DIY Loudspeakers: Can You Build "Better" Than Professional Designs?

[Verdinut]

If you put your labor cost at mere $10 an hour , would DIY speakers still be cheaper than store bought speakers with reasonable discount?

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If the builder does not insist on necessarily equal cosmetic finish, which has nothing to do with the performance, the answer is definitely YES, even if he pays full retail price for the components.

As an example, if it costs $1000 to a manufacturer to build a loudspeaker enclosure, the retail price will be around $5000.

 

[MrBoat]

If you put your labor cost at mere $10 an hour , would DIY speakers still be cheaper than store bought speakers with reasonable discount?

I basically exchange my online, or other recreational time building speakers so it ends up being cheap entertainment. What can you go out and do other than basic outdoor activities for that little amount of money, hour for hour?

People have asked the same question with regard to my vegetable gardening. "Do you really save $ on food when factoring in your time?" I mean, I am here and my yard is just sitting there paying me nothing, otherwise.

 

[shkumar4963]

If the builder does not insist on necessarily equal cosmetic finish, which has nothing to do with the performance, the answer is definitely YES, even if he pays full retail price for the components.

As an example, if it costs $1000 to a manufacturer to build a loudspeaker enclosure, the retail price will be around $5000.

Thanks.


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[slipperybidness]

I basically exchange my online, or other recreational time building speakers so it ends up being cheap entertainment. What can you go out and do other than basic outdoor activities for that little amount of money, hour for hour?

People have asked the same question with regard to my vegetable gardening. "Do you really save $ on food when factoring in your time?" I mean, I am here and my yard is just sitting there paying me nothing, otherwise.

Right, if you enjoy the "work", then the $ aspect really becomes a moot point.

Or, look at it as an investment in knowledge or a new skill set, and it is $ well spent.

This applies to pretty much any hobby. I have books of NASA pics that are better than anything I could hope to see in a telescope, but I still enjoy finding and viewing objects for myself from time to time, it is much more rewarding that way.

 

[lsiberian]

If you put your labor cost at mere $10 an hour , would DIY speakers still be cheaper than store bought speakers with reasonable discount?

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But did you factor in the benefits of a relaxing hobby for health.

 

[highfigh]

I basically exchange my online, or other recreational time building speakers so it ends up being cheap entertainment. What can you go out and do other than basic outdoor activities for that little amount of money, hour for hour?

People have asked the same question with regard to my vegetable gardening. "Do you really save $ on food when factoring in your time?" I mean, I am here and my yard is just sitting there paying me nothing, otherwise.

A few plants doesn't make a dent in the grocery bill, but even in an urban/suburban location, a larger crop can if it's a favorite. Growing herbs takes little space, but the yield can offset the cost of fresh, at the store- I don't pay $3 for a little sprig of ANYTHING, but I can grow a lot of plants from one $1 package of seeds and it doesn't require much work.

Next place I buy, I want a greenhouse. I HATE most store bought tomatoes and I want more fresh herbs.

 

[MrBoat]

A few plants doesn't make a dent in the grocery bill, but even in an urban/suburban location, a larger crop can if it's a favorite. Growing herbs takes little space, but the yield can offset the cost of fresh, at the store- I don't pay $3 for a little sprig of ANYTHING, but I can grow a lot of plants from one $1 package of seeds and it doesn't require much work.

Next place I buy, I want a greenhouse. I HATE most store bought tomatoes and I want more fresh herbs.

In Florida we can grow most of the year. Greens are the best return for the least amount of effort and investment, with the largest health payoffs as well. Especially if you go for the continuous harvest plants/strategies over bounty.

Indeterminate tomatoes produce all season. Leaf lettuce the same. Carrots store in the ground where they grow. Sweet potatoes and other root crops store for months. Indigenous fruits produce for years.

I grow a small plot in containers each year, geared toward water and nutrient (organic) conservation. I could not afford that much produce each week. This small table will provide a family of 4, 3-4 salads/week for about 5 months. Another with spinach etc and you're pretty much set.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

If you put your labor cost at mere $10 an hour , would DIY speakers still be cheaper than store bought speakers with reasonable discount?

There are all kinds of questions in addition to labor cost + part cost.

Would the aesthetics be as beautiful (B&W 800D, Revel Salon2, RBH SVT, KEF Blade, etc.) ?

If Stereophile or Audioholics were to professionally measure these speakers, would they measure as well ?

Could you make a lot more money from working overtime at your regular job, instead of working on your speakers?

How much time would you waste on building the speakers, instead of spending that time with your family (unless your family is very different than most families and they actually build the speakers with you) ?

DIY may or may not be for you depending on how you answer these questions.

 

[slipperybidness]

I would say "No".

There are all kinds of questions in addition to labor cost + part cost.

Would the aesthetics be as beautiful (B&W 800D, Revel Salon2, RBH SVT, KEF Blade, etc.) ?

If Stereophile or Audioholics were to professionally measure these speakers, would they measure as well ?

Could you make a lot more money from working overtime at your regular job, instead of working on your speakers?

How much time would you waste on building the speakers, instead of spending that time with your family (unless your family is very different than most families and they actually build the speakers with you) ?

