I used to play with speakers, for hobby, destroyed amplifiers, repaired amplifiers, repaired speakers (coils), designed/built a few enclosures, played with passive filters, all just for fun/experience. I am an engineer.
Lately I bought a guitar. I enjoy listening to music sometimes, and I like good quality speakers. I am not, by far, an audiophile, but I should be able to make a difference between crappy speakers and ok speakers. I never heard a set of speakers to reproduce violin accurately. Guitar, piano - yes. Violin, cello - no. Maybe I have been listening to the wrong recordings or wrong speaker system.
I am looking to build a nice stereo system, but with all my knowledge and all, after reading a bit on the web, I feel lost, and I need some advice. What am I looking for: a nice system that could reproduce nicely whatever I want to put through it: classical, hard rock, guitar, pop,... you name it.
To be more specific, I was looking towards a 10" woofer, an 8" bass/med, dome tweeter, ribbon tweeter. The only problem: not having extensive experience with the speakers on the market, I don't know what a ribbon tweeter would complement the system, but it seems useful to reproduce certain frequencies. I don't know how to really filter the frequencies in order to get a nice clean sound. When I tried before to put together a filter with multiple bass speakers, all I got was a muddy sound, that cleaned up all of the sudden when I pulled the filter resistors out and moved to a single bass/woofer.
I was browsing and I just saw a full thread of open baffle designs - I guess I need to study a bit.
One thing I know: I am looking to build the cabinets, not looking to spend too much on raw speakers - don't slam me with replies - maybe $200 total, but I am flexible. Do I need to spend $10k on raw speakers? Well, I don't want to. I am just looking to spend, with better results, $200, as much as I would pay for these:
Amazon.com: Polk Audio Monitor 70 Series II Floorstanding Speaker: Home Audio & Theater
I'm looking at speakers from parts-express.com.
Any advice would be helpful.
Lately I bought a guitar. I enjoy listening to music sometimes, and I like good quality speakers. I am not, by far, an audiophile, but I should be able to make a difference between crappy speakers and ok speakers. I never heard a set of speakers to reproduce violin accurately. Guitar, piano - yes. Violin, cello - no. Maybe I have been listening to the wrong recordings or wrong speaker system.
I am looking to build a nice stereo system, but with all my knowledge and all, after reading a bit on the web, I feel lost, and I need some advice. What am I looking for: a nice system that could reproduce nicely whatever I want to put through it: classical, hard rock, guitar, pop,... you name it.
To be more specific, I was looking towards a 10" woofer, an 8" bass/med, dome tweeter, ribbon tweeter. The only problem: not having extensive experience with the speakers on the market, I don't know what a ribbon tweeter would complement the system, but it seems useful to reproduce certain frequencies. I don't know how to really filter the frequencies in order to get a nice clean sound. When I tried before to put together a filter with multiple bass speakers, all I got was a muddy sound, that cleaned up all of the sudden when I pulled the filter resistors out and moved to a single bass/woofer.
I was browsing and I just saw a full thread of open baffle designs - I guess I need to study a bit.
One thing I know: I am looking to build the cabinets, not looking to spend too much on raw speakers - don't slam me with replies - maybe $200 total, but I am flexible. Do I need to spend $10k on raw speakers? Well, I don't want to. I am just looking to spend, with better results, $200, as much as I would pay for these:
Amazon.com: Polk Audio Monitor 70 Series II Floorstanding Speaker: Home Audio & Theater
I'm looking at speakers from parts-express.com.
Any advice would be helpful.
gabemi,
If I am not wrong, the speakers in the Amazon link you provided above are $200/unit ; for a pair it would come to $400.
Take a look at this project:
Tarkus - undefinition
Btw, what amplifier are you planning to use?
If I am not wrong, the speakers in the Amazon link you provided above are $200/unit ; for a pair it would come to $400.
Take a look at this project:
Tarkus - undefinition
Btw, what amplifier are you planning to use?
