The under $100 challenge

[amt]

Check out the Whamodyne project. All the drivers are still available and I believe the total is going to be around $100. The MCM woofers can be replaced with a PE 295-320 for $20 extra.

http://www.bottlehead.com/valve/whamodyne files/page2.html

Lots of woodworking and bulky, but efficient, dynamic and cheap.


amt

 

[RAW]

How about $60.00

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

How about $60.00
MCM 1855 woofers $10.00 each
MCM 480 tweeter $7.50 each
Crossover parts everthing just add shipping.
No copy right here I have pictures of the designs but this one is out online same drivers but the crossover has been modified as far as I know.

But

I would be glad to post the free design.
Originally done by Rick Craig I myself have built a few dozen of these sheilded and for the money a great bargin.
Impedance: 8 ohms
60Hz range –20000Hz
12"H x 7.5"W x 9.25"D with a 1.5" port

 

[69stingray]

I'm making a standmount using the Dayton 7" aluminum cone. F3 in an EBS cab is 29Hz. I am trying to match it to a B&G Neo8 for mid and HF but maybe you can find something cheaper. Needs to cross around 700Hz ideally so a cheapo Mid dome and a cheapo tweeter might do.

Another option, stick with the 7" Dayton Aluminum and use a Tang Bang 2" Driver http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=264-806 , it has a flat response to about 10 kHz. With an Fs of 165 Hz, you should be able to cross it over around 750 Hz to the 7".

30 - 10,000 Hz for $32 in drivers, plenty of $$ for crossover. If you have $$$ left over add a small tweeter to fill in the high end, like Dayton 3/4" Dome ( http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=275-030 )

 

[ScottG]

flat to 16 Hz just isn't going to happen at any decent spl.

Considering what a good crossover costs, I'd go for a high quality wide bandwidth fullrange and use a really cheap woofer in a bandpass enclosure. No crossover's neccesary.

I'd suggest member TonyG's solo 103 (without the corrective network):

http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/

http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Solo103.html

http://www.madisound.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cart_id=4002200.15700&pid=320

cost about 65 US for the fullranges, doesn't leave much for the bandpass drivers - did I say cheap.. I meant REALLY CHEAP.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=299-136

and now were about out of cash.. (and that doesn't include shipping, wiring/connectors, box material, etc.)

 

[pinkmouse]

If I were in this situation, I'd be looking for something old and classic to turn up on eBay for 50$, then after listening to them for a while, spend 30$ on upgrading the crossovers and 20$ on beer...

 

[tomtt]

Originally posted by cotdt...


but they don't offer the bass output to satisfy college students.

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little speakers will not "satisfy college students"

4 of these per box-

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=299-738

and 1 of these-per box-

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=272-104


note the qts of these drivers-2.09 = bass

 

[jp88]

one other thought might be the dayton aluminum 7 inch with the hivi b3-n. It wouldn't quite get you to the rs -225 but it would fit in your budget and would probably sound pretty good

 

[Nordic]

My bad, I thought Peter M. was looking at importing...
Even I wish I lived in the states to get acces to some of those bargains sometimes... their international shipping policy leaves alot to be desired though.

 

[prerunnerv6]

There are some plans on zaphaudio.com for under $100 speakers, but they don't offer the bass output to satisfy college students. And yes, I've heard them, even built the Hi-Vi 3" design myself. I already have great speakers, but I'm interested in building some cheap speakers with great bass output for some friends and family. I was thinking of mating the Hi-Vi 3BN to the Dayton RS225, but that exceeds the $100. The requirement is under-$100 not including cabinets, which are free to me. And high-output clean bass of course. The speakers need to be highly detailed, transparent, and low linear and nonlinear distortion. Also want a flat frequency response to at least 16kHz. Want decent power response. So... are you up to the challenge?

This may be cheating, but do you have any decent car audio equipment not being used?

Coming from a car audio background, I had some decent drivers and crossovers just sitting in boxes. A few weeks ago I decided to use some matching 100 rms 6.5 mids and 1" tweeters with some Crystal Mobilesound x-overs. They have -3db tweeter attenuation and a selectable highpass setting.

I went to Radio Shack and picked up some Presidan bookshelf speakers ($40), sealed the ports, and replaced the drivers with my above equipment.

For $40, it sounds really good. Relatively high sensitivity, good bass response, and non-fatiguing high end. (Listening to Joss Stone for an hour was very enjoyable.) I can play them by themselves or along with other larger speakers and they blend in well. And I know the drivers are made to play at high volume for extended periods of time. So they can take some abuse.

 

[prerunnerv6]

I made a 2 way speaker with the partsexpress 8" pioneer fullrange + vifa tweeters. The bass in the sealed box was articulate by my standard, but if you want extension, you'd have to port it. If you want highend extension, definitely go with a supertweeter. I'd go for these http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&PartNumber=297-409&DID=7 if you're on a tight budget.

