Overwhelmed

[clueless1]

I have what I expect is the same question a lot folks have .... have spent days and days trying to read up and educate myself but have discovered that the world of diy speaker building seems impenetrable. I have utterly no idea what I am doing, and half the time what I am reading.

I want to build a simple HT setup. For the time being that means two mains and a center. (And a sub as well???). I'll use my current JBLs as rear surrounds for the time being, probably (?). I want simple. The simpler the better. I would like a budget build, the budgetter the better. I would prefer something that looks good, and for that reason floorstanding mains (although I could be talked into bookshelfs if there was a sound quality rationale), which I think look cool.

With that in mind my research has led me to consider BAMTM, the DD8=-MK2, the Tri-trix, and the Triune which I gather have now been modified so more appropriate for a horizontal center.

I am now at the point where even after searching and reading a lot I realize I don't know what I'm doing, though, don't know how or what to compare, don't know if this list even makes sense. So basically I just want to know the best thing to build for a small budget, good sounding, good looking HT setup. Any help navigating amongst these choices or any others would be most appreciated.

[Inductor]

Do you have a driving license? Start driving slowly... Did you buid them before, maybe trying a stereo pair first?

[OzMikeH]

have a look at Fostex FE167 drivers. See the Fullrange forum.
No crossovers required, loud with small amplifiers, variety of boxes available, magnetically shielded, cheap.

Start with the smaller centre box, get your building skills up then chose something bigger with more bass for the left and right.

[Nanook]

depending on the project, more bass may or may not be needed, and if a sub is to be used, drivers as small as 4" can integrate well with most subs.

A couple of drivers:
Fostex Fe127E as modded by planet10, or Hemp Acoustics 4.5c stock if higher efficiency drivers are required. CSS FR125 are much less efficient, but well documented and reportedly excellent.

I agree with OzMikeH that a simple centre channel speaker would make the most sense to start. Also remember that all speakers should have a similar tone, so drivers from the same manufacturer make sense (eg Fostex Fe127E centre and perhaps rears,with Fe167E for the front mains). A caveat though, single drivers can be revealing or upstream componenets and amplifiers.

it's not just a matter of drivers, but also enclosure type. Bass Reflex? Horn? Restrictive vent? Transmission Lines?
If this is all trying to do a budget HT setup, DIY is not always the cheapest, but (almost) always better, unless a poorly designed project is chosen.