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

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I guess I don't understand where your stance is on the subject then.

Neutral.

Playing devil's advocate.

There are so many great sounding speakers out there. The ones that seem to sound mediocre are probably not set up optimally.

You don't need any ONE particular or specific design to sound great.

You don't even need a flat on-axis FR & smooth off-axis to sound great.

You don't need to DIY or buy ID to sound great or be cost effective.

You don't need to buy B&M or spend $20,000-$80,000 to sound great.

DIY can sound better than Pro.

Pro can sound better than DIY.

 

[mattsk8]

Neutral.

Playing devil's advocate.

There are so many great sounding speakers out there. The ones that seem to sound mediocre are probably not set up optimally.

You don't need any ONE particular or specific design to sound great.

You don't even need a flat on-axis FR & smooth off-axis to sound great.

You don't need to DIY or buy ID to sound great or be cost effective.

You don't need to buy B&M or spend $20,000-$80,000 to sound great.

DIY can sound better than Pro.

Pro can sound better than DIY.

Amen bother, well said

 

[lsiberian]

Amen bother, well said

Well said indeed. ADTG is a troublemaker, but the kind that we actually like around here. I will retreat to my glass house now.

 

[MidnightSensi2]

yeah, I've just kinda been watching this...

One thing I think that's cool about DIY speakers is it's something that a non-engineer can do to start to get their hands dirty (which, unfortunately is a little too rare now days). I mean, I studied mechanical and composite engineering, and really what it does is give you a really big head start in designing product. It doesn't make you a good engineer, it gives you a badass head start and a myriad of connections (friends from basically every field you can call on their mobiles).

I had some friends that went into audio (or related fields, one works for Community Loudspeakers another does NVH studies for automotive companies). I think being acoustical engineers they have a pretty good head start over a hobbyist DIYer, but, it's a head start.

I'm not a professional at a lot of things I do (yeah, I've even built some speakers lol! ), but I do them because they are hobbies and I think hobbies are important to mental growth.

Also, my JTR mains in my theater I consider DIY. I mean, Jeff is awesome, I can't recommend his stuff enough, and it's a one man show. He is extremely well trained and I love his product, but, it's not like there is a team of engineers there. But, it's good performance for my ears and I enjoy them. RMK enjoyed them more than his Revels, owned by Harmon.

There was that subwoofer shootout someone posted a link too... and the Seaton and JTR subwoofers were the most preferred lol. And both those companies are, from what I understand, one man shows.

So when is DIY stop being DIY? When you sell it?

 

[lsiberian]

yeah, I've just kinda been watching this...

One thing I think that's cool about DIY speakers is it's something that a non-engineer can do to start to get their hands dirty (which, unfortunately is a little too rare now days). I mean, I studied mechanical and composite engineering, and really what it does is give you a really big head start in designing product. It doesn't make you a good engineer, it gives you a badass head start and a myriad of connections (friends from basically every field you can call on their mobiles).

I had some friends that went into audio (or related fields, one works for Community Loudspeakers another does NVH studies for automotive companies). I think being acoustical engineers they have a pretty good head start over a hobbyist DIYer, but, it's a head start.

I'm not a professional at a lot of things I do (yeah, I've even built some speakers lol! ), but I do them because they are hobbies and I think hobbies are important to mental growth.

Also, my JTR mains in my theater I consider DIY. I mean, Jeff is awesome, I can't recommend his stuff enough, and it's a one man show. He is extremely well trained and I love his product, but, it's not like there is a team of engineers there. But, it's good performance for my ears and I enjoy them. RMK enjoyed them more than his Revels, owned by Harmon.

There was that subwoofer shootout someone posted a link too... and the Seaton and JTR subwoofers were the most preferred lol. And both those companies are, from what I understand, one man shows.

So when is DIY stop being DIY? When you sell it?

If you bought it did you do it yourself?

 

[MidnightSensi2]

If you bought it did you do it yourself?

Lol, okay, not the right way to phrase it. But, you see what I mean? I mean one guy built it himself. And it's, at least to my ears and many others, outperforming stuff not built by one guy. Same with Seaton. I haven't heard it but people seem to absolutely love it.

