Several people have contacted us regarding the steel plinth because they see that some Tiny Radials are now offered without the plinth.

The plinth was originally created to add weight to the Tiny Radial which kept it from walking around on your desk when turned up too loud.  This is because the original Tiny Radials were all made from 5/16" panels of solid hardwood.

All new Tiny Radials are made from either 3/4 inch solid hardwood, or carved from a solid block of hardwood so they are much heavier than the original Tiny Radials and do not require the steel plinth for the added weight.

So from here on out, when you see Tiny Radials offered with the Steel Plinth, it is for largely cosmetic reasons.  It adds a more high-end feel to the product.

Hope that helps!

Steve

Behind the scenes I have been working on hydro-dipping a pair of tiny radials and I finally did it and got a perfect pair.  It took two dips for each one, and a lot of custom airbrushing but perfect and ready for clear coat.

Then I clear coated them. After it hardened, I sanded out the dirt and peel and went through the finish on the first one. Unit destroyed. That was fun. One is perfect, the other is toast. If I ever get MY VERSION of a hydro-dipped pair of tiny radials perfected and for sale on on the site, expect it to be costly. How I managed to make the Christmas pair last year in my kitchen sink with spray cans is an absolute mystery to me. God's evil sense of humor perhaps.

Steve

Welcome to the forum and the family! Give 'em a work out for a few days and then report what you're hearing!  Also send us some pics of them in action if you can!

Steve

Here is the first one that I dipped all 6 sides in a single dip.

My biggest worry and the most horrifying part of the learning curve, the activator, seems to be no longer a big concern. I've gotten it right almost every time now without over or under activating it and all the aggravating consequences that come with either.

Some of you will get a kick out of this, but I am starting to trip on the fact that the spray gun I bought for the activator is still working perfectly without so much as a single hick-up.  It's like a machine man... You know, when you don't live in a castle and shave with titanium razor blades, you get used to everything "almost" working perfectly... but never quite, and never for very long.  So it is a real joy to experience another precision tool in my shop.

I mean look at it... it's not hard to visualize the satisfaction that comes after using a spray can for 55 years with spray can results and then be able to make this happen : ).  

So this is tickling my artistic side as I come up with new combinations which could be thought of as models, because so far everything I have done I can almost exactly duplicate.

I like that you’re not afraid to keep going, fiery pit be damned.

My TR experience check in...

I now have a few weeks on my HPTR's and can confirm that they are great as a small desktop speaker choice.

I'm using them as a replacement to a 2.1 Klipsch "computer speaker" setup that I've had for many years. Luckily, I was able to incorporate the Klipsch sub with the TR's, which I feel is a must have compliment.

I have them sitting nearfield on my desk, playing through a mediocre stack (Schiit DAC, Loki EQ, Lyr preamp, and the ss amp built into the Klipsch sub (lmfao)). This frankenstein setup, plus weeks of break-in, is producing a surprisingly good experience. The sound is rich for it's size, with a lean towards brightness (it's a ~2inch driver after all). Vocals are vibrant, acoustic instruments sound great, and details are clearly present. From time to time, I do believe I can hear the cabinet resonate, but it's no biggie.

As others have mentioned, the imaging/sound stage is quite interesting. Centered sounds seem to materialize out of the middle of my monitor, while stereo snaps come from well beyond the speaker locations. Really neat. P.S. my desk is positioned fairly close to side & front walls.

I will say my ears either got accustomed to their sound or driver break in is rather transformative on these things. At first, they sounded thin, like a decent headphone that was playing speaker-side-out on the desk. They were sharp and sibilant. Using a healthy dose of EQ got me through the first couple days. Weeks later and I've found I'm barely using it. I have bumped the 80-400hz for a bit more weight/presence/body in bass instruments and deep vocals, but that's about it. Depending on the song/content, I no longer have to subdue the higher frequencies.

I will reiterate that these are still small speakers. They sound amazing for their size (and they get plenty loud!), but it's apparent that a tiny driver is dancing. It's why a fast accompanying sub is critical, in my opinion. Without one, this sample loses much of its kick drum (though the speed on the snare is pretty awesome): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TafemiokvfQ. With one, you can let the TR's shine in their mids/highs and transparency.  Shallow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_efYhYU2A, pardon the cliche), Motherboard (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz7YiQdNmZ8) and Blind-Hearted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPuCEG7moDM) shouldn't sound this good from such a small package. Are they going to serve as the L/R for a home theater? No. Though using them as nearfield surrounds could be interesting...  haha

Combining the small, unobtrusive footprint, craftsmanship + unique look, and sound, the TR's succeed at their intent - great music from a tiny package. Anyone looking for the L/R of a desk setup should definitely consider them, especially if you want people to drop their jaws after asking "where is all that music coming from" and you point to these Foster-can-sized blocks. Plus, it helps support Decware and the work they do. I'm very interested to see the conclusion of Steve's new concept speakers.

P.S. Another fun note - due to their vertical firing orientation, you get to "feel" the music through desk vibrations while you type!

To continue with my comment about taping up the mitre-folded boxes… you might want to try a tape with heavier paper and better adhesion than green painter’s tape. AllPro Gold or similar. Makes a difference!

Kevintor - welcome to the forum!  And you're right about the tape!

So the build went basically flawless for a refreshing change ; )  It just took twice as long because you have to go really slow.  This wood is so dense that oil will stand on it for weeks.  Nevertheless having always done a high gloss polished finish on the past burl models I have decided to just dip it in the ol' can of raw linseed oil this time.

The color and the warmth of a hand oiled finish and the feel is more pleasing to me than a high gloss piano finish and since these are for myself, I dipped them tonight and ironically was so struck by the high gloss of the standing oil that I had to take some pictures and a short video.



As you can see besides mass and strength, these solid wood designs have no miters in the corners so you can follow the grain pattern through the corner : )

This is straight off the phone, but there are a few good frames in the video.  Nothing like wet oil.  

https://www.decwaretinyradials.com/?pgid=kqu9izpo-f0d5f064-b66e-46fe-9064-7d5bcd...

Beautiful work Steve, I've always admired the burl tiny radials you've built. Hope you enjoy this new pair immensely!

Cheers,

HK

So pretty!

Do some in Koa!

Burl wood sure makes a fancy appearance!

Steve, what ever became of the idea of the three layer lens that looked like a Pagoda roof?

Brian

Groovy!  As we used to say.
Thanks, Steve.

Brian