Any pictures or details? Which vifa tweeters? What x-over method did you use? Did you just use a cap for the tweeter? If so, what value?

Is that enough questions?

 

[rabbitz]

The example speaker in the Design and Construction Guide in the Wiki was an exercise in building a speaker that would still sound good for minimum bucks (had to beat the B&W DM303). Would come close to scraping in at around US$100.

It does go down to 48Hz but I'm afraid the college types would destroy it as it doesn't have the power handling. It's more about good sound and refinement than boom boom doof doof. All about compromises and choosing your priorities and for $100, doesn't give much room for designs.

I still think your best bet is to pick up some larger speakers off eBay that you can thrash while you are going off your head.

 

[DeonC]

How about open-baffle? Only problem is size.

How about open-baffle? Only problem is size. For a really cheap speaker I used drivers from Parts Express.

First the Really Cheap Design:

Tweeter:
Goldwood GT-1016 2" x 5" wide dispersion piezo horn tweeter
Price: $1.44 each

Midrange:
Pioneer A11EC80-02F 4.5" full range
Price: $10.90 each

Bass:
Goldwood GW-212/8 12" OEM woofer 8 ohm
Price: $18.95 each

Put these on a flat baffle of 1.2 meters (about 4 ft.) tall and 350mm (about 13.8") broad. Crossover points at about 300Hz and 5kHz. You might need a steeper than 1st order XO for the mid's upper end (see the response sheet on the PE website as per the link above). With the baffle about 300mm (12") off the back wall, you should get bass well into the low 40Hz. Thorsten's XL Baffle shows an in-room power response of about 105dB at about 44Hz. Not bad. The total cost for the drivers is US$62.58. That is well below your target of US$100

Now for the Highest Cost (and performance) design:

Tweeter:
Goldwood GT-1016 2" x 5" wide dispersion piezo horn tweeter
Price: $1.44 each

Midrange:
Pioneer B20FU20-51FW 8" full range
Price: $24.50 each

Bass:
Goldwood GW-215/40/8 15" OEM woofer
Price: $34.95 each

Put these on a flat baffle of 1.2 meters (about 4 ft.) tall and 450mm (about 17.7") broad. Crossover points at about 150Hz to 100Hz and between 5kHz and 10kHz. With the baffle about 300mm (12") off the back wall, you should get bass well into the low 30Hz. Thorsten's XL Baffle shows an in-room power response of about 105dB at about 35Hz. This is also very good for the money. The total cost for the drivers is a little over budget at US$121.78.

Now for the Best Compromise and Performance Design (IMHO that is):

Tweeter:
Goldwood GT-1016 2" x 5" wide dispersion piezo horn tweeter
Price: $1.44 each

Midrange:
Pioneer B20FU20-51FW 8" full range
Price: $24.50 each

Bass:
Goldwood GW-212/8 12" OEM woofer 8 ohm
Price: $18.95 each

See my comments on the Really Cheap Design for comments about bass response, and the Highest Cost design for comments on possible XO points. This would be the design that I would attempt given the various pemutations available. The total cost for the drivers is also well under budget at US$89.78.

The only thing counting against these designs is the sheer size. ITO price/performance ratio I doubt you would be able to do much better, but others may differ in their opinion.

Please note that these ideas are just some ideas that I have been playing about with, and I have not tested or built these units. I have also not really taken into consideration baffle step, so that should also be taken into account. This was just a fun excersize, but I do think the results could be very good.

To better model these please download Thorsten's XL Baffle spreadsheet. The newest one can be downloaded here:
Download site

Or the direct download link:
XL Baffle

Enjoy,
Deon

 

[UNDERSTANDIN]

It's a little over $100, but can give the low response needed.
Two DA175, one B3S and one ND20FB-4 tweeter.

http://www.pesupport.com/cgi-bin/config.pl?read=270203

 

[dwk123]

Geez, Understandin beat me to it. It will go somewhat over $100, and it's only a 'design on paper', but that combo looks like it would offer incredible value.
You *might* be able to drop one woofer per side and rework the xover, or possibly look at other closeout woofers for candidates. However, the B3N+Dayton Neo combo at $15/side for great performance from say 400Hz on up strikes me as a great combo as the centerpiece of a rock-bottom budget 3-way system.

There's also the 'Golden Boys' from the PE showcase using a bunch of cheap/closeout drivers. I"m not sure whether it's under $100/pr or not, but it'll be very close. These fit the 'college dorm' target - unabashed rock-n-roll speakers.

Other '3-way' ideas - You could probalby find some car audio 6x9 3-ways for under $100, but I'd doubt they would be better than a well-executed 2-way. Maybe pairing up some 5 or 6-inch auto coaxials with the 12" Goldwood closeout woofer from the GoldenBoys - you'd still have the xover cost problem, but it might be workable.

