I thought it best to get a few items out here. I will continue to add items to this page as I think of them and as I get asked questions of general interest.
Cabinet construction, workmanship and fit and finish are covered for one year from the date of delivery. The contour filter and wiring are covered for 90 days from the date of delivery. The drivers are covered by the manufacture's warranty through the supplier. Contact me with specific details of your problem.
If you find that your speakers are unsuitable, or you simply don't like them, return the speakers to me in resalable condition for a refund. You are responsible for shipping. I am forced to charge a 20% restocking fee to recover refubishing and/or the cost of selling the speakers as demos/blems.
My speakers are relatively large and therefore shipping is expensive. I ship by UPS Ground. Yes, I've read all of the horror stories of packages damage by UPS, but my experience has been better than the other options. Once I learned how to pack the speakers, I have not had a damage problem.
Your speakers will be wrapped in a sheet of polyethylene, padded with two inches of styrene beadboard and covered with cardboard. I use a cardboard reinforced beadboard pad at the top and bottom. Materials cost me $40 and I charge you $50, which nowhere near covers my time. I consider this just a cost of doing business. Additionally, I pay the premium for "high value" packages. This keeps the packages off of the conveyor belt.
Floor standing speakers such as the FT-1600 and the LT-2000 are shipped with the bases removed. You will receive three packages, the two main cabinets and a package containing the bases and small parts. Yes, "some assembly is required". The bases attach with four screws, so it is no big deal.
The FB-16 ships as "normal" sized packages and will cost around $50 to ship to either coast. The FT-1600 is a first tier "oversized" package and will cost around $125 to ship to either coast. The LT-2000 is a second tier "oversized" package and the shipment will be around $200. You are shipping from the UPS Store in Hot Springs AR, 71901.
My philosophy is that what is on the CD or record is what my speakers are supposed to reproduce. Of course, nothing is perfect, and distortion and coloration cannot be avoided when building a speaker. Some things I can control, some I cannot. Cabinet vibration, or "box talk" is something I can control.
A speaker cabinet is like a guitar body. When a string is plucked, the vibrations are transmitted to the body, the body vibrates and these vibrations are heard by the listener. When energy is suppled to a speaker driver, the driver causes the cabinet to vibrate and these vibrations are heard by the listener. The difference is that the guitar body vibrations are part of the music while speaker cabinet vibrations are not. Anything added by the speaker cabinet is distortion, and I believe that this should be avoided.
To make my speaker cabinets as quiet as possible, I use MDF, which is heavy and relatively "dead". I double the top panel, which can radiate a lot of energy, add a trim piece to the front of the cabinet to further damp the cabinet, use internal bracing to stiffen the cabinet, and, in the case of the floor-standing models, line the interior of the cabinet with cement board. Without going to impractical extremes, my cabinets are as "dead" as possible.
There is an alternate school of thought that claims that an MDF cabinet takes the "life" out of the music. Cabinets should be built of high-quality plywood, Baltic Birch. But Baltic Birch rings like a bell. It adds a lot of sound to the speaker. This additional "life" is not on the recording. It is in addition to what the recording engineer put on the recording. I cannot justify this.
However.... If you like the lively sound of a plywood speaker cabinet, I will make any of my speakers out of Baltic Birch upon request. They are your ears, and I want you to get the maximum enjoyment out of the speakers I build for you. Baltic Birch is, of course, a premium option. I will ask you to pay the difference in cost of MDF and Baltic Birch.
Grills are not normally supplied with my speakers. However, if you would like to have grills on your speakers, take a look at Optional Grills for some options
I show most of my speakers in quarter-cut red oak veneer with MinWax "Golden Pecan" stain. I offer many other options. For just a few, take a look some optional finishes.
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