first time project, I want to expand my knowledge of carpentry , electronics and DIY in general.
SIMPLY PUT
I want to make a pair of VERY simple TINY speakers for my desk, I have a little 2.1 amp and a subwoofer below. I want it to be dirt-cheap so I wanna build with reclaimed wood, upcycling as there is so much waste wood in the streets around in London where I live.
Going for cheapness and simplicity I would like to opt for two single driver speakers and closed back. At that size I think that is about right.
Ideally they would be about 20-30watts each...
So two little cubes basically!
I have no idea where to start and I didnt want to trawl through tonnes of hard core technical stuff, I am not good with maths and stuff.. Just wanna keep it simple and practical.
I know that I need to choose some drivers then work out the dimensions of the speaker based on those..
So there is a formula I need for this right?
And maybe I wont need a cross over if its just a single full range driver in each of the speakers?
Thanks!!!
SIMPLY PUT
I want to make a pair of VERY simple TINY speakers for my desk, I have a little 2.1 amp and a subwoofer below. I want it to be dirt-cheap so I wanna build with reclaimed wood, upcycling as there is so much waste wood in the streets around in London where I live.
Going for cheapness and simplicity I would like to opt for two single driver speakers and closed back. At that size I think that is about right.
Ideally they would be about 20-30watts each...
So two little cubes basically!
I have no idea where to start and I didnt want to trawl through tonnes of hard core technical stuff, I am not good with maths and stuff.. Just wanna keep it simple and practical.
I know that I need to choose some drivers then work out the dimensions of the speaker based on those..
So there is a formula I need for this right?
And maybe I wont need a cross over if its just a single full range driver in each of the speakers?
Thanks!!!
Drivers that can do that will cost some money i'm affraid. The Mark Audio Alpair 7MS cab do that (F3 of 100Hz) in a 6L sealed cabinet. And there are probally more, but those drivers tend to cost a bit like the alpair 7MS (60€ a piece).
drivers that do what? they just need to be a cheap pair of full range speakers... small and cheap. I have a sub so no need to go low. I know that small cheap full range drivers exist bro hahah
drivers that do what? they just need to be a cheap pair of full range speakers... small and cheap. I have a sub so no need to go low. I know that small full range drivers exist bro hahah
Hi I don't think you're getting me..
I want to make something very simple and cheap as an experiment but also to upgrade my cheap plastic Bassface speakers.
I was thinking as there is so much free wood in the streets and that the speakers will be tiny and not need much wood I would use as many salvaged parts as possible. If need be there is a homeware/DIY store pretty nearby..
These kinda drivers are what I would be looking at:
Faital Pro : Faital Pro 3FE25 8 Ohm Faston :: PS10.28 IN STOCK (7 Aug 2021)
I guess actually using a enclosure calculator:
Speaker Enclosure Volume Calculator
I can figure it out...
I was looking for any guidance you might wanna share.
The thing is I don't have any electric tools either. I have a hammer, saaw, hacksaw.. can get screws, nails and glue...
That is why I want to start with something very simple and cheap so it is low risk and minimal investment. I can spend £20-30.
I want to spend less, like if I could find two speaker drivers. But would have to be full range. Without the specifications can I still calculate the box dimensions?
I want to make something very simple and cheap as an experiment but also to upgrade my cheap plastic Bassface speakers.
I was thinking as there is so much free wood in the streets and that the speakers will be tiny and not need much wood I would use as many salvaged parts as possible. If need be there is a homeware/DIY store pretty nearby..
These kinda drivers are what I would be looking at:
Faital Pro : Faital Pro 3FE25 8 Ohm Faston :: PS10.28 IN STOCK (7 Aug 2021)
I guess actually using a enclosure calculator:
Speaker Enclosure Volume Calculator
I can figure it out...
I was looking for any guidance you might wanna share.
The thing is I don't have any electric tools either. I have a hammer, saaw, hacksaw.. can get screws, nails and glue...
That is why I want to start with something very simple and cheap so it is low risk and minimal investment. I can spend £20-30.
I want to spend less, like if I could find two speaker drivers. But would have to be full range. Without the specifications can I still calculate the box dimensions?
