Akemake 3D Printed Wooden Desktop Speaker

[jimc]

so i decided to make 2 sets of these speakers. one set was for me and another was for an audiophile friend of mine. these were printed on my makergear m2 in pla. i used all automotive paint to prime, faux finish and clear coat them. one set i did in a wood grain and the other was in chameleon silver to green color changing paint which actually goes from purple, to blue to silver to green. really cool with all the curves of this model. the woodgrain one i also applied a candy to the aluminum cone of the speaker to make it gold to match the spike feet and binding posts.enjoy.

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[jimc]

here is the chameleon one.

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[Geoff]

Mate, they deserve and award, seriously. I loved the wood but wow the chameleon looks freakin great!

But.. how do they sound ?

[jimc]

Well i went to try em out last night and i couldnt find a headphone to rca cable for the amp so i have yet to listen to them. My friend is bringing one over today so we can fire them up. I am expecting them to sound real good. The speakers i used got super reviews and are matched to the enclosure size. The original b&w nautilus speakers fro 20 years ago which these are a half copy of were $60 grand a pair and one of the best speakers of their time. Who knows though......i guess ill find out later today ill probably end up doing that wood grain finish in matte on that horgahan model as well. Should look pretty realistic when its done.

[jimc]

Ok i finally had a chace to get these hooked up and listen to them. They truely sound fantastic. For a single full range speaker i was quite impressed. They sound very warm and full. Not overly bright or harsh in any way. Bass response for a small 3" speaker is amazing. I have auditioned many speakers over the years and i can say i really couldnt expect more from these. I have them on my desk hooked to my mac with a small 20 watt class t amp. Everything was bought from parts-express and the total was maybe around $125 with the amp. If anyone is interested i can come up with a parts list.

[RobH2]

Those are truly beautiful. What was your process to get the surface smooth and prepped for paint?

[jimc]

Just primer and sand smooth. I only use automotive finishes. The whole point of primer is to build up thick so you can sand it back down smooth to make a real nice surface to paint on. Unfortunately nothing good comes from a rattle can. You need to use real professional products. A good automotive primer is catalyzed so when you paint on it, it wont absorb the solvents from the paint and shrink back into the layer marks that our printers make. Once its smoothed and the base color is on then you apply a good urethane clearcoat. After its cured you can take it a step further if you want and sand and buff the finish

[Rusty]

I am having difficulty downloading the file for the print. Is there anywhere we can get it other than the original website?

Sorry I finally got it.

[ralphzoontjens]

I like how the layer stepping has been aesthetically integrated. I don't mind the design, it would have been better if the speaker would have been recessed about 5 mm and not directly stuck on the front.

[soofle616]

It seems the design has been locked up and is now sold rather than given away freely. Unless someone knows a source other than akemake's website?

edit: nevermind. apparently they have two different (very VERY similar looking designs) one is free the other is not