Build them yourself?

[stinkfist]

I've had 2 people tell me that there are high end speaker kits that you can buy and assemble yourself with suplied instructions. They say this is a cost effective way to get a quality speaker.

This seems right up my ally, and I'd love to put a high end automotive type paint job on a set of custom speakers.

My only problem is I can't find these "kits" anywhere I look.

Any help in locating the kits and comments on the quality of sound would be greatly apreciated.

Thanks,
MIke

 

[sparky77]

The only two places I know that sell kits are Madisound, and Parts Express. I'm sure someone else will post others.

 

[wyllisx1]

here's another http://www.gr-research.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=2

 

[calnbs]

I am just wondering....how complicated it is to actually put one of these kits together?

 

[jliedeka]

It's going to vary with the kit. Some have pre-assembled crossovers. Others require you to solder the parts yourself. Some come with cabinets or use standard cabinets, some don't.

Some more kits:

http://www.selahaudio.com/index.html
http://www.diycable.com/main/default.php
http://www.speakerlab.com/speakerkits.htm
http://www.rawacoustics.com/index.php

 

[stinkfist]

Thanks Guys. Just what I needed.
MIke

 

[wiyosaya]

Personally, I am skeptical about building your own and expecting them to be better than what you can buy on the market.

Don't get me wrong, as I was a Heathkit guy years ago. Building kits is fun, provides a big sense of satisfaction, and is a superb learning experience.

However, some of the manufacturers put a lot of research and technical knowledge into their designs that many consumers would never be able to match.

IMHO, if you are in it for the fun and satisfaction, go for it. Also, you may get good sounding speakers for a value price. IMHO, "sound quality" is a often matter of individual taste.

 

[Matt34]

http://www.linkwitzlab.com/orion_us.htm

 

[RacineBoxer]

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=27222


For $700ish in parts these would compare to $3k speakers.

 

[wiyosaya]

http://www.linkwitzlab.com/orion_us.htm

These would be interesting to listen to. Seems this guy is the pinnacle of audio engineering.

 

[gus6464]

Take a look at this
http://www.parts-express.com/projectshowcase/indexn.cfm?project=ushers

Uses good drivers and you can buy the cabinets premade and look very good.

 

[wiyosaya]

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=27222


For $700ish in parts these would compare to $3k speakers.

But what manufacturer's $3K?

 

[JohnA]

Just a side note on the kits from Dayton Audio that are sold through Parts Express, they carry the Parts Express 45 day return policy. If you don't like them you can send them back, shipping is on you, and there might be a restocking fee (check with PE)...but you get over a month to test them out.

 

[mazersteven]

If I was going to venture into a speaker build.

THOR
http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=392

http://www.madisound.com/thor.html

http://www.seas.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=40

 

[Matt34]

These would be interesting to listen to. Seems this guy is the pinnacle of audio engineering.

If I had the cash they would probably be the one's I would go with.

 

[RacineBoxer]

But what manufacturer's $3K?

I don't want to name names because certainly someone will be offended and a flame war of justifying what people buy will begin.

When you factor in profit for the speaker company, mark-up so the audio shop guy can stay in business, construction/craftsmanship time of nice cabinets, salaries for designers, workers, production managers, sales associates, warranty & return people, etc.., plus marketing, inventory, costs of buildings and machines, etc... you can certainly imagine how a $2500 MSRP speaker has sub <$1k worth of drivers in it. Now if you go ID you can cut out some of the cost of the above but there is certainly still much of those costs, and certainly profits.

There certainly is risk in DIY and tools that may need to be purchased. And possibly dozens of hours of your own labor. Perhaps the biggest risk is in design choice and IMO Jim Holtz and Curt (who designed the crossover, the importance of which should not be understated) are top notch guys.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[jliedeka]

I read somewhere that the average parts cost for a speaker you buy in a brick and mortar is 15% of MSRP. With ID it's closer to 40%.

I think a kit speaker can sound at least as good as anything you can buy if the design is sound. It needs decent drivers, relatively inert cabinets and a crossover that is suited to the application. If I were building a kit, I'd look for one that comes from a proven designer and/or has gotten favorable reviews.

Jim

 

[Spkr_Bldr]

The Statements or Mini Statements are an excellent choice, but a bit complex for a first timer. If you have the woodworking skills however, they're what I'd go with.

The Thor uses great drivers, but it's crossover is poor as is. This crossover revision is much better, http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=1319454&stamp=1191790511

If you want to try something simpler, a couple excellent options would be these two:

Kepler - http://www.diycable.com/main/product_info.php?products_id=667
Neo 2X - http://www.gr-research.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=148

Trust me, building it yourself IS the best way to get solid value for your money. For example, the Mini Statement ... I'd wager there isn't a sub $3000 speaker on the market that could beat it. Plus it's pretty cool to listen to something you built, and realize how much $$$ you saved!

 

[R-Carpenter]

Building your own is the way to go.
Let's not forget the shortcuts that commercial manufacturers use in the production. I've taken apart $2200 pair of studio monitors that uses egg crate foam and cheap electrolytic capacitors. I've repaired a $4500 pair that also had electrolytic in series with tweeter.
A 10% cost of drivers+crossovers from the retail price is the rule of thumb.
The only drawback, is that it's hard to find an already build kit and speaker preferences are very individual.
If you have any woodworking skills and time, by all means do it. You will have a speaker that will blow away anything in it's price range on the commercial market.
http://www.zaphaudio.com/

 

[wiyosaya]

Building your own is the way to go.
Let's not forget the shortcuts that commercial manufacturers use in the production. I've taken apart $2200 pair of studio monitors that uses egg crate foam and cheap electrolytic capacitors. I've repaired a $4500 pair that also had electrolytic in series with tweeter.
A 10% cost of drivers+crossovers from the retail price is the rule of thumb.
The only drawback, is that it's hard to find an already build kit and speaker preferences are very individual.
If you have any woodworking skills and time, by all means do it. You will have a speaker that will blow away anything in it's price range on the commercial market.
http://www.zaphaudio.com/

There is certainly a lot of information to consider. The zaph audio site is very interesting, and makes me think that there are some good marketers out there.