So, I guess all I'm saying is to me, DIY and 'one man show shops' aren't much different. It just depends on the talent of the maker.

...and a lot of these companies started as one man shows. JL Audio started as a two man show.

Maybe some of these DIY'ers will be like PSB or JL Audio one day.

I guess I just don't want to discourage people from trying even if maybe a purchased product is the 'better' performer. This is something a novice technical person can get their hands dirty with, and, hey, maybe you'll have some success. Worst case? You learned stuff.

 

[johngalt47]

Diy vs commercial

I have listened to many commercials designs the last 35 years. I did not like very many of them for one reason or another. The Wilson Grand Slams driven by Krell monoblocks made Brothers in Arms sound like over produced crap. I absolutely hate Thiel speakers even though they come from my native Kentucky. Their reproduction of high frequencies makes my ears bleed! Martin Logans make the vocalist's mouths seem to be a yard wide. Bose 901s sounded like garbage. I bought some Allisons based on Sam Telig's review and they were horrible! I bought the Dynaudio Contour 1.1 spekers and they sound like mud.

The only speakers that I really like were the ProAc 3.3. They were really nice.

Now, I have built several of the DIY designs and a couple of them are outstanding, especially for the price. Bear in mind that I don't like loud music. I have a great sub based on the Dayton RSS315HF-8 that is perfect for music.

 

[cutedaddy]

Hi Gene,

Very true and relevant summary of factors playing in this unfathomable field of DIY (over-)enthusiasts, indeed, and phrased with your usual pinch of humor, tx!
However, one factor about strongly pronounced opinions, where it comes to loudspeakers as opposed to other components, you left out, in my opinion: loudspeakers are the single most influential link in the home audio chain, when it comes to SQ (assuming we don't count recording quality as a link). Even well-trained and/or experiences and/or professional listeners will be hard pressed to identify any other component in the chain in a blind listening test, be it amps, DACs, etc., let alone cables and so forth. The differences all range within digits behind the dot. When it comes to loudspeakers on the other hand, even relatively novice enthusiasts will identify between different loudspeakers almost every time. Simply because the differences range within digits BEFORE the dot.
Whether they will identify good SQ over bad SQ (as measured or professionally assessed) is another issue, but it certainly could be an important reason why opinions about loudspeakers are so much more pronounced than about any other component.

To answer your question:
1. I like active speakers over passive (because the the amp has more control over the driver, because filter component properties do not vary due to variations in load, frequency, etc., and several more reasons).
2. I like open baffle speakers over cabinet based speakers (because most cabinet speakers i ever heard sound like a box and are easily locatable, because early floor/ceiling/sidewall reflections vary from absent to much lower level and are of a less detrimental character, AND because i hold the pioneering work of Linkwitz in high regard).
3. Other than these two i don't hold strong beliefs about speakers that i could motivate.
4. The room is almost as important as the loudspeaker when it comes to reflections. This translates in another reason to go for open baffle/no baffle configs. Treating a room to the point of close-to-ideal in many homes presents a much costlier challenge than to invest a few hundreds extra per loudspeaker.

My two cents….
Love your site, clips and editorials!

 

[John Schulien]

Hello. First time poster. I read this article on the Audiophiles On A Budget facebook group and registered to share my experiences as a neophyte speaker builder.

A few months ago I started reading about speaker building. It started with an article on transmission line speakers, which led me around the internet until I found both WinISD and Leonard Audio's Transmission Line software. I spent weeks typing in the TS parameters of the various drivers available from Parts Express and playing with enclosure designs, just working the software, before I finally decided on a project.

I decided to build a pair of desktop computer speakers using a pair of single full-range drivers. I chose a pair of Dayton Audio (Parts Express's house brand) RS100-8 4" drivers. My main considerations were:

1) I wanted single full-range drivers. This would allow me to focus entirely on the cabinet enclosure and eliminate all of the multiple variables coming from multiple drivers and crossovers. I was very interested in accurate stereo imaging and single full-range drivers seemed like the best method of achieving that.

