I've been looking for a big speaker project, and like Troels' The Loudspeaker, especially after some fun with 15" JBLs and EVs with CD & waveguides a few years ago.
Now the problem is plans and crossovers shipped to Australia is close enough to $2k before drivers. Yikes.
What are some options? Any other recommended designs out there?
Dayton drivers are reasonable easy to access here...
Now the problem is plans and crossovers shipped to Australia is close enough to $2k before drivers. Yikes.
What are some options? Any other recommended designs out there?
Dayton drivers are reasonable easy to access here...
Budget, room size, listening preferences, preferred cabinet size, etc? All useful things to know before trying to help you. Here are a couple of ideas, drivers and XO parts available in Oz:
http://speakerdesignworks.com/SB6pakproject_6.html
https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/floorstanding-speakers/tarkus
Geoff
http://speakerdesignworks.com/SB6pakproject_6.html
https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/floorstanding-speakers/tarkus
Geoff
Big speakers sort of demand big rooms, really big rooms.
I've been drooling over the Dayton 18" but that's a pipedream that won't happen but I dream of a quad amped quad of them as the bottom end for any future project, just in case we win the lottery and build a house with a medieval great hall in the centre or alternatively buy an old country church to use as a dining room.
What's the WAF like?
I've been drooling over the Dayton 18" but that's a pipedream that won't happen but I dream of a quad amped quad of them as the bottom end for any future project, just in case we win the lottery and build a house with a medieval great hall in the centre or alternatively buy an old country church to use as a dining room.
What's the WAF like?
No need to concern yourselves about WAF (she's awesome) or the size of room! I just like the effortless sound of big drivers and CD.
I've had happy experiences previously with JBL home theatre front end featuring 15" + CD (LCR) and a pair EV's with dual 15s + CD.
Looked at Troels' The Loudspeaker but the asking price for the plans + crossover parts is just a bit too much IMHO. Shipping to Australia was 300 Euro alone.
So, was wondering what other proven kits/designs there are can tick those big speaker boxes for me.
Main criteria are - proven design using contemporary drivers, prefer 3 way, passive crossover, cab size - floor area under approx. 600x600 (mm). I don't mind something that isn't a tall thin column (such as the Axis LS88 I have currently have). As for music genre - anything that isn't jazz. Budget - a few grand, but would really depend on the build. These will be driven by my trusty Perreaux 6000b so plenty of grunt.
And preferably round speaker cut-outs as I'm a bit of novice with a router!
I've had happy experiences previously with JBL home theatre front end featuring 15" + CD (LCR) and a pair EV's with dual 15s + CD.
Looked at Troels' The Loudspeaker but the asking price for the plans + crossover parts is just a bit too much IMHO. Shipping to Australia was 300 Euro alone.
So, was wondering what other proven kits/designs there are can tick those big speaker boxes for me.
Main criteria are - proven design using contemporary drivers, prefer 3 way, passive crossover, cab size - floor area under approx. 600x600 (mm). I don't mind something that isn't a tall thin column (such as the Axis LS88 I have currently have). As for music genre - anything that isn't jazz. Budget - a few grand, but would really depend on the build. These will be driven by my trusty Perreaux 6000b so plenty of grunt.
And preferably round speaker cut-outs as I'm a bit of novice with a router!
microdub,
diyAudio member Ugg10 has already suggested the Open Source Monkey Box project.
There is another speaker project, the "Elsinore" for which you should be able to find the parts in Australia; the designer is based in Sydney AFAIK. He sells the waveguide and crossover PCBs for the project.
For a wide and tall speaker you can look up the "Asathor". It is likely that you will have to get the drivers from Europe, but the drivers are reasonably priced (last time I checked).
diyAudio member Ugg10 has already suggested the Open Source Monkey Box project.
There is another speaker project, the "Elsinore" for which you should be able to find the parts in Australia; the designer is based in Sydney AFAIK. He sells the waveguide and crossover PCBs for the project.
For a wide and tall speaker you can look up the "Asathor". It is likely that you will have to get the drivers from Europe, but the drivers are reasonably priced (last time I checked).
@Brett I guess I was and am thinking of my teenage years where the speakers took up what seemed to be a full third of my bedroom, and while I like big speakers myself dual 18's in a small room would be overkill to me these days if I wanted them a metre out from the wall. I did note the OP's reply to that statement tho and 600mm * 600mm isn't all that large
So, you've like sold out and become The Man? So not cool dude.
My last mains were 650x450x1960 WDH in a 6x3.2m room. I'm probably going back to large midbass horns in the next place, so they'll be even bigger, but in a (much) bigger room.
My comment was more not on the physical size of speakers but that I keep getting told on various fora that "that's too much speaker for the room" type bollocks.
Yep Just slouching here waiting to die perhaps?
Or just run out of Ooomph to keep building new bigger and louder units.
Missed my chance to buy one of those old Golden Ratio bluestone churches in the country for my music room.
I was told 'The Man' line by a hippie stoner my age a while back whom I'm sure thinks The Big Lebowski was a documentary.
Bummer re the Church. I nearly did the same years ago but it was a bit middle of nowhere for me at the time.
I just build this stuff because it's fun and I can and there's no WAF to worry about.
Bummer re the Church. I nearly did the same years ago but it was a bit middle of nowhere for me at the time.
I just build this stuff because it's fun and I can and there's no WAF to worry about.
