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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 347 Registered: Oct-04 | Who here has any experience with DIY Speakers? Can some guy in his basement build speakers that exceed factory built speakers? Are the drivers, tweeters, crossovers, etc., available through catalogs & websites as good or better than "The Pros"? |
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Silver Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 678 Registered: Dec-03 | "Who here has any experience with DIY Speakers?" Me. "Can some guy in his basement build speakers that exceed factory built speakers?" Depends on what you're comparing them to. "Are the drivers, tweeters, crossovers, etc., available through catalogs & websites as good or better than "The Pros"?" There are still many driver manufacturers selling to hobbyists and many of those offer extremely high quality drivers. There's no such thing as one crossover for different speakers. Each speaker design should have a crossover designed specifically for it. Trying to take a shortcut by purchasing a pre-made crossover without regard for the specific drivers and enclosure will certainly result in disappointment. If you lack the proper design/measurement equipment and experience in doing speaker design you're better served purchasing a kit or following a proven, published design. There's no such thing a successfully designing "by ear". |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 349 Registered: Oct-04 | Tim, You've moved over to the "pro" side these days (hopefully for good). |
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Silver Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 778 Registered: Dec-04 | Christopher, yes, you can build some speakers for yourself, for cheap, that sound prety good. After a couple of re-do's. After a few cabinet reconstructs. After going back to the factory outlet for more coils. And iron centers. I have made some not bad speakers in the basement(used parts, no knowledge) But it must be a hobby. Nothing really good comes out of the project other than ok sound(and a bit of satisfaction, I might add). Why do you think companies are so successful at what they do, in the head to head dog fight that they live with? It is fun to build a box with radio shack and used XO's(Ive had some blind luck), but the diverse selection available now buries one guys hope of creating a monster that somebody else cant do better, cheaper, and most likely, prettier. If you build a good speaker for yourself, good for you! Comparisons are a harsh bit of reality. If you like what you have made, good for you! And enjoy! |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 350 Registered: Oct-04 | I'm not ready to build a speaker on my own...yet. I'm just facinated by how much there is to know. Nothing about about this subject is simple, there's so much to learn. Tim, how did you get started? Any sugested reading? |
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Silver Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 680 Registered: Dec-03 | Yes, I've moved to the pro side but your question was who has experience with DIY. Recommended beginner reading is David Weems' "The Great Sound Stereo Speaker Manual". More advanced reading is Vance Dickinson's "Loudspeaker Cookbook 6". Also, visit websites such as DIYAudio.Com. There is free and/or cheap design software and inexpensive measurement equipment available. Some companies such as Madisound will design a crossover for you if you buy the speaker components from them. I got started by having a great mentor named Dan Wiggins and making lots of friends, both hobbiests and professionals. |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 351 Registered: Oct-04 | Thanks Tim, I'm going to pick up Weems' book ASAP. What was your first DIY speaker? Where is it now? |
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Silver Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 682 Registered: Dec-03 | I'm in Quezon City relying on a dial-up connection so my usual reference material isn't easily accessible. I was thinking, using full range drivers in designs allows you a higher potential for success without the need for sophisticated measurement equipment. There are a few good Tangband 3" and 4" drivers as well as Fostex 4" and 6" drivers. These can be put into relatively easy to build enclosures and don't require a crossover. Add an active subwoofer and you've got a pretty good DIY system. IIRC, my first DIY design was based on Radio Shack model 40-1197 4" full range drivers. I used two per cabinet in a short tapered quarter-wave pipe, wired in parallel, push-push, with a single 4 ohm resistor to modify the system Q. It was quite the success and is still a popular design with the single full range driver crowd. I named it the BV1 (bipole Voigt pipe #1). I still have the original cabinets but the drivers are now in my wife's stereo system, still a bipole configuration but a stand-mount rather than a floorstanding cabinet design. |
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Silver Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 683 Registered: Dec-03 | I'm not sure if the FullRangeDriver.Com website is still active. If it is, you should be able to find my design there. If not, try the Full Range Driver section at DIYAudio.Com. The RS 40-1197 is near to impossible to get anymore but the Fostex FE103E is an acceptable substitute. |
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Silver Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 685 Registered: Dec-03 | I would not likely be forgiven if I didn't mention the CSS FR125S as a very good candidate for a single driver speaker. http://www.creativesound.ca |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 352 Registered: Oct-04 | I thought you might want to include the FR125S. |