Hello,
I've been reading on the forums here for some time (lurking). I have a Luxman R-117 Amp and am looking to build my own audio cabinet and tower speakers. This would be a first project for me but I'm pretty compotent when it comes to building things and learning new skills. I also have access to a commercial 5x12 3 axis CNC which I would guess would be helpful. I'm looking for something with decent bass as I'm not putting a sub-woofer in the room. Strictly just for music listening. Cd's, vinyl, tuner etc.
I will attached a very crude drawing of the space. the placement of the speakers and tower are kind of the only option. if measurements are needed I can get them but hopefully it will provide a rough idea of what I'm working with. If there was a project that has been done already that I could just follow along to that would be ideal. I'm looking to spend about 300 dollars Canadian on the pair of speakers. Parts express is an option as I'm very close to the border so i can ship to a PO box and pick it up.
Any and all help appreciated here. Please let me know if more info is needed.
Thanks guys! Looking forward to your input! 😀
I've been reading on the forums here for some time (lurking). I have a Luxman R-117 Amp and am looking to build my own audio cabinet and tower speakers. This would be a first project for me but I'm pretty compotent when it comes to building things and learning new skills. I also have access to a commercial 5x12 3 axis CNC which I would guess would be helpful. I'm looking for something with decent bass as I'm not putting a sub-woofer in the room. Strictly just for music listening. Cd's, vinyl, tuner etc.
I will attached a very crude drawing of the space. the placement of the speakers and tower are kind of the only option. if measurements are needed I can get them but hopefully it will provide a rough idea of what I'm working with. If there was a project that has been done already that I could just follow along to that would be ideal. I'm looking to spend about 300 dollars Canadian on the pair of speakers. Parts express is an option as I'm very close to the border so i can ship to a PO box and pick it up.
Any and all help appreciated here. Please let me know if more info is needed.
Thanks guys! Looking forward to your input! 😀
Attachments
They look nice, ideally I would be looking for towers.
It would also be nice to have good clarity at lower volumes. Just thought I’d add that in.
It would also be nice to have good clarity at lower volumes. Just thought I’d add that in.
Hello from Australia
If you want a pair of reasonably priced, good sounding towers, you could build Paul Carmody's Classix 2.5 TMM , which use the same drivers as the Classix II. They're on my 'to build' list as I built the Classix II and love them, but would also like the higher output of the 2.5s.
According to Paul, they have a better mid range than you normally get from the DC160.
Other options for your budget and your room layout include Paul's Amiga two way (RS180 and VIFA DX25) or Curt Campbell's Tritrix MTM transmission line speakers. I've only built these in the vented cabinet, which does not have the bass extension of the Classix II, but the TL cabinet goes deeper. The DC130s used in the Tritrix have a better mid range than the DC160s, great for jazz and classics.
These are only suggestions of course. The Amigas will probably not have the dB output of the TMM or TMM designs, but should have a more detailed sound.
You could also do a two way design in a tower cabinet, but put an internal shelf in the cabinet to make the internal volume smaller. As long as the driver layout on the baffle is the same, the XO should not need changing.
HTH
Geoff
If you want a pair of reasonably priced, good sounding towers, you could build Paul Carmody's Classix 2.5 TMM , which use the same drivers as the Classix II. They're on my 'to build' list as I built the Classix II and love them, but would also like the higher output of the 2.5s.
According to Paul, they have a better mid range than you normally get from the DC160.
Other options for your budget and your room layout include Paul's Amiga two way (RS180 and VIFA DX25) or Curt Campbell's Tritrix MTM transmission line speakers. I've only built these in the vented cabinet, which does not have the bass extension of the Classix II, but the TL cabinet goes deeper. The DC130s used in the Tritrix have a better mid range than the DC160s, great for jazz and classics.
These are only suggestions of course. The Amigas will probably not have the dB output of the TMM or TMM designs, but should have a more detailed sound.
You could also do a two way design in a tower cabinet, but put an internal shelf in the cabinet to make the internal volume smaller. As long as the driver layout on the baffle is the same, the XO should not need changing.
HTH
Geoff
With a 300 buck limit for the pair and saying you want towers with no sub I take that to mean a 3 way speaker. I suggest hitting Kijiji or a second hand site and picking up a used set of speakers. Not every one wants towers (read large speakers) and with little patience you'll get something decent.
Of course, you can go s'hand and pick up something good, but it's also very satisfying to build your own and finish them how you wish. One of the reasons I decided to go DIY was that I don't like black cabinets very much, plus of course the performance/value proposition.
I didn't suggest a three way design as I think that might go over your budget. Whatever you decide, I strongly suggest doing your research and selecting a design which others have built and has good write-ups and reviews.
Geoff
I didn't suggest a three way design as I think that might go over your budget. Whatever you decide, I strongly suggest doing your research and selecting a design which others have built and has good write-ups and reviews.
Geoff
Greets!
Considering where the couches are, the speakers need to be anywhere but where you show them, so wondering if soffit or ceiling mounted is an option?
$300c for just components or the whole speaker? For towers it only buys the plywood in my locale. 🙁
GM
$300 Canadian won't get you very far in high quality or high fidelity but many of the Parts Express inexpensive kits DO get good reviews. Again, someone else asked the same question I think; is this for drivers and crossovers, etc ONLY or does that INCLUDE the total costs (cabinets, hardware, etc.)???