2) These drivers are affordable (I paid $25.00 each on sale) and with 18 reviews, 22 questions and 46 answers on the Parts Express web site, they are quite popular and well received.

3) Computer modelling indicated that I would be able to build the speaker cabinets small enough to fit nicely on my computer desk on either side of my monitor.

I went ahead and built them, following the WinISD recommendations for enclosure volume and port dimensions. I first did a test build using a raw plywood enclosure and PVC pipe for the port, and when I hooked them up and gave them a test drive, I was really thrilled to realize that what I had built on my first try totally blew away the computer speakers that I had considered "just fine" right up to that point. As many of the reviews warned, these drivers are bass shy -- they roll off around 100 Hz. The reviewers recommend a subwoofer. Instead I put a second pair of speakers on the back wall of the room to fill in the bass, which worked quite nicely.

I then turned my attention to building a nice pair of cabinets to replace the rough plywood cabinets. I slanted the front surface of the speakers to match the angle on my monitor, replaced the round port with a rectangular slot port at the bottom of the cabinet, and used MDF instead of plywood. I've since veneered the front faces of the cabinets and intend to get around to the sides and top as time allows.

Are my speakers better than $1000 speakers? Probably not. But I put $50 in parts into them (plus my labor, but I got the MDF for free.) Are my speakers better than a pair of $50 computer speakers? Oh heck yes. I'm completely happy with them. Everyone who listens to them wants a pair for themselves. I could probably start building and selling these little speakers and maybe I should.

I certainly don't have years of experience and dozens of designs under my belt. What I did discover was that the combination of:

1) The availability of high quality speaker drivers with published TS parameters, and
2) The availability of good speaker design software like WinISD and Transmission Line

has opened the door to amateurs like myself being able to successfully design speakers that perform the way they were designed to perform.

But all is not wine and roses. Since then, I've tried two additional builds, each of which surprised me.

Soon after describing my results, someone recommended that I try a transmission line enclosure based on the TABAQ design, but using the same RS100-8 drivers. I modeled the cabinets in Transmission Line and built them out of MDF. While they did seem to offer a certain amount of bass extension over and beyond the bass reflex design, they also seemed to introduce comb-filter like artifacts into the midrange that made them unpleasant to listen to. So I considered that attempt a failure. But the drivers went right back into my desktop speakers, so it didn't cost me anything beyond my time. (once again, the MDF was free.)

My third design was a pair of bass reflex speakers designed around the Tang Band W6-2144 6.5" full range drivers. After the RS100-8 experience, I was specifically looking for some deep bass, and these drivers were advertised as reaching 45 Hz. I went ahead and did a ported cabinet in (free) particleboard, as recommended by the WinISD software. The cabinets wound up being rather bulky -- with a 1.9 CF volume -- and unfortunately the results were mixed. I modeled them for flat frequency response -- and what I got were speakers with terrific bass. And I don't mean one note bass either. My test track for deep bass is Bela Fleck's "The Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo." The overpowering bass on this track comes out as both melodic and smooth, and you can feel it in your chest. Same thing for the heartbeat at the beginning of Dark Side Of The Moon. Unfortunately, the midrange and treble are harsh and unnatural and not pleasant to listen to, and it sounds like there's a hole in the low midrange. A second unsuccessful build, although at this point I really don't know why.

So at this point I feel like I can't really go any further without a USB test microphone to quantify the problems I encountered. The process of building a pair of simple test speaker cabinets involves about 4 hours of woodworking, and it seems foolish to approach the problem blindly. I am also quite aware that once you get away from single driver speakers with sealed or simple bass reflex cabinets, things start to quickly get complex. Multiple drivers, crossovers, tuned enclosures -- all introduce multiple interrelated variables and this is of course where experience starts to really matter. This is why I haven't gone there yet.

However, I am convinced from my experience that an amateur, armed with the resources available online, a thoughtfully selected pair of full range drivers from a DIY retailer like Parts Express, WinISD or other design software and some moderate woodworking skills can definitely build a pair of very good single-driver sealed or bass reflex speakers that will stand up favorably to the equivalent professionally designed product.

