Why is DIY better than factory-made?

[Ric_LV]

Why is DIY better than factory-made? Offcourse I mean good-made DIYs. Is is because it's hand crafted? Don't say it's because of building costs. A good pair of loudspeakers cost around 1200$ (Monitor Audio, for ex), but same quality (maybe even better) DIY loudspeakers only 800$.

[Morbid]

i dont know if DIY is better but its fun to create things of your own...
when i made my amp project (instead of old amp for guitar) the sound was great vs. the old amp...

and the price was almost nothing (things i've scratched from broken amp and such)

[Dominique]

Well, certainly you could get most things of great quality made by some manufacturer, but often they're pretty high priced.
So I think, the advantage is rather the quality to price ratio!

A big advantage is that you can adapt what you build to your needs!
E.g. I couldn't buy my portable tiny mic preamp anywhere and it's even well adapted to the mics I use.

Cheers
Dominique

PS. You didn't ask for it, but for me, the other advantages about diy is of course the fun to build it , the learning effect and the familiarness with your... err... object so you're likely able to repair it yourself once necessary.

[gmarsh]

Buying something, plugging it in and turning it on is boring.

Buying parts, trying to put them together, messing it up, cursing, leaving it alone for a week, trying again, buying even more parts to replace the parts you broke, finishing it, plugging it in, watching it blow up in your face, cursing some more, rebuilding it, finding a stupid mistake, plugging it in and hearing it work... well. Lets just say it makes you feel more passionate about your equipment

[SY]

Depends on what you mean by "better."

In one sense, it's better because it's not just a piece of audio gear, it's an education.

In a different sense, it is (or can be) more customized to your specific requirements. You don't have to compromise to make a product work in a wide range of environments for a large number of users- your niche demographic is a party of one.

[Jay]

Originally posted by Ric_LV
Why is DIY better than factory-made? Offcourse I mean good-made DIYs. Is is because it's hand crafted? Don't say it's because of building costs. A good pair of loudspeakers cost around 1200$ (Monitor Audio, for ex), but same quality (maybe even better) DIY loudspeakers only 800$.

Well, of course it is because of the building cost And I think you have to compare the good-made DIY versus the good-made commercials.

If you have never designed a speaker, with $1200 you can never be able to beat any good-made commercial speakers from the $800 price range.

If you are an experienced builder, I'll bet you have wasted $$$$ just to earn the expertise to beat $800 commercial speaker with $800 DIY. And that's because you don't have to pay employee salary. And you don't even remember to include your production related costs in your DIY price!

[Upupa Epops]

Correct developing cost offten many money and if you have not this, is it all about coincidences and mainly about psychology .

[Circlotron]

Not only do you have (at least) the performance of most factory stuff, you can also make it just the way you want it. E.G. if you like the idea of 50mm thick wood for your new bookshelf speakers or 1 Farad filter caps for your GainClone then that is what you shall have. You are not bound by the superior "wisdom" of marketing people and acounting departments.

[markp]

It is better because it is yours, truely yours. What is better than saying 'I made this'? It is the joy of learning and creating that can not be had mearly by buying a finished product. Like the commercial says "priceless".

[Upupa Epops]

Everybody love own child , but it not signify, that my child is " more inteligent " than neighbour's one .