And, with FR at a reasonable price, the very best designs all require you to DIY (whether you do it, or pay someone to do it for you), these are just not readily available commercially.
dave
I think it was MarkAudio here who said that the cost in China is actually 5% of the retail cost. So, if you buy two $25 drivers, then you automatically have a $1000 stereo system. (OK, just kidding. Heehee.) 
I can't speak for everyone here, but for me, I bought some drivers (still currently in a box) to start to learn this as a hobby partly because I spent 3 years trying to develop a method to make money in the financial markets and nearly went insane. I did not succeed. I took two months off and now feel more "recovered" and more comfortable (especially since I sent my income tax statements which seemed like a daunting task given my situation). But, I also wanted to learn a few things about electronics (just opened my "Electronics for Dummies" book) and just "do things". I mean I never really "did anything" (I mean in do-it-yourself projects).
I think though it might be a bit prudent to start experimenting with cheaper speakers (like the Aura NS3 193 or Fountek FE85, guess who's idea that was ,"ehum" poster up there).
On a passing note, I'd like to say this. I remember the wonderful large boomboxes of the early 1980's. And when I saw some large TDK radio boomboxes in a store, I desperately wanted to believe they sound good. Fact is, I thought they were acceptable but not extraordinary. And when I went from one store to the next to listen to small shelf stereo systems even though I listened to brands like Yamaha, NAD, JVC, Sony, Panasonic, only the Onkyo CS-325 (current model is CS-345) sounded cool to me. But even then, when I read reviews, some stated the system sounds better with superior speakers. Sounds even better I thought? I figured if you CAN make a system like that sound better, I'd like to know how. (Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason" really sounded good on the Onkyo system.) Perhaps one day I'll build my own eccentric boombox with full rangers in a FAST configuration and built-in tube amp and DVD-audio player.
I can't speak for everyone here, but for me, I bought some drivers (still currently in a box) to start to learn this as a hobby partly because I spent 3 years trying to develop a method to make money in the financial markets and nearly went insane. I did not succeed. I took two months off and now feel more "recovered" and more comfortable (especially since I sent my income tax statements which seemed like a daunting task given my situation). But, I also wanted to learn a few things about electronics (just opened my "Electronics for Dummies" book) and just "do things". I mean I never really "did anything" (I mean in do-it-yourself projects).
I think though it might be a bit prudent to start experimenting with cheaper speakers (like the Aura NS3 193 or Fountek FE85, guess who's idea that was ,"ehum" poster up there).
On a passing note, I'd like to say this. I remember the wonderful large boomboxes of the early 1980's. And when I saw some large TDK radio boomboxes in a store, I desperately wanted to believe they sound good. Fact is, I thought they were acceptable but not extraordinary. And when I went from one store to the next to listen to small shelf stereo systems even though I listened to brands like Yamaha, NAD, JVC, Sony, Panasonic, only the Onkyo CS-325 (current model is CS-345) sounded cool to me. But even then, when I read reviews, some stated the system sounds better with superior speakers. Sounds even better I thought? I figured if you CAN make a system like that sound better, I'd like to know how. (Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason" really sounded good on the Onkyo system.) Perhaps one day I'll build my own eccentric boombox with full rangers in a FAST configuration and built-in tube amp and DVD-audio player.
fakeout:
So to reboot the conversation, exactly which drivers do you have awaiting a decision on enclosures?
If nothing else, I'd recommend you start breaking them in - even if just in their cardboard shipping boxes - I've yet to hear a small wide band driver that didn't need that, and I'm sure it wouldn't take long to find tales of folks disappointed with the first noise out of completely fresh drivers, only to find that with as many as 200 hrs or so of playing time, they started to blossom.
Many here have spent decades playing this particular game, so it shouldn't be surprising that some of us have very strong predilections and occasionally get testy when certain lines of discussion call into question our motives or the solutions we've found work for us.
Penkka:
as Dave noted in previous post:
So to reboot the conversation, exactly which drivers do you have awaiting a decision on enclosures?