So, I do think it's unlikely that a decent 3-way can be done for a true $100/pr simply because of the xover cost - the parts for the woofer xover are going to be relatively pricey. In the 'really, honestly under $100 (not including cabinet)' (note - what exactly is the point of setting an arbitrary cutoff for just the drivers/xover but not the cabinet?) a 2-way is probably the only option, but you'll obviously be making sacrifices in bass extension and level.

 

[chainenoble]

here's another try.take
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=295-305
and
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=275-045

should be right around a 100$ with crossover.you could probly go cheaper on the tweeter like

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=279-095

actually the woofers model quite well.with a f3 of 36hz in a 1.2 3ft vented.plenty of extenion for a college student and should give good spls.anyway that's the best i good find

 

[cotdt]

A lot to digest here...

If I'm using the Hi-Vi 3", then a tweeter isn't needed. I've used this fullrange before, and it can already do treble quite well, clearer and smoother than a cheap tweeter, with good dispersion. However, it requires a notch at 8kHz which is expensive in terms of crossover components.

I can make measurements and design the crossover myself. But usually my crossovers cost far more than the drivers, driver cost only makes a small fraction of the total cost in my experience. So naturally the drivers must be selected so as to simplify the crossover, ideally eliminating the crossovers for the highpass altogether. Perhaps using an open baffle to create a natural rolloff would be more cost-effective than a crossover.

Low-pass crossovers tend to be expensive... =/
Any way I can utilize natural rolloff? Some of my favorite metal woofers need not apply here unfortunately....

 

[ScottG]

A lot to digest here...

If I'm using the Hi-Vi 3", then a tweeter isn't needed. I've used this fullrange before, and it can already do treble quite well, clearer and smoother than a cheap tweeter, with good dispersion. However, it requires a notch at 8kHz which is expensive in terms of crossover components.

I can make measurements and design the crossover myself. But usually my crossovers cost far more than the drivers, driver cost only makes a small fraction of the total cost in my experience. So naturally the drivers must be selected so as to simplify the crossover, ideally eliminating the crossovers for the highpass altogether. Perhaps using an open baffle to create a natural rolloff would be more cost-effective than a crossover.

Low-pass crossovers tend to be expensive... =/
Any way I can utilize natural rolloff? Some of my favorite metal woofers need not apply here unfortunately....

Hmm, perhaps you missed my suggestion on page 3?

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75224&pagenumber=3

 

[Josephjcole]

flat to 16 Hz just isn't going to happen at any decent spl.

Considering what a good crossover costs, I'd go for a high quality wide bandwidth fullrange and use a really cheap woofer in a bandpass enclosure. No crossover's neccesary.

I completly agree with this aproach. However I don't think the fostex 103 in a ported box will have enough excusion or power handling to meet the college student requirements. I would go for one of the tang-band drivers in a small sealed enclosure. A small sealed enclosure could physically limit excursion, and allow them to be run open. If one channel is all you need then
one 4" tangband $25
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=264-828
one 10" peerless in a bandpass enclosure $70
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&PartNumber=297-636&DID=7
and then some cheap cheap binding posts, a couple feet of cat5.
you might just get by for under $100.....
I imagine the peerless could kick out some serious bass as well in a well designed enclosure.

or the fullrange pioneer for $25.

Joe

edit: or of course if two channels are required then you only have $50 for a woofer, but still not too much trouble to find a decent $50 woofer for bandpass.

 

[ScottG]

I completly agree with this aproach. However I don't think the fostex 103 in a ported box will have enough excusion or power handling to meet the college student requirements. I would go for one of the tang-band drivers in a small sealed enclosure. A small sealed enclosure could physically limit excursion, and allow them to be run open. If one channel is all you need then
one 4" tangband $25
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=264-828
one 10" peerless in a bandpass enclosure $70
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&PartNumber=297-636&DID=7
and then some cheap cheap binding posts, a couple feet of cat5.
you might just get by for under $100.....
I imagine the peerless could kick out some serious bass as well in a well designed enclosure.

or the fullrange pioneer for $25.

Joe

edit: or of course if two channels are required then you only have $50 for a woofer, but still not too much trouble to find a decent $50 woofer for bandpass.

true.. there is however a world of difference between the sound quality on the 103e and even the best of the tangbands.. so IF you want higher spl's then the tangband is the way to go, but if you want excellent sound quality at moderate spl's then the fostex is the way to go..

 

[cotdt]

true.. there is however a world of difference between the sound quality on the 103e and even the best of the tangbands.. so IF you want higher spl's then the tangband is the way to go, but if you want excellent sound quality at moderate spl's then the fostex is the way to go..

i want both, and a lot of bass as well. what could be done?