Exodus Audio Keplers

[jr1414]

After thinking about a few different alternatives, I finally settled on building a set of the Exodus Audio Kepler monitor speakers ( http://www.diycable.com/main/product...roducts_id=667 ). I can say I couldn't be more pleased with the whole purchase so far. Kevin, the owner, has been such a tremendous help, first in explaining the product and his methodologies, all the way through my multiple questions regarding assembly. I received the kits last week and just got around to setting them up yesterday.

The assembly is extremely easy for anyone with minimal woodworking skills. If you've got a router and a circle jig, you can build these to look like a pro. I'm doing 5 speakers for a surround setup and I was able to cut all the baffles and cut in the ports and got one speaker setup with crossovers mounted to check for clearances. I would have gotten them all setup and wired, but my 3 year old decided he wanted to learn about woodworking, so the pace was slowed a bit. Hopefully I'll get a chance to get back to them tonight. I wouldn't even consider using a soldering iron with him around, just seems like impending disaster.

Here are some shots of the speaker I setup yesterday.









Sorry about the poor quality of the pics, I just wanted to get something up quickly for all to see. Not bad for a first DIY speaker, huh?

I would say for someone who never used a power tool before, you could easily put these together on a Saturday and listen to them Saturday night. Super easy with the Parts Express .5 ft^3 cabinets, and they are incredibly well built. You could spend a lot more to get the paint work done than the entire cabinets cost, and they almost look too good.

I'll let you all know what I think of them once I get them fired up. From what I've heard from different sources I know I will not be dissapointed.

[jr1414]

Here is a link to an opinion of the speakers from Doug Schneider of Good Sound. You'll find his comments in the Opinions section. He speaks very favorably of them.

http://goodsound.com/home.shtml

They are much easier to assemble than Doug thinks...

[jr1414]

Just came up with a design for stands for my front stage. They will echo the curvature of the PE cabinets, and should provide to be very sturdy and functional. The mains will work out to a 26" finished height, and the center will work out to a 11" height to stay below my PJ screen.

Construction is straight forward, 3/4" Plywood (Sign Grade, VERY Dense) for the top and bottom plates, 3" Sch40 PVC for the front pillar (fillable), 1.5" Sch40 PVC for the rear pillar (for concealed wiring). They will sit in 1/4" recessed pockets for stability, with the recesses routed out for only the thickness of the PVC, leaving the center of the area non-recessed. There will be 1/2" deep pockets (1/2" diameter) on center of those holes on the top of the top plate and the bottom of the bottom plate to allow for fixing with threaded rods, washers and nuts. The edges of the top and bottom blates will be finished with a 1/2" roundover, instead of the 45 degree cuts shown here. All will be painted black, and I plan on using these black chrome cone feet from Madisound. ( http://www.madisound.com/catalog/pro...oducts_id=1050 )

After I give this a go, I might consider building a few sets for others who might like them to go along with their new Keplers. The great thing is that it's super simple to make these any height you like, just change the length of the PVC.

Here's some quick images from Sketchup.

L-R Main Isometric view



Center Channel Isometric view



Let me know what you think.

[jr1414]

Finalized my stand design, here are some colorized versions. Help me decide between all black or black top/bottom plates with cherry veneer columns. These are shown with a model of the speaker for the full effect.









Thanks.

[Bent]

I sent Kevin a request for some pics of the interiors of his Keplers to show me how he implemented his crossover boards - no need for him to respond now...

I'm quite intrigued by this little design.

Is that a PSP port, or some other design?


BTW, awsome look with the curved enclosures.

[jr1414]

Thanks for the compliment. I might consider making a few extra sets of the stands if there is interest. I love those enclosures, they look better than they do in the pictures.

The port is not a PSP port, it is a standard L-Flare, push-in. Kevin said he had a clearance issue with the PSP port, and this port is actually a bit larger. What's nice is you don't even need to trim it.

Kevin also advised me to add 8 oz. of polyfill to extend the low end slightly and ease the rolloff. These babies should go into the 30's in room easily, the actual measurements from the NRC are being released April 1.

[jr1414]

Ok, finally got around to getting some time on a stereo pair of these and to do some critical listening. I haven't setup the full 5 channel setup yet, I actually placed a stereo pair in the bedroom, just to start listening a bit. I've got a bit of work to do in the main room, including making the stands mentioned above, so the bedroom will have to do for now.

First off, these were an incredibly easy build. A few recesses, some holes, solder four wires and connect. Easy as can be. The cabinets are top notch, as are the components. The PCB pads are pre-tinned, making the soldering as easy as can be. Made it easy to look like a pro!

Next is the sound. I seriously thought I had forgot to change the settings on my receiver and left the subwoofer connected! These babies throw some serious low end. But that's not the most impressive thing about these speakers. A single word, imaging!!! These speakers present the widest, deepest soundstage I have ever heard, including several bipoles. Instruments and voices are on the spot, I can picture each instrument and singer and where they're standing on the stage. What's in front, what's behind, it's all as should be! I've just never experienced imaging this good, and I'm excited about it.

Sound is balanced from top to bottom with some "air" on the top end. It may not give as much "air" as some people might like, but I like the sound quite a bit. It's just enough to add "space" around instruments and voices, but not enough where it seems to distract from the accuracy. I'd say some very sound decisions were made in voicing the crossover. The low end is impressive, while remaining accurate and tight and never seeming "boomy". The mid range is accurate and controlled, maybe not quite as forward as some might like, but still lively. Pianos and vocals sound like pianos and voices!

Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase and the rewarding experience that comes from assembling your own speaker. I can easily recommend these to anyone who wishes to tackle a DIY project, even for a first timer. It's that easy!

I'd put these above many commercial speakers costing many multiples of their price, and I auditioned a lot of them. And I challenge you to find a better looking loudspeaker at this price anywhere, it's just not possible.

[JCD]

Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase and the rewarding experience that comes from assembling your own speaker.

And that my friend is why I enjoy this addiction..

Glad you're so happy with the results!

Congrats and enjoy!

JCD

[jr1414]

Thanks,

Had some more time with them now, and also upgraded from my receiver to an Emotiva LMC-1/LPA-1 combo. What a difference this has made! My wife now has to tear me away from the gear each night or I might never sleep again! These speakers went from being excellent with the receiver to phenomenal with the seperates. They are surprisingly more accurate than before, especially at low volume levels. I can actually listen to a movie late at night without fear of waking my 3 year old and hear every bit of the dialogue. Even low volume music listening has significant dynamic improvement. I find myself listening to more and more music late into the night for this reason alone.

I listened to all three Norah Jones albums back to back last night and could have easily sat through them again had my wife not dragged me off to bed. I think I'll be spending more time in the music store now! I've been meaning to finish my Coltrane collection, maybe now is the time!