If nothing else, I'd recommend you start breaking them in - even if just in their cardboard shipping boxes - I've yet to hear a small wide band driver that didn't need that, and I'm sure it wouldn't take long to find tales of folks disappointed with the first noise out of completely fresh drivers, only to find that with as many as 200 hrs or so of playing time, they started to blossom.
Many here have spent decades playing this particular game, so it shouldn't be surprising that some of us have very strong predilections and occasionally get testy when certain lines of discussion call into question our motives or the solutions we've found work for us.
Penkka:
as Dave noted in previous post:
particularly with some of the drivers and enclosure styles under consideration ( eg FE206 / BLH ) the matter of room size can become a major constraint
The main reason I think is that they beam. People like to walk around in their living rooms and hear equal amounts of HF everywhere.
That's also the main reason tweeters became popular.
Smaller fullrangers (4 and down) only really start beaming severely at 10 Khz or so. A helper tweeter will get you a much wider listening field, without the need to filter the FR.
If you get creative with the placement you can avoid too much overlapping of the two sound fields and you can always ad an on/off switch for critical sit-down listening.
Good luck explaining all that to a random customer in a HiFi shop though.
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@Squeak
I was curious about that too, and think you are right.
Also there is something less spectacular about the sound that needs to grow on you i think. What i mean is that if i compare my alp7.3's sound to my old linn nexus speakers at first the nexus sounds "better". That is they boom/tweet better and by that they seem to sound fuller and brighter. However only when i start listening to music the nexus falls flat on its face compared to the alps; the boom/tweet almost blurs the music, and i actually never could listen to them for long.
But this is a quality that i suspect will never really blossom at a vendors place in a quick listening session.
Another point for going diy i think is once you know your drivers you can build upon that. What i mean is i started with some chr70 drivers in small boxes, upgraded to alps, and now (when the time und funds allow it;-) i will go for a fast with my alps.
So it's not a go the store, buy something and thats the end of it story.
I was curious about that too, and think you are right.
Also there is something less spectacular about the sound that needs to grow on you i think. What i mean is that if i compare my alp7.3's sound to my old linn nexus speakers at first the nexus sounds "better". That is they boom/tweet better and by that they seem to sound fuller and brighter. However only when i start listening to music the nexus falls flat on its face compared to the alps; the boom/tweet almost blurs the music, and i actually never could listen to them for long.
But this is a quality that i suspect will never really blossom at a vendors place in a quick listening session.
Another point for going diy i think is once you know your drivers you can build upon that. What i mean is i started with some chr70 drivers in small boxes, upgraded to alps, and now (when the time und funds allow it;-) i will go for a fast with my alps.
So it's not a go the store, buy something and thats the end of it story.
With regard to speakers....
To get something devoted purely to high quality sound without normal real world commercial limitations like traditional, necessarily conservative design dogma and cosmetic considerations.
Honestly I think if you are building a regular box speaker or monkey coffin (as they are disparagingly called by some) to attempt to better commercial designs for a given price point then the potential benefits are often small to nonexistent, especially for the novice DIY'er.
Do it for the love of it, for fun and learning, by all means but try not to delude yourself that throwing money at high quality drivers, expensive cap's and a 1st attempt with a crossover design package will beat a team of pro designers with better facilities, often with decades of experience.
DIY comes into its own with unusual designs that fit special requirements or are tailored to specific tastes.
Also you can build cutting edge designs that may appear strange to the average potential punter. Such designs are specialist enthusiast products which would necessitate very high prices when produced commercially.
In this category I would put OB's, massive waveguide designs, ESL's (yes I know there are commercial examples) and my favourites of them all the Linkwitz Pluto's, for me a significant improvement over any of the box speakers, mini monitors and ESL's that I have owned and used. However they are active and made of plumbing components, sell that in a shop!