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I would personally suggest a 2-way, make it a floor stander, And use something like these:
Dayton Audio DA175-8 7" Aluminum Cone Woofer
Peerless by Tymphany XT25BG60-04 1" Shielded Dual Ring Radiator Tweeter
Two of those woofers in MTM will give more power handling, but it's probably unnecessary, depending on your room size and volume requirements. I think someone here wants to use those.
I asked whether building would be a good option over buying monitor audio bronze 5/6, and I got a lot of advice, built the speakers, and now I have something much better for half the price. I wish you the best of luck!
Dayton Audio DA175-8 7" Aluminum Cone Woofer
Peerless by Tymphany XT25BG60-04 1" Shielded Dual Ring Radiator Tweeter
Two of those woofers in MTM will give more power handling, but it's probably unnecessary, depending on your room size and volume requirements. I think someone here wants to use those.
I asked whether building would be a good option over buying monitor audio bronze 5/6, and I got a lot of advice, built the speakers, and now I have something much better for half the price. I wish you the best of luck!
That fane won't go below 70Hz, so it'll still need a sub.
IMO, this project rather depends on your budget. If it's around £200, you could do much much worse than just buying a pair of Behringer B2031P monitors. Tested here: Zaph|Audio (Ctrl+F and type in Behringer).
I had a pair for a while and really liked them. I do regret getting rid of them.
If you've got more money to spend, you can probably beat them. You will need a measurement setup to get close, though, and that should be taken out of your budget if you don't have one already.
Chris
IMO, this project rather depends on your budget. If it's around £200, you could do much much worse than just buying a pair of Behringer B2031P monitors. Tested here: Zaph|Audio (Ctrl+F and type in Behringer).
I had a pair for a while and really liked them. I do regret getting rid of them.
If you've got more money to spend, you can probably beat them. You will need a measurement setup to get close, though, and that should be taken out of your budget if you don't have one already.
Chris
If it were me, I'm all for these, 4 units per loudspeaker:
2x Peerless 830657
1x Peerless 830870
1x Peerless BC 25 TG15-04
One 6.5" woofer models in a 1.3 cuft, Fb=35 Hz, F3/F6/F10=38/31/27 Hz
Two of these in parallel amount for a total of about 89 dB in full space. The midrange would get some band pass boost anyway, so it all looks promising.
Total of $ 166 for a stereo pair pair, drivers only. Properly voiced these would have topped said Polk's like nothing.
Absolutely.
But you're only leaving $34 for cabinet and electronics.
Cabinet and electronics would be extra. I am looking for all raw speakers around $200.
Thank you, all, for your suggestions, they all seem to be, while varied, very good options. You are right, that's $200 per speaker for the polks.
The Behringers are really nice, I looked over sweetwater lineup, but my intention would be to have a larger, maybe paper (as someone suggested) bass speaker (being that woofer plus mids, or some other combination). I could even go for a two way system, or maybe the eye opener full range speakers mentioned earlier. Anyways, all suggestions are excellent I believe, you guys just confused mo more now (in a good way).
I like the first idea also, with the three way system, but I built one a long time ago, and could not tune it to my liking. Again, with a paper cone on the bass/mid speaker, the sound seems different, more pleasant to my ears.
The Behringers are really nice, I looked over sweetwater lineup, but my intention would be to have a larger, maybe paper (as someone suggested) bass speaker (being that woofer plus mids, or some other combination). I could even go for a two way system, or maybe the eye opener full range speakers mentioned earlier. Anyways, all suggestions are excellent I believe, you guys just confused mo more now
(in a good way).I like the first idea also, with the three way system, but I built one a long time ago, and could not tune it to my liking. Again, with a paper cone on the bass/mid speaker, the sound seems different, more pleasant to my ears.
That MTM is pretty much what I was suggesting (woofer-wise), but just in TM guise, unless more volume/power handling is required. I just suggested the XT25 tweeter rather (I wouldn't know which is better). I would also make it a 45L box.