Beyond that, your results will likely be commensurate with your actual experience and understanding of what you are doing. Just like everything else worth doing! A beginner CAN approach speaker building in a logical way and achieve good results, as long as they are sensitive to understanding what they do and don't know and keep their variables limited and under control.

 

[Steve Smewing]

I am a DYI'er for most all things. I have dipped my toes into speaker building. But I agree that I have little chance of success if I were the one that went out and selected the parts and built a cabinet to hold it all.

I prefer to follow a groomed trail. So, I am a DYI'er who is in essence, the assembler. I went with Parts Express and only considered speaker kits that included clear instructions and listening comments. So, I am clearly not a pioneer.

I do understand the basics of a crossover. I also know that store bought speakers are pretty short on elegance in the way that the crossover is built or specced. To me, and I may be wrong, it is the elegance of the crossover that will define the pleasure of the sound. There is a marked difference in the components of the typical speaker kit sold by Parts Express and the crossover I found in the Optimus II speakers I have had for decades. You noticed I did not mention one spec, I left that to the pro that was behind the kit.

I had to leave behind the huge 15" woofer and cabinets and said hello to an MTM speaker with a separate sub.

For me, my success had to be based on doing what people smarter than I have done and then copying it.

 

[slipperybidness]

I am a DYI'er for most all things. I have dipped my toes into speaker building. But I agree that I have little chance of success if I were the one that went out and selected the parts and built a cabinet to hold it all.

I prefer to follow a groomed trail. So, I am a DYI'er who is in essence, the assembler. I went with Parts Express and only considered speaker kits that included clear instructions and listening comments. So, I am clearly not a pioneer.

I do understand the basics of a crossover. I also know that store bought speakers are pretty short on elegance in the way that the crossover is built or specced. To me, and I may be wrong, it is the elegance of the crossover that will define the pleasure of the sound. There is a marked difference in the components of the typical speaker kit sold by Parts Express and the crossover I found in the Optimus II speakers I have had for decades. You noticed I did not mention one spec, I left that to the pro that was behind the kit.

I had to leave behind the huge 15" woofer and cabinets and said hello to an MTM speaker with a separate sub.

For me, my success had to be based on doing what people smarter than I have done and then copying it.

BUT......what PE kit did you build?

 

[Steve Smewing]

BUT......what PE kit did you build?

Sorry, I should have included that right.

I went with the economy of the TriTrix MTM TL. I used the floor-standing configuration for my front right and left and the closed box alternative for the center and rears. My current sub is a Yamaha YST-SW160. I am planning on building a new sub at some point.

I have an amplifier that no longer is useful due to needing multiple HDMI inputs that I am hoping to use as the amp for a sub with the input being from the sub out of my main amp. I have been trying to find out if I can bridge the amp. I do have a dual voice coil sub that was given to me, so that may not matter.

 

[slipperybidness]

Sorry, I should have included that right.

I went with the economy of the TriTrix MTM TL. I used the floor-standing configuration for my front right and left and the closed box alternative for the center and rears. My current sub is a Yamaha YST-SW160. I am planning on building a new sub at some point.

I have an amplifier that no longer is useful due to needing multiple HDMI inputs that I am hoping to use as the amp for a sub with the input being from the sub out of my main amp. I have been trying to find out if I can bridge the amp. I do have a dual voice coil sub that was given to me, so that may not matter.

Yup, I've been looking at that JB Solstice Kit long and hard! I really want to build that, but I really don't need more speakers, and worse yet, my small house is what is really preventing me from pulling the trigger.

The CBT Line Array looks quite interesting too. They have also introduced several kits on the cheaper end recently too.

