HT-88

Note:  If you only buy one kit you have to order the flat pack at the same time because I can't ship one front panel by itself safely without the cabinet.  98% of the last orders bought the flat pack anyway because the cabinets aren't as easy to cut yourself as they look.  If you buy without the flat pack and need the flat pack later, the price will have to be higher due to packaging material.  These kits take extra time to package and ship and could take longer than normal.

The HT-88 uses dual 8" Celestion woofers and a compression driver with a polyimide diaphragm to give you a smooth frequency response and an excellent blend at the crossover point.  The custom compression driver has the same diaphragm as the Titan and Vortex speakers for a great top end sound but can also handle lower crossover points.This speaker was designed for dedicated home theater use.  Thanks to the new SEOS-77 it has uniform response over a wide range of angles, both horizontal and vertical.

Product Highlights:

• Small footprint allows for easy placement options.
• Can be used on it's side for a horizontal center channel.
• Easy to power speaker with a true 97db 2.83v/meter sensitivity.
• Quality name brand components.
• SEOS-77 waveguide for a larger 'sweet spot'.
• Will handle up to 400 watts and play over 120db.
• Designed for home theater and must be paired with a powerful subwoofer system. Minimum recommendation would be two or more 15" subwoofers.

Ordering note: Don't forget binding posts, terminal cups, or speaker spikes if you need them because they can be shipped for free with any kit or flat pack purchase.

Shipping Note: Most speaker kits currently ship for free, but flat packs normally do not.  We try to get your order packaged and shipped in 5-8 days depending on how many orders have come in.  Please read the 'Frequently Asked Questions' section for more information.

Price Break Down:

Total Parts Cost: $321.44

Packaging Material: $6.00

Paypal Fee: $10.40

Retail Cost: $337.84

Discount Cost: $297 with free shipping.  This price will have to go up when I order the next run of woofers.

Please read the 'About Us' section for more information on pricing structure and quality parts used.

Specific HT-88 Assembly Notes:

Your enclosure should be built with 3/4"" thick material and the included 3/4" thick baffle to the dimensions listed under the specifications tab. You should have two horizontal "window pane" style braces equally spaced inside the cabinet.  It is recommended that you loosely fill the speaker enclosure with polyfill and make sure it's not blocking the ports. Please be sure to read the general tips below before starting your build. 

Recommended Tools and Supplies:

• Quality wood glue like TiteBond.
• At least 3 clamps 36" wide or bigger.  
• Soldering Iron and solder unless there is an optional assembled crossover for your kit.
• Wire cutters
• Screwdriver
• Drill to predrill all screw holes.
• Sanding block or power sander.
• About 4' of speaker wire to connect your woofers and tweeter to the crossover board.

General Tips:

    Crossover Assembly: 

• VERY IMPORTANT - Inductors are the parts that look like small rolls of copper wire. Notice that the two ends of wire are silver and have been 'tinned' with solder. Those are the parts of the inductor that you should be soldering to, so don't cut it off to get to the copper colored portion.  Inductors should not be installed directly next to each other on your board.
• None of the crossover parts have a positive or negative side so it doesn't matter which way they are facing when you assemble your crossover. 16-18 gauge wire is thick enough to use for your crossover or to go from your crossover board to the woofer or tweeter.
• Your crossover can be assembled on a thin piece of MDF or pegboard if the kit doesn't come with a circuit board.
• It doesn't matter where you put the crossover inside your speaker.  You could mount it on the outside if you wanted to.  
• Normally you wire red wires to positive and black wires to negative.  If (and only if) your crossover schemtaic has a note saying 'Inverted Polarity', that means you need to connect the negative from the crossover to the positive on the tweeter and positive from the crossover to the negative on the tweeter.  This is only done on some tweeters, not woofers.
• Click Here for a good assembly video by Matt Grant.

     Screws and Gaskets:

• Predrill all screw holes with a bit that's slightly smaller than your screws to prevent the wood from splitting.  Most screws are #8 panhead and you can use a 7/64" or 1/8" drill bit.  Overnight Sensations use a #6 panhead so you can use a 3/32" bit.
• VERY IMPORTANT:  Protect your woofer or tweeter when installing screws because you don't want the screwdriver to slip and puncture one of your components....that will ruin your day!  Consider putting your free hand next to the screw to cover up the edge of the woofer or tweeter.
• If your kit comes with gasket tape, it should be applied to the back of the waveguide. Peel the paper off the back to expose the sticky side and slowly work it around the perimeter on the back side of the part.  Some woofers will need gasket tape as well.

     Stuffing or Lining the Speaker Cabinet:

• If your speaker or subwoofer is a sealed cabinet, most designers recommend that you lightly fill the inside with polyfill (pillow stuffing).  If you don't have polyfill, then you can line the walls with 1" - 1.5" thick light weight open cell foam (like acoustic foam) or fiberglass insulation.  You can also use 2-3" recyled denim insulation that can be bought at Home Depot.
• It's okay to cover up your crossover with the polyfill, insulation, or foam.
• If you're using a ported enclosure you should lightly fill the cabinet with polyfill and be sure not to block the ports.  If you do not have polyfill then line the walls with 1" - 1.5" thick open cell foam (like acoustic foam), 2" - 3" of denim insulation, or 2" - 3" thick poly batting.
• Some of the speaker designers like to lines the walls of their ported enclosures with a 1" - 1.5" acoustic foam, and then lightly fill the remainder of the cabinet with polyfill.  If this is a required method, it will be listed at the top of the page under 'Assembly Notes'.

Links to Build Threads for this Speaker:

Frequently Asked Questions:

* Do I need to cut the port to a certain length on the ported version?  Answer:  Yes, total length should be 2".

* Does this kit come with a circuit board to assemble the crossover on?  Answer:  It's optional.

* Do I need to use a subwoofer with these?  Answer:  Yes, these were designed to be used with a subwoofer.

* Where should I put the assembled crossover?  Answer:  The crossover can go anywhere inside the cabinet as long as you don't block the ports on the ported version.