It's the difference between National Geographic pics and Ansel Adams (he made colour too you know) or a tarded up working girl and a classy lady. ;-)
Trouble is with helper drivers is that you will always get the naive question: "what is really the difference anyway then if you have to use more than one driver?".
The zen-minimalism of one driver most people seem to grasp. But when you start to add more, you have explain some more. And most people don't really seem to care by then.
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Hi all,
And thank you all for your constructive response. As you suggested it would most probably be clever to start with something not too big, also because my listening room is quite small ( <20 sqm ) The example with the FE206E was mainly to get a price for comparison, and also because I've seen it used in quite many projects on this forum. My old stereo set is about to retire so I started thinking about getting new amp. Which made me search for different alternativs for speakers, and that is how I ended up here. I like to listen to almost all kinds of music: rock, blues, pop, jazz, almost anything with a beat in it. And I like to listen to it. Not only as background music.
I don't use to set a price on the amount of hours I put on my hobbies. For me, paid hours are work, not hobby. As I mentioned, I too enjoy the process of making things myself instead of always buying it, even though the money spent during the process of making it sometimes is about the same as it was on the pricetag (if not more).
Reading your input and combining it with my own thoughts, some of the reasons for DIY speakers could be (not necessarily in this order):
a. enjoying the process of making something, i.e. a hobby
b. the possibility of getting something that is more suited for your needs instead of something straight from the assembly line
c. curiosity and the will to learn new things
d. the thrill when you try to imagine what the finished speaker will sound like
e. the feeling when you have finished your project and you (hopefully) are very pleased with the result
f. feeling like a kid at christmas planning your next project
I must say that I really enjoy reading this forum. You all seem to have a genuine interest in what you are doing and also a very wide knowledge, and it is nice to see that you so generously provide each other with help and share thoughts about how to do things best. Pictures, plans, and shared ideas gives newbies like myself good possibilities to pick up a new hobby, thank you!
The Frugel-Horn looks very interesting, and it was as a matter of fact one of the enclosures that opened my eyes. And Dave, you were right on spot about the cookies..
And thank you all for your constructive response. As you suggested it would most probably be clever to start with something not too big, also because my listening room is quite small ( <20 sqm ) The example with the FE206E was mainly to get a price for comparison, and also because I've seen it used in quite many projects on this forum. My old stereo set is about to retire so I started thinking about getting new amp. Which made me search for different alternativs for speakers, and that is how I ended up here. I like to listen to almost all kinds of music: rock, blues, pop, jazz, almost anything with a beat in it. And I like to listen to it. Not only as background music.
I don't use to set a price on the amount of hours I put on my hobbies. For me, paid hours are work, not hobby. As I mentioned, I too enjoy the process of making things myself instead of always buying it, even though the money spent during the process of making it sometimes is about the same as it was on the pricetag (if not more).
Reading your input and combining it with my own thoughts, some of the reasons for DIY speakers could be (not necessarily in this order):
a. enjoying the process of making something, i.e. a hobby
b. the possibility of getting something that is more suited for your needs instead of something straight from the assembly line
c. curiosity and the will to learn new things
d. the thrill when you try to imagine what the finished speaker will sound like
e. the feeling when you have finished your project and you (hopefully) are very pleased with the result
f. feeling like a kid at christmas planning your next project
I must say that I really enjoy reading this forum. You all seem to have a genuine interest in what you are doing and also a very wide knowledge, and it is nice to see that you so generously provide each other with help and share thoughts about how to do things best. Pictures, plans, and shared ideas gives newbies like myself good possibilities to pick up a new hobby, thank you!
The Frugel-Horn looks very interesting, and it was as a matter of fact one of the enclosures that opened my eyes. And Dave, you were right on spot about the cookies..
