Kang and Kodos – Alien Open Baffle Speakers

Designer:
JSH Designs

Project Category:
Freestyle Speakers

Project Level:
Advanced

Project Time:
20+ Hours

Project Cost:
Over $1,000

Project Description:
Greetings:

Several years I introduced a project called PVC Extreme. The project entailed using schedule 40 PVC pipe in an MTM design as an exploration in new and innovative home speaker design. The results were fantastic, so much so that I added rear speakers of a similar design and concept for a full surround system. The realism and overall encompassing sound is amazing, but left me with a burning desire to explore new and innovative speaker designs. In short, I’ve been stricken by the DIY audio bug.

This disease, which so many of us seem to suffer from, lead me to the 2017 NYC audio show last November. Here I encountered like-minded, borderline psychotic audiophiles, searching for the latest in design and sound quality. I was determined to prove to myself that PVC Extreme could match up with the “big boys” in the speaker game. However, instead of reassuring myself that PVC was the future of speaker design, I walked out feeling that there are a lot of really good speaker systems out there. I had not done a deep enough dive here. What I now wanted was to design and build a set “end game” speakers. Not just a series of boxes with top quality components and off the shelf design, but something unique, with top level sound quality, and most importantly, something that relied on creativity rather than wood working skills. There is only so much that I can do in my basement on weekends.

At the show, I came across a set of open baffle speakers. I had some familiarity with the theory, but had never heard them before. For whatever reason, most manufacturers have been reluctant to develop open baffle product lines in the past. Perhaps it’s that the previous designs have been rather utilitarian with limited aesthetic appeal. After all, the back ends of all the components are exposed, wires and all. They tend to look somewhat unfinished. Lack of commercially available open baffle designs may just have to do with marketability, as the open baffle sound is incredible. It’s clear, open, tight, and very realistic. The overall effect is one of the closest to a live performance that I have heard. The sound comes from everywhere, just like a live performance. The challenge is to make the speakers look as awesome as the sound.

Design Goals:
As such, let me introduce Kang and Kodos – Alien Open Baffle Speakers.

They stand about 5 ft. tall and sit on 24” x 28” bases with casters on the bottom so they can easily be moved. They’re pretty heavy, each weighing about 120 lbs. They are constructed from 1” red birch plywood with 3 to 4 coats of wood dye or stain depending on the color. All the wood is sealed with 4 coats of water based poly urethane and sanded and buffed to a medium gloss finish.

The speakers and cross over network were sourced through the company Pure Audio Project, though most of the components can be found on the Parts Express web site. The woofers are 15” Eminence OB-A15 Neo which is nearly identical to PE’s Eminence Kappalite 3015LF Neo 15″ Speaker Driver. The compression horn tweeter / midrange driver uses an extended Polymer 1.4” compression tweeter, which is very close to PE’s Faital Pro HF146R 1.4″ Neodymium Compression Horn Driver or a Beyma CD14ND. The crosses over components are from the German company Mundorf. Lastly the gorgeous wood horn is by craftsmen in Spain. This was one of the primary reasons that I sourced the components thru PAP.

The design and build took roughly 6 months, mainly working on week ends. Fortunately New England Winters are long so I didn’t feel too bad about spending my time working inside .

Now for the sound. Truly amazing and well beyond expectation. The first thing that comes to mind is how much these speakers create the illusion of a live performance. I go to a number of live jazz clubs and theaters in my area and the sound is always much different than reproduced sound. Obviously there are many components that contribute to why recorded music doesn’t sound like the real thing, but I’ve always felt that the right speakers make up 60% of the end result. 25% can be attributed to the recording and engineers, and the rest to the electronics. These speakers get closer to the “live” goal than nearly every other speaker I’ve previously heard. There is an airiness and openness that doesn’t exist with most other speakers. The dynamic range is quite expansive as is the soundstage. The compression horns allow the brass, winds, piano, and vocals to break out easily from the typical wall of sound. The (4) 15” woofers are very tight down to around 30 or 40 hz. Bass is incredibly tight with no boomy or muddy sound that may speakers have. The sound never feels as if it is coming from 2 points, but from all over. There is no traditional “box“ speaker sound. Like I said, it sounds like a live performance.

Products Used:
Drivers are very similar to these PE products

Eminence Kappalite 3015LF Neo 15″ Speaker Driver
Brand: Eminence Speaker
Model: Kappalite 3015LF
Part # 290-598
https://www.parts-express.com/eminence-kappalite-3015lf-neo-15-speaker-driver–290-598

Faital Pro HF146R 1.4″ Neodymium Compression Horn Driver 8 Ohm 4-Bolt
Brand: FaitalPRO
Model: HF146
Part # 294-1052
https://www.parts-express.com/faital-pro-hf146r-14-neodymium-compression-horn-driver-8-ohm-4-bolt–294-1052
Conclusion:
Overall I think I achieved what I was looking to do, create an “end game” set of speakers. Unfortunately, I’m still afflicted by the DIY speaker building disease. I’m currently working on a set of surround speakers and subwoofer to pair with Kang and Kodos, for home theater use. I’ll be sure to share this next chapter.

About the Designer:
I’ve been a designer and builder of sorts all my life (licensed architect and general contractor by trade). I’ve designed and built works of art, furniture, motorcycles, homes, and large scale mixed use buildings. I’m a big believer in having form be equal to function.

Project Parts List: