the best diy speakers for $3000!

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TurboFC3S said:
Ok, so which posts are yours? Do you know how to solder? Do you know how to design and build crossovers? Are you able to measure your finished design and tweak to accomodate necessary changes? Do you have the necessary woodworking tools and skills to pull something like this off, in addition to the understanding of what goes into constructing an inert cabinet? Do you know how to read driver data and choose accordingly?

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Turbo, to answer your questions, i would say yes to all but the driver data. ii get what mean, but i occasionaly implement tham wrong. luckily, i have a dad who's happy to help.
 
Honest advice. Pick an existing project from a reputable designer and build that. In fact, I'd really recommend that you find a local cabinet maker or handyman and have him build the cabinets for your from whatever design you pick. You really will be a lot happier in the end I believe. If you want to use this as a real learning experience, once you are done building the speaker, measure it and try to correctly interpret the data. Spend time measuring the speaker in the listening environment to determine correct placement and if room treatment would be helpful. At this point you probably look at speaker building as something that is pretty tough, but you've got a good grasp on it. Take my word for it, for what it's worth, if you don't have bare minimum a BS in engineering (or, possibly physics) you don't. You really don't have any idea whats going on inside. The best you can hope for otherwise is trial and error and that is a long and expensive process.


http://www.zaphaudio.com
http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com
 
here is my attempt to RE-CREATE the original beolab 5 CAD drawing using microsoft paint in 5 minutes.
 

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Please, why not take on somebody at your own age - both of you !

FROG; Your boss wants to see what you can create, so please go on with it in your own way - it is his call if he let you build it

Your first choise of driver with the DAVIS might have been OK, now that we know there is subs

Follow your instinkts and make something of your own - I think anything else would be like cheating
 
i will take that picture you're requesting as soon as my camera comes back from SONY. I sent it in for repairs 2 weeks ago.

i have the feeling you hate me, TURBO.

to clear something up for you, over the last x number of months, i have started the one-bar surround, built the beolab 5, cynosure (from PE), and im currently in the design process for these speakers.

my brother is still stuck on the full-range train

my dad has finished POlK LSi7 clones
 
If you would like to build something for him using a pre-existing kit, take a look at this kit:

http://www.madisound.com/thor.html

Cabinets included and “premium” crossover. I agree with Geoff, this little project could be very rewarding or very dangerous. A kit by be the best route.

If I was to design my own……and I knew he had a sub already. Maybe a 2.5 way MTMMM with four CSS 4.5” WR125SST drivers and Vifa D26NC55 1” Tweeter. Having 4 WR125ST’s should improve the mid-bass distortion. Crossover over to the Tweeter around 3-4 kHz.

http://www.madisound.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cart_id=9133107.18474&pid=1325
http://www.creativesound.ca/details.php?model=WR125ST
 
69stingray said:
If you would like to build something for him using a pre-existing kit, take a look at this kit:

http://www.madisound.com/thor.html

Cabinets included and “premium” crossover. I agree with Geoff, this little project could be very rewarding or very dangerous. A kit by be the best route.

If I was to design my own……and I knew he had a sub already. Maybe a 2.5 way MTMMM with four CSS 4.5” WR125SST drivers and Vifa D26NC55 1” Tweeter. Having 4 WR125ST’s should improve the mid-bass distortion. Crossover over to the Tweeter around 3-4 kHz.

http://www.madisound.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cart_id=9133107.18474&pid=1325
http://www.creativesound.ca/details.php?model=WR125ST

There's a massive thread here regarding the Thor and alternate cabinet designs. I thought of doing this previously as well. If one is to decide on this kit be sure to read that thread and be prepared to do a whole lotta reading.

Mike
 
legendaryfrog said:
hi everyone. after my dad's boss heard my beolab 5 clones, he asked me to build him some speakers for his bedroom. a negotiable budget of $3000 for a pair has been established, but im havin trouble selecting the drivers.

im thinking about 2 of these (per speaker) as the bass:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=297-568

Im not sure about the tweet, (supertweet, if needed), and the mid-bass.

any opinions?

how about showing some pics?
:)
 
TurboFC3S said:
I just can't stop laughing ...

A 13 year old kid, who says he's a Senior in High School is being comissioned by his Dad's Boss for ~$4000 to build a reference speaker. And less than a month ago this same 13 year old was asking on here "How do you design a crossover, it seems really hard" and proclaiming "I don't know how to solder" ... and supposedly build a Beolab 5 clone out of styrofoam.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for helping the next generation of DIY'ers get a start. But you gotta stop feeding us BS if you want any help kid. If you want to start from scratch and drop the tall tales, I'm sure you'll find nothing but friends on here.