A good example of that is Ring Audio. Just as Frugel-Horn Mk3 wascoming to fruition, they were about to bring a slight variation of the FH1 with a tapped horn woofer (a DIY favorite) to market for 12k euros. An outraged DIY community (with the help of Srajan, who was about to do a serious review) shut that down, once Ring realized that they couldn't go to market without admitting that it was a diy design people could put together for <$400 and some love & effort (+ the tapped horn).
dave
Well, I mentioned that I bought a pair of Veravox 3X and Visaton R10SC. Originally, I thought I was just going to buy the Veravox 3X to test. Then I decided they look so cool and I found positive comments about them that I might do a "real project" with them. When I read they were made for a steered line array, I got confused as to whether I would just use it as a test speaker or a real one. I'm going to confuse everyone with my thinking process...
Anyway, at one point I was thinking about trying other cheap ones like Fountek FR88 (not the EX one) because the Visaton I got is for a Public Address system and the other for steered line arrays. Then I figured maybe the Aura NS3 193 or Fountek FE85, wait, why am I rambling...
In any case, I haven't ordered the terminal disconnectors or crimping tool yet and I'd prefer to wait until I get the replies from my 2007 income tax statement. (I was asked to do the 2007 provincial one which apparently I had forgotten.) So, I can't even put the speakers together now anyway.
I can't recall which conversation you're referring to. I'd probably answer your question if I knew specifically what it was.
The only comment that I can think of to address that is that sometimes I find the lack of discussion on other drivers overwhelming (i.e. few comments on Beyma, Monacor and I don't know how many others). If you're curious about the whole variety of drivers out there and people are talking like: "Mark Audio, Fostex, Mark Audio, Fostex...", it just sounds like a broken record. Besides this whole "there's not that many shielded drivers anymore" thing makes me wonder if or when I should replace my CRT monitor. Then I don't know how loud these full rangers are yet (to avoid too much noise to disturb my neighbor). Fact is, when I get letters detailing if I owe the government money on 2007 income taxes or whatever, I'll finally be able to hook up my speakers and start getting at least an idea of what I might like. Fortunately, one is 20 watts at 4 Ohms and the other 15 watts at 8 Ohms so at least that will tell me at least something. And the Lepai amp is 20 watts(x2) so I'll see.
I DIY for many reasons but the two most fulfilling are the ability to tune the speakers to the room, which with commercial speaker offerings is a craps shoot. Secondly, the raw power of understanding why they sound the way they do and what can be done to adjust things.
I must admit that watching friends experience my Home Theater for the first time and experience real dynamic range when the effects kick-in puts a smile on my face that would require a belt sander to remove. Have you ever seen someone jump over the couch they were sitting on when a special effects explosion takes place... I have
I must admit that watching friends experience my Home Theater for the first time and experience real dynamic range when the effects kick-in puts a smile on my face that would require a belt sander to remove. Have you ever seen someone jump over the couch they were sitting on when a special effects explosion takes place... I have
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In general, if you have the space and an understanding significant other, then a well designed backloaded horn speaker is one of the most satisfying and most cost-effective designs to DIY. By its very nature, commercial speakers of this kind are always expensive. They take many hours to make, which is free and simply fun for a DIY person. I made the very popular Viech ("Beast") backloaded horn design with and for a friend. Took a long time, but in the end for less than 300 euro per pair in total he has an amazing experience. An interesting aspect of this Viech is also, that contrary to my usual warnings, it seems to work remarkably well with several other FR drivers as well, which provides my friend with interesting evolution/upgrade paths.
On constructions:
In my case I don't have many tools, but my wood & mdf supplier can cut things nicely precisely, including round holes for the drivers and even angles on the sides of inside panels for when you want to build a complex horn, and they do all this for a reasonable extra cost. In essence I need only glue, clamps, and an electric drill. It is worth searching for such a supplier.
Coming back to speaker size. Personally, while small speakers are nice for acoustic music, you simply cannot have both good, full deep bass AND dramatic volume out of them. A well designed backhorn for a small speaker can be remarkable but you will simply feel the limitation compared to a real woofer.
