Hi everyone I'm currently in the process of building myself a sound system for my home. I'm currently in the process of choosing what drivers I'm going to use for this build but I'm not entirely sure what drivers to choose.
I plan on having 2 bookshelf speakers for left and right, 2 surround and a subwoofer. For the bookshelf I wasnt sure whether to make a 2 or 3 way speaker. I have already purchased the epique e180he-44 speakers I saw great reviews for this speaker but I'm not to sure what speakers I should pair with this speaker, I've been told the e180he-44 is best in a 2 way but I think a 3 way must be better to achieve better quality of sound and a wider frequency range.
Please could you give me some advice as im pretty new to this I just want some decent drivers to pair with what I have. For the crossover I'm getting one custom made for when bookshelf speakers once they're made.
Thanks
I plan on having 2 bookshelf speakers for left and right, 2 surround and a subwoofer. For the bookshelf I wasnt sure whether to make a 2 or 3 way speaker. I have already purchased the epique e180he-44 speakers I saw great reviews for this speaker but I'm not to sure what speakers I should pair with this speaker, I've been told the e180he-44 is best in a 2 way but I think a 3 way must be better to achieve better quality of sound and a wider frequency range.
Please could you give me some advice as im pretty new to this I just want some decent drivers to pair with what I have. For the crossover I'm getting one custom made for when bookshelf speakers once they're made.
Thanks
What is your experience with speaker design?
What music and how loud would you like to listen?
A 3way is quite challenging and may not be becessary considering you use a subwoofer.
What music and how loud would you like to listen?
A 3way is quite challenging and may not be becessary considering you use a subwoofer.
My experience is very low, I have never built any sort of speaker so im new to this I have done loads of research so im learning a lot I have winisd to help with box design and other stuff aswell.
The music i listen to most is drum and bass which is quite bass heavy but also needs good mids and highs I do tend to listen to music rather loud but there is a limit due to neighbors. I also will use this for watching videos and movies but mainly this is for music.
i just need some recommendations for drivers like I said I already have the Epique E180E-44 speakers just seeing what works well with these, I do have 4
Hertz mille MP 70.3 PRO mid range drivers these may possibly work together but any recommendations will be great.
Thanks
The music i listen to most is drum and bass which is quite bass heavy but also needs good mids and highs I do tend to listen to music rather loud but there is a limit due to neighbors. I also will use this for watching videos and movies but mainly this is for music.
i just need some recommendations for drivers like I said I already have the Epique E180E-44 speakers just seeing what works well with these, I do have 4
Hertz mille MP 70.3 PRO mid range drivers these may possibly work together but any recommendations will be great.
Thanks
What amplifier are you using? A typical 5 channel movie unit tends to have 50 W for the front & side channels, but not all at once. So sensitivity is important with one of those.
With lots of tweeters able to handle 1000-18000 hz 3 ways are IMHO obsolete. Examples TPL150 1200-20000 98 db 1w1m B&C DE250 1000-18000 108 db, Eminence N314T-8 800 to 18000 hz 110 db. Plenty of woofers can handle 54-1200 hz without beaming. Faital 12 PR320 100-2000 hz 97 db , Seas AE26RE4-H1411 80-1000 hz 88 db, Eminence Kappapro 10a 100-1500 hz 97 db . The bass is boosted below 100 hz by tuning the box to 55-60 hz by increasing the box size over the VAS. See David B Weems Designing Building Testing your own Speaker a book I bought used on Ebay. The tweeters more sensitive than the woofers, you pad the volume down with a resistor.
How high does your hearing go? Test with a pair of good headphones, before chasing 15000-20000 hz. My hearing stops at 14000 hz, which is better than most North American males.
Passive crossovers for 3 ways can contain 20 components at ~$20 each. 2 ways can often get away with 6, 2 inductors, 2 capacitors, a tweeter resistor, a pop limiter tungsten bulb to prevent damage to the tweeter. Tweeters are usually limited 12 db/octave on the low end to avoid damage to the diaphragm. Woofers are usually limited on the low end to prevent damage to the suspension or coils by wattage of the amp.
2 way plans include the https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/367215-asathor-jbl-4367-clone.html?highlight=asathor the econowave https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/2023-econowave.396586/ and pispeakers.com various models. Eminence.com woofers always link to a plan for various boxes with different bass responses and watt limits. The tweeter if in box the volume is subtracted from the woofer, but tweeters can be set on top of the woofer box. I intend to do that to avoid lifting 75 lb on top of poles. I use poles to project the highs over the verious pieces of furniture.
With lots of tweeters able to handle 1000-18000 hz 3 ways are IMHO obsolete. Examples TPL150 1200-20000 98 db 1w1m B&C DE250 1000-18000 108 db, Eminence N314T-8 800 to 18000 hz 110 db. Plenty of woofers can handle 54-1200 hz without beaming. Faital 12 PR320 100-2000 hz 97 db , Seas AE26RE4-H1411 80-1000 hz 88 db, Eminence Kappapro 10a 100-1500 hz 97 db . The bass is boosted below 100 hz by tuning the box to 55-60 hz by increasing the box size over the VAS. See David B Weems Designing Building Testing your own Speaker a book I bought used on Ebay. The tweeters more sensitive than the woofers, you pad the volume down with a resistor.
How high does your hearing go? Test with a pair of good headphones, before chasing 15000-20000 hz. My hearing stops at 14000 hz, which is better than most North American males.
Passive crossovers for 3 ways can contain 20 components at ~$20 each. 2 ways can often get away with 6, 2 inductors, 2 capacitors, a tweeter resistor, a pop limiter tungsten bulb to prevent damage to the tweeter. Tweeters are usually limited 12 db/octave on the low end to avoid damage to the diaphragm. Woofers are usually limited on the low end to prevent damage to the suspension or coils by wattage of the amp.
2 way plans include the https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/367215-asathor-jbl-4367-clone.html?highlight=asathor the econowave https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/2023-econowave.396586/ and pispeakers.com various models. Eminence.com woofers always link to a plan for various boxes with different bass responses and watt limits. The tweeter if in box the volume is subtracted from the woofer, but tweeters can be set on top of the woofer box. I intend to do that to avoid lifting 75 lb on top of poles. I use poles to project the highs over the verious pieces of furniture.
Last edited:
You can design a speaker by chosing random drivers and hope the x-over designer will be able to get anything useful from your choice, if he is good. But the result will probably not be ideal.
Are you in contact with the x-over developer and can you discuss decisions with him?
I suppose you need to do some more in depth research to understand that driver decision is not an isolated process.
Alternatively you could build a proven design, here is one I just found, using the woofers (2 per side) you already have:
https://toidsdiyaudio.com/product/epic-hifi-speaker-build-plans/
Are you in contact with the x-over developer and can you discuss decisions with him?
I suppose you need to do some more in depth research to understand that driver decision is not an isolated process.
Alternatively you could build a proven design, here is one I just found, using the woofers (2 per side) you already have:
https://toidsdiyaudio.com/product/epic-hifi-speaker-build-plans/