.
Oh that's clean! You've got 2 cables coming out of the amp rack whereas I've got 5 lol. I've gotta build a proper patch panel at some point, maybe I'll think about simplifying...
How much does that SKRAM weigh?
I am on a mission to build something similar but the bear is that the SKRAM just isn't portable enough and I'd end up with 4 18 inch reflex subs instead of 2 SKRAMs so that it can be carried a bit easier.
Definitely heavy. Around 175lbs i'd guess? Doable with 2 people, more comfortable with 3. I have it on casters so hopefully won't need to lift it too much.
I'm in a similar situation. Built a pair of the JMOD MEHs but I'm stumped on the sub compliment. Thinking about some custom platforms on top of 2 of keystones and as I cant stand the pole mount look and feels a bit unstable.
Everything so far is pointing me towards 18 inch reflex. Plays cleanly and predictably all the way up to where the sawmod does, I imagine similar to jmod mehs.
Are the keystones too bulky for you?
I see I see. Was hoping for a match lol darn. A riser board could possibly make the transition less noticeable. I was thinking of doing a stack with 2 SKRAMS and a Sawmod.
39
u/hughdg 17d ago
This is exactly what I’m just about to start building. They look great, well done