Hi, I definitely see where you are going with this, and I think the FaitalPro 3FE22 (or 3FE25 if you are not bothered about the big magnet, performance is about the same) are the perfect choice for you. In the UK they seem to be the best bang for buck FR driver around, especially as you have a sub. BTW if you go with the 25 they are cheaper from Lean Business as a pair.
You should get response down to Fe from them in a sealed box calculated with any of these free online calculators I suppose, although I haven't done a build like this and I don't have much experience.
But I have done a modified TABAQ build with them, see my thread, and these sound great. I also am keen on using recycled wood, in my case pallet cover sheets from my workplace - the chipboard is the perfect material. I have got the total material price for a pair of these, including drivers, stuffing, wire, terminal, 3d printed grille and all, down to around £23, and they sound like £1000! The boxes might be a bit bigger than what you are after, around 42cm high, but with the bass extension from the MLTL design you can cross your sub lower and really get the benefits of an FR system.
Yes, the purists will tell you that you need to spend more to get what you want, and for sure YGWYPF, but I think you'll be happy with a system with 3FE22/25s in your main boxes.
You should get response down to Fe from them in a sealed box calculated with any of these free online calculators I suppose, although I haven't done a build like this and I don't have much experience.
But I have done a modified TABAQ build with them, see my thread, and these sound great. I also am keen on using recycled wood, in my case pallet cover sheets from my workplace - the chipboard is the perfect material. I have got the total material price for a pair of these, including drivers, stuffing, wire, terminal, 3d printed grille and all, down to around £23, and they sound like £1000! The boxes might be a bit bigger than what you are after, around 42cm high, but with the bass extension from the MLTL design you can cross your sub lower and really get the benefits of an FR system.
Yes, the purists will tell you that you need to spend more to get what you want, and for sure YGWYPF, but I think you'll be happy with a system with 3FE22/25s in your main boxes.
Just buy old speakers at a car boot sale or flea market, check the cones move.
Old car speakers at a car breaker yard, also.
Ask at pawn shops, thrift sales and so on.
10 quid tops for a pair.
Even if the boxes are bad, and the speakers are good, they are useful.
Old Philips and Japanese speakers are much better than most available new.
Old car speakers at a car breaker yard, also.
Ask at pawn shops, thrift sales and so on.
10 quid tops for a pair.
Even if the boxes are bad, and the speakers are good, they are useful.
Old Philips and Japanese speakers are much better than most available new.
BTW, other designs work well with this driver, I have built a pair of Frugel-Horn lites, that I am actually currently using as my main system, and there are drawings around for XRK's Mini Karlsonator with one and two of these drivers per box. Especially the mini k's might be of interest to you as they look pretty small, so take a look at that thread.
Mini Karlsonator (0.53X) with Dual TC9FDs
Mini Karlsonator (0.53X) with Dual TC9FDs
I would get a pair of speakers that you have the specs for, you can't really design an enclosure without the TS params...
Yes I agree that those older speakers are better I have a pair of hand made in UK celestions and they were £20, they sound 100 times better than most new speakers even cheap studio monitors from alesis..
But I am looking for full range drivers yeah, so yeah card speakers would be good.
But how do I calculate the dimensions of the speaker box without knowing the specifications of the driver?
Yeah I know some cheap speakers will potentialy sound very high grade in a semi decent wooden enclosure, things are so cheap these days thats why I always recommend cheap stuff to people hahah, honestly most of the time you pay for more and it actually is so marginally better, or sometimes worse.
many examples I have, one is my tiny Lepai micro amp, £7, I used it with a pair of UK made celestion speakers from the 80's, I go tthem for £20 on ebay. I am a sound engineer and have worked many gigs, and I am damn good with my ears after decades of work. I kid you not that bloody little amp beat the pants off of nearly any alternative. I got a cambridge audio solid state amp, a1, was horrible in comparison, no bass, no personality. Clinical but cold and dead sounding..
Have no idea why, its like the simplicity of the cheaper amp meant it let more frequencies through. Was based on a philips IC, cant remember which one. Always tempted to try putting that in a better circuit with better components, probably will sound amazing. Sure it might have been a bit less detailed in some ways than the cambridge but it sounded waaaaay better and worked very well with the speakers..
