DIY vs commercial

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Also, ADTG those shiny red ones you got are gorgeous I've been reading along on the Phil thread through you ordering them, to Del finishing the cabinets, to finally getting them. Now I guess I have to go through that rocking back and forth in anticipation process myself. Can't wait

Mine took longer than usual for several reasons.

1st, it was ordered around the Holidays and both Dennis & Del were super busy with various things. Dennis even left the country to Germany I recall. Del also might have traveled domestically.

2nd, it was a customized order. The piano high-gloss was a pain for Del. He had to reapply the lacquers several times, which required weeks of drying before it was all said and done.

Hopefully your Phil3 will be only 42 days, not 5 months.

But, I told you guys I was patient. I never even hinted at rushing either Del or Dennis.

Patience I have. Speakers skills I don't have. No way I'm doing any speakers DIY.

Dennis will test your speakers, listen to them for a few days, and give you your own personal speakers measurements. Who else will do that? NOBODY.

 

[fuzz092888]

Yes, I had asked Del about the piano gloss and he even gave me two other options, a high gloss and a spray on application. Those were $1500, 800, and 100, though the last option would have required me to do the buffing. I was more curious than seriously considering that option, but both guys are amazingly helpful and patient with my seemingly endless questions.

I also had Del make a solid back for the upper cabinets because I read something about experimenting with stuffing the back with fill to make up for studio mixes of modern music and movies, but Dennis recommended completely closing the back for that application. I e-mailed Dennis to see if he had done any experimentation with the Phils and this configuration. I'm curious to see what he thinks of it.

Last time I spoke to Del he said the shop was picking up so the wait time might be a bit longer than usual, especially if I got in line behind two other guys who were also considering the long high gloss process, but fingers crossed

 

[ARES24]

Sorry ARES24, for derailing your thread a bit

No worries, now I am learning about phils!

 

[ARES24]

Look at madisound.com they have many kits available so that all you pay for are parts, and then build the cabinet yourself. What you are trading for in doing DYI is your time as opposed to cash up front for a prebuilt speaker.

The enclosure must be well built and will take over 20 hours for a basic enclosure. So do you enjoy wood working? Then DIY becomes a fun project. Do you just want sound, and want it now? Buy a brand name.

Sometimes I like woodworking, sometimes not so much. I do woodwoorking for a living. Though I admit that MDF isn't my specialty.

 

[ARES24]

In short, yes the cost savings of properly designed DIY speakers do outweigh what you can get from commercially available speakers.

It depends on what price range you are thinking of, but in general if you build your own cabinets from MDF or plywood, you can expect DIY speakers to perform as well as good commercial speakers that cost 3 to 5 times as much at the retail level. If you buy pre-made cabinets instead of building your own, this factor is more like 1.5 to 3 – still worthwhile.

Are you thinking of bookshelf or floor standing speakers? What price range? If you tell us that, we can suggest some well tested and well received DIY designs.

I should point out that by DIY I really mean "build it yourself" and not "design it yourself". If you are inexperienced at measuring audio performance and designing speakers based on those measurements, I urge you to build an established "build it yourself" design rather than frustrate and disappoint yourself by thinking you can design one.

I am thinking of floor standing.

Around $700-$1000 for audio parts.

I have ABSOLUTELY no inclination to design my own.


I have been running around the DIY section of this forum for a while, makes it difficult to think straight at times. Sometimes the content goes too far above my head!

 

[Swerd]

I am thinking of floor standing.

Around $700-$1000 for audio parts.

I have ABSOLUTELY no inclination to design my own.

I have been running around the DIY section of this forum for a while, makes it difficult to think straight at times. Sometimes the content goes too far above my head!

For floor standing speakers in that price range, I strongly recommend the ER18 MTM speakers.

You can order the parts from Meniscus Audio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The version with the dome tweeter is $600/pair and with the ribbon tweeter is $681/pair. If sales for the parts kit is good enough, they might also sell an unfinished version of the cabinet. I doubt if they have one made now, but you could always ask. They also say the can sell a crossover board all assembled, wired, and soldered, but I don't know what they would charge for that.

If you want a pdf file that includes all the cabinet and crossover diagrams, parts list, and design details, send me a PM with your email address.

The two people who've built them and wrote about it on the AH DIY section are in Oklahoma and Virginia. Depending on where you are, think about contacting them to go hear them.

 

[ahuesjp]

I think I would buy instead of build

Sorry for the lame post. I am trying to get to the 5 post limit to send a private message.

 

[ARES24]

For floor standing speakers in that price range, I strongly recommend the ER18 MTM speakers.

You can order the parts from Meniscus Audio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The version with the dome tweeter is $600/pair and with the ribbon tweeter is $681/pair. If sales for the parts kit is good enough, they might also sell an unfinished version of the cabinet. I doubt if they have one made now, but you could always ask. They also say the can sell a crossover board all assembled, wired, and soldered, but I don't know what they would charge for that.

If you want a pdf file that includes all the cabinet and crossover diagrams, parts list, and design details, send me a PM with your email address.

The two people who've built them and wrote about it on the AH DIY section are in Oklahoma and Virginia. Depending on where you are, think about contacting them to go hear them.

I am in Ontario and am not interested in a road trip at this time

I went though that thread, that is what got me thinking about a DIY. Right now I am leaning toward this idea (a buddy of mine is an electrical engineer and should be able to solder still if I feel I need the help )

 

[ARES24]

I have another question concerning the ER18, why are the two midrange speakers outputting the same frequencies? Would it not be easier on the speaker to have them 'specialize' in frequencies or does that make the box design harder?

Just askin

 

[Swerd]

I have another question concerning the ER18, why are the two midrange speakers outputting the same frequencies? Would it not be easier on the speaker to have them 'specialize' in frequencies or does that make the box design harder?

That would make it a completely different design. It could be good, or not, depending on the details of the design. It would make both the cabinet and the crossover more complicated.

A big advantage of a 2-way with two midwoofers is that each driver has to work half as hard, with half the distortion, as one similar driver. This matters especially at the lower frequencies. This particular design produces quite a lot more bass than one with a single similar driver.

 

[ARES24]

thanks, just being a pest...... pest mindpower rising!!!!