Help! 3 Way DIY speakers made from Aiwa Bookshelfs

[450]

Hi,

I have this nice sounding pair of Aiwa bookshelf speakers and I want to make them into something better. I know that they can sound better by adding some insulation (at the moment they don't have any). But I want to make it into real diy project by converting this bookshelf set into a floorstanding set and use a decent 3 way crossover.

Is this possible or just stupid?



That's sort of what I want to do. I thought isolating the woofer mid, and tweeter would yield the best sound.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

[tomtt]

zillions of these all over the planet-

http://list3.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp...gory-leaf.html


go for it

[69stingray]

I have had the same thought. I see a lot of bookshelf systems for sale on Craig's List. Very cheap way to get a set of drivers for a 3-way system (with an amp left over). Let us know how it turns out.

[TerryO]

Originally posted by 450
Hi,

I have this nice sounding pair of Aiwa bookshelf speakers and I want to make them into something better. I know that they can sound better by adding some insulation (at the moment they don't have any). But I want to make it into real diy project by converting this bookshelf set into a floorstanding set and use a decent 3 way crossover.

Is this possible or just stupid?



That's sort of what I want to do. I thought isolating the woofer mid, and tweeter would yield the best sound.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

I really can't tell from the drawing, but it may work depending on..........a lot of factors.

However, Cal Weldon had a somewhat similar sort of speaker at one of Al Wooly's RAW Fest meets a couple of years back. It was pretty unusual, to say the least. It prompted Kevin Haskins of DIYcable/Exodus Audio to grant them "The Terry Olson Award".
Depending on your personal take, that might be good...........or bad:^)
I'd say that you owe it to yourself get some cardboard boxes for a mockup and try it out. Not much to lose, just don't turn up the volume very high. It "will" give you a rough idea of what to expect and would allow you to experiment (juggle) the placement/distances, etc., of your separate driver enclosures.

"When in doubt, try it out!"

Best Regards,
TerryO

[450]

Thanks for replies everyone but what I need to know now is how big do the cabinets have to be and to port or not to port? If I do port how big should the hole(s) be? Isn't there some sort of calculator?

Also, what type of wood to use (that is, after I'm done cardboard testing)?

[69stingray]

To determine the size of the cabinet, you need to know the specifications of the drivers, like thier Vas, Qts, etc. Do you have any testing equipment?

[450]

No. I don't have any testing equipment. I have no idea what Vas and Qts are! Ugh. I have such a long way to go!

Where can I start? What do I need to purchase?

[sreten]

Hi,

If they sound decent now you will very likely make them worse.

You have no way of designing a decent 3-way crossover, and it
is not possible to buy one, all off the shelf c/o's don't work well.

Adding a supertweeter (or is it adding a 2" mid ?), not a good idea.

If you want to build a pair of speakers, given the time involved,
starting with cheap unknown quantities is not a good idea.

Build the floorstanding version of this (28Hz port tuning) :

http://www.zaphaudio.com/BAMTM.html



/sreten.

[450]

The Aiwa speakers themselves have a 6.5" woofer and 2" mid and 1" super tweeter. I'm not adding anything. Its all there.

EDIT: Also, the Aiwa set still has the XO it came with.

So are you saying it is impossible to improve the design of speaker?

[Cal Weldon]

Hi 450,

It sounds like fun and might be a good learning experience. The thing that will hold you back is getting the XO right. That's a pretty tricky thing and if you are still learning about Qt and Vas are then you might want to pull the reigns in a bit and consider what others have said.

Rather than try and improve the Aiwa's you might be better off to think about a kit speaker. They are reasonably priced, allow you to get your hands dirty and most of the ground work has been looked after. You still get a tremendous sense of satisfaction and leave behind the heartache of a failed DIY.

How are your woodworking skills?