TriTrix MTM TL Tower Speaker Components and Cabinet Kit Pair
full tri trix kit including cabinets
Parts Express TriTrix MTM TL Knock-Down CNC Speaker Cabinet Pair
cabinets only
If you do something similar as this in cabinets yourself, you would probably save money depending on the quality of materials you might use, etc. I don't know what shipping costs are for a pair of these knock down cabinets but that by itself might eat up a lot of your budget.
I have often thought of a very similar project for myself but with higher quality drivers. Of course; the cabinet is designed specifically for those drivers specified. Substitutes to higher quality drivers would mean matching the TSP and other specifications VERY closely or the cabinet design would end up being a bad mis-match. You could read up on Transmission Line box theory and design to get a better feel for this.
It is much easier to do a closed box or simple vented box for a first design (especially from an already existing, popular and well reviewed and proven design) but TL's have a strong following for many very good reasons; they bring some extra "MAGIC" that basic closed and vented boxes don't often achieve!
full tri trix kit including cabinets
Parts Express TriTrix MTM TL Knock-Down CNC Speaker Cabinet Pair
cabinets only
If you do something similar as this in cabinets yourself, you would probably save money depending on the quality of materials you might use, etc. I don't know what shipping costs are for a pair of these knock down cabinets but that by itself might eat up a lot of your budget.
I have often thought of a very similar project for myself but with higher quality drivers. Of course; the cabinet is designed specifically for those drivers specified. Substitutes to higher quality drivers would mean matching the TSP and other specifications VERY closely or the cabinet design would end up being a bad mis-match. You could read up on Transmission Line box theory and design to get a better feel for this.
It is much easier to do a closed box or simple vented box for a first design (especially from an already existing, popular and well reviewed and proven design) but TL's have a strong following for many very good reasons; they bring some extra "MAGIC" that basic closed and vented boxes don't often achieve!
The Tritrix MTM TL have been built by many, many happy customers and I only built the vented version due to space considerations.
I have toyed of trying a version with different drivers, but I have no idea what I'm doing and there's no way they could sound anywhere near as good as Curt's well loved design and his brilliant crossover.
There are some similar priced drivers with similar key specs to the DC130s, such as the SB13PFCs, but it would be pure luck if they worked in Curt's cabinet, plus of course a new crossover would be needed. My guess is that even if you found a driver with almost identical specs, it still wouldn't work as well as the DC130s. 🙂
Sometimes I do a/b comparisons with the Tritrix and Classix on the same piece of music; an interesting but ultimately pointless exercise as they each have their merits.
Geoff
I have toyed of trying a version with different drivers, but I have no idea what I'm doing and there's no way they could sound anywhere near as good as Curt's well loved design and his brilliant crossover.
There are some similar priced drivers with similar key specs to the DC130s, such as the SB13PFCs, but it would be pure luck if they worked in Curt's cabinet, plus of course a new crossover would be needed. My guess is that even if you found a driver with almost identical specs, it still wouldn't work as well as the DC130s. 🙂
Sometimes I do a/b comparisons with the Tritrix and Classix on the same piece of music; an interesting but ultimately pointless exercise as they each have their merits.
Geoff
Curt does a great job with getting things just right even with inexpensive drivers and crossover parts. I'm actually very good at doing that myself but I've had over 50 years of practice, trial and error; blood, sweat and tears....blah blah blah. Seriously; the real trick is to just keep playing around and experimenting. I almost always use my ears as the final test (as a former musician I have an advantage here even though my highest frequencies are well attenuated). But, I was also an Electronics Technician starting at age 14 and an Electrical Engineer starting at 21. I am now in my mid 60's. The thing is; if there is a very well loved design; stick with it if you are not exactly sure what changes to make; even if minor ones. I have never copied anyone else's design ever; I just use their designs to get my own ideas.
I am very fond of the SB Satori series; new reports are the TexTreme moves the sound quality up to another level above the previous Satori line. I think these are some of the best drivers for DIY; if not THE best because the quality is very high and the prices are reasonable considering some other brands cost 2 to 4 times as much.
If you wanted to do a similar design to the Tri Trix; you would need to study and well understand what the TL theory is all about FIRST. A mis-match here is WAY worse than a mis-match with a standard vented or even closed design.
If unsure; go with what others have already done; they worked out all of the bugs, made adjustments and refinements already so you don't have to go to all that extra effort and expense. For me; that IS why I do it; I am retired, it gives me something creative to do with my hands and helps keep my brain sharper and more focused...
OK, enough rambling on...
I am very fond of the SB Satori series; new reports are the TexTreme moves the sound quality up to another level above the previous Satori line. I think these are some of the best drivers for DIY; if not THE best because the quality is very high and the prices are reasonable considering some other brands cost 2 to 4 times as much.
If you wanted to do a similar design to the Tri Trix; you would need to study and well understand what the TL theory is all about FIRST. A mis-match here is WAY worse than a mis-match with a standard vented or even closed design.
If unsure; go with what others have already done; they worked out all of the bugs, made adjustments and refinements already so you don't have to go to all that extra effort and expense. For me; that IS why I do it; I am retired, it gives me something creative to do with my hands and helps keep my brain sharper and more focused...
OK, enough rambling on...