 

[Verdinut]

Since I was 15, I have been really amazed by the High Fidelity playback of recorded music. At 22, I bought my first Stereo Integrated Amplifier and built my first loudspeaker pair using Goodmans 10 inch transducers in bass reflex cabinet kits which were then available in the 1960's.
I have always kept that interest in speakers. About 12 years ago, I built three 8 cubic foot ducted bass reflex cabinets with Altec A7 Voice of the Theatre components. More recently, I replaced the Altec components with 3 way systems using a pair of Peerless 5¼ inch mid-ranges, one Airborne RT-4001 Air Motion Ribbon tweeter and a Dayton RSS390HF-4 subwoofer in each enclosure in an active bi-amping configuration, crossing over at 190 Hz. I personally designed the passive crossover between the mid and high frequencies using Solen capacitors and inductors. This arrangement provides a very smooth sound to my liking. As you know, a factory made cabinet using similar transducers and having as good a performance would cost several Grands.
A couple of years ago, I started my own loudspeaker factory and built 3 bookshelf speaker pairs using a SB Acoustics 5 inch speaker with the Airborne AM Ribbon tweeter. I kept 2 pairs to use as surrounds in my Cinema system and I sold the third.
Finally, I constructed a pair of 4½ cubic foot 3 way systems, using a pair of SB Acoustics 5 inch mid-range transducers, an Airborne RT-4001 Air Motion Ribbon tweeter with a Dayton RSS315HF-8 as woofer. For the three-way crossover, I used Solen polypropylene capacitors and air core inductors, except for the subwoofer series inductor which was a Jantzen P Core for its low DC resistance. I used a 3rd Order Butterworth filter for the tweeter and a 2nd Order Linkwitz-Riley configuration for the mid-range and subwoofer drivers. The ducted reflex enclosures were designed by myself and built by a cabinet maker using 1 inch baltic plywood panels. The cost of building these exceeded $3,000.
Those enclosures were presented for a demonstration at the Montreal Audiophile Association and I received very positive comments from several members including applause at the end of the presentation.

I am not a newcomer in speaker building. I have built several speaker enclosures in the past 50 years. Over the years I have read many technical books and articles in various serious hi-fi reviews on speaker building and testing. I know about the mechanics of a loudspeaker and I also have some good understanding of the characteristics of passive and active crossovers.

For most recent projects, I used Dayton Audio Test System V.2 for testing the Thiele/Small parameters , Harris Technologies BassBox 6 Pro and Harris Technologies X-Over Pro. I did not have access to an anechoic chamber, but I used Dayton OmniMic V.2 Computer Based Room Measurement System.

The crossover component values were calculated on the T/S parameter figures for each separate transducer. I wonder how many manufacturers proceed with that additional step.

Vance Dickason who wrote the famous “Loudspeaker Design Cookbook” is of the opinion that two-way speaker designs are relatively simple , while three-way designs tend to separate the pros from the amateurs.

I don't like to brag, but the successful results with the 3 way speaker system which I built is not a fluke.

To answer the question "Can you build better than professional designs?", Yes, it is possible, on the basis of performance, to built as good and also better than some professional designs. It is a question of using the right transducers, building a well designed crossover with good components, and installing them in a very well braced dense cabinet.
The crossover element of the speaker system is as important as the quality of the transducers for a successful music reproduction. You could have the best speakers at hand, but if you use them with a poorly designed crossover, you will not obtain a good performance. (It is easy to improve on some factory designed crossovers by replacing cheap electrolytic capacitors by polypropylene caps, by replacing choke coils by air core inductors for instance).
As already mentioned by someone, a DIY project requires a lot of planning and time but you have the advantage of saving money which you can use for bettering the other elements of your system.


André

 

[Michael E.]

A DIY’er can tweak the design to suit his personal environment, whereas manufacturers have to design for general purposes. That’s a big advantage.

 

[MrBoat]

I don't owe the bank for any of my DIY speakers.

I have no inclination to design a speaker. Anything I can imagine as a satisfactory end result has been thought of. Now if I could build a great driver from scratch, that would be something, perhaps.

Yes, you can build as good as a professional and a lot of the kits are indeed that.

I have some full range driver (Peerless TC9) speakers that I would not part with that I am currently addicted to. Less than $70 worth of parts. There is nothing currently on the market that makes me want to try and best these.