I somewhat agree, but I haven't heard an aluminium cone. I think Q is a big factor to consider in how a cone sounds - in other words don't get paper mixed up with high/low Q. I'm of the suspicion that paper cones are generally associated with higher Q than poly cones. The 7" aluminium has a Qts of 0.52 - right where paper cones more or less generally are (this is not a rule).
I also wouldn't worry about driver size too much. Rather set a few specifications you are after.
- Do you want your speakers to do everything, or would you like to add a sub woofer
- What sort of bass do you want? 25Hz? 40Hz? 80Hz?
- Where will the speakers go - how big do you want them, what are your aesthetic goals
- How big is your room, what are you going to use the speakers for, will you use them outside?
So, from what I have read so far, and based on what I was saying about Q, and what you have replied, if I was you, I would definitely find aluminium cone based speakers to audition, and I would audition decent full-range (1-way) speakers based on paper cones. I have a feeling you would probably enjoy the full range.
Definitely audition, at least on some, as you say - decent, paper full-range.
Hmmm... as general thoughts:
- fairly large space in my house: either 20x35... vaulted ceiling hardwood floors, or in the basement 15x30 with 7' ceiling carpeted floors
- only use indoors
- bass - I usually like this with a bit of a punch, so if the 20s are lower in volume, it should be fine. This brings me to the pitfall: I guess I would need two different systems eventually or as you say, a separate sub through a mixer
Hmmm... as general thoughts:
- fairly large space in my house: either 20x35... vaulted ceiling hardwood floors, or in the basement 15x30 with 7' ceiling carpeted floors
- only use indoors
- bass - I usually like this with a bit of a punch, so if the 20s are lower in volume, it should be fine. This brings me to the pitfall: I guess I would need two different systems eventually
or as you say, a separate sub through a mixerNotes:
First question, due to your focus on the repro of string instruments; what is the high frequency limit of your hearing?
If it is high, then your budget is probably too low to reproduce the 'sizzle' you are hearing in a live performance of stringed instruments.
If you have yet to hear a system you like, then you are not in a position know specifically what it is that you want in terms of the driver complement needed to meet your mission. Spend some more time in a top notch audio showrooms if you can find them.
You are an engineer, so I presume you already have the prerequisite test gear for Audio DIY. If not, this tack will probably not save you money on your first project.
Regards,
WHG
First question, due to your focus on the repro of string instruments; what is the high frequency limit of your hearing?
If it is high, then your budget is probably too low to reproduce the 'sizzle' you are hearing in a live performance of stringed instruments.
If you have yet to hear a system you like, then you are not in a position know specifically what it is that you want in terms of the driver complement needed to meet your mission. Spend some more time in a top notch audio showrooms if you can find them.
You are an engineer, so I presume you already have the prerequisite test gear for Audio DIY. If not, this tack will probably not save you money on your first project.
Regards,
WHG
However, my Visaton W170S based MTM floor standers (probably around $250) are incredible. Each crossover only uses a 0.33mH and a 0.15mH, so it's a nice crossover design. I listen to a lot of classical music, particularly Hilary Hahn on a lot of pieces (violin), and it sounds really good. The other genre requirement was metal.
My goal was something like Monitor Audio bronze 6. In total, I have spent less than half what the MA's cost, and that's three crossover designs later. So it's definitely cheaper to build, if you know what you want and put in the work. If you want to measure, it will cost more than the speakers for something decent to measure with.
My goal was something like Monitor Audio bronze 6. In total, I have spent less than half what the MA's cost, and that's three crossover designs later. So it's definitely cheaper to build, if you know what you want and put in the work. If you want to measure, it will cost more than the speakers for something decent to measure with.
For $200 I would probably go down this route:
Fane Sovereign 12-250 TC – Thomann United States
Fane Sovereign 15-600 LF – Thomann United States
Slightly more but worth it imho.
Fane Sovereign 12-250 TC – Thomann United States
Fane Sovereign 15-600 LF – Thomann United States
Slightly more but worth it imho.
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