3D Printed Studio Monitors (featuring Mingda Magician X)

Here's a "mini" attempt at a 3D printed studio monitor.
Mingda on Amazon: www.amazon.com/mingda
Homepage: hexibase.com/
Facebook: / hexibase
Instagram: / hexibase
Printables: www.printables.com/social/264...
Thingiverse: thingiverse.com/hexibase
SoundCloud: / hexibase
Patreon: / hexibase
Amazon Storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/hexibase
00:00 - Introduction
00:06 - Title Sequence
00:16 - Unboxing & Assembly
00:54 - Storage Box
01:07 - Firmware Upgrade
01:20 - Features
02:07 - About the Feature Project
03:40 - Test Print
04:21 - Slicing the Feature Model
04:55 - Printing the Feature Model, Part 1
06:34 - Evaluating Part 1
07:12 - Support & Checks
07:47 - Printing the Feature Model, Part 2
08:26 - Filament Swap
08:42 - Reference Print
09:17 - Evaluating Part 2
09:45 - Processing the Print
10:30 - Assembling the Enclosure
11:08 - Testing the Passive Radiator
12:21 - About the Machine
12:58 - Back to the Reference Print
13:10 - DSP Tuning
13:25 - Final Words
13:58 - Demo

[@_DinoREX_]

3D Print: Simple, yeah. 3D Printer: Alright, simple. Video Editing: complex, full of content and amazingly detailed. Thanks for the video and review!

[@PointBlank65]

@@HexiBase I have a feeling the stripes/banding is the heated bed using Bang-Bang and not PID for its temp.

[@Delzra]

when he was needed most, he returned

[@matteogirelli1023]

Wh40k

[@Cloudwalker2k3]

The production value has increased greatly since your first videos. Insane.

[@bwloawesome]

I was just gifted an Ender 3 S1 and this is going to be one of my first projects after I get the hint of the basics. These sounded fantastic. Great design and execution!

[@Marioleye]

i miss the good old days ! back in tombston, your workshop in the backyard. mdf enclosure tutorials. T line theory. Sharing your life with sophie and familly/friends. You are the first vlogger i ever follow i feel bad that i'll never be able to acces that content anymore because of youtube. Anyway love you guys !

[@anikiace2253]

such a long wait, but worth it.

[@psyphonyxaudio]

... lol .... That perfectly timed whistle .. lol ... Im satisfied

[@TheTherealdarkhorse]

Unbelievable low end frequency response! The mids are really tight and you have once again made me a believer! You are definitely a skilled man! Bravo! 👏

[@cabasse_music]

crazy, I was just watching some of your older videos and BAM, a new one drops! glad you're back.

[@Hermiel]

New HexiBase video: 🍺🤩 'Studio Monitor' in the thumbnail: 💉🤯 I think you may have just made my week.

[@Hermiel]

@@HexiBase I recently bought a pair of IK Multimedia iLoud MTM monitors as my main reference in my bedroom because they're tiny and they slap. Rear ported which I don't like but the DSP is cool. I would love to complement these with a single-driver DIY set with the same footprint. I like the 3D-printed builds like in this video and also the CNC layer-cake builds (as in your earlier video). I don't own a printer or laser so I'd have to outsource that end of it to a local maker.

[@TheSupertecnology]

Such an underated channel, with a very rare production quality and information. Definitely in my top 10

[@blech71]

Badass vid! Great job as always! I just realized I’ve been following Pete for years now. From that little shed he used to make PWK boxes in(which I had plans drawn up for 4 12’s in my Sequoia) to now with his high end production value videos! Way to go!

[@sule_imani]

Finally a hexibase notification. I've been looking forward to it 😁

[@peetiegonzalez1845]

Most hilarious content you have done so far but also extremely infomative and didn'st stray from your roots. Thanks.

[@shawnryan4795]

Been waiting for your videos.

[@0525ohhwell]

@@HexiBase I actually kinda like it when the printer has... issues lol.

[@0525ohhwell]

@@HexiBase Well that and I rather appreciate the extra dry sarcasm hahahah.

[@SongLyricsHD]

15:47 those things sound amazing!!! It really shows how important design is in a speaker. I can, but also can’t believe those small drivers are hitting those frequencies! I’m definitely going to be printing these and build them at some point! Absolutely amazing job!!!