Hence, while a good small speaker costs say $30-$80 and a good big fr unit costs between $130 and $300, if you consider the total project cost (esp. if you start working with material like baltic birch ply), all the time you will spend on it, and the fact that you'll likely want to listen to them for years, I do think that it's worth spending more to get that fuller sound. All to my taste of course, and provided you use a good design.
As an aside, about:
It is easy to buy many, many amusing speakers and then wonder what to do with them. However, as I mentioned before, for a newbie I can only recommend to select a well received and well documented project and simply buy the drivers for that project. For a first project it is best to take something proven, no headaches or worries or wasted money.
As a second aside, it does seem difficult to provide cost effective DIY alternatives to active two way monitor speakers. A few years ago I bought bi-amped Tascam VLX 5 monitors on promotional sale (200 euro per pair, keep in mind that hifi is typically 30-70% more expensive in Europe than in USA) as they were being discontinued; and I do think that it would have been difficult to beat these with a DIY design at the price. I now temporarily live in a Singapore apartment, meaning DIY is delayed for a few years, so I bought another pair of active bi-amped monitors by KRK as superior computer speakers (the tascams are used in a 2nd room, connected to an airport express) and I think again that it must be difficult to diy that quality at the price.
On constructions:
In my case I don't have many tools, but my wood & mdf supplier can cut things nicely precisely, including round holes for the drivers and even angles on the sides of inside panels for when you want to build a complex horn, and they do all this for a reasonable extra cost. In essence I need only glue, clamps, and an electric drill. It is worth searching for such a supplier.
Coming back to speaker size. Personally, while small speakers are nice for acoustic music, you simply cannot have both good, full deep bass AND dramatic volume out of them. A well designed backhorn for a small speaker can be remarkable but you will simply feel the limitation compared to a real woofer.
Hence, while a good small speaker costs say $30-$80 and a good big fr unit costs between $130 and $300, if you consider the total project cost (esp. if you start working with material like baltic birch ply), all the time you will spend on it, and the fact that you'll likely want to listen to them for years, I do think that it's worth spending more to get that fuller sound. All to my taste of course, and provided you use a good design.
As an aside, about:
It is easy to buy many, many amusing speakers and then wonder what to do with them. However, as I mentioned before, for a newbie I can only recommend to select a well received and well documented project and simply buy the drivers for that project. For a first project it is best to take something proven, no headaches or worries or wasted money.
As a second aside, it does seem difficult to provide cost effective DIY alternatives to active two way monitor speakers. A few years ago I bought bi-amped Tascam VLX 5 monitors on promotional sale (200 euro per pair, keep in mind that hifi is typically 30-70% more expensive in Europe than in USA) as they were being discontinued; and I do think that it would have been difficult to beat these with a DIY design at the price. I now temporarily live in a Singapore apartment, meaning DIY is delayed for a few years, so I bought another pair of active bi-amped monitors by KRK as superior computer speakers (the tascams are used in a 2nd room, connected to an airport express) and I think again that it must be difficult to diy that quality at the price.
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If I bought a pair of recommended drivers right from the start, I'd probably blow them up. That's why I bought $7 drivers (around $14 for 2) and a $24 amp. The others I couldn't stop myself from buying them because they were no longer made (at least for the current time from what I read). Plus, the Veravox 3X has a cool-looking teardrop shape in the middle even though they don't have mounting holes.
I'm currently using on-board sound with a pair of Creative T12 speakers I actually find pretty darn good. But, since I spent 3 years trying to develop a method to make money in the markets, I really wanted a way to occupy my brain.
I think I understand where the comments are coming from. However, what may be viewed by others as a source of confusion and frustration is actually a way for me to get my head away from trading which is actually relieveing to me. Even if I do become successful, I'll need a hobby.
My taste differs. I prefer not to give up the finesse & detail that a good small FR gives for a larger FR that gives more/better bass, but still doesn't do bass as well as a dedicated woofer. So if i find i'm missing the bass impact & dynamics i'll add dedicated woofers and relieve the FR of that job (allowing it to be even better at what it does).
