Looking for suggestion on diy lcr

X

xjfan

Audiophyte
Hi everyone.

Asked a while back where to start on HT upgrades. Many suggested to start with sub. Ordered a um18 with Inuke 3000DSP. Have to build an enclosure for it.

Now looking to upgrade lcr. Don't have much room. Planning to place them next to the tv on top of the furniture. Have about 10.5" of space on each side of tv. If larger speakers are used, I'll have to place them on stands. If DW approves. Have to make them look nice.

Room type: living room
Room size: 18'x18'x8'
Distance from tv: 16'

Like to see action movies loud. Can't do it all the times but like to crank it up once in a while.

Most viewing will be tv shows from the dvr. And movies on occasion.

Currently have an Onkyo HT520. Planning to upgrade it after all speakers have been installed. If new speakers require more than the AVR can handle, I'm check out power amps.

Which diy speakers would you recommend? Been looking at diysg for a while but not sure which to go with.

Please let me know if you need additional information.

Thanks,

Joe.

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rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
Hi everyone.

Asked a while back where to start on HT upgrades. Many suggested to start with sub. Ordered a um18 with Inuke 3000DSP. Have to build an enclosure for it.

Now looking to upgrade lcr. Don't have much room. Planning to place them next to the tv on top of the furniture. Have about 10.5" of space on each side of tv. If larger speakers are used, I'll have to place them on stands. If DW approves. Have to make them look nice.

Room type: living room
Room size: 18'x18'x8'
Distance from tv: 16'

Like to see action movies loud. Can't do it all the times but like to crank it up once in a while.

Most viewing will be tv shows from the dvr. And movies on occasion.

Currently have an Onkyo HT520. Planning to upgrade it after all speakers have been installed. If new speakers require more than the AVR can handle, I'm check out power amps.

Which diy speakers would you recommend? Been looking at diysg for a while but not sure which to go with.

Please let me know if you need additional information.

Thanks,

Joe.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I527 using Tapatalk
Budget for LCR kits, not including veneer / other finish? Do you have any height or width restrictions for the center? Will you be using a center stage bracket or otherwise have a weight limitation on the center?
 
X

xjfan

Audiophyte
Dang it. Forgot the most important part.

Budget: 250 for each. L/C/R. Maybe a little more if getting a lot better speaker.

No hieght restrictions. Going to be moving up the tv. Pallet wall project coming soon.

Currently the funiture is 24" high. Then center channel. Once I figure out the center channel height, I'll install the tv above it.

Thanks.


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ski2xblack

ski2xblack

Audioholic Field Marshall
If at all possible, use identical L, C, and R, oriented the same way.

Worry about the amplification after building the speakers. I only have experience with the Tempests, which are so sensitive they only require modest amplification. Sensitivity drops as you move to their smaller speakers, but relative to commercial offerings they are still on the high side.

IMO, IME, and all the usual disclaimers...There is something to be said about the larger wave guides and speakers that hold a pattern as low as possible, which means, if you plan on following this approach, you should target the models equipped with the larger wave guides (e.g. the 88-Special and HTM-12 both sport the 15" wave guide and are close to your budget).
 
Last edited:
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
If speakers ski2xblack mentioned are a bit over the budget for you or you need something a bit smaller it would be worth to consider Fusion-8

another option if you need something a bit less crazy loud, but still quite loud and a bit more accurate to music is this design:
http://gr-research.com/av-3s.aspx
you could ask our resident expert on these : @j_garcia
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
The A/V-3S is nice because it is 8 Ohm instead of 4 Ohm like the A/V-2, utilizing a 16 Ohm variant of the midbass. Excellent sounding speakers, and I still own my A/V-2s and A/V-1s.

That Onkyo does not have preamp outs so you aren't going to be able to add an external amp to it. I'd look at spending a decent amount on an AVR with a good amp section if possible. If you expect to go with an amp, I'd do the least expensive AVR with preamp outs and get the amp.
 
X

xjfan

Audiophyte
Thanks for the feedback.

After some brainstorming, I'll be able to go with slightly larger speakers on stand. Now going to look into fusion 10 and others.

For tv and movies, which perform better than others? I'll power them with external amp if needed in the future.

No surrounds for now. Going to continue using ceiling speakers for rears.

Thanks.

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ski2xblack

ski2xblack

Audioholic Field Marshall
It's impossible to say which of what's been mentioned would be "better". Most of the reputable diy kits are heads and shoulders above commercial offerings until you get to what I consider ludicrous price levels, so you're already ahead of the curve, whichever choice you make.

I have a more modest pair of Danny Richey designed speakers, the xls-encore, and they sound pretty wonderful considering their cost. Having never heard the AV/3, I can't say how they compare, but most of the designers tend to voice their speakers similarly. I have heard other Danny Richey designs at RMAF and such, and all were similarly easy on the ears.

But keep in mind how you plan to use them. Your room is large, you sit 16' away from the speakers, and you occasionally like to crank it up to 11. Any of the diysoundgroup speakers mentioned would be far more capable of such feats, and likely be able to do so with your existing AVR. Also, diysoundgroup does a fantastic job with the flat packs, the panels are all dado'd and go together perfectly, making for a novice-friendly build. There is probably more variability with regards to their voicing, as there are several designs from different folks on that site. All I can attest to personally are the Tempests, which Jeff Bagby voiced to be just slightly on the warm side of neutral, which I like and works perfectly in my situation.

And big-picture perspective, keep a second or third sub on your diy to-do list. I suspect that your large, square room would benefit handsomely from multiple subs.
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
I heard X-LS Encores in my setup too. They sound a LOT like the A/V-1s. A/V-1s are a tad smoother because they use a 5 1/4 instead of 6 1/2, but other than that and as mentioned, they are voiced very similarly.

The Carnegies I currently use are also a Danny Richie design :) They are pretty much the commercial version of his GR N2 series.
 
lsiberian

lsiberian

Audioholic Overlord
750 for a front 3 set might a be a tough swing.

If you want high volume you'll want to look at horn loading. There is a high learning curve, but there are some amazing things that can be done with it.

Just know that building a front 3 set is a lot more work than a sub. So give yourself plenty of time.
 

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