[@clays.9662]

Did you end up printing these? Speakers are sold out and discontinued sadly

[@NicholasRadina]

I’ve really enjoyed your videos and attention to detail all around! Keep up the great work!

[@BaddDukk]

Excellent video as always sir.

[@NoahBuehler]

Awesome editing!!!

[@Dikkie_Dik]

They look and sound awesome!

[@Avatarsubwoofer]

Thanks man I love how you explain things keep up with the cool projects

[@photonthief]

Your engineering, design and video production skills are epic mate. Really enjoyed watching this vid! Speakers sounded great when listening back to your recording on my AKG K702s plugged in to a Motu M2. Cheers from Melbourne, Aus.

[@schlegs86]

You make some amazing builds!! Impressive engineering as always!

[@kc8omg]

Excellent as usual, and well timed as I'm remodeling an outdoor shed for my new office/studio area, will look to incorporate these 😄

[@leondantas]

nice!!!!! I always wanted a 3d print monitor project. Thanks

[@Eggenegg]

So amazing ! Good work ! :)

[@gamerpaddy]

that looks like a banging heater control on the heated bed, not z wobble or any other mechanical issue. check the temperature graph over time. the flatter the better. on banging heater control, it turns on when its below a certain threshold, and off when above. but it lags behind so it starts oscillating. PID tries to compensate for lag give it marlin, enable PID control and it should stabilize after auto-tuning.

[@lewiswilliams5047]

Agreed, I had the exact same issue and solved it with a PID tune 👌🏻

[@klokibril]

Something I've noticed in your recent videos is that they have a certain rythm to them - it's like you're applying music production skills to video production and it works so well. The best example is at 13:58: "Right, left, music, *hit play*". Keep up your great work! 😀

[@technopirate5050]

nice work love the detail

[@aarondobbins1236]

A wealth of tangible knowledge. Thank you for sharing.

[@user-nf5ri2bm2z]

>Printing 3D from parametric modeling changes the game, puts a driver in a higher level of performance regardless of it's quality/performance & price, all your vids are super smart!

[@fuscopi]

Amazing job. Congratulations. Thanks for the content.

[@ChampTruex]

Wish you had the time to do more videos! i love your work and use many of your STLs! thanks for everything

[@TeamJiggawatt]

One very smart guy right here keep the great work bud🚗🔊🎶

[@dashSlap]

You sure end up with a lot of lemon 3d printers!

[@DYNAMIGHTY]

Great build! I'm studying engineering, first year currently, and yet to pick a specialization... but from watching your videos, acoustics seems to be a cool area!

[@StaticVapour590]

This is awesome!

[@teh_sid]

Fantastic video as always! Will you be uploading the STL for these? I'm keen to print them!

[@whiskeyweekly7533]

The amount of Base produce is impressive.

[@JesseJames83]

I skip the 3D printer content and stay for the audio component. Thanks for adding chapters to make it easier!

[@blakebrockhaus347]

Those are super cool. It always impresses me how much bass extension you can get out of so little. In terms of drivers, vents, and box volume. Also, I listened with my Samson sr850s through my phone, and the soundstaging by those seemed really impressive to me

[@bootysmaka22]

My wife has the same nail drill / dremel...I was thinking it would be perfect for my hobbies lol. Also, Glad your back! I love watching these videos!

[@invendelirium]

Hi! Just wanted to say, i've recently switched my dremel to a nail drill, and with some mods the nail drill is just hands-down better. I've even posted a video about it, it's in russian though.

[@mwint1982]

Monitors in a half shell...Hexi power

[@nctb3429]

Yoo I checked just today if you had made another of these 3d print videos nice!

[@djtriggerfinger]

Nice man, if you drop that design at any point I will wanna make them to pair with the TB 3in sub enclosure I made.

[@tonywharton5220]

Ooof. Thump. Love them 👍

[@tonywharton5220]

@@HexiBase Sound amazing through my Skullcandy Crushers. Amazing that such a small speaker packs a large punch. Definitely not impressed by this printer. There seems to be a new generation that don’t quite deliver. I’m still happy using my old Cr10 s. I’ve fitted auto level and a few other bits and it has never let me down.

[@juststuff5216]

14:21 - That's some bass depth right there!

