Hey guys hows it goin? I have built quite a few speaker kits this year. I have built the overnight sensations, Hivi 2.2DIY, a custom active crossover driven 4'' with planer tweeter bookshelf, parts express Da-Wave speakers, and the Hivi DIY 3.1 (swans speakers) but none of them are any better than the HIVI DIY 3.1 that I built last year!
Any recommendations for a good 3 way build for around $500 ??? monitors or floor standing would be great 🙂
Any recommendations for a good 3 way build for around $500 ??? monitors or floor standing would be great 🙂
Paul Carmody's "Tarkus"?
Taste in music, room size, preferred cabinet size etc all relevant to your question, please let us know.
Geoff
Taste in music, room size, preferred cabinet size etc all relevant to your question, please let us know.
Geoff
Well at this point I'm really just building speakers so I can listen to them......There really aren't a lot of places I can go to listen to speakers.
Ultimately I need a KILLER floor standing pair for my movie room when I do it next year. But I think I'll have a slightly bigger budget.
Right now I'm just looking for a good speaker that is 3 way and sounds great for somewhere around 5 or 6 hundred bucks 🙂
also, it must be at least somewhat attractive (or my wife will kill me) Those tarkus are hideous lol
IF they sound better than my B&W floor standers, I'll put them in the video game room 🙂 Room is roughly 12x16. Speakers must be slim line towers or floor stand mountable
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Well they could look like this:
Logrius Full Range Build - My Photo Gallery
Or how about:
DaytonClassicRevival - undefinition
The mids might be NLA, but.
Among other designers whose projects I've done, Curt Campbell (Speaker Design Works) has some great looking three way designs such as The Finalists, but they might be over your budget.
Speaker Design Works
Of course, there are man other great designers and projects but I've suggested these gentlemen as I've already built one or two of their designs, and many people have built them.
Geoff
Logrius Full Range Build - My Photo Gallery
Or how about:
DaytonClassicRevival - undefinition
The mids might be NLA, but.
Among other designers whose projects I've done, Curt Campbell (Speaker Design Works) has some great looking three way designs such as The Finalists, but they might be over your budget.
Speaker Design Works
Of course, there are man other great designers and projects but I've suggested these gentlemen as I've already built one or two of their designs, and many people have built them.
Geoff
OH MAN. I was totally interested in both those bottom 2 speakers. looks like the drivers are discontinued for both of them !
Depending on your goals with this budget a 2 or 2.5 way would be more appropriate. Look for designs with e.g. two 6" bass speakers along with a 1" dome. Like the Tritrix (parts-express has the kit) Or have a peek at the Uluwatu or ZA5.5-kits from madisound.
Might be fun to substitute in a larger woofer into the Hi-Vi 3.1 such as a old JBL 123a but you will need a big cabinet.
Suggest a TMWW configuration.
Dennis Murphy in the htforum documents a TMWW using low cost Dayton drivers. The center channel W-T&M-W used a modest sealed volume vertical T-M stack with one 8" woofer on each side.
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/359930-timer-home-theater-speaker-build-2.html#post6337451
==========
Great HT needs impact, plus crisp details to identify direction and height. Several positive reviews recommend the medium cost aluminun cone drivers from SB_Acoustics. If you bi-amp the woofers, the passive crossover for the TM has modest complexity( like Troels NAC61).
SB26ADC-4 1" Aluminum Dome Tweeter
SB17BAC35-4 6.2" Black Aluminum cone midbass
SB23BAC45-8 8" Black Aluminum cone woofer
SB23BAC45-8 8" Black Aluminum cone woofer
Total: $360
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/361861-ideas-build.html#post6383158
SBAcoustics-61-NAC
Illuminator-Monitor
Dennis Murphy in the htforum documents a TMWW using low cost Dayton drivers. The center channel W-T&M-W used a modest sealed volume vertical T-M stack with one 8" woofer on each side.
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/359930-timer-home-theater-speaker-build-2.html#post6337451
==========
Great HT needs impact, plus crisp details to identify direction and height. Several positive reviews recommend the medium cost aluminun cone drivers from SB_Acoustics. If you bi-amp the woofers, the passive crossover for the TM has modest complexity( like Troels NAC61).
SB26ADC-4 1" Aluminum Dome Tweeter
SB17BAC35-4 6.2" Black Aluminum cone midbass
SB23BAC45-8 8" Black Aluminum cone woofer
SB23BAC45-8 8" Black Aluminum cone woofer
Total: $360
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/361861-ideas-build.html#post6383158
SBAcoustics-61-NAC
Illuminator-Monitor
My EMP is recently completed and voiced, finish yet to be done...
