DIY Full-range Bookshelf for a Beginner

[scottder]

I am looking for a first DIY speaker project, and it seem something using a full-range speaker would be a good place to start. I'm looking for recommendations on a relatively simple cabinet design for someone with access to proper tools, but not much in the way of woodworking skills to ramp up with. Something that is well-known and documented online would be great as well in case I have any questions or issues.

Thanks in advance.

Scott

[Glowbug]

I'd give these a try:

Meet the Fonkens



Very well documented.

[planet10]

I'll point out that the number of designs in that family is expanding faster than my ability to keep up the webpage. More here: milliSize me...

And this at least mentions them all: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/plane...ose-names.html

dave

[gaust]

This Zaph audio design using a pair of HiVi B3S seems very simple and an excellent starting point

Zaph|Audio

[mikje]

Speaking from experience, the Fonkens are great; however, they aren't necessarily simple as far as building the cabinets. They aren't horribly difficult, but since you mentioned "relatively simple" this site has some good projects.

Do It Yourself Speaker Building, Outdoor Speakers | Rock Speakers | Garden Speakers | Patio Speakers | In-Wall Speakers | Ceiling Speakers and more!

You can always download WinISD, buy a full range driver, and design your own cabinet, too. I'm by no means a speaker designer, but I put a Tang Band 3 inch driver in a box I developed with Win ISD and am VERY pleased with it. It's on my desk at work and sounds great. I have another Tang Band driver I've tried in a couple different enclosures, just to experiment. Mind you, there are no filters for these, just a driver and a cabinet.

Mike

[scottder]

Thanks all for the pointers. There is a lot to dig into here.

mikje: Those look close to my 'speed' at the moment. Much appreciated!

Scott

[SY]

Check out the Arpeggio- very simple, well-engineered, and documented. It's in the Articles section of this site.

[Nanook]

For clarity's sake, I am a single driver "believer"

My typical peeve shall be restated here:

• How big is your room?
• What type of music do you listen to?
• What amplifier(s) do you use?

When you answer these questions, you may end up with a speaker that is easy to build and one that may keep you happy for a long time. Single driver loudspeakers are very good, lots of pluses, but most notably the lack of a crossover and all the nasties that that can happen if you don't get a cross-over right. Cross-overs are hard to design correctly, even with good software.

Simplest enclosure is no enclosure (open baffle). Then well constructed, small Sealed 6 sided boxes (small so no internal bracing required), followed by small Bass Reflex. After that things like Transmission lines, etc. A 5 sided box (the Metronomes--see planet 10's site) can give some very good results as well. It all depends on the answers to the first three questions, and where you might want to end up.

Once you decide what you want in terms of size, etc then start looking at appropriate drivers and their manufacturer's recommended enclosures or well documented projects. Planet 10 is a great resource, regardless what drivers/enclosures you end up building.

[scottder]

Originally Posted by Nanook

For clarity's sake, I am a single driver "believer"
My typical peeve shall be restated here:

• How big is your room?
• What type of music do you listen to?
• What amplifier(s) do you use?

1) Room is about 10x12' give or take.
2) A wide variety, big orchestral classical works to metal
3) I was of the mind to eventually build a T-AMP (AMP6-BASIC), so I imagine they would have to be relatively efficient speakers as well.

Scott

[Crossblade]

Is there a popular bookshelf for FE207e?