[@nathanwatrous1519]

I love Hatchbox PLA. It just simply prints hassle free and looks great!!!

[@Adrian-sd5on]

Again you’ve made an outstanding sounding project Peter. Are you going to publish these stl files for us to experience as well? Please.

[@Diedevanabs]

Hear, hear! The .STL's and used parts would be awesome, these scream out to be replicated!

[@benupde1979]

I can’t imagine waiting that long for a box to print 😳 Your ‘hexibox’ took me only about 2.5 days to print entirely at 80% scale and 40% infill in ABS. Side note, fits a Rockford Fosgate HE2 8” sub perfectly and it sounds better than my RF HX2 10” sub in a bug box store huge vented enclosure. You should consider building a Voron 2.4 in 350x350x350 size for some of your large print ideas. Printing PLA you can likely print at 250mm/sec++ with results better than the Creality large format printer you have. Just an idea anyway. Massive thanks for sharing all these designs! I think i’ll try the ‘hexibox’ full size with PETG in the near future!

[@benupde1979]

Side note, that horizontal banding actually looks pretty cool on that box shape 🧐

[@aqhan]

Just got this printer and it prints like a beast! For 3 days, then it died. One thing I have to give to Mingda: an extremely responsive customer service. From the time I reached out to them,to the point they diagnosed the issue (failed PSU), to them asking for my shipping details, all-in-all, maybe 4 hours. At most. On the sidenote, printer handles overhangs up to 80 degrees, you just need to tune your temps for your filament. Cooling is good enough. Top tip: re-level your bed, then go to Cura and in machine settings, go to start gcode box and enter: M420 S1, right after the G28. For some reason, probably the omission, the default profile doesn't use the pre-levelled mesh. This fixes the issue. You'll only have to baby step the first print, very slighly, one you save, you really won't have to do it.

[@gerhardbotes3362]

Oky so I always had someone doing my sound and got tired cause its always the same thing bigger better but now I stumbled on your channel and I only know the basic your videos are very useful I got myself bench watching your videos..

[@deathjunior7755]

Funnily enough I've been running a pair of fountek fr88's in 3d printed spherical enclosures with a pair of pass radiators each for a few years now. I made a second set for my work from home desk using LaVoce Fan030's. Love the idea of 3d printed speakers enclosures. Even developed and printed a whole set of 5 speaker for a small home theatre setup. I've got a ways to go until I'm on your level with tuning though. At the moment I'm using/making the most basic of crossover networks with no notch filters.

[@deathjunior7755]

@@HexiBase thanks for the reply. I got lucky with these little full ranges. Haven't needed a crossover on either. Though I couldn't afford the desk space to give them as optimal of air space as yours. As for my component speaker sets I tend to run 2nd order linkwitz riley. I know the normal electrical uses electronics but the music effects amaze me. Still learning the hardware side of things, my only real experience with different crossovers has been signal processors like my audison bit 10 and my mosconi 4to6. So much more to learn. Love to see your videos, I'm always waiting for the next one.

[@wric01]

Ideal use with bmr full range drivers, more bang for the buck. Coat inner with cheap coating rubber or silicone.

[@Mingda3d]

Hi, dear Pete. Thanks for your job. From the video we can see there are some layer shifts in the model, it is mainly due to the Z axes need to be adjusted. During the shipping, the Z axes will be pressed for a long time. It will affect the axises' accuracy. Here are some suggestions that will be helpful. 1. Please kindly check the Z axes rob whether they are bent or not. 2. If the Z-axis robs are straight please kindly add the gasket on the X-axis to decrease the shaking during printing. About the first layer cannot stick on the heating bed well, it seems the first layer is very thin, please kindly increase the baby step when making the first layer printing. It will be helpful. Baby step settings can be saved, no need to reset every time And as you said in the video, the MINGDA Magician X in your hand is the demo machine, considering the influence of long-time shipment, we have strengthened the fixation of the Z-axis on our following batch order since July. Hope our suggestions will be helpful for you. Thanks

[@VioletGiraffe]

Plastic not sticking to the table is a trouble for any PLA print in printers like this, and forget about ABS. You need a box case to keep the bed hot and prevent air movement cooling it down, and you need glue on the glass for better adhesion. PVA-based glue stick is one way, but there are many other possible solutions.

