I'm posting this for my buddy TerryO who has been responsible for organizing this event every other year. If you are anywhere in the Pacific Northwest and have any interest in speakers, this event is a bash. Nobody ever regrets coming and Terry does a bang-up job of running a blind listening panel to judge all the speaker designs. You don't have to worry too much about getting skunked because Terry enters a speaker every year and captures the "worst of show" award. ;-)
Anyway.... make a spot in your schedule in August and come out for a day that is an absolute blast.
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"The Puget Sound! DIY Speaker Contest" is once again being sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Audio Society (PNWAS) and will be held on Saturday, August 28th. In the coming days and weeks, I'll be posting information as to location, rules and how to enter. The event is free for attendees, although there is an entry fee for contestants to help defray costs of the facility rental.
If you're interested in DIY speaker building, or just Audio, this is a great way to meet and connect with others that are of a like mind. Come for an hour, or spend all day, it's interesting and a whole lot of fun. While spectators aren't allowed in the evaluation/judging room, we usually have an similar, or nearly exact, system set up in a separate area, in order that the public can listen to the various entries.
If you're new to speaker building, this is a chance to talk to the contestants about speaker design and Audio in general. I believe that you'll be astonished by the quality of sound that these home-built speakers are capable of.
If you have been working on a speaker design that you'd like to enter, this contest may serve as an incentive to finish it up. In the past, all entries have received a printout of the frequency response of their speaker as well as being able to talk to real experts and audio professionals.
Best Regards,
TerryO
Anyway.... make a spot in your schedule in August and come out for a day that is an absolute blast.
********************************************************
"The Puget Sound! DIY Speaker Contest" is once again being sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Audio Society (PNWAS) and will be held on Saturday, August 28th. In the coming days and weeks, I'll be posting information as to location, rules and how to enter. The event is free for attendees, although there is an entry fee for contestants to help defray costs of the facility rental.
If you're interested in DIY speaker building, or just Audio, this is a great way to meet and connect with others that are of a like mind. Come for an hour, or spend all day, it's interesting and a whole lot of fun. While spectators aren't allowed in the evaluation/judging room, we usually have an similar, or nearly exact, system set up in a separate area, in order that the public can listen to the various entries.
If you're new to speaker building, this is a chance to talk to the contestants about speaker design and Audio in general. I believe that you'll be astonished by the quality of sound that these home-built speakers are capable of.
If you have been working on a speaker design that you'd like to enter, this contest may serve as an incentive to finish it up. In the past, all entries have received a printout of the frequency response of their speaker as well as being able to talk to real experts and audio professionals.
Best Regards,
TerryO
It is sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Audio Society and the last one was held at their meeting place in a church on Mercer Island. It is a good setup because the judges room is isolated from the rest of the event.
http://www.audiosociety.org/
Mercer Island Congregational Church (basement)
4545 Island Crest Way
Mercer Island, WA 98040
Will do Dave.... this is the weekend after the Vancouver Island gig right? Man.... don't know if I can do that two weekends in a row.
Will do Dave.... this is the weekend after the Vancouver Island gig right? Man.... don't know if I can do that two weekends in a row.
Yep. Sure you can...
I'm thinking of sending something back with you or Terry to compete in the competition just to get some feedback.
dave
Very cool, I'll likely be there. I have a few friends that have built their own speakers as well, on top of a lot of AV geeks and friends in the physics and engineering departments at the UW that will likely tag along. I'm considering building a new pair of speakers in the near future, depending on the time I have available this summer I might consider an entree. If it's alright with you I'd love to repost this info in a few of the communities I have a little clot with.
I subscribed to this thread, I'll get an email if anyone posts any updates.
I subscribed to this thread, I'll get an email if anyone posts any updates.
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Absolutely.... the more the merrier. If you bring anyone with an advanced degree they are required to do a beer bong and a shot of Jack Daniels before entering the event just to loosen them up a little.
My daughters birthday is on that weekend but I'll try to at least make it over for a day. I'm not going to be clearing out the beer cooler this year though. I still feel the hangover from the year before last.
only a 12 hour driver away...
Hmmm, this sounds kind of tempting, even without required bong hits. I might try to attend, thought I will have to drive up from NorCal (12 hours) with my speakers! I have some friends in Mill Creek that that I can probably shack up with for a few days, and I have been meaning to visit them...
I attended one of these back in about 2004, when it was held at Audire Audio in Lynnwood, and I recall there was a nice turnout. A mix of DIY folks and retailers was fun to chat with.
-Charlie
Hmmm, this sounds kind of tempting, even without required bong hits. I might try to attend, thought I will have to drive up from NorCal (12 hours) with my speakers! I have some friends in Mill Creek that that I can probably shack up with for a few days, and I have been meaning to visit them...
