Now that I have a good relationship with a local cabinet builder, why not look at the possiblity of some DIY speakers?
These would need to sit on top of my exsiting subs so towers are out of the question but a short, big box design would be great. Great mids and effortless dynamics are my priorities. Pre-exisiting, proven design would be ideal as I don't have the know-how to start from scratch.
Dr. Mark?
Edit: Budget of around $400-500 for the parts, enclosure cost will be seperate.
I highly recommend either the
MurphyBlaster CAOW1 or the MBOW1. I've built the CAOW1 and it is my favorite small 2-way speaker. They are designed by Dennis Murphy, a well known amateur DIY designer, who has recently become known for his commercial design, the SongTower. The CAOW1 uses the same drivers and cabinet dimensions as the
Salk SongSurround I speakers. Their crossovers are a bit different, the CAOW1 has 2nd order slopes and the SongSurround I has 4th order slopes. I haven't priced it's parts lately, but I think it is within your budget.
I can also highly recommend the MBOW1 and MB27 which I have built for friends and relatives. The MBOW1 uses a less expensive woofer than the CAOW1 and the MB27 uses the same woofer as the MBOW1 with less expensive tweeters. All of them use the
same cabinet. (The tweeter in the MB20 design is no longer available.) Note that the MBOW1 was designed both as a 2-way and as part of a 3-way when combined with a 10" woofer.
All of these designs are small cabinet 2-way ported speakers with a 5¼" midwoofer and a 1" (in the MB27) or a ¾" (in the CAOW1 and MBOW1) dome tweeter. Both use 2nd order crossovers which Dennis believes contributes to a more open and spacious sound. I am impressed by the unexpected bass response of these small speakers. The CAOW1 can deliver an honest 50 Hz, the MBOW1 and MB27 deliver an honest 55 Hz.
All of these designs include
baffle step compensation (BSC). A lot of commercial small 2-ways completely fail to address this problem at all!
The tweeters (Hiquphon OW1s) that are in the CAOW1 and the MBOW1 designs are without any doubt the best dome tweeters I've ever heard. They cost $220 a pair! That's why Dennis also offers the MB27 that uses tweeters that go for about $70 a pair. They are also quite good.
The bottom line with Dennis Murphy's designs, is that I like the way he "voices" his designs. I like their sound. Not surprisingly, his designs also have quite flat frequency response curves. I have met him, he lives in my area. He is not an EE, he has a Ph.D. in economics! He is an amateur musician (piano and violin), and he has the best listening acuity I have ever witnessed. He has about 25 years experience in DIY audio, and his expertise in crossover design is highly valued in the DIY world. I have come to trust all of his audio choices. Your taste may certainly vary from mine, but I think you should look into them.