[@BH4x0r]

For glass beds i recommend 3DLac you don't need high temperatures on the bed so you don't get "elephants foot" bulging etc and everything sticks really well

[@adubs.]

I had a similar banding issue on my first printer. It ended up being the PID tuning on the nozzle temp. It was oscillating enough that it had similar banding. I watched this video via bluetooth on my FiiO k5 with tin t2 IEMs.

[@BradK02]

I still miss those Tombstone videos, I got no affiliation to Tombstone and no idea why I should watch but was enjoyable, to see life through someone else eye's for the first time being inthe other side of the planet.

[@McTroyd]

And again, an amazing piece of audio kit using a full-range driver. Magic, man -- it sounds awesome! Too bad about the printer. Perhaps they will have this ironed out in the firmware, but I'd still be inclined to wait a bit.

[@thnker]

Great video series! Could you comment on the use of servo control in subwoofers? What does that bring to the table? How does it change the enclosure design?

[@ryanlangan1060]

The band around the hull you noticed is part of the design of the benchy. It aligns with the floor of the boat, all good printers will have it.

[@randomdamian]

Hi, I'm always amazed of the quality of your videos, what lens and crop are you using?

[@vinnycordeiro]

Another incredible video! I've stopped working with audio almost 2 decades ago, but since I discovered your channel, and considering that now I have a 3d printer, I want to mess with it again. So much to learn, specially about digital audio treatment which I know basically nothing, or almost nothing. Any recommendations on where I should start looking to learn? Have a nice day!

[@ponakka]

Look the minidsp 2x4hd or adau 1701 wondom dev boards.

[@RyanStone143]

@@ponakka I love my minidsp. Helped my truck's system sound great.

[@brandoneich2412]

Slightly loosening the the nuts/screws on lead screw nuts should help. It will allow for a little movement in the leadscrew, so the wobble of the screw isn't directly translated into the print.

[@gerardfernandes3332]

Good video montage and content, as always! If I can help, I think that the issue with bed-leveling was related to CURA that send a G28 code before any print. This code just reset all auto-leveling mesh stored in the printer. Try adding G29 after G28 in the cura printer settings, it should do the trick!

[@Iisakkiik]

Add enough rounding to the top inside and not (much) bridging needed eather.

[@Nathan123Bhi8]

Nice video ! Btw I’m wondering, is there a full version of the intro song ? If yes, I’d like to know where it is. Thanks

[@karoljurgielewicz98]

Amazing video as always! Great review of 3D Printer, great project of Studio Monitors and awesome commentary!!! I simply love your videos! Ps. What is that last demo loop? It's awesome and perfect for testing subwoofers! :)

[@karoljurgielewicz98]

@@HexiBase Awesome :D! But is there any option to get it? For personal use only of course. :)

[@cnall3092]

Totally would pay money for the complete track!

[@kageofkonoha]

Incredible video. I would recommend you look at the Voron Printers. It will cut down on your print times while keeping really good quality. Its in a class of its own.

[@wekkimeif7720]

Lead screw doesn't need to wobble or be visibly bent to eye to be still bent. Most of the lead screws on printers are always bit bent, no company sells 100% fault free lead screws. You can how ever fix it mostly by adding connectors on lead screws that have ball bearings that negate some of the wobble

[@KiraSlith]

Took me a minute to realize which is which. The one on the left is the messed up print. It's bass response is stronger, but it sounds like it is missing some highs in turn.

[@FabriDragon]

Build plate is probably flexing up and down within heating threshold temps. CNC kitchen did a great video on that

[@joshsekel]

That banding issues might be a result of the bed heating. The firmware may be set to use bang-bang heating instead of PID. Bang-bang is pretty crude and results in big platform temp swings, which manifests itself as vertical banding on the print as the bed expands and co tracts. The only reason I say this over lead screw wobble is the frequency of the banding seems to change near the top of each print, and lead screw wobble shouldn’t change like that.

[@wyliebutler]

Great job!! Is there a parts list/supplier suggestion? Would love to give them a try!

[@goomgoom5504]

Great video. I love your projects. Do you ever put synthetic wool inside the enclosures?

[@tomthompson7400]

They look great ,, I actually like the ribbed effect , but understand its annoying if its not actually planned .

