Price/quality speaker for beginner DIYer and to hifi

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Jules_ddn

Member
Joined 2022
#1
Hello guys,

I've finally convinced my friend to buy a hifi system and stop listening music with the inbuilt speaker of his computer. I've been into hifi for a couples of years now, so it's my job to find him a hifi-system. I'm personally a 19 year old student, and I'm honestly getting tired of the high prices of new speakers and the speculation on the prices of secondhand 'vintage speaker'. That's why I want to start building my own audio gear (I already started simple with a ACA amp) and it's the perfect occasion to start my journey into speaker building. I already informed myself with a lot of reading, so I'm no pro but not a noob either.

So here are my condition for the build;
  • about 250euros for a stereo set of speaker (2 or 3 way)
  • it's a pretty small room, like 4x4m (yes I know is a square, shame on him)
  • My friend isn't a critical listener, so a fun speaker to listen to (so a bit of boomy bass isn't that bad)
  • not too complicated, it's my first build
  • parts that are not too hard to find in Europe (Belgium more specifically)

So if you guys have some ideas or projects you would like to share to help me. It would be greatly appreciated.

I already thank you guys for the help,

Jules
 
#2
Hello Jules,
may i can help with some orientation...tips.
Actually i use daily the ONS- Overneight Sansation with a Harman Kardon HK610 Amplifier. Search on ebay.
It sounds a really enjoyable combination to me. It is staging a bit like nearfield Monitor, listening distance 1-3m.
Only problem: the Dayton Tweeter are difficult to get now.

A second Idea to start, also with Pass ACA is to go simple Fullrange. SICA (short)TML
I have found one here: https://lautsprecherselbstbau.berlin/der-bausatz-sica-tml/
Please contact constructeur for PDF enclosure dimensions.
The chassis: https://www.lautsprecher-technik.de/sica-6-5-breitbandlautsprecher-z004002.html

Mine Set SICA's has to wait for finnishing.

Another little speaker is from Alexander: DonHighEnd, his DauMino M
https://www.donhighend.de/?page_id=5457

Only some exammples.
There are many other options.

Here in Forum was presented a speaker with Visaton WS 170 from Member Lojzek in
sealed enclosure...also interesting to start with speakers.
 
#7
Jules_ddn said:
Hello guys,
...So if you guys have some ideas or projects you would like to share to help me. It would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

For a fun 2 way speaker with decent bass, I would recommend:

  • Peerless by Tymphany SDS-P830657 = 30.45 €/piece
  • Peerless by Tymphany DX25TG59-04 = 32.95 €/piece
  • filter parts= approx. 25 €/piece
  • vented 20 litres=> somewhat boomy bass or
  • sealed 20 litres=> audiophile clear bass, to reside closer to corners
 
#8
Does your budget include cabinets, if not, are you able to make them? Otherwise, the cabinets may likely cost as much as the drivers and XO parts if professionally made.

The drivers suggested by Lojzek could make a very nice speaker, if there is an existing and good sounding crossover design available. I've used the 830657 (or rather, its brother the SDS160) in a two way with a BC25TG Vifa tweeter but the crossover wasn't quite right. The bass was very good, though. There's a bookshelf cabinet project for that woofer on a German DIY site.

I wouldn't go for a three way for a first speaker: the crossover will be much more complex and costly than for a two way, which will mean you have to use cheaper drivers to work within budget.

There are many good and proved two way or full range projects which could suit that size room, but what driver brands are readily available for you? What sort of music does your friend listen to, and at what levels?

Geoff
 
#11
Moondog55 said:
Is that the top end of Paul Carmodys "Tarkus" ?
https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/floorstanding-speakers/tarkus
Click to expand...

Yes indeed.

There have been a couple of simmed crossovers worked up for those drivers, one by Wolf on this Forum, but I don't know if any have been built. The woofer really needs a 30l cabinet to give its best bass performance. There are at least two widely built floor standing cabinet designs out there: one Dutch ("LBVS" a MLTL) , one German ("Startair Kit 2S", a vented design).

However, the OP is after a bookshelf so I haven't linked them.

Geoff
 
#12
The recent Sony 3-way bookshelves seem to be quite good and for a low price. If you find a good price on second-hand Totem Mites, I'd go for those too.

To make the most of bookshelves, don't put them on the desk, nor on a real bookshelf. Instead, get or make separate stands for them.

Additionally, anti-vibration measures, passive room-correction measures as well as clean power (AC mains filter box) are cheap things you can do to improve the overall system greatly.
 
#13
PJN said:
Another vote to consider a single driver full range speaker, they can sound fantastic
Click to expand...

And are simplier. ! quality driver vrs 4 + XO parts for the same budget.

Markaudio CHN-110 is a good budget choice. Waxx is likely the most eloquent “review”. I listened in Frugel-Horn XL. I really liked them. Likes a biger box.

https://www.soundimports.eu/en/markaudio-chn-110.html

dave
 
#15
WOW thank you guys for all the support, didn't expect that much answers.

I indeed tended to go for a 2 way system, because x-over are is the thing i most fear in this project. I hadn't directly thought of 1 way sytem, but I've been seeing it more and more lately and it's something I'll look into, because it looks very interesting.

I'll now look thoroughly into all your suggestion and I'll come back when I made my decision and ofc I'll keep you up with my progress throughout the process (but it might take some time, because being a student, I enter now my exams periode. So sadly it won't be my main concern for the next weeks)
 
#18
It is very hard to build a pair for 250 euros nowadays cause the wood and other parts, plus you need tools, glue, sealers, etc . Better to buy a second-hand or good enough brandnew little pro monitors as Behringer or K&W... Maybe a flat pack at Soundimport is possible in that price range.

my 2 cents
 
#19
Agree with @diyiggy, 250euros all included is pretty hard to reach these days.
2 or 3 kits on SoundImport, less if counting “available” and paint And glue.
But it is a nice experience to built it up, so maybe be flexible by a few euros more
Otherwise, 2nd hand… just like mentionned above
 
#20
Consider also alternative enclosures.
Especially if you can be happy with smaller drivers like 100mm woofers; PVC sewer pipe can often be found on building sites as offcuts and discards in skips for the asking [ remember to ask and say "please"] and if lucky in 150mm.
Ditto for Sonotube and other cardboard formwork and such things as carpet roll inners and the centres of the polyfilm used to wrap palleted goods.
Greek olives come in a heavy plastic "barrel" of about 6 litres volume and commercial foodstuffs come in HD plastic drums and buckets ranging in volume from 5 to 20 litres. Speakers don't have to be built in rectangular wooden boxes.
Using glue and carpet scraps and some fibre filling such enclosures can work very well, ditto for concrete blocks and there is nothing wrong ( and a lot right) with scrounging old speaker boxes from the rubbish and fixing them up with new drivers and a lick of paint
 
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