In a small room, the bass from the small speaker is often enuff ...
dave
Fakeout,
If you like it, audio DIY is a very interesting hobby to occupy your brain. Once you do a proper build and play your music - chances are high that you will hear the difference and that will put a smile on your face. It is also likely that you will find that certain aspects could be/should be better - and that will drive you to further research and builds.
Warning/disclaimer - you might find yourself buying quite a few units of speakers and amps for experimentation if your time and surroundings allow. I am with Talerts on newbies starting off with a well documented project - it'll set a baseline of sorts of what you can expect from a well executed design.
I've had great pleasure and relaxation over the past year with the audio DIY hobby. You can learn a lot, get the satisfaction of building stuff, meet new folks at the forums, have (constructive) debates at times, and at the same time enjoy some good music!
Have fun!
-Zia
If you like it, audio DIY is a very interesting hobby to occupy your brain. Once you do a proper build and play your music - chances are high that you will hear the difference and that will put a smile on your face. It is also likely that you will find that certain aspects could be/should be better - and that will drive you to further research and builds.
Warning/disclaimer - you might find yourself buying quite a few units of speakers and amps for experimentation if your time and surroundings allow. I am with Talerts on newbies starting off with a well documented project - it'll set a baseline of sorts of what you can expect from a well executed design.
I've had great pleasure and relaxation over the past year with the audio DIY hobby. You can learn a lot, get the satisfaction of building stuff, meet new folks at the forums, have (constructive) debates at times, and at the same time enjoy some good music!
Have fun!
-Zia
I understand people say newbies should start with a proven project. I bought the drivers I bought because I wanted to experiment first, not start with a real project. I think there's some misunderstandings about my comments/intentions. It's like when I said the planet10 hifi.com website seemed disorganized to me. All of a sudden, people started to claim I wanted a flashy, glossy, interactive, sophisticated, expensive website. I never said any of these things.
my guess is that one of the standard questions for someone new should be "do you want to tinker and learn, or build and play".
for instance i have seen some electronics total newbie's ask questions about building something that amplifies get replies steering them towards highend circuits that they can obviously only strictly rebuild. something very cheap & basic where the signal flow is followable might be much better to start with, even if it sounds crap.
for instance i have seen some electronics total newbie's ask questions about building something that amplifies get replies steering them towards highend circuits that they can obviously only strictly rebuild. something very cheap & basic where the signal flow is followable might be much better to start with, even if it sounds crap.
I understand people say newbies should start with a proven project. I bought the drivers I bought because I wanted to experiment first, not start with a real project. I think there's some misunderstandings about my comments/intentions. It's like when I said the planet10 hifi.com website seemed disorganized to me. All of a sudden, people started to claim I wanted a flashy, glossy, interactive, sophisticated, expensive website. I never said any of these things.
Planet10, why don't you have an amazon store? No offense but your website looks a little "weird".
Well, as has now been pointed out, the site was not founded to operate as a "store" - indeed when it started around 2000 or earlier, it was primarily for sharing of DIY / hobbyist projects and design plans.
In this regard the site shares similar history and idiosyncrasies with many others founded by hobbyists cum entrepreneurs.
I've been hounding Dave for years to tidy up and unify the rabbit warren into which the sites have grown ( "evolved" would imply "improved"
) , so apologies for a defensive reactionary misreading of your intention, as well as the comment about "meds" . That was a bad jest - after years on the fora, we sometimes presume a comradery that extends to "kind hearted" (well, not always) kidding around.If you think the website is disorganized, I should make a video of the workshop/office. - Kyle and Ryan among others know what I'm talking about
Re the broken record of Fostex / Mark Audio - well, they work, are relatively cheap and widely available, easy to design a range of enclosures for, and habits are much easier to make than to break. I / we've played with more than a few other makes and types over the past 12yrs or so, oft with underwhelming results which we've been trained to keep to ourselves, and for whatever reasons we just keep gravitating back to these.
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This isn't a bad place for my first post on this forum ....