I must admit that whenever I read something about larger sized speakers, I think of this:
Only joking....I'd love some 'monkey coffins'!
Geoff
Only joking....I'd love some 'monkey coffins'!
Geoff
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Some great ideas there!
I'm simplifying my life a bit atm, so no active crossovers, multiple amps, speakers too sensitive to placement, need for subs etc - just plain old stereo from a single amp!
So, previously, I had the EV HP1A on HP940 with a pair of DL15W (the TL-606) which was great but lacked bottom end.
The JBLs were a (relatively) compact little cabinet with a 15 + horn but can't for the life of me remember the model. They also needed a sub.
Both of these were theatre speakers and therefore tuned for mid-range and a sub was assumed. Both were front ported so positioning was a bit less critical.
The Asathor looks like it fits the bill, if I can get hold of drivers down here. And a relatively straightforward build too.
I've always fancied Curt's designs although I don't have any experience with them yet.
I'm simplifying my life a bit atm, so no active crossovers, multiple amps, speakers too sensitive to placement, need for subs etc - just plain old stereo from a single amp!
So, previously, I had the EV HP1A on HP940 with a pair of DL15W (the TL-606) which was great but lacked bottom end.
The JBLs were a (relatively) compact little cabinet with a 15 + horn but can't for the life of me remember the model. They also needed a sub.
Both of these were theatre speakers and therefore tuned for mid-range and a sub was assumed. Both were front ported so positioning was a bit less critical.
The Asathor looks like it fits the bill, if I can get hold of drivers down here. And a relatively straightforward build too.
I've always fancied Curt's designs although I don't have any experience with them yet.
As far as I know, the following brands of drivers - but not all of their product range - are readily available in Oz, through LSK, Wagner and Digitech:
SB Acoustics, Peerless/Vifa/Tymphany, Dayton Audio, Fountek ( a few) Daichi (never seen any projects with that brand) and Scan Speak. There's also Jaycar's house brand 'Response" but again, I haven't seen any projects with them.
I don't think the drivers for the Asathor are available here, happy to be proved wrong.
Visaton drivers and kits are available from Soundlabs, not sure if any of their designs suit your purpose but they have some kits with large woofers; not cheap, but:
https://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/p/V-5957-Monitor890/Monitor+890+MK+III+Speaker+Kit
Geoff
SB Acoustics, Peerless/Vifa/Tymphany, Dayton Audio, Fountek ( a few) Daichi (never seen any projects with that brand) and Scan Speak. There's also Jaycar's house brand 'Response" but again, I haven't seen any projects with them.
I don't think the drivers for the Asathor are available here, happy to be proved wrong.
Visaton drivers and kits are available from Soundlabs, not sure if any of their designs suit your purpose but they have some kits with large woofers; not cheap, but:
https://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/p/V-5957-Monitor890/Monitor+890+MK+III+Speaker+Kit
Geoff
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^^ Geoff, why limit yourself to brands that have a distributor in Australia; most of mine aren't. Do you want to build the project you want to build or only the one you can because of drivers available here?
And please don't give me the guff that importing is difficult, because it's not. I've been I/E speakers, drivers, amps, parts and music instruments for 25y as compered to when I started, today it's not much more difficult that getting a package from interstate.
LSK generally don't carry stock from what others have told me, they drop ship in so you're just adding a middle man.
And please don't give me the guff that importing is difficult, because it's not. I've been I/E speakers, drivers, amps, parts and music instruments for 25y as compered to when I started, today it's not much more difficult that getting a package from interstate.
LSK generally don't carry stock from what others have told me, they drop ship in so you're just adding a middle man.
Importing or ordering from o's isn't difficult, I've done it several times: the problem is that the shrinking $A and postage costs from overseas - particularly the UK and US - have really hurt the value for money proposition.
Also, if a driver purchased from overseas is defective, the cost of return post is likely to be more than the driver. This happened to me with a bung tweeter.
When I've had dud items from LSK they've paid for the post and sent me a new one before they've received the old one.
Geoff
Looked at the retail cost of commercial speakers and what you get for that? DIY, if not working at the budget end is still a lot better than that.
When I was starting importing the $A was $US0.48
You spin the dice and take the risks.
Maybe, but you're still limited by what they stock.
You must have really bad luck because I don't recall the last dud driver I bought new from a reputable source., and I have a lot of drivers. My current spares pile probably exceeds 200 and maybe 10 of them were from WES, the rest were imported.
I have a whole bunch of Beyma, B&C, 18S, LaVoce and other drivers on order and factored the shipping and taxes as part of the cost. Were the drivers worth it to me for the performance? Or would I rather not build what I wanted to build because it wasn't available locally? Or worse still, waste a lot of time, effort and money building something I didn't really want because it was all I could obtain on this continent? By the time you build something you don't really want and are never happy with it, then sell it, you're probably about as deep in financially as if you'd just built what you wanted in the first place. I know this from experience.
You will make the decision most comfortable to you, but I'm pointing out for others that may read this, you need not be limited to what you can find here. And I'm far from rich so I'm not saying this as though I'm buying drivers from spare change found in my couch.
The only thing in this thread I wouldn't spend money on are TGs too expensive xovers.
Agree with your points, all valid; and in terms of the total project cost, the possible higher cost of drivers sourced from overseas may not be significant. Also, I have enjoyed several very good 'Deals of the Day', even counting the post/$ issues, from Parts Express.
Geoff
