Vers 2x-Next remake

[bl3nd3r]

Hi Everyone,

I am hoping to make a sweet little ipod dock that looks great and sounds better then the ones currently available on the market. This will be my first attempt at building speakers, however I will be working with my dad who has some experience.

The ipod dock I found that I want to remake is the Vers 2x-Next. http://ipod-mp3-accessories.blogspot.com/2008/02/vers-2x-next-gen-ipod-wooden-nostalgia.html .

I currently have built an Amp9-Basic from 41hz.com and hope to use this as the amplifier. I am hoping to do the whole project (speakers and all electronics) under $100. I am not sure whether I should go with full range speakers or not, but think due to space I should.

Can anyone suggest the best speakers within my price range for this purpose? I hope to get good sound and don't know what I require apart from the speakers and amp.

All help is greatly appreciated.

[chrisb]

Originally posted by bl3nd3r
Hi Everyone,

I am hoping to make a sweet little ipod dock that looks great and sounds better then the ones currently available on the market. This will be my first attempt at building speakers, however I will be working with my dad who has some experience.

The ipod dock I found that I want to remake is the Vers 2x-Next. http://ipod-mp3-accessories.blogspot.com/2008/02/vers-2x-next-gen-ipod-wooden-nostalgia.html .

I currently have built an Amp9-Basic from 41hz.com and hope to use this as the amplifier. I am hoping to do the whole project (speakers and all electronics) under $100. I am not sure whether I should go with full range speakers or not, but think due to space I should.

Can anyone suggest the best speakers within my price range for this purpose? I hope to get good sound and don't know what I require apart from the speakers and amp.

All help is greatly appreciated.

"Best"? - no such thing (in audio, as in life)

It sounds as if you already have the amp, so does the budget figure for the whole project refer to just the new speakers (i.e. driver and XO parts if necessary?)

If so then, there a several good options to suggest - for a first time speaker project, a simple full range makes sense, particularly if you're limited to listening space.

A pair of Fostex FE103E, FF85K or Mark Audio CHR70 could sneak under that threshold. Either make for a great little near field / computer speaker, and there are several compact ( i.e. 4-6 liters) and easy to build enclosure designs available..

[bl3nd3r]

Thanks for all the help Chris. The $100 budget includes only drivers and any other electronics apart from the amp.

I took a look at all the speakers you listed and really like the looks of the Mark Audio speakers. The website also has a number of designs for enclosures. Would this be a good speaker when comparing the three? What would they sound like in comparison to a set of off the shelf speakers around the $100 mark?

Thanks for your help.

[chrisb]

Originally posted by bl3nd3r
Thanks for all the help Chris. The $100 budget includes only drivers and any other electronics apart from the amp.

I took a look at all the speakers you listed and really like the looks of the Mark Audio speakers. The website also has a number of designs for enclosures. Would this be a good speaker when comparing the three? What would they sound like in comparison to a set of off the shelf speakers around the $100 mark?

Thanks for your help.

As even a little surfing of this or other DIY forums should indicate, for a variety of reasons many of us have favorite drivers or enclosure design types and construction materials - I'm certainly no exception.

Frankly, depending on the prevailing winds any given day, you could elicit as much debate over the merits of plywood vs MDF vs solid wood as over the make & model of driver and enclosure type - but I digress.

I'm a big fan of the smaller (6.5" and under) Fostex full-rangers, but for a first-timer, their distinctive flavor could take some adjustment, and the Mark Audio CHR70 might well be a better bet.

The only off the shelf products I'm aware at with landed cost near this price range would be powered computer speakers, and to be charitable, my experience has been that they're easily bested.


In addition to the official designs at the Mark Audio site, there are numerous DIY boxes, ranging from drop dead simple (sealed), to more elaborate MLTL, etc.

For my own part, I settled on a moderately sized sealed box (4 liters internal volume), constructed from 15mm (5/8") Baltic Birch plywood. External dimensions were approx 174mm W x 295mm H x 180mm D, with thin layer of felt damping on all internal panels.

Just don't be surprised if you enjoy the whole process enough, that you'd be eager to try again. (kinda like parent-hood)