Hi All,
this is my first post so be kind, I normally post on hifiwigwam but thought this was the best place to post this query.
If It's in the wrong place then mods please do move it to where it should be.
Last weekend I visited Monaco and was lucky enough to hear a pair of Avantgarde Duos which absolutely blew me away. I know that this is the speaker that I must have, but I also know that the asking preice is likely to be forever out of my reach (25 000€).
So the question is, are similar results possible using the DIY route, and where do I find more information. I don't mind getting my hands dirty and building the horns from fibreglass..... I would guess.
Thanks in advance.
Stup'
this is my first post so be kind, I normally post on hifiwigwam but thought this was the best place to post this query.
If It's in the wrong place then mods please do move it to where it should be.
Last weekend I visited Monaco and was lucky enough to hear a pair of Avantgarde Duos which absolutely blew me away. I know that this is the speaker that I must have, but I also know that the asking preice is likely to be forever out of my reach (25 000€).
So the question is, are similar results possible using the DIY route, and where do I find more information. I don't mind getting my hands dirty and building the horns from fibreglass..... I would guess.
Thanks in advance.
Stup'
Made some horns out of fiberglass for PA work 25 years ago, not a big deal. The drivers play an important part of the sound.
Practicaly most any thing can be done DIY that all depends on you and your abliaties and far you wish to take your project!
I have seen some some very beutiful DIY horns in these threads.
Keep searching and you will find them.
Good luck to you and I hope to see your results some time soon. jer
I have seen some some very beutiful DIY horns in these threads.
Keep searching and you will find them.
Good luck to you and I hope to see your results some time soon. jer
As a general rule, similar (or better!) results are always possible!! Remember, the high end companies spend a major portion of their budget on marketing, manual labor isn't cheap, this is all reflected in the price of high end gear. Plus, the markup for the dealers is huge.
That said, you will still need to pay for your materials, most notably the drivers. I am not familiar with the speakers you mention but I assume the drivers in it will be not all that cheap. The rest is just some wood, some metal, some fiberglass, and a lot of your spare time.
A second major cost factor will be how much you need to invest in tools along the way. If it's a one-off you could get some of the wood/metalwork done for you in a shop, that'll also drive up the cost.
In the end: just go for it! You want to hear the best advice I can give you: Don't strive for perfection the first time around, but focus on FINISHING the project. This is very important.
If you run into trouble making the horns you could try the full-range forum too, a lot of the guys there know horn stuff very well.
Good luck!
Kenneth
That said, you will still need to pay for your materials, most notably the drivers. I am not familiar with the speakers you mention but I assume the drivers in it will be not all that cheap. The rest is just some wood, some metal, some fiberglass, and a lot of your spare time.
A second major cost factor will be how much you need to invest in tools along the way. If it's a one-off you could get some of the wood/metalwork done for you in a shop, that'll also drive up the cost.
In the end: just go for it! You want to hear the best advice I can give you: Don't strive for perfection the first time around, but focus on FINISHING the project. This is very important.
If you run into trouble making the horns you could try the full-range forum too, a lot of the guys there know horn stuff very well.
Good luck!
Kenneth
You would likely find more members familiar with horns on the "Multi-Way" Loudspeaker forum so I would also post questions there. Good luck with it!
hi, I am james lover and I am a digital projector engg. I am here to help to other and get out solution from here.
Hi Stupinder,
its always the same story. People think just diy something comparable and the result will be comparable.
All excellent speakers i know are designs which underwent a lot of evolution stages. What you heard from the avantgarde was the result of many years of ongoing developments and step by step improvements. In addition those guys have nothing to do but work daily on their product.
I can buy four wheels, a transmission and a engine, than i weld a chassis. If i will do pretty well, it will look like and act like a car, but im sure its never a Porsche.
So please be realistic, you will have a horn at the very end and it will sound somehow. But will it sound like you heard ??
Capaciti
its always the same story. People think just diy something comparable and the result will be comparable.
All excellent speakers i know are designs which underwent a lot of evolution stages. What you heard from the avantgarde was the result of many years of ongoing developments and step by step improvements. In addition those guys have nothing to do but work daily on their product.
I can buy four wheels, a transmission and a engine, than i weld a chassis. If i will do pretty well, it will look like and act like a car, but im sure its never a Porsche.
So please be realistic, you will have a horn at the very end and it will sound somehow. But will it sound like you heard ??
Capaciti
True, you can decide to build a car yourself, went on that path years ago, and may not come up with a Porsche. But there are some good looking hotrods out there and some can perform pretty well.
As far as building a speaker goes it is much simpler than building a car. Mind you I am assuming you would not bother building your own drivers but even that is not out of the capabilities of someone at home. Mind you probably not your average person.
As far as developing an equivalent speaker to the one you fell in love with, you may come reasonably close and be happy with what you have. It may not cost you what the Avantgarde's would cost but may still run you in the thousands of dollar range for good drivers.
Do some research here and use Google, get an idea what others have done and learn from their mistakes before you do your own.