I would not trade my DIY speakers for current commercial offerings.

I think there is perhaps a bit too much emphasis on 'ultimate' measurements and focus on what amounts to barely audible subtleties. For no other reason than just knowing they exist via a bit too much, perhaps, information overload. At the end of the day, at least with music, if the instruments sound and come across like they are supposed to then it's time to enjoy it. This is indeed possible with DIY speakers.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

The question is how much technology and design resides in the commercial speaker you are considering (or can afford). As those factors increase, the chances of equalling them with DIY decrease.

I don't see why you can't DIY a very decent loudspeaker, and even more attractive is the long list of speakers where a competent designer has actually done the work that would be equivalent to a commercial product. Just buy what he tells you to buy, build the crossover as instructed, use his enclosure dimensions, and away you go.

If buying and building someone else's project isn't attractive to you, then there is going to be a point where you are either going to have to do a lot of work and probably a lot of iterations with real hardware, which can quickly get expensive. I hesitate to put a price on that, because it will vary considerably ... do you want to build DIY magnepans? They are not terribly expensive at retail. In other cases it makes perfect sense.

It's a question you have to answer yourself. How handy are you? Do you want to do the work?

Perhaps most importantly, few people can stop at one DIY speaker project. Do you want to be playing with drivers for the next decade? It could happen.

 

[lsiberian]

The question is how much technology and design resides in the commercial speaker you are considering (or can afford). As those factors increase, the chances of equalling them with DIY decrease.

I don't see why you can't DIY a very decent loudspeaker, and even more attractive is the long list of speakers where a competent designer has actually done the work that would be equivalent to a commercial product. Just buy what he tells you to buy, build the crossover as instructed, use his enclosure dimensions, and away you go.

If buying and building someone else's project isn't attractive to you, then there is going to be a point where you are either going to have to do a lot of work and probably a lot of iterations with real hardware, which can quickly get expensive. I hesitate to put a price on that, because it will vary considerably ... do you want to build DIY magnepans? They are not terribly expensive at retail. In other cases it makes perfect sense.

It's a question you have to answer yourself. How handy are you? Do you want to do the work?

Perhaps most importantly, few people can stop at one DIY speaker project. Do you want to be playing with drivers for the next decade? It could happen.

Remember DIY builders can do the extreme in their own builds that commercial companies simply can't.
For me I'm the only living person I know of who has built a design like mine. I don't see my approach(insane bracing, CLD, full-bipolar, active) being practical for a commercial speaker. Certainly not enough to make a job out of it. I met a horn speaker guy whose home speakers are amazing, but there is no way he could sell them commercially because they literally look like something out of space invaders. TLS probably couldn't sell his speakers because they are massive and probably require his expertise to set them up properly too. Dennis barely breaks even on his speakers.

You definitely are correct on the challenge. It took me years to complete my speakers. I wrote software to help me design them. I had to toss my first set of boxes. The Minidsp had to come to market. Chip amps had to become popular. Oh and just last night I had to remove my binding posts to begin a repair and cut myself on the knuckle somehow. Whenever I see folks interested in DIY. I think it's a lot of fun now, but it's also a lot of work. You'll definitely save a lot of money if you simply by some Songtowers and call it a night.

In my own crazy mind I think it's easy to design and build a great speaker. I think it's because I simply enjoy doing it. FWIW it's a lot cheaper hobby than suping up cars.

 

[Verdinut]

When building a speaker enclosure, I never calculated the many hours it took me to plan the shape and dimensions of the cabinet to suit each transducer, build it and then design and build the appropriate passive crossovers based on T/S parameters of each driver. Afterwards, I test the results with a real-time analyzer, I do some serious listening and I proceed with required voicing to arrive at an overall relative smooth frequency response which very well compares with that of good commercial speakers. It's a passion, time doesn't count.

Many commercial speaker manufacturers, in order to have competitive prices, cut corners by building passive crossovers with cheap electrolytic caps and use chokes instead of air core inductors. With a DIY project, you have all the liberty of using better crossover components for a better performance. In addition, manufacturers make enclosures as light as possible to reduce shipping costs. With a DIY project, you can put all the needed bracing without worrying about weight, to reduce panel vibration and obtain overall better results.