DIY may or may not be for you depending on how you answer these questions.

Yeah, some people likely build speakers to get time away from the family

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yeah, some people likely build speakers to get time away from the family

So it's kind of therapeutic?

 

[highfigh]

Could you make a lot more money from working overtime at your regular job, instead of working on your speakers?

How much time would you waste on building the speakers, instead of spending that time with your family (unless your family is very different than most families and they actually build the speakers with you) ?

How fast do you want to burn out on your job? Building things is what many people do when they work in offices. Might not be a great result, but...

Q- What are you doing?
A- Making little pieces out of big pieces.

Q- What do you do in your spare time?
A- Wood butcher.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

How fast do you want to burn out on your job? Building things is what many people do when they work in offices. Might not be a great result, but...

Yeah, it depends on how much money you can make and what kind of job you have.

I was definitely not picturing woking in 100F temp or carrying/pushing 100 LBS objects all day long.

 

[highfigh]

Yeah, it depends on how much money you can make and what kind of job you have.

I was definitely not picturing woking in 100F temp or carrying/pushing 100 LBS objects all day long.

I meant mean mentally burning out. Working a full schedule AND overtime when the full schedule is taxing or frustrating enough is just punishment, regardless of the money. At least a physically demanding job allows a person to work off some agression.

 

[shkumar4963]

There are all kinds of questions in addition to labor cost + part cost.

Would the aesthetics be as beautiful (B&W 800D, Revel Salon2, RBH SVT, KEF Blade, etc.) ?

If Stereophile or Audioholics were to professionally measure these speakers, would they measure as well ?

Could you make a lot more money from working overtime at your regular job, instead of working on your speakers?

How much time would you waste on building the speakers, instead of spending that time with your family (unless your family is very different than most families and they actually build the speakers with you) ?

DIY may or may not be for you depending on how you answer these questions.

Yes. I kind of agree. With effient manufacturing employed at most speaker manufacturers , offshore plants at low labor rates, economy of scale in design effort and part purchases , availability of automated machines , and trained workforce, I don't see much reason how a DIY can beat an efficient manufacturer in price or quality. There are two things that he does save on: manufacturer's profit and distribution channel margins. Are these two items sufficient to overcome others, I just don't know.

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[shkumar4963]

Yes. I kind of agree. With effient manufacturing employed at most speaker manufacturers , offshore plants at low labor rates, economy of scale in design effort and part purchases , availability of automated machines , and trained workforce, I don't see much reason how a DIY can beat an efficient manufacturer in price or quality. There are two things that he does save on: manufacturer's profit and distribution channel margins. Are these two items sufficient to overcome others, I just don't know.

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There are other situations where DIY may be useful. Some have already been mentioned like hobby and an excuse to be away from the family etc.

DIY may also be suitable if your requirements are very unique and not available in any of the manufactured speakers. This uniqueness may be in asthetics like size or color etc or functionality like having a particular installation mode or a unique sound profile.

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[2channel lover]

There are all kinds of questions in addition to labor cost + part cost.

Would the aesthetics be as beautiful (B&W 800D, Revel Salon2, RBH SVT, KEF Blade, etc.) ?

If Stereophile or Audioholics were to professionally measure these speakers, would they measure as well ?

Could you make a lot more money from working overtime at your regular job, instead of working on your speakers?

How much time would you waste on building the speakers, instead of spending that time with your family (unless your family is very different than most families and they actually build the speakers with you) ?

DIY may or may not be for you depending on how you answer these questions.

If it's a labor of love and one has some basic skills...I can see toying around with DIY speakers, but I have too many other hobbies to entertain another one.

 

[shkumar4963]

For people who missed this article at the beginning of this thread, here it is.

http://www.audioholics.com/editorials/diy-loudspeakers



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[MrBoat]

Do current professional results really surprise anyone that has been at this awhile?

Does anyone really believe that there is any significant issues with speakers than cannot be pretty much resolved by a computer these days?

 

[highfigh]

One thing that can be avoided by going DIY- reading every document about speaker system design would take several lifetimes, so if someone has an idea that they'd like to try, it requires a bit of lumber, some drivers and a bit of time. If it doesn't work, it's not the same as someone using their life's savings or a manufacturer who devotes their whole company to a design that will ultimately fail.

 

[Bucknekked]

Do current professional results really surprise anyone that has been at this awhile?

Does anyone really believe that there is any significant issues with speakers than cannot be pretty much resolved by a computer these days?

MrBoat
I am with you on your general line of thought as it regards things you can DIY verses just buying the end result. The end result often isn't the point: its the process or the path you take to get there that's really important. Given all the resources of a real corporation, the DIY guy probably isn't going to come up with the next great sounding speaker. Given all the resources of a real agri-corp, you aren't going to come up with cheaper produce either, or better.

But working on your own speakers is reward in itself as is gardening and providing something for your own table with your own two hands. The few tomatoes that survive my feable attempts at gardening are always worth the effort. Most things I can do a DIY approach with aren't about the end result being "better". They are about doing something myself or with my family. If the end result is pretty good, so much the better.