Part of this is a learning experience and you have to think it fun otherwise it would not be worth doing.
As far as building a speaker goes it is much simpler than building a car. Mind you I am assuming you would not bother building your own drivers but even that is not out of the capabilities of someone at home. Mind you probably not your average person.
As far as developing an equivalent speaker to the one you fell in love with, you may come reasonably close and be happy with what you have. It may not cost you what the Avantgarde's would cost but may still run you in the thousands of dollar range for good drivers.
Do some research here and use Google, get an idea what others have done and learn from their mistakes before you do your own.
Part of this is a learning experience and you have to think it fun otherwise it would not be worth doing.
Very well put, guys!
As I have put alot of work into what I am doing at the moment,I have great joy in doing so.
And the outcome has been very very rewarding and with great quality, as opposed to just going out and buying it already done.
And the money I saved by going DIY doesn't even compare to the time I have invested. When I could have been sitting around, day dreaming, and doing nothing at all!
In my case it has been an awesome learning experienc.
Sometimes along the way you might even find a better way of doing things or even improve upon an existing product.
But all in all, just to say that I did it is the most rewarding of all.
I hope that made sense? jer
As I have put alot of work into what I am doing at the moment,I have great joy in doing so.
And the outcome has been very very rewarding and with great quality, as opposed to just going out and buying it already done.
And the money I saved by going DIY doesn't even compare to the time I have invested. When I could have been sitting around, day dreaming, and doing nothing at all!
In my case it has been an awesome learning experienc.
Sometimes along the way you might even find a better way of doing things or even improve upon an existing product.
But all in all, just to say that I did it is the most rewarding of all.
I hope that made sense? jer
Folks,
you all made your statements on excisting experience. But you might agree, that just doing something for the first time will be limited. Think about your first Speaker or even ESL you made.......
Its not my intention to demotivate Stupinder, but to make him aware whats coming up, when running in such a project. I agree it might not be perfect, but he will have a lot of fun with it.
My statement isnt just based on personal opinion, but on over 20 years developing ESL-speakers. If i remind myself the first ones, second ones, the third ones...... and compare it with current types, i need o conclude that there is a significant gap in quality.
Capaciti
you all made your statements on excisting experience. But you might agree, that just doing something for the first time will be limited. Think about your first Speaker or even ESL you made.......
Its not my intention to demotivate Stupinder, but to make him aware whats coming up, when running in such a project. I agree it might not be perfect, but he will have a lot of fun with it.
My statement isnt just based on personal opinion, but on over 20 years developing ESL-speakers. If i remind myself the first ones, second ones, the third ones...... and compare it with current types, i need o conclude that there is a significant gap in quality.
Capaciti
Capaciti
Yes we kind of realized what you were getting at as many of use took those same steps. The nice thing is that we can learn from what others have done and not reinvent the wheel too many times.
Which brings me to this link for the OP. You may look at some Fostex speakers to get something along the lines of what you want.
Fostex Links from Madisound
Yes we kind of realized what you were getting at as many of use took those same steps. The nice thing is that we can learn from what others have done and not reinvent the wheel too many times.
Which brings me to this link for the OP. You may look at some Fostex speakers to get something along the lines of what you want.
Fostex Links from Madisound
Thanks for your responses. I have a pair of Lowther Fidelios winging there way to me as I type. The Avantgarde experience was my 1st time with horns of any kind so for a smalll outlay I thought the Lowthers were worth a punt - even if they only give me a small taste of what i heard.
Thats very true, i had a bad hick up on my first ESL panels, there are so many variables. It takes only one to throw you for a loop and want to give up.
As Calvin says, you cannot base something "new" on first time and expect it to come out perfect. I did not cut any corners, tried to get get the best material, and still failed.
With help though, from Charlie, Ger, Calvin, those three have helped me achieve my goals, yes, it will take a punch to your wallet, but the satisfaction is priceless. Listen very well to these members have to say, trust me, listen.
A pic of your project is a good starting point, or a design. Thats what I did and ran with it, after some research and some approval for the idea.
Good luck on your project, mine took almost five months and still going, there is never enough after your first, if you know what i mean. He he.
go get it!
I like this dang deer for some reason. Mav
As Calvin says, you cannot base something "new" on first time and expect it to come out perfect. I did not cut any corners, tried to get get the best material, and still failed.
With help though, from Charlie, Ger, Calvin, those three have helped me achieve my goals, yes, it will take a punch to your wallet, but the satisfaction is priceless. Listen very well to these members have to say, trust me, listen.
A pic of your project is a good starting point, or a design. Thats what I did and ran with it, after some research and some approval for the idea.
Good luck on your project, mine took almost five months and still going, there is never enough after your first, if you know what i mean. He he.
go get it!
I like this dang deer for some reason. Mav
Last edited:
You may find some interesting things at these links...
Links to existing DIY speaker designs... - Techtalk at Parts-Express.com
Links to existing DIY speaker designs... - Techtalk at Parts-Express.com
- Status
- Not open for further replies.