"EMP", a svelte TMM tower...
I know these are a TMM 2-way, but they sound great!
Wolf
"EMP", a svelte TMM tower...
I know these are a TMM 2-way, but they sound great!
Wolf
... and yet another option in your price range is a pair of good, small 2-ways, combined with a pair of active subs.
For instance, this small 2-way is very nice, and the drivers are quite affordable
RST28F and DC130A Foamcore Homage to LS3/5A
I would make a plywood or MDF cabinet for it, but the design is well done and well documented.
A pair of 10 inch subs would make this into a real room-filling system. You could cross the subs at the natural 80 Hz rolloff of the 5 inch midwoofer, or you could use an active crossover for both low pass and high pass, in which case you could cross at 120 or 150 Hz... Removing the low frequency electrical signal from the 5 inch driver voice coil will increas power handling and lower midrange distortion.
You have a lot of interesting options...
For instance, this small 2-way is very nice, and the drivers are quite affordable
RST28F and DC130A Foamcore Homage to LS3/5A
I would make a plywood or MDF cabinet for it, but the design is well done and well documented.
A pair of 10 inch subs would make this into a real room-filling system. You could cross the subs at the natural 80 Hz rolloff of the 5 inch midwoofer, or you could use an active crossover for both low pass and high pass, in which case you could cross at 120 or 150 Hz... Removing the low frequency electrical signal from the 5 inch driver voice coil will increas power handling and lower midrange distortion.
You have a lot of interesting options...
You could also look at Paul Carmody's Classix 2.5 TMM, would come in well under your budget and will sound great; they're on my 'to build' list, as I love the TM version:
Classix 2.5 - undefinition
Same cabinet as the Dayton Classic Revival.
Nothing against other projects, of course
Geoff
Classix 2.5 - undefinition
Same cabinet as the Dayton Classic Revival.
Nothing against other projects, of course
Geoff
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What is a commercial example of a 3-way that looks good in your (or wife's) opinion?
Anything you don't like about your Hivi 3.1 that you need to build a new set of 3-way speakers?
HiVi 3.1 measures pretty well, and with some EQing it should be very good. See, Hivi 3.1A DIY Speaker With Sehlin Mod Review | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum
Maybe it'd be better to spend the time and the $500 budget on improving those speakers rather than building new speakers hoping that they will significantly outperform the HiVi's.
I'd recommend doing two things:
1. Trying to improve the Hivi 3.1 by modifying the crossover or doing some EQ.
2. Building a pair of bass modules (e.g., with two 8" or 10" woofers in each module) that can serve as speaker stands for your Hivi 3.1 speakers, and putting a crossover between the Hivi 3.1 speakers (e.g., between 100 Hz and 200Hz) and the bass modules. This in effect turns the Hivi speakers into 4-way speakers.
Kurt
HiVi 3.1 measures pretty well, and with some EQing it should be very good. See, Hivi 3.1A DIY Speaker With Sehlin Mod Review | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum
Maybe it'd be better to spend the time and the $500 budget on improving those speakers rather than building new speakers hoping that they will significantly outperform the HiVi's.
I'd recommend doing two things:
1. Trying to improve the Hivi 3.1 by modifying the crossover or doing some EQ.
2. Building a pair of bass modules (e.g., with two 8" or 10" woofers in each module) that can serve as speaker stands for your Hivi 3.1 speakers, and putting a crossover between the Hivi 3.1 speakers (e.g., between 100 Hz and 200Hz) and the bass modules. This in effect turns the Hivi speakers into 4-way speakers.
Kurt
I don't really care for the Tarkus as designed either, but after reading his suggestions that you don't have to keep the angled boxes as long as the volumes are respected I went ahead and built a pair. I did them with straight up and down baffles and added generous large roundovers on the vertical corners. They sound fantastic and do not disappoint when cranked up to headbanging levels. Very wallet friendly into the bargain.
no, I actually LOVE my Hivi diy 3.1. They are the 2nd best set of speakers I have ever heard.....right behind the most expensive B&W tower speaker that bestbuy magnolia had.
This is a GREAT idea ! I would probably need another amp channel per side in order to do this, or I could just just build subwoofers to sit underneath the Hivis like you said to act as speaker stands !
Otherwize it seems I would probably have to spend a little more to get any better sound than I already have.
What about the Statements??? would those sound better??
I don't have anything against active. I would need a good amp and DSP though. I don't really know where to start with tuning it though...