I attended one of these back in about 2004, when it was held at Audire Audio in Lynnwood, and I recall there was a nice turnout. A mix of DIY folks and retailers was fun to chat with.
-Charlie
I tried to post a picture of Charlie at the Adire Audio Meet, but it didn't work...
TerryO
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Yep, born an raised here. I live a few blocks off of the UW campus. As for the gallery, it wouldn't be rated as high if I didn't spend a ton of time on the forums, lol. I answer a lot of questions about acoustics, structural dampening and digital correction plus I like to browse the other galleries when I have free time. I do HT and sound room design and calibration, but I'm in the process of making a bunch of DIY projects like sympathetic resonators and I'm working on a diffuse pressure trap that acts on shifts in air pressure created by the displacement of the sound wave. I plan to post the designs for once finished.
I think this is what you are looking for!
That's the picture I tried posting. Good show!
Best Regards,
TerryO
I'd like to thank Kevin for notifying people about the Contest. He's always been there for us, when a DIY-type event is in the offing. A few things have come up, unrelated to the Contest, that delayed my posting sooner and I apologise.
Anyhow here it is:
Speaker Contest: "The Puget Sound!" DIY Speaker Contest
August 28, 2010 @ Mercer Island Congregational Church, 4545 Island Crest Way, Mercer Island, WA
Doors open at 9:00 a.m., and judging begins at approximately 9:30 a.m.. We may be flexible on start time if a contestant is traveling some distance and may be arriving later than the start time; please let us know in advance so we can schedule accordingly.
Entries
This year there will be two "classes" of entries: original DIY designs and kits. We realize that a lot of effort, experience, skill and sometimes luck are needed to come up with a successful design. Many accomplished designers learned their craft by starting with kits of one sort or another and subsequently progressed toward original designs. For others, the lack of time or experience makes a kit a means towards better, affordable sound.
A kit is defined as...
...Any pre-designed or published design (publication includes the Internet) that is the product of another person. This may be plans, parts, kit, or both plus cabinets, etc. Any major deviation from the plans may at some point constitute an original design -- however, a club appointed technical committee will have the final determination if this problem presents itself. All kits must have been offered to and available to the general public at some time. We rely on the integrity of the contestant!
The kit class is broken by cost per pair, and excludes the cost of the cabinet and finish. The breakdown for kits is as follows:
$0-$175/pair
$176-$325/pair
$326+/pair
Original designs
The breakdown is as follows:
One way -- under $75/over $75
Two way -- under $200/over $200
Three way -- under $300/over $300
Unlimited -- no limit
NOTE: This is for drivers and crossover parts only; cabinet material and finish are not included. We again rely on the contestants' integrity. Your uncle who owns the HiFi Emporium cannot give you a special deal that isn't or hasn't been available to the general public. Nuff Said!
The speakers will be driven by the system the club supplies. Don't bring your own MegaWatt Hyper Triode Amp -- we're not going to use it. To keep it simple, we are not going to allow biamping or plate amps for a bass module.
The entry fee is $5 if you pre-register (postmarked by August 21) or $10 if you register at the door. If you have any questions please post on one of the forums with a thread on the contest. Also, it would help us a great deal if you'd let us know or think you're coming. A downloadable format entry form and the address to send it and your entry fee will be provided at a later date.
Judging
The judging will be by a panel of judges in a special room set aside for this. We will have three judges, which in turn plays his personal pre-selected musical selections (2-3 minutes max.) while sitting in the "sweet spot." Each contestant is allowed to specify general guidelines to set-up, that is, distance apart, toe-in, although corner loaded speakers will need to provide their own artificial corners. Remember that the judges will be sitting side by side so that should be taken into consideration.
We intend that judging will be totally blind -- this means that a curtain is utilized to ensure that sound, and not appearance, will be the sole criteria. All speakers will have the loudness adjusted to the same level before judging begins. Set-up of speakers will be by a club crew using notes taken at time of entry. Each judge will be issued a standard evaluation form prior to each session, and will rate each entry by assigning points, after which the form is collected by the Technical Committee member assigned to monitoring the judging (and setting SPL levels prior to each evaluation of an entry, etc). The forms are then scored by the Contest Director, or his designee for total points. After the final entry is judged, the points earned are assigned within each category to determine ranking within that class. The total overall points regardless of category or class will determine Best Sound of Show.
Other Stuff
General admission of the public is free. We hope to have a garage sale/swap meet type offering for those who wish to sell or buy audio gear for free. However, the owners are responsible for their gear, etc. Don't expect to drop off stuff and return at the end of the day to pick up the money. (Please advise in advance if you wish to sell items).
We are going to let the attendees help out by voting for the Best Craftsmanship, Most Unusual, Most Creative Use of Material (Bondo, duct tape, silly putty, etc.).