[@michaelfrancis1]

PS To make the test more inclusive, played a song by Erra, Vanish Canvas (Thinking it may be louder) It also peaked at 100db Noyyyissss! Your process is Fantastic! M

[@megamond]

Fantastic audio project. Presumably, adding cone mass to the "drone cone" (passive radiator) is the electromechanical equivalent of adding mass to the main transducer's cone - sucks more current from the amplifier, the electrical equivalent of adding a parallel capacitance load in Thiele-Small parameters? No biggy, but the bottom end bass gain is presumably ultimately contributed by the amplifier, just like the "smile" EQ curve shown at c. 2 min mark

[@meridianfrost2890]

Holy shit! Look at you go! 117k subscribers. It was nice to watch one of your videos after so long. Internet nostalgia for content creators should be studied in its own representative demographic. Cheers.

[@Venom2U]

Listening in a set of Sennheiser PXC 550-II's through my PC I was surprised at the low end extension of of these small drivers. They hang on the transitions down low though. Or could be a KZbin compression issue. Other wise they sound nice and warm. A little soft on the high end, but not harsh like I was expecting.

[@Jo037]

If I had a 3D printer I would have too many small speakers that I wouldn't know what to do with them. I really like your production style nowdays! I've been watching since the shed days. I'm listening with Pioneer CS-R700 and Behringer A800 tuned flat with bit more low bass and a little bit less top end to suit my liking. Bougth a RTA mic long time ago when I saw you use one on the build with the 4 MTX? subs back in the day.

[@soniclab-cnc]

sounds like some Massive VST in the first track... wow wow wowowowa

[@nathanwatrous1519]

Also check the direct drive system. check the gears for evenness when rotating.

[@christopherburbidge972]

I have Adored Every Design I’ve ever gotten from you and other family members have too! Thank you for your time and knowledge! We very much appreciate you, Pete! On a side question, can you show us (your viewers) a Spectral Decay on these speakers and maybe even offer it for the Subs? Subs are going to hold it longer of course due to mass but I can imagine that you don’t do open baffle design for Home Audio or do you!? Can your setup show that?

[@kuuhgle]

Wow, can you post a link to your cable de-isolator? Looks amazing!

[@prxrb]

you could totally print this in one piece! Print it upside-down, turn off supports, and use bridging! It'd be a little ballsy though

[@DeBoSS212]

just rewatched and listened on my symphony nrgx headset

[@geordiepom]

Just came across your videos. Very nice. Do you have any links to hardware used?

[@0525ohhwell]

I would take manual bed level knobs any darn day of the week.

[@bobgodd]

Thanks for another incredible video. We've already printed one of your tang band mini sub enclosures, super cool! Do you have a suggestion box? Consider this my submission: do you have any interest in midbass enclosures for car audio? There's a lot of people cramming their brains trying to figure out ways to get bigger drivers in their rattling doors for good midbass, however I'd bet a nice slim enclosure with a smaller woofer would do a great job. Just a thought! Keep up the great work.

[@awlogue]

I'd love to see you do a video about ABS vs PLA for speaker enclosures, but ABS prints that big definitely need an enclosed (and possibly heated) build volume. I have such a printer, and would be happy to supply you with some prints if you can't get an enclosed printer as a review unit

[@TheEnderman67]

Great choice using Emotiva for amplification! Also is that Foobar2000 I see on the laptop during the demo?

[@claushollen]

Any plans of making a ultra compact sub, like the kef kc62? But passive. Regards Claus

[@Dia1Up]

"Yes, I just decided it's a She, now, look at this box" Hexibase. 10/10

[@Jason_Bacon]

You make it hard not to get a printer and start making an enclosure for the work truck. Have you done any comparisons with different materials? Something like the carbon reinforced stuffs.

[@NickPaul41]

I wouldn't mind seeing what your take would be on headphones.

[@kruger12311]

You should be able to safe Z-offset to eeprom within the menu or with a gcode command.

[@lagunacorona]

I have been seeing the results of some of your boxes on those really small speakers producing some incredible bass. I wonder if 3D printing vented enclosure brackets for oval drivers would sound like. Like on 6x8s or 6x9s. Furthermore if it was possible I would totally love to get the best enclosures for all my driver's if it improves overall sound. Is it worth it?

[@SnarlingParrotSound]

Great job… just wondering why you don’t add any damping material inside?