diy bookshelf speakers

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as a DIY project I was thinking about buying some old bookshelf speaker cabinets from Ebay or second hand. as long as its not the elcheapo press board crap from Sony Pioneer etc, I think they will be pretty solid. then pick up a set of drivers and crossovers from the likes of madisound/speakercity.com. I have the the tools to refinish the cabinets but I desperately hate to cut perfect circles without a router.
 
Great ! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
(mmmhh That Scott woofer has a wrinkle on the membrane, so a bad start...)
(mmmhh Wood, particle board, MDF, plywood...they are all obscene materials for making enclosures but they're quite workable and economic : try to make an aluminum or carbon fiber box by yourself..! )
(mmmmhh boxes boxes boxes, it seems that packaging and transporting had
put Audio in second place; and what about driver placing on the baffle ? Diffraction at/from the edges ? )
 
Messing with an old box where you cannot add braces if needed, cannot change location, diameter and depth of the drivers, cannot change volume, etc, compared to build a new box which can be built as you desire is a pure waste of time IMHO.
I don't know the current prices where you are, but I can buy locally (and I did), a very cheap router (20€ or the likes). While not suitable for heavy work, it is reliable and I'm able to use it for all the cabinet work with good precision. All I needed to build was a guide for circles using a 5mm height piece of MDF.
I strongly suggest going this way.

Ralf
 
It is impossible to do a rebate with a jigsaw. In my first 2-way box I did the holes with a jigsaw and the rebate for the tweeter by hand using a gouge lent to me by a professional violin maker (the woofer frame was for a surface mount). It worked well because of the wood I used for the baffle, but it was a long process. As I said invest some moderate amount of money in a router and a couple of bits and you are done.

Ralf
 
I think the easiest speaker to upgrade is the 8" plus 1" tweeter variety.

I've had a heap of fun with these Sony E44 which I picked up in a charity shop for £20:

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You can't lose, because if the drive units are broken, it's easy to find a replacement. I gave the Sonys a good crossover, and they are one of the nicest speakers I have ever heard now. The chipboard cabinet is GOOD ENOUGH.

These Monitor Audio R300-MD boxes cost £60, and I think one of the bass units is failing badly, and the 94mm tweeters were certainly fried, but again, it's not hard to fit a new bass unit to a 185mm cutout, or a tweeter to a 94mm chamfer.

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After:

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A prebuilt cabinet will save you a lot of work, but you can really do something with an old speaker if you pick it wisely. Just don't pay too much. Upgrading it will knock you back a bit. Happens I'm a bit of a whizz with crossovers, but I'm always willing to help. :)
 
thank you guys for your help. I just picked up a pair of B&W 685 speakers yesterday for $550 US, I know it goes against the diy community but I couldnt build a better speaker for that price. I still have time to finish my diy subwoofer project and let everyone know how it turns out.
 
thank you guys for your help. I just picked up a pair of B&W 685 speakers yesterday for $550 US, I know it goes against the diy community but I couldn't build a better speaker for that price. I still have time to finish my diy subwoofer project and let everyone know how it turns out.
I can respect that. But you may still be tempted back to DIY by some offerings like these in the future:

The Madisound Speaker Store

TriTrix MTM TL Speaker Components And Cabinet Kit Pair

The Bowers and Wilkins 685 with 6" Kevlar reflex bass and metal tweeter is interesting: B&W Group North America Service & Support - Service Manuals

They really do good support docs. :)
 
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