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The BassZilla DIYer’s Photo Gallery by Dick Olsher This month it is time to give kudos to BassZilla loudspeaker constructors from around the world. These DIYers deserve credit for their hard work and our admiration for the skill applied to make their BassZilla a bit more individual and special. There are plenty of interesting ideas here, so if you find something of note and would like additional information, feel free to contact the responsible person directly using their given email address. To confuse the spam bots that mine the Internet for email addresses published in the open, I have added the number 101 to the body of each email. Be sure to remove this number before using a particular address.
John Blythe of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada (John.Blythe101@gov.ab.ca): A standard BassZilla using the Lowther DX3. “My Scottish side came out” writes John ... “I can always use the Lowther upgrade plan in the future. ... I used the Madisound premium crossover, unplated Cardas binding posts and 16 ga. silver wire from Handmade Electronics for all internal wiring. Vibrapods between the open baffle and bass cabinet with Deflex panels inside bass cabinet. I finished the cabinets with Flecktone Manhattan Mist spray paint. Since the crossover/filter looks so cool I mounted it on top of the bass cabinet under a removable enclosure. Around 200 hours on them now, they sound awesome...” Colin Smit, of Walmer, South Africa (colin.smit101@freemail.absa.co.za): A standard BassZilla using the Lowther DX4. What is unusual here is the clear Perspex (Lucite) open baffle. It does seem to reduce the apparent size of the speaker.
Mark McInerney from down under in South Australia (101jmci1000@bigpond.net.au) sends this beautiful photo of his just completed original Fostex BassZilla. Mark’s first impression: “They sound great straight up, very natural and lifelike. My only thought is that they would be near-perfect if they just had the slightest extra bit of 'air' and sparkle in the highs....I would be over the moon!” I think that Mark’s first sonic impression is right on. The natural and life-like tonal balance is just slightly handicapped by the lack of high frequency sparkle. In contrast, the Platinum Edition has loads of air and treble detail, and is in general a bit more forward and visceral sounding in the midrange. The Diamond Edition with the Lowther DX4, on the other hand, projects image outlines with more authority due to its greater energy in the presence and lower treble regions. Probably not as natural as the Platinum Edition, but it is the more exciting and dynamically riveting of the two. The Diamond Edition is about as close as one can get to a sonic orgasm (DO).
Peder solås from Norway (101psound@c2i.net) has built what appears to be the definitive Platinum Edition BassZilla. I am most impressed with the superbly constructed cabinet and crossover parts quality
Peder reports that each speaker weighs a spectacular 130 kg, and contains 30 kg of sand!! The bass cabinet dimensions were adjusted (H 77cm x W 50cm D 73cm) to compensate for the internal sand chambers and bracing. All baffles and the top are sandwich construction using of 27-mm thick plywood with an internal sand layer.
The crossover network was integrated onto the back baffle of the bass cabinet and as you can see is replete with exceptional quality parts. Peder says that the bass quality of these speakers is simply frightening when driven by his beefed up monoblocks and not what you would expect from low-power SE amps. Marian from California sent photos of a Platinum Edition constructed from bamboo plywood. Great choice - and undeniably beautiful!
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