Beginner

[tareqx2]

I'm just getting in to my first diy surround sound system and i'm looking for a little help. I don't really know much about all of the information there is to know, so I was wondering if anyone could give me any usefull websites for beginners on this subject. Any help would be appreciated. For further information, it is my first project so i'm not looking to spend a ton on this one. A normal sound system would do me just fine for now. Thanks. Sorry for putting this in the subwoofer forum but i didn't know where to put it.

[Cal Weldon]

Hi and welcome to the forums. I've moved it over to speakers.

To help us get going we need to know some things. Are you starting from scratch or do you have some of the components?

Are you planning to build the rest of of them? (this is a diy site afterall)

How big is your room?

Is this for home theatre, music or both?

[blunt]

uhhh sounds nice..

are you building all from scratch or what ? how far are you taking this ?

im listening in i just got hold of alot a boxes to put stuff in so if any good comes up i might give it a shot..

Good luck with your project..

[tareqx2]

Hi and thanks for moving the post. I'm starting from scratch for your first question. Not sure of the measurments of the room but i'd guess about 10X12, kinda small but it's in the basement so the floor is solid for the woofer. I guess it would mostly be for movies and probably playing some xbox360 which could probably count as a movie. I probably wont use it for music that much if at all. For the components question, i'm not actually sure. I don't know that much about surround sound speaker components or much of audio components, but i really want to learn about it all. I plan to buy the speakers, and build the casing myself, but other then that i'm not sure what else i'm gonna need. The one thing that i have researched a little is subwoofers and a couple of questions arise from it. Can i use any kind of subwoofer, say like that would be installed into a car or is there a special kind? a follow up question would be what kinds of things should i look for when buying a woofer? I guess that's all I got. I Appreciate the help.

[planet10]

Originally posted by tareqx2 Can i use any kind of subwoofer, say like that would be installed into a car or is there a special kind? a follow up question would be what kinds of things should i look for when buying a woofer?

Car woofers should work fine. The only downside is that they tend to be pricier than subs targeted at home use.

When looking for a woofer, you need to consider cost, LF extension and how big a box they require.

dave

[tareqx2]

Hello all. I plan on making it from scratch. I plan on buying speakers and then building the casing. I don't really know where to start. I guess the first thing would be buying the speakers, right? I want to buy 4 speakers and 1 subwoofer and i'm going to buy a reciever. What else am i gonna need besides the case building supplies? What kind of electrical components am i going to need to use?

[JRace]

Best bet for a beginner is to look into using a kit. Quite often they come with the drivers, cross over compents, terminal cups and full plans on construction and hookups.

Take a look at:
http://www.gr-research.com/
http://www.partsexpress.com/speaker-building.cfm

Jared

[gvr4ever]

Maybe you could start with the BR-1s.

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage....ctGroup_ID=769

Then you could do the revised crossover.

http://murphyblaster.com/content.php?f=pe_br1.html

A friend of mine did this project. It's pretty cool how well they sound.

You might just want to start out with stereo, and work your way up.

If you REALLY want 5.1, you could try these.

http://www.geocities.com/cc00541/TritrixMT_pg_1.html

I think I'm going to build these for my folks for Christmas.

No matter what you do, start out simple and cheap. I think Dayton had some great stuff for the price. They will take you to a nice level of quality too. IMO, a good amount nicer then Polk Audio. At least anything under a grand.

[pinkmouse]

Have a look at the CSS FR125. It's a full range speaker, so needs no crossover, and there are lots of example projects here on the forum if you search. It looses out a little on sensitivity, but for your size room that should be no problem at all. The price might also seem a little more than you expect, but the fact that you don't need a crossover or tweeter will save you money in the end.

[peter_m]

Simplest
http://www.zaphaudio.com/audio-speaker18.html

Small & discreet
http://www.zaphaudio.com/audio-speaker20a.html

Larger but nicer
http://www.zaphaudio.com/ZBM4.html

All you need is a sub and and amplifier and you are in business.

Another option is to get these on special, sometimes for 50 or 60$: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1138085354138

and when you feel ready to get your hands dirty do this: http://murphyblaster.com/content.php?f=insignia.html