Awards
Each entry will receive a certificate of participation and a print out of his entry's frequency response measured by a qualified expert designated by the Contest Director or head of the Technical Committee. Additional certificates will be awarded to class winners, as well as 2nd place .
Finally a "Best Sound of Show" certificate will be presented to the overall winner. All winners of their respective DIY class are eligible for this. Please note that "kit" speakers aren't eligible for the Best Sound of Show.
Unless overruled by the Technical Committee for violation of the rules, the decision (total points) of the judges is final.
Best Regards,
TerryO
Anyhow here it is:
Speaker Contest: "The Puget Sound!" DIY Speaker Contest
August 28, 2010 @ Mercer Island Congregational Church, 4545 Island Crest Way, Mercer Island, WA
Doors open at 9:00 a.m., and judging begins at approximately 9:30 a.m.. We may be flexible on start time if a contestant is traveling some distance and may be arriving later than the start time; please let us know in advance so we can schedule accordingly.
Entries
This year there will be two "classes" of entries: original DIY designs and kits. We realize that a lot of effort, experience, skill and sometimes luck are needed to come up with a successful design. Many accomplished designers learned their craft by starting with kits of one sort or another and subsequently progressed toward original designs. For others, the lack of time or experience makes a kit a means towards better, affordable sound.
A kit is defined as...
...Any pre-designed or published design (publication includes the Internet) that is the product of another person. This may be plans, parts, kit, or both plus cabinets, etc. Any major deviation from the plans may at some point constitute an original design -- however, a club appointed technical committee will have the final determination if this problem presents itself. All kits must have been offered to and available to the general public at some time. We rely on the integrity of the contestant!
The kit class is broken by cost per pair, and excludes the cost of the cabinet and finish. The breakdown for kits is as follows:
$0-$175/pair
$176-$325/pair
$326+/pair
Original designs
The breakdown is as follows:
One way -- under $75/over $75
Two way -- under $200/over $200
Three way -- under $300/over $300
Unlimited -- no limit
NOTE: This is for drivers and crossover parts only; cabinet material and finish are not included. We again rely on the contestants' integrity. Your uncle who owns the HiFi Emporium cannot give you a special deal that isn't or hasn't been available to the general public. Nuff Said!
The speakers will be driven by the system the club supplies. Don't bring your own MegaWatt Hyper Triode Amp -- we're not going to use it. To keep it simple, we are not going to allow biamping or plate amps for a bass module.
The entry fee is $5 if you pre-register (postmarked by August 21) or $10 if you register at the door. If you have any questions please post on one of the forums with a thread on the contest. Also, it would help us a great deal if you'd let us know or think you're coming. A downloadable format entry form and the address to send it and your entry fee will be provided at a later date.
Judging
The judging will be by a panel of judges in a special room set aside for this. We will have three judges, which in turn plays his personal pre-selected musical selections (2-3 minutes max.) while sitting in the "sweet spot." Each contestant is allowed to specify general guidelines to set-up, that is, distance apart, toe-in, although corner loaded speakers will need to provide their own artificial corners. Remember that the judges will be sitting side by side so that should be taken into consideration.
We intend that judging will be totally blind -- this means that a curtain is utilized to ensure that sound, and not appearance, will be the sole criteria. All speakers will have the loudness adjusted to the same level before judging begins. Set-up of speakers will be by a club crew using notes taken at time of entry. Each judge will be issued a standard evaluation form prior to each session, and will rate each entry by assigning points, after which the form is collected by the Technical Committee member assigned to monitoring the judging (and setting SPL levels prior to each evaluation of an entry, etc). The forms are then scored by the Contest Director, or his designee for total points. After the final entry is judged, the points earned are assigned within each category to determine ranking within that class. The total overall points regardless of category or class will determine Best Sound of Show.
Other Stuff
General admission of the public is free. We hope to have a garage sale/swap meet type offering for those who wish to sell or buy audio gear for free. However, the owners are responsible for their gear, etc. Don't expect to drop off stuff and return at the end of the day to pick up the money. (Please advise in advance if you wish to sell items).
We are going to let the attendees help out by voting for the Best Craftsmanship, Most Unusual, Most Creative Use of Material (Bondo, duct tape, silly putty, etc.).
Awards
Each entry will receive a certificate of participation and a print out of his entry's frequency response measured by a qualified expert designated by the Contest Director or head of the Technical Committee. Additional certificates will be awarded to class winners, as well as 2nd place .
Finally a "Best Sound of Show" certificate will be presented to the overall winner. All winners of their respective DIY class are eligible for this. Please note that "kit" speakers aren't eligible for the Best Sound of Show.
Unless overruled by the Technical Committee for violation of the rules, the decision (total points) of the judges is final.
Best Regards,
TerryO
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