If you just wanna listen to some music and save money you're probably better off shopping the second hand market. But, if you are willing to take up a new hobby and have some fun listening to music in new ways and create interesting artifacts with which to surround yourself DIY is a great way to go.
Different speaker types inevitably bring out different aspects of the music, you hear different things from different sound systems. This is part of the DIY fun. You change something then listen to music you already know as if it were new, but it is still familiar but there are things in it you never noticed before. This tickles the brain. DIY does this in far more interesting and substantial ways than the usual audiophile tweekage. You can try a new speaker design for less than the cost of precious metal interconnects.
It can get expensive and extensive, but doesn't have to. My first homebrew speaker system, years ago when I knew nothing was TQWTP with 8" and 1" tweeter built with whatever wood was handy; parts of it were particle board, the drivers came from MCM. The things rocked, efficient, great range and an immediacy like sitting next to the drum set. This set was cheap, far less expensive than anything comparable from a store. It was also huge, the Iron Law applies.
The FR obsession was the next step. When I was living in an apartment and had few tools I would order MDF cut to spec from a local Tru-Value and even then this was an inexpensive hobby. My drivers and pre-cut wood was well less than the cost of new monkey coffins.
Mostly, the FR and horns speaker culture is associated with relatively low power tube amps. All of the design factors that give a speaker a wide range tend to give it efficiency this integrates well with small and simple tube amps. There is synergy at work here. There is also the potential to build your entire system yourself from tone arm to speaker. Not only to do it yourself, but to do it with your own aesthetic. It does not just sound better to you because you have your own sweat in it. It sounds better to everyone because it has one mind behind it. One visual, aural and technical vision.
Take a look at other worlds in which people design their own environments. There is something special about that.
You don't have to take this to extremes as some do, you'll find people who create masonry subwoofers under the floors of their listening room, but merely the fact of having speakers with your own signature are a step toward a more perfect world.
If you just wanna listen to some music and save money you're probably better off shopping the second hand market. But, if you are willing to take up a new hobby and have some fun listening to music in new ways and create interesting artifacts with which to surround yourself DIY is a great way to go.
Different speaker types inevitably bring out different aspects of the music, you hear different things from different sound systems. This is part of the DIY fun. You change something then listen to music you already know as if it were new, but it is still familiar but there are things in it you never noticed before. This tickles the brain. DIY does this in far more interesting and substantial ways than the usual audiophile tweekage. You can try a new speaker design for less than the cost of precious metal interconnects.
It can get expensive and extensive, but doesn't have to. My first homebrew speaker system, years ago when I knew nothing was TQWTP with 8" and 1" tweeter built with whatever wood was handy; parts of it were particle board, the drivers came from MCM. The things rocked, efficient, great range and an immediacy like sitting next to the drum set. This set was cheap, far less expensive than anything comparable from a store. It was also huge, the Iron Law applies.
The FR obsession was the next step. When I was living in an apartment and had few tools I would order MDF cut to spec from a local Tru-Value and even then this was an inexpensive hobby. My drivers and pre-cut wood was well less than the cost of new monkey coffins.
Mostly, the FR and horns speaker culture is associated with relatively low power tube amps. All of the design factors that give a speaker a wide range tend to give it efficiency this integrates well with small and simple tube amps. There is synergy at work here. There is also the potential to build your entire system yourself from tone arm to speaker. Not only to do it yourself, but to do it with your own aesthetic. It does not just sound better to you because you have your own sweat in it. It sounds better to everyone because it has one mind behind it. One visual, aural and technical vision.
Take a look at other worlds in which people design their own environments. There is something special about that.
You don't have to take this to extremes as some do, you'll find people who create masonry subwoofers under the floors of their listening room, but merely the fact of having speakers with your own signature are a step toward a more perfect world.
+1 and add a few of the more affordable Tang Bands to this list too.
Whatever advice along those lines is with good intentions at heart
, let there be no misunderstanding about that. In no way intended to undermine your thought process or plan of action.- Status
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