DIY Speakers: Ultimate for $600 recommend

[Haknhendrix]

I would like to build a pair of stereo speakers for approx. $600 in driver costs.

Could the forum members suggest a DIY kit with plans so that I can construct the cabinents myself

Look for advice on 2 or 3 way.
Look for advice on passive or active filter.

The speakers need to accomodate a 12 * 16 * 7 foot room dimensions.

Thanks
Hakn

[Dave Jones]

Don't forget. Good crossovers components are pricey too.

Are your ceilings really 7 foot?

[Haknhendrix]

Actual sealing height is 7'6"

[GM]

http://www.adireaudio.com/diy_audio/.../kithe12_1.htm

GM

[Timn8ter]

What will you be driving them with? SS or valve?

[dantwomey]

The ever popular ProAC 2.5 clone probably qualifies.

Regards,
Dan

[Haknhendrix]

I intend to be driving the speakers in a bi-amp SS configuration.

[navin]

why not use a small 10W SE tube for the HF and a 50W SS for the bass.

[Branwell]

Hakn,

I have built a couple kits recently, the Northcreek Rhythm Revelator and e-Speakers PHL 1340 / G2.

If you have not heard the PHL bass / mid drivers, they are well worth listening to. Directly compared to the ScanSpeak 18W/8545, the PHL’s are warmer, more detailed, more dynamic and smoother sounding. There only weakness is the lack of deep bass. NOt an issue if you have sub (s)

The G2 ribbon tweeter is also really good when directly compared to the ScanSpeak Revelator.

You can get the PHL1340 and the G2 tweeters from eSpeakers for $720. A little over your budget, but nice drivers none the less

On the crossover front, I have been playing with speakers for close to 20 years now and have just recently gotten a Digital Crossover, specifically the Beheringer DCX-2496. It’s a three way XO with the ability to adjust on the fly. I cant overstate how nice it is to be able to adjust the slopes, phase, driver amplitude and EQ ( baffle step for example ) on the fly, real time. It makes it easy to adjust the speakers for the room they are in and get 100% from them. These can be had for about $325.

Branwell

[ThorstenL]

Konnichiwa,

Originally posted by Haknhendrix
I would like to build a pair of stereo speakers for approx. $600 in driver costs.

Could the forum members suggest a DIY kit with plans so that I can construct the cabinents myself

Look for advice on 2 or 3 way.
Look for advice on passive or active filter.

The speakers need to accomodate a 12 * 16 * 7 foot room dimensions.

I would like to make some notes here that are more philosophical.

First, with a budget as limited and small as that which you mention I feel that you will have to build a speaker system that is SEVERELY compromised. This means that you are required to determine your priorities and state clearly your abilities before a sensible recommendation can be made.

I would like to illustrate my current Speaker system, which is DIY and was designed and build on a modest Budget (if notably higher than the one you state). Prior to this I had been using 15" Tannoy Coaxials in corner enclosures, with DSP based room correction.

As I am now married my personal requirements where:

1) Visually pleasing/unoffending speakers.
2) Similar sensitivity to the Tannoys (97db/W/m).
3) Ability to operate in conventional, untreated living rooms without DSP correction.
4) Coherence and detail similar or better than the Tannoys.

I decided that I was willing to sacrifice or compromise in the following areas:

1) Maximum SPL without the sound becoming congested lower than the Tannoys.
2) LF extension curtailed and sub 50....60Hz handled by subwoofer.

I decided on a largeish (2' X 4' appx), acrylic open baffle with a Supravox fullrange driver (215 Signature Bicone - available among others from www.hornet.hr @ €255 each), with C37 lacquered cone (www.c37.net @ €155), as such a system filled all my requirements and did not cause excessive limits elsewhere.

The result is to me notably away from an "ultimate" speaker (I'd prefer much higher level handling) yet several people commented so far that my System never sounded better.

So, you may have to make a similar list of "Must Have", "Want" and "Can do Without" and the list may depend heavily on your taste in music.

It might also be a good idea if you could share your level of DIY experience. For example, to the average DIY'er I would recommend ONLY proven designs, using passive crossovers and requiring one Amplifier input.

You can get MUCH higher performance from an active system, HOWEVER making such a system work can be a bit of a chore and requires some experience in using measurement gear and handling such systems.

That said, a well impemented active system is usually materially superior to a passive system, though a thoughtlessly implemented active system is usually much worse than simple, working passive systems.

If I PERSONALLY where to design & build myself an "ultimate" speaker system nowadays it would likely use a dipole baffle (2' X 4', Slate, Granite or such) with a 21" or larger subwoofer and a 15" midwoofer with a "pseudo coaxial" dipole array of a Ribbon tweeter and dual 5" (or single 6.5") high sensitivity wideband midrange drivers (PHL or Fane for example). The whole system would operate fully active with a digital Xover, driver time alignment in software on a PC based digital music server with suitable added external DAC's etc.

The cost of such a system would be quite astronomical, especially with the logical expansion to 5 channels and I would have to divorce my wive first, to forstall her divorcing me... ;-)

Sayonara