I was wondering myself. There's lot more technology in the BeoLab 5 than meets the eye. Even if you got the curves the same, which is quite a task itself, the drivers have to be domes to make them function right. No pics of the said clone had been posted. So I do wonder. Some things I don't even want to say here.

legendaryfrog said:
for your information, i have a 12 YEAR OLD BROTHER who has recently gotton into speaker building. dont bug me about his posts. i am quite experienced with speaker building, unlike him.

Turbo, i get why this seems funny to you, i get quite a laugh myself when i introduce myself to others. but seriously, the high school thing is no joke. when i lived in Poland, my dad homeschooled me. hard.


and geoff, sorry about the quick assumption on age vs bass i made. ill admit i didnt think through that last post.

Better control of your acount would be my recommendation. Otherwise we will see a cybernet version of "Wolf! Wolf!"
 
legendaryfrog said:
i will take that picture you're requesting as soon as my camera comes back from SONY. I sent it in for repairs 2 weeks ago.

i have the feeling you hate me, TURBO.

to clear something up for you, over the last x number of months, i have started the one-bar surround, built the beolab 5, cynosure (from PE), and im currently in the design process for these speakers.

my brother is still stuck on the full-range train

my dad has finished POlK LSi7 clones

So what curve do you use for the concave and convex portions of the BeoLab 5 reflectors? Perhaps you'd like to share the building process? I'm sure lots of people would like to learn.
 
Cal Weldon said:
:cop:

I would like us to return to topic and leave personalities at the door.

Your cooperation goes a long way.

For what it's worth, letting two persons using the same account is totally disrespect to others. If what the "frog" said is true about he and his little brother both posting through the same account, I would recommend the moderator to close the account and ask them to open separate accounts and not play "two face" here.
 
the reason we share accounts is that its a major drag when having to log in and out.

the curve/concave reflectors were milled at the factory by dad works at, by my dad. not sure of the slope though, but i did visit my local B&O store and get the measurements


the same goes for everything else, except the base. I first planned on making the base out of styrofoam and then coating it with resin, paint, laquer, etc.

but, i ended up making a wooden frame. as the first step, i stapling fabic to the inside. after that i put wood shavings/fibres mixed with resin, into the spaces tween the wooden frame. next, i used some sand putty to cover the whole thing. after that, it was sanded and prepared the same way as MDF normally is to get a gloss finish.

as for the technologies behind the beolab, they were completely ignored. i didnt use an ICE amplifier, and digital phase changes, etc. i used a T_AMP! my goal was to create a cheap version of them. and i completely suceeded in that. 16000 vs 380.

ill post FULL instructions to the beolab this week, if it is requested.
 
vinylkid58 said:


Obviously he doesn't share your belief that bigger is better. For many of us "stuck on the full range train" types, the best diy speaker for $3k IS full range, not some big heavy monster with 10 drivers per box, and a crossover the size of a mini monitor.

Jeff

i understand that pretty much all speakers are full-range. but in my bro's situation its the one driver per box kinda thing. you'll have to agree with me that full-range speakers (as in 1 driver covering most of the audio spectrum) are a good speaker beginner's project.


Midnite Mick said:
How do you do a Polk lsi7 clone? Do you get the drivers from Polk because they design their own. Even the Vifa tweeter is made for them.

Mike

no, he doesnt get the parts from POLK, or use the same parts. when we (as in my family) use the term clone, we mean building a speaker that is almost identical, in terms of design, to the original.
 
Having read some of your previous posts, you, my young and eager friend, are in way over your head. This sounds like your Dad’s boss just wants to help you out because he likes you and wants to encourage you. BUT, this could lead to an uncomfortable employment situation for your Dad if this turns out badly (if your Dad’s boss cares about his money and time.) If this commission is just a “gift” for any speaker however badly executed and that he doesn’t particularly care about the results, then fine; waste his money – that is HIS choice. But try to learn something from it. What an opportunity; most DIYers would never spend $3000 on parts for a pair of speakers and consequently have no direct experience with such expensive parts. $30k Wilsons have less money in drivers! But really, if your Dad’s boss actually wants any semblance of value here, then, you had better find a nice kit and assemble that! I agree with 69Stingray, the Seas Thor is an excellent choice (the CSS not so much.)

Never enter into a contract without clearly stated expectations of outcomes – and get it in writing. In my business, I routinely ask for amounts exceeding most people’s annual incomes to do an Audio/Video project. I never get a reluctance to pay – and I get 25% just to present a formal quote and 90% before I do anything more. It is about professionalism and having a history of delivering, at minimum, what was expected. With a budget of $4000, I would expect to spend no more than $1000 cost on parts and materials and no more than 30 hours total on the project for myself and everyone else that works on the project, this includes a 10% time buffer for the expected unexpected problems. These are the realities of operating a business. What my client gets is my experience, skill and knowledge; but most of all, he gets the assurance that his money was well spent, because he WILL get what he contracted for.
 
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