If someone has the time and adequate knowledge about speakers to get involved in a DIY project, the finished product can bring hours of listening satisfaction, at a fraction of the cost of commercial speakers.

 

[shkumar4963]

Since I was 15, I have been really amazed by the High Fidelity playback of recorded music. At 22, I bought my first Stereo Integrated Amplifier and built my first loudspeaker pair using Goodmans 10 inch transducers in bass reflex cabinet kits which were then available in the 1960's.
I have always kept that interest in speakers. About 12 years ago, I built three 8 cubic foot ducted bass reflex cabinets with Altec A7 Voice of the Theatre components. More recently, I replaced the Altec components with 3 way systems using a pair of Peerless 5¼ inch mid-ranges, one Airborne RT-4001 Air Motion Ribbon tweeter and a Dayton RSS390HF-4 subwoofer in each enclosure in an active bi-amping configuration, crossing over at 190 Hz. I personally designed the passive crossover between the mid and high frequencies using Solen capacitors and inductors. This arrangement provides a very smooth sound to my liking. As you know, a factory made cabinet using similar transducers and having as good a performance would cost several Grands.
A couple of years ago, I started my own loudspeaker factory and built 3 bookshelf speaker pairs using a SB Acoustics 5 inch speaker with the Airborne AM Ribbon tweeter. I kept 2 pairs to use as surrounds in my Cinema system and I sold the third.
Finally, I constructed a pair of 4½ cubic foot 3 way systems, using a pair of SB Acoustics 5 inch mid-range transducers, an Airborne RT-4001 Air Motion Ribbon tweeter with a Dayton RSS315HF-8 as woofer. For the three-way crossover, I used Solen polypropylene capacitors and air core inductors, except for the subwoofer series inductor which was a Jantzen P Core for its low DC resistance. I used a 3rd Order Butterworth filter for the tweeter and a 2nd Order Linkwitz-Riley configuration for the mid-range and subwoofer drivers. The ducted reflex enclosures were designed by myself and built by a cabinet maker using 1 inch baltic plywood panels. The cost of building these exceeded $3,000.
Those enclosures were presented for a demonstration at the Montreal Audiophile Association and I received very positive comments from several members including applause at the end of the presentation.

I am not a newcomer in speaker building. I have built several speaker enclosures in the past 50 years. Over the years I have read many technical books and articles in various serious hi-fi reviews on speaker building and testing. I know about the mechanics of a loudspeaker and I also have some good understanding of the characteristics of passive and active crossovers.

For most recent projects, I used Dayton Audio Test System V.2 for testing the Thiele/Small parameters , Harris Technologies BassBox 6 Pro and Harris Technologies X-Over Pro. I did not have access to an anechoic chamber, but I used Dayton OmniMic V.2 Computer Based Room Measurement System.

The crossover component values were calculated on the T/S parameter figures for each separate transducer. I wonder how many manufacturers proceed with that additional step.

Vance Dickason who wrote the famous “Loudspeaker Design Cookbook” is of the opinion that two-way speaker designs are relatively simple , while three-way designs tend to separate the pros from the amateurs.

I don't like to brag, but the successful results with the 3 way speaker system which I built is not a fluke.

To answer the question "Can you build better than professional designs?", Yes, it is possible, on the basis of performance, to built as good and also better than some professional designs. It is a question of using the right transducers, building a well designed crossover with good components, and installing them in a very well braced dense cabinet.
The crossover element of the speaker system is as important as the quality of the transducers for a successful music reproduction. You could have the best speakers at hand, but if you use them with a poorly designed crossover, you will not obtain a good performance. (It is easy to improve on some factory designed crossovers by replacing cheap electrolytic capacitors by polypropylene caps, by replacing choke coils by air core inductors for instance).
As already mentioned by someone, a DIY project requires a lot of planning and time but you have the advantage of saving money which you can use for bettering the other elements of your system.


André

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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