Make your own 'best' speakers-why?

[jagster]

Is it just me, or do you have the same problem? Everytime I build or modify a pair of speakers, they are the best sounding systems I have ever heard.
This sounds nuts, but I think all us tinkerers have the same notion.

[Iain McNeill]

I'm always amazed when something I put together works and those first 5 minutes are very sweet. But then my tweaking addiction rears it's ugly head and I start hearing things that don't seem right and need mods.

If you are enjoying your handiwork then you have achieved that special place and you should enjoy it. You earned if after all.

[planet10]

Chris & i have built many speakers. The lastest is more often than not, not the best. A phrase heard round here often is "those are good, but they ain't Fonkens"

Actually the lastest (Mar-Kel70, another primeSize miniOnken but with EL70eN) are as good (but different) than the Fonken.

dave

[theAnonymous1]

Hmmm..... I'm the complete opposite. Every time I build something I always regret my design choices and then nit-pic to the point that I can't enjoy the fruits of my labor.

[markaudio]

Hi guys,
I know the feeling. I've always got the urge to "tweak". It's a sort of double whammy. First I fiddle with my proto drivers, then cabs, then the drivers, then both together ..................... Then I try different amps, then a go brain dead and ask for advice from my DIY friends, who tell me to do less "tweaking" and settle down (rightly so).

But its so hard as the "tweak" urge is always with me. It's inside everything. Last night I dreamt about a new tooling idea for forming cone necks. I got up a 2 a.m. to draw the idea. Looking at it now, I'm still not quite sure what I was thinking...

Anyway, it's all part of the fun.

Cheers

Mark.

[jagster]

I have reached the point where I will never insert 'pots' in my designs, as I think they just degrade everything. I use the tone controls to tailor things, then go back to my design and try to replicate what I heard that I thought was 'better'. Ya know, sometimes that does not work. Hey, you can always stuff the box or dope the woofer cone.

[pjanda1]

Though I too often like the new piece better, I usually hear pluses and minuses. There are times when the new seems to better the old in every conceivable way, like when I first fired up my tube amp (El Cheapo variation). To this day, it almost angers me how much better it is (after a couple of comparisons to commercial solid state, I had convinced myself that the chip amp was really something special). But, other times, it isn't so clear. I really like the little TL speakers I am listening to now. They are more cohesive than the BIB's. But, I really miss the scale and bass of the later. They both do many things well. In the case of CD players, those that I've played with sound so substantially different that deciding which is better requires prioritizing one's listening preferences.

My philosophy on tweaks was codified by a couple of talks with magnetics guru Dave Slagle. Unlike the objectivist/measurement oriented crowd, I am thoroughly willing to accept that every little thing makes a difference. And, when you are well accustomed to your system, that difference can seem very large. But, in the grand scheme of things, the difference one makes tweaking the small stuff can be greatly exceeded by addressing the larger weaknesses in your system. So, though I do believe in decent power cords and component supports and I know fancy parts can make a difference, I try and focus my time on larger picture efforts, like speaker and amp topology. Once I think I've arrived near the ultimate expression of those (which will also take a larger financial commitment), I'll be more inclined to tweak.

My DIY hobby started by reading the Audio Asylum Cables and Tweak forums. At the time (during my undergraduate degree), diy tweaks were really attractive, as I could actually afford them! Now I venture over there both to provide some reason (Furutech is not the first step up from zip cord power cables), and help keep my priorities straight (if you've invested more in power outlets and crystals than speakers and amplifiers, you've got a problem whether or not they make an audible difference).

Paul
Wild Burro Audio Labs - DIY Full Range Speakers

[pjanda1]

Originally Posted by theAnonymous1

Hmmm..... I'm the complete opposite. Every time I build something I always regret my design choices and then nit-pic to the point that I can't enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Oops, should have hit this the first time. Were any of us much different, would we still be hanging around? We'd have all put a system together and logged off. This is a neurotic hobby, as most are. Nothing wrong with that. I think the point is to realize that it is a journey not a destination. So, the nit-picking can be enjoyable!

Paul
Wild Burro Audio Labs - DIY Full Range Speakers

[markaudio]

I'm on a "Stockfish" listening session having swopped some tubes and said "good bye" to my beloved Sony 333EX CD player

But what do I find, this Accuphase DP-65 is a Jem. And I like the Full-Music 300B special tubes

But will it last? How long before the tweak syndrome rises to the surface? I'd say about 2 weeks. I'm forever swopping gear. I spend so much time inside the driver and component factories, pouring over assembly lines, tech drawings, samples and anechoic data; But in the end, there ain't no substitute for a nice easy listening session on a lazy Sunday afternoon to get the real feel for the outcome of one's efforts.

Keep tweaking guys! It comes good in the end and the fun is in the journey.

Cheers
Mark.

PS. - No cap, inductor or anything resembling a filter. Just the CD player, the 300B amp, cables, drivers and 2 boxes, that's it. Sometimes, "less is more"

[markaudio]

I should also give a mention to the "evaluation and approvals" committee.
Here they are bless em!
And they've all got more acute hearing than me (arrrrgh the march of time!)

Cheers

Mark.