Need recommendations on good but cheap bookshelf speakers I can modify to improve

[keilau]

Why not get a speaker kit and help her build her own speakers? She can finish it to match her décor. The PE C-Note looks to be a pretty impressive speaker for $100 and I have to believe better than most vintage speakers that would need some kind of repair.

C-Note MT Bookshelf Speaker Kit Pair with Knock-Down Cabinets

A kit build is a very good suggestion from the sound perspective and an excellent value for money. And fun for whoever does that.

However, there are secondary considerations. An unfinished MDF cabinet can be easily covered by plastic self-adhesive film if look is not important. A good looking piano paint or wood veneer finish takes lots of work and can be expensive.

 

[Bigun]

Surely there are other ways to finish mdf - why not simply go with a matt finish ?

 

[djoffe]

I'm guessing that the Tritrix speakers are a little above your budget, but it turned out nicely...and building the kit would be educational and great fun!

TriTrix MTM TL Speaker Components And Cabinet Kit Pair

 

[Konzentr8]

The Overnight Sensations i suggested are birchwood and could be stained and / or painted ,
foe example a walnut stain on the baffle with the cab painted black would look nice , combinations are endless

 

[keilau]

Surely there are other ways to finish mdf - why not simply go with a matt finish ?

An unfinished MDF cabinet will sound perfectly fine. Painting is optional.

MDF has 2 problem in painting.

1. The edge is rough and absorbant, so are most other wood. Fill it with wood putty and sand before start painting.
2. Most paint does not adhere to MDF well. Water based paint is even worse. Use a coat of primer.

Share your painting experience and show some picture of the finished product. Mine looks like this. But it took multiple days and many coatings. (Not to say a few tries.)

 

[DreadPirate]

I have the Pioneers with the Dennis Murphy mod which I did myself. The end result is a very pleasing, well balanced speaker (the original Pioneer is somewhat "boomy," this is corrected by the mods). It is not the most efficient speaker, yet works very well with even the TA2024. It is all in what you want to do, the possibilities are endless. The C-Note which I have not heard appears to be fantastic bang for the buck, I'd go for it if I didn't already have 50 pairs of speakers to get rid of. Might anyway. But also satisfying is finding a gem at a thrift store and re-foaming and re-capping, both cheap and easy projects.

 

[DangerBoy]

Have you checked how much the Pioneers currently sell for ? here in the U.K. the price shot up by ridiculous amounts after they got good feedback , i've seen them at GBP 350 which is an insane amount of money for a pair of ' budget ' speakers that , to me , sound dull and lifeless , another example of a product selling on the back of over hyped press reviews.

I can get them a LOT cheaper here. Cheapest I can find here is $140 CAD with shipping included. Shipping is from within Canada so no Duty or import fees at the border.

I'll look into the homemade speaker kits you suggested and may decide to go that route. Her Dad is a wood worker guy and has a lot of wood working equipment so he could get involved in the project as well. We could involve her in the build too which would be both fun and a great learning experience for her. The more I think about it, the more merit that suggestion has...

 

[Konzentr8]

PE have loads of kits and many can be supplied as component only , like the Tritrix suggested by djoffe , ideal if you know a competent woodworker.
As you say it would be a great project for all involved and at the end your friends daughter would have the satisfaction of pointing to her speakers and saying ' See them?
'I' made them '
Just wish PE would open a uk store although the last thing i need are more speakers .

 

[DangerBoy]

Thanks to all the great suggestions I'm getting, I'm seriously starting to lean in the direction of a speaker kit. The idea has many merits. It would be fun, educational and rewarding for her and it would be a great project that her and her Dad could work on together and do some bonding. I could help with the soldering and building of the crossovers and she could help with and learn a lot from that too. In the end, she could ultimately decide on how she wants to finish the cabinets to make them uniquely her own and take great pride in what she's helped to make. She's kind of an artistic type so she'll really like that aspect of it. It won't cost a lot AND she'll end up with a great set of speakers! Hard not to see all the positives in that idea. Win-Win-Win!

I talked to her Dad about it and he seems interested and also sees the benefits of the idea. My guess is we'll probably go that way...

 

[Konzentr8]

Come back and post the results when you're done , or with any issues you come across
in the process there's always someone on the site who can offer a solution , happy building.

 

[planet10]

...if you know a competent woodworker...

And one not need to consider multiway. For the budget one can put together a nice 1-way. Mark Audio Pluvia 7 (also available in silver) or Fostex FF105wk are 2 of many suggestions.

dave