How to kick the speaker building blues?

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It’s not my project. I blew an amp doing a xo experiment 3 months ago and I have a long repair time. I think it was a series of events not just the amp that’s got me at a stand still. I have a backup amp. I just can’t seem to right now. Strange because I was getting to the good stuff. Anyone here get thru the speaker building blues? How?
 
First practice your passive filter networks in a simulator, then when everything looks benign, hook it up. The objective is to have acceptable impedance profile and FR. Amplifier should also have some kind of short circuit protection, at least a fast acting 2A fuse in series with amp output before speaker terminal.
 
I'm having the blues at the moment, too. The speakers I normally use (Behringer B3030A, modified) aren't doing the magic for me, and if I'm honest, they never really did.

We're in the process of re-modelling the AV equipment in the lounge, and I need to find something better.

It's difficult, though, to know where to begin. Back to full-range drivers? A better studio monitor design? 2-way, 3-way? Subs? Etc etc etc.

I have a few bits here and have tried them as the main stereo, but nothing really sticks...

Chris
 
You have two choices.... get on with it or give it away.

A while back I thought if I saw any more saw dust I would spew as I was running on autopilot building. That was about a dozen speakers ago as there were still ideas running though the brain as well as some drivers I wanted to try.

The worse part of any job is starting or restarting.
 
I'm having the blues at the moment, too. The speakers I normally use (Behringer B3030A, modified) aren't doing the magic for me, and if I'm honest, they never really did.

We're in the process of re-modelling the AV equipment in the lounge, and I need to find something better.

It's difficult, though, to know where to begin. Back to full-range drivers? A better studio monitor design? 2-way, 3-way? Subs? Etc etc etc.

I have a few bits here and have tried them as the main stereo, but nothing really sticks...

Chris

Stereo subs with JBL LSR 305s can be very satisfying.
 
Stereo subs ?

How about stereo woofers ?

I find a lack of room penetrating bass under 200hz a deal breaker to me, especially for smaller drivers.
Pick the monitors off the floor, even less bass.
What is rock without a bass guitar? No foundation.

I'm thinking something like the (now gone) diysoundgroup tempest but change the woofer's crossover for dual delta pro 12a in series. Dual 12 for midbass slam, the tweet is closer to ear level, and no floor bounce killing the bass. But i love current passive setup and its horn.

Listen nearfield maybe.
Hang in there, rearrange, or it may be the day.
Our music enjoyment of the system can vary based on your mood, even if you don't feel off.

Norman
 
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For me it's a hobby so it doesn't really matter how long things take to get done. Real life has a habit of stealing my time.

Just put all the speaker stuff on the shelf and walk away. When you're ready to carry on with it just take it off the shelf and continue.


I've been trying to sort out a pair of synergy horns for 2 years. I've bought all the drivers and have cut all the panels. I just need to mitre cut the edges and assemble. (Have been waiting for warmer / drier days as need to drag my table saw outside to do the edges)

If they're done by Christmas I'd call it a productive year :D

The biggest problem is I keep finding new stuff I want to build before the current stuff is done.

Rob.
 
I sorely miss building speaker boxes.
I did it for a while for a mobile disco and produced about a dozen of various designs.
Sealed cabinets and w bins.
Then decided I was too old to DJ so sold a few of them.
I miss the fun of building but no point making them to sell as no profit in it.
So just messing around amplifiers and associated electronics now.
Just finished working on a DC speaker protect circuit using a SSR.
 
I built this:A Big'un - the Audio Nirvana Super 15


and stopped wanting to build anything after that. no XO, just a driver in a box and the sound so darn good I gave up

Having said that - I'm having fun building a couple of small boxes for some full range drivers because somebody gave them to me and I can't stand to see them wasted
 
I'm not sure I know what you mean by blues. It sounds like you're just not excited about it anymore. If that's the case, I like PeteMcK's and RobWells' suggestions.

Or . . . start building amplifiers! I used to build speakers. Then I built a ChipAmp.com kit, and now I have more amplifiers lying around than speakers. You can find boards for active X-overs, preamps, phono amps, headphone amps, D/A converters, softstart, speaker protection circuits . . .
If you already enjoy building speakers, you probably already have the tools, and knowledge to get started. The diyAudio store has a lot of good quality boards and cases.
 
I'm doing a long build, made longer by a trip, a broken arm, and poor organisation / workmanship. Sometimes it does irk me: how long projects take, and how much space it takes up, in every sense (my audio hobby means I picked a bigger house than I'd otherwise go for).

If I did get fed up with the DIY and/or decide to downsize, this would probably be the direction I'd go in:

Stereo subs with JBL LSR 305s can be very satisfying.

Those JBL monitors seem to be quite the bargain. Add subs and DSP. Done.

Stereo subs ?

How about stereo woofers ?

I find a lack of room penetrating bass under 200hz a deal breaker to me, especially for smaller drivers.
Pick the monitors off the floor, even less bass.

Stereo woofers makes sense if using small monitors and an active crossover - miniDSP or whatever.

Someone not willing to use/learn/pay for an active crossover could simply plug the JBL ports and add basic subs (plate amps, no DSP). In that scenario, you could "fix" the <200Hz range simply by using bigger monitors (LSR 305 --> LSR 308).

Listen nearfield maybe.
Hang in there, rearrange, or it may be the day.
Our music enjoyment of the system can vary based on your mood, even if you don't feel off.

+1

Listening nearfield is a huge "mod" for free.
 
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Thanks for all the comments even the frank ones. For those of you who've never had it be glad of that. I think I will threaten myself a little and set a restart or part-out by date. May 18, 2019. The amp thing was obvious now. I let it play like 15 min. because it sounded so good then the party stopped. you're right sim everything. Amps not really the problem though.
 
Do other things for a while, i started playing drums and sold every speaker building thing away, i was thick of it, now i am back to speaker building and i deaply miss my old stuff. My advice, never ever sell a thing, you will regret it some day! Yes, i sold my drums too.
 
I wish I had the time to get "building blues", too much stuff going on.
After some "being honest with myself", finding there's not enough time do do stuff on the detail level I would like to, not enough time, so I decided to get some reasonably good PA amp and dsp solution.
On friday I will have to bring all my 15" speakers in my tiny car, toss in the new amps and DSP solution, and a few mikes to do sound for a Disco for 20-30 8 year olds + parents... I've been busy updating myself on remixes I can almost tolerate listening to of various popular music, a new experience for me, normally something to be avoided. Got a license for Virtual DJ and a small mixing deck, trying to figure stuff out.

I have 3 things that are my primary interests, tired of one, focus more on another.
Bicycles, both the planning and putting together as well as fixing stuff, ofcourse sometimes actual bicycling.
Stereo (*duh*), planning, building, mostly amps and speakers of various kinds.
Music, making and listening.

Then there are the other things like the broad aspect of food, berries, fruits, edible plants and mushrooms. That have sort of snuck up on me and is becoming a big part.

Tired of one thing?
Do something else for a bit, leave it in the background until you want to do something about it.

Works for me.
 
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