Building The TABAOs ~ PicoOnken Surrounds For Nest GR8 Room System 08Dec25-08Jan26

PicoOnken Motivation... With the front array of TABAQ mains and the TABAD center channel in place in the Nest GR8 Room, the surrounds screamed for a custom upgrade. Enter my PicoOnkens, a tiny (2.9L) Onken design for the Tang Band W4-1337SDF. I also call it a TABAO (Tang Band Onken) to match the other like-outfitted full range speakers here. I probably shouldn't put so much into surrounds, but I do love a sound envelope with all drivers of the same timbre. Plus, it's winter and I needed a new project, and I like the smooth sound of Onkens. The PicoOnkens are excellent ~80Hz surrounds at 10ft; they are fit for purpose and compliment the front array perfectly. It'd be hard to do better for a relatively inexpensive, and simple to cut and assemble, DIY 5.1 system of full range driver speakers than the Nest TABA lineup in the GR8 Room. I'm pleased.

TABAO Design... I focussed on aperiodic restricted port design techniques and worked them around the Thiele parameters of the TB W4-1337SDF driver employed throughout the Nest GR8 Room. The 4" drivers are about ~$100 each. I fashioned a cabinet worthy of small room or bookshelf mains which is simply built from 12mm Baltic birch, like the other full range cabinets in this room. Sure, given the objective of tiny, efficient, economic, and using a specific driver, I only targeted 80Hz lows, and the tuned port delivers 78Hz, through the mid-bass, smoothly and very well. Too, the modeling shown is bass reflex, there's a bit more nuance with simulations for rectangular (and restricted) ports; they have different circumferences and resistances after all.

TABAO Build... The cut sheet from 5'x5' Baltic birch employs just 2 major cuts, 11cm wide with the grain (a rip) and 22.3cm across the remaining piece's grain (a crosscut), then chops are made to these planks to yield all the parts. All that was done quickly and I did a dry fit then my100mm hole saw cut the baffles for drivers. Assembly was also simple with lots of clamps and Titebond III. I lined the PicoOnkens with 1/2" carpet underlayment to stop resonances and restrict the port, with one side still off. I installed binding posts as well while the cabinets were still 'open.' I then glued the final side to the speaker, using spray adhesive again on the lining to the inside as I put it on ~ I can reach through the driver hole in the baffle to secure final damping material. Once assembled and dried I sanded and finished the speakers in my favored True Black stain and satin polyurethane. After fully dried I soldered in the drivers and attached them to the baffle using BluTack and screws for a good seal.

TABAO Measurement... The PicoOnkens sound great and they measure great in 2𝝿 space against a wall as well. Before installing them in the permanent surround spots, I did some sweeps. Of course they don't go too low but they are plenty flat from 80Hz up.

TABAO Install... These PicoOnkens are installed in the Nest GR8 Room 'theater' as raised rear surrounds. I did not want to have to alter suspension brackets after removing the old NHTs so I simply screwed the TABAOs onto the existing brackets, directly into the back of the cabinets. I let Denon's own Audessy subsystem remeasure then re-equalize & rebalance the system.

Nest GR8 Room Update... I removed the old NHT 1 mains from the mantle in the Nest GR8 Room. Unfortunately this left holes and exposed drywall and wires. I got some 1/8" one-sided paneling in about the right color and cut pieces to size on the band saw. I used my smallest nail gun to tack in the cover up pieces. It looks ok.

Nest GR8 Room Future... The front array of 3 speakers doesn't need help now but the PicoOnkens raged there and might be a nice add as wide centers or elevated fronts in the wide wing mantle spots or above and flanking the monitor if raised front presence can be consistently delivered to them. Hmmm.