Best speakers to build for $1,000

[tubo]

Check out Hawthorne audio. They have 10" coaxials and 10" sub in open baffle.i do have the 15" version and they are easy on the ears and worked well in my room which is a little smaller than ur room.

 

[a.wayne]

Completely in agreement with more subs. Two a minimum. I prefer them on one wall. The next biggest thing you can do for stronger, cleaner bass is bass traps. Real ones. Not silly little foam blocks. Go buy 4 rolls of 24 inch R36 unfaced insulation and stack them in the opposing corner. Don't unwrap them. You may be very surprised. I tried to get a thread going about sound control, but got very little traction. Not as sexy and talking about a new tweeter I guess. It took me years, but I finally came to the conclusion you should spend as much on absorbers as on speakers. Great DIY too.

Tone controls are your friend. I miss my loudness knob. If I ever build another preamp, I'll put one on. The modern way would be to do it all with DSP.

Agree on room treatment , not so on the loudness knob, suggest you go for a better balance with your speakers , when done correctly it will sound the same way with 1 watt as if does with 20 ...

 

[riley.reynolds]

Generally, well designed DIY speakers will sound great, better than anything you can buy for double/tripple the cost of DIY.

for bass anything that reaches below 40Hz usually sound pretty good to me, my small rooms cant make much lower than 35 anyways. Above 40 hz and is seems like something is always missing.

for your 250w amp sensitivity shouldn't be an issue

I have completed several projects from paul carmody and like the way he voices his speakers, definitely has modern music in mind.
Try these:
https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/tarkus -loud and low
https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/diy/amiga - not as loud but very detailed and good bass
HTGuide Forum - Swope 3-way (TMWW or WTMW) -these look cool and the drivers are really good, you can buy a kit from meniscus audio

I also like Treols gravesen stuff and these are about his bet bang for te buck speakers
Jenzen CA
i built his 3 way classic which uses similar drivers but a much smaller enclosure, very clear but the small enclosure with an f3 of 45hz makes the bass seem kinda weak. The Jenzens should be much better with the f3 of around 35hz.

Zaphaudio.com also makes very good speakers and well touted on the website but i have yet to build one of his projects so i can't recomend

 

[mikeford]

If you like ribbons, you might like horns.

 

[Nelson Bass]

Take a look at Pi speakers... You'll not regret the choice.

 

[rhubarb9999]

I have the Amazing Platinum ribbons (60") and they are mated with 2 x NHT1259s per side.

All the clarity and openness with thumping bass. I would think you could consider ditching the OB woofers and build some nice woofers in a box (look at the Dayton RS line).

I have a custom active crossover, but you could easily use a MiniDSP and bi-amp (get rid of the Carver passive x-over). You don't need a lot of power to the ribbons. I use 60w tube amps and a Carver 1.0t on the woofers.

I have been very happy with my system for almost 20 years ... give it a try.

 

[speakerdoctor]

Build these, you won't be sorry! Easy project. Pre-fab'd cabinets, Scanspeak drivers and a simple 3 pc xover. Put 'em on stands about 1 foot from a rear wall to take advantage of the rear port's wall reflection, sit back and enjoy!

Introducing the "INTIMATES" (high WAF & quality sound)

 

[soundaatma]

A Martin style OB, with a Fostex FE 108 sigma on flat panel OB and H-frame below with Alpha 15" would likely be unbeatable in this price range. And with 1000$ you can easily go active with a miniDSP and subwoofer plate amps for the bass units 😛