BUILD PROCESS
CABINET BUILD
Cabinets are constructed using brad nail gun. High strength Gorilla wood glue is used to ensure air tightness, extra strength, and to minimise resonance. Internal bracing is applied under tension once the cabinets are completed, without these Ivan says he can hear a slight ringing from the cabinet, and its Ivan’s attention to detail in the pursuit of sound excellence. Hand Crafted in Cheltenham with a dash of Passion.
VENEER AND PAINT
Plain veneer is applied to the top and front, this eliminates any possibility of the lines in the joint showing. If the speaker is finished in veneer the rest is veneered in a vacuum bag press using X polymer D3 veneer adesive ensuring a perfect veneer. For High gloss after final sanding, coats of MDF primer are applied and lightly rubbed back by hand. They are now ready for the paint shop. Sanded and then high build primer is sprayed, folowed by colour, and the 2 coats of high build Clear Wet Look Polyurethane Lacquers to give a mirror finish.
DRIVER MOUNTING
Once the cabinets have been completed we mount the drivers, crossover panel and solder the connections. with silver wire. Plinths are attached and the speakers are ready for final testing running in and the iQ Speaker badge is applied a sign of a proffesionally made IPL Acoustic kit.
ACOUCSTIC FOAM ADDED
Acoustic foam is glued into place. Tuning the bass is achieved by adding long haired wool at the finishing stage behind the driver. We will supply a further quantity for you to add at the top of the transmission line tunnel to reduce bass if required.
SANDING AND FINAL FINISH
After hand sanding down to 240 grit, we apply Three coats of Osmo Polyx Oil rubbed down with 1200 grit followed by Osmo Liquid Polishing Wax to give a natural soft feel repairable sheen, to grace any home. I love this bit as it brings out the natural grain in the veneer
FINAL SAND AND FILL
Once finally built cabinets are hand inspected and minor blemishes are filled and sanded. All sides are then sanded and cleaned prior to sealing and priming. This is critical stage in obtaining a near perfect finish any slight blemish will show when sprayed.
CROSSOVER ASSEMBLEY
IPL Acoustic supplied crossovers are built on the back of the speaker connection panels using bespoke IPL Acoustics and Mkp audiophile capacitors, bespoke IPL Acoustics inductors and large stable audiophile resistors. Each IPL Acoustic crossover value is individually matched to the ribbon tweeters and yes they are large and of superb quality. Driver connection cables supplied by Ivan at IPL Acoustics are a single core cable using 19 strands of 0.29mm SILVER PLATED HIGH PURITY COPPER with a conductor area of 1.4mm and a PTFE dielectric. (I have never used cable like this, it is exceptionally tough to strip, bend, solder and I suspect Ivan has chosen it for sound quality alone. and looks beautiful.