Anyway sorry off topic but over and over again I find it hard to replace something I bought very cheap because everything else even a bit higher in the price range (not talking high end stuff) is awful in comparison...
I know if I get a pair of these speakers in a semi decent enclosure yeah they will sound waaay better than my bassface plastic speakers (which are not bad persè).
Funny that you replied as it sounds like we have some thing in common and also I randomly chose that driver lol. Just googled it and found that. Nice to see it is a good one!
Very helpful post thanks so much. Just I do not understand about all these various terms of the speaker design name... But those ones you referenced above look amazing!
After I made these I want to either repair my subwoofer or build one myself, as they are a reasonably easy build also... My sub was left outside for months in the rain and elements so I was surprised it even worked. I havent opened it up to check the damage inside but might be able to clean it up, repair the enclosure, replace the driver. Def be less hassle than making a new one! But then again I know a DIY one will sound much better as this is a crappy panasonic sub from a high fi system....
Basically I have no room I live in a tiny bedsit, I have no room but I want a decent sound with some FR coverage so thats why I want two tiny sattelits and a sub, never had this set up before and quite enjoying the different experience compare to two two way full range speakers. It is just lacking a lot of details at the moment, sounds a bit flat and dead. I do miss my celestions they had great bass down to 60hz and a lot of personality and detail.
Thanks so much for all the details there. I am very excited now to have a tiny micro 2.1 system that sounds likes the dogs bo!!ox! 🙂
thanks for the link to the other source for those drivers..
So the 25 are much heavier and larger than the 20's?
how did they sound in that amazing box you built?? wow that is an epic design!!
So the 25 are much heavier and larger than the 20's?
how did they sound in that amazing box you built?? wow that is an epic design!!
Speaker Box Enclosure Designer / Calculator
askint for qtc? but its not on the specs for the driver?
PAIR PACK (X2) FaitalPRO 3FE25 8ohm 3 20watt Ferrite Speaker
askint for qtc? but its not on the specs for the driver?
PAIR PACK (X2) FaitalPRO 3FE25 8ohm 3 20watt Ferrite Speaker
Use this for inspiration. If you want cheap but excellent sound = TC9FD.
Another choice is FR58EX, and 3FE25-8 is also excellent.
Copperhead with Subwoofer 2.1 Channel Powered Desktop Speaker System Kit
The Nautaloss is easy and cheap with foamcore.
Another choice is FR58EX, and 3FE25-8 is also excellent.
Copperhead with Subwoofer 2.1 Channel Powered Desktop Speaker System Kit
The Nautaloss is easy and cheap with foamcore.
The 3 inch Faital Pro drivers are good for what you want. The more expensive 3FE 22 is a bit smoother, but for your purposes (Closed box) the 3FE 25 has the more suitable specs. If the sub is not adjustable in terms of volume or frequency it is a bit hit and miss, but it should sound fine.
Yes, do use the speaker volume calculator. An Fb of 1 or a bit less would be a good target. Playing around with different Fbs and volumes on the calculator ishows the relationship.The Faital Pro specs very helpfully give the volume of the driver, which you need to add to the volume of the box, to give the target net volume.
Yes, do use the speaker volume calculator. An Fb of 1 or a bit less would be a good target. Playing around with different Fbs and volumes on the calculator ishows the relationship.The Faital Pro specs very helpfully give the volume of the driver, which you need to add to the volume of the box, to give the target net volume.
Buying 'new' drivers for your projects have few advantages while 'old' vintage & likely unused drivers have the advantage of years of research & experimentation and the inevitable fraction of the cost.
Witness my Radio Shack 40-1284E five inch driver, typically used in a car-door application...that I bought for $20 USD for the pair.
Others had experimented endlessly trying to get optimum performance. At 17 liters of interior volume, and an aperiodic loading (to get the full lower extension)....the wood costs were more than the drivers, & the ultimate performance is better than I thought was possible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------Rick...
Witness my Radio Shack 40-1284E five inch driver, typically used in a car-door application...that I bought for $20 USD for the pair.
Others had experimented endlessly trying to get optimum performance. At 17 liters of interior volume, and an aperiodic loading (to get the full lower extension)....the wood costs were more than the drivers, & the ultimate performance is better than I thought was possible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------Rick...
