Speaker/Driver Brands for Home Audio

[nrgy]

As the title suggests this is my first time on these boards and my first attempt at aquiring knowledge about DIY home audio. I have a number of rookie questions, but I do have experience with car audio. I've installed a system utilizing Boston Acoustic Pro series speakers, however I find a number of differences with home audio. On to some questions:

First off, with car audio I am familiar with who makes car audio components, and which are considered high end and not. For home audio, however, it seems most of these brands do not make components/drivers for home audio application. (ie. MB Quart, Boston Acoustics, JL Audio, etc.). What are the equivalents in the home audio arena? From my research on these boards, I've discovered Adire, Peerless, Focal (faimilar with their car audio), and a few others. Are these all pretty much considered premium speakers? Home audio components do not seem to be nearly as popular as car audio components.

Also, just an observation I've made, however it seems the overall design and apperance of home audio speakers, in comparison to car audio, are not as finished and refined with regards to appearance. Is this because car audio manufactures must market for looks as much as sound quality, whereas with home audio, sound quality is all that matters. Or, do car audio components simply use better materials? I don't want to be deceived by appearances, but my Boston Acoustic speakers build quality seem to be much better than most home audio speakers I've seen on the internet. I'm sure this is not true, but just want some clarification. But I have gathered that car audio components are best not used in home applications.

Also, I've been looking at Parts Express, and see they offer Home audio drivers, and Pro Sound drivers. What are the differences, and why wouldn't one use Pro Sound drivers for home use?

Lastly, jumping forward a bit, with car audio my choices were pretty easy. To use a 3-way component system consisting of a 6.5" woofer, 4" midrange, and 1" tweeter, powered by a 300w x 4 channel amp. These are fairly standard sizes for car audio.

What are the standard sizes for say a 5.1 home theater system? How about a 2.1 stereo system?

I appreciate any feedback to help get me moving forward on my next project! Thanks, Jeff

[planet10]

Yes, car audio is an many cases about looks... prices are also typically inflated, often -- even when heavily discounted -- costing more than similar home hifi drivers. There are some very pretty home audio drivers, but they are not typically as garish as some car ausio products. Performace is usually superior.

dave

[sreten]

Pro-Audio drivers use a set of compromises that are not
that useful when applied to the home environment unless
you want to recreate "disco" levels in the home.

Car Audio design is far simpler than high quality home design.

For home design the drivers, critically the crosover, and enclosure
design all contribute to the final result, and there are a number
of acoustic issues applicable not relevant in car audio.

For a 5.1 system investigate the details of complete kits available.

For a 2.1 stereo system opinions vary widely, IMO most I've
seen do not approach the whole design correctly, and achieve
below optimum results.

sreten.

[coolkhoa]

I suggest you have a look at the Loudspeaker Design Selection Guide where the major brands are listed and their best drivers recommended.

[Timn8ter]

I'll attempt to list some brands available in the US and frequently used for DIY home audio. Upper end will consist of Danish Sound Technology's Scan-Speak drivers. They also produce Vifa and Peerless which are very popular and perform quite well. A brand you may be familiar with from car audio is Focal who makes good home audio drivers. For the budget minded there are the Dayton drivers from Part Express which offer good value for the money. There is also a line from a Tangband made in Taiwan. Also, good value for the money. Adire Audio has some interesting drivers other than subwoofers but are relative newcomers. Their HE series is very nice and they're working on a new midbass and full range driver (which I hope is available soon). I've heard the prototypes and they are very promising. As has been mentioned though, designing home audio speakers is much more involved than car audio, especially in crossover design.

Lastly, jumping forward a bit, with car audio my choices were pretty easy. To use a 3-way component system consisting of a 6.5" woofer, 4" midrange, and 1" tweeter, powered by a 300w x 4 channel amp. These are fairly standard sizes for car audio.

The choices here are as varied as there are listeners. Many two-way systems rival 3 or 4 way systems. We haven't really talked about low-power systems with extended bandwidth drivers either. How about hybrid systems or open-baffles? Dipoles, bipoles, transmission lines, etc.............................................

[nrgy]

Great! Just the kind of information I was looking for to get me started. I am seeing more variables, options, and technical terms that I did not encounter when researching my car audio project. I'm sure this is because a car is more restricting for obvious reasons.

I do like the fact that home audio drivers seem to be quite a bit cheaper than car audio but do not sacrifice performance/quality, and I'm glad to hear car audio prices are typically inflated as well. I had a feeling this was the case.

Well, my next step is to analyze the type of system I want. I'll post back with more questions when they arise. Thank you!

[Variac]

It would be sad not to mention Seas a Norwegian company which makes a full line of highly regarded drivers, some of which (esp. Excel models) might be the "best available" in some situations. also , more attractive than any car driver IMHO

Also, if you go the the thread "are 15" drivers overkill" you might discover that a lot of people seem to like pro woofers for home stereo are are willing to punch it out discussing the topic.

Is15 inch overkill for music?????experts

[planet10]

Originally posted by Variac
It would be sad not to mention

Fostex or Jordan and some of the ribbons out there

dave

[Timn8ter]

Originally posted by planet10


Fostex or Jordan and some of the ribbons out there

dave

Extended bandwidth drivers rock!

[nrgy]

Ok, a few more questions. I've discovered Partsexpress.com for diy home audio parts and accessories, are there any other stores online that feature such parts for speaker building (ie. sub amps, crossovers, ports, grill cloth)?

Also, is the general trend for DIY enthusiasts to build their own crossovers too? When I bought my Boston 3-ways, they had the supplied crossovers, but it seems like most people build these for home audio since each setup is slightly different. If this is the case, is this a difficult task for a beginner?

Or do most companies offer a matching crossover for their drivers?