Dying to try a DIY Speaker!

[ramahon]

Hey everyone,

I have only just recently gotten into vintage equipment and audio in general. Im so eager and excited to attempt a DIY speaker. HOWEVER, i'm not very educated on what actually goes into the process as far as wiring lol. I know that's not ideal. YOU GOTTA START SOMEWHERE THO! :yes:

So i'm asking anyone here on AK if they have some guidelines, tips, basic rules, anything that I should take into account.

As this being my very first project, I know I won't get it perfect w/o practice. I'm not looking for it to be incredibly powerful by any means, just a piece to see where I started! So not looking to break the bank here lol

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

-Rob

 

[Satcom123]

Good day to you. I found that reading with some pictures helped me. At Parts express.com they have some good speaker building books available. These would be esential to building speakers from scratch. :thmbsp:

 

[audiozaz]

I think a good way to start is to learn to measure the T/S parameters of a speaker yourself. Whether you build something with a vintage driver or you buy a new one, the parameters will either have changed with time or can be innacurate from the manufacturer. Here's a good way to do this:

http://sound.westhost.com/tsp.htm

All you need is a multimeter and a signal generator, which could be you computer.

A small fullrange driver in a sealed or vented box can be a fun and inexpensive way to start, depending on what you like. There are many kits, detailed projects and plans on so many websites, including this one.

Have fun and good luck!

az

 

[gyrene]

Here is the truth.
Take it slow.Learn the terminology.Keep notes.Ask and answer your own questions where you can.
Be prepared to be at it for a very long time.This will not happen by next Tuesday.
You may have to actually study the topic.Its deep.
Take it slow and enjoy yourself.
Post a ton of pics.
We like pics here.

 

[RayW]

The first 10 or 12 pages of the Indignia thread in the speaker forum are kind of a tutorial on designing a speaker. It's a little different than usual as we started with a box volume and found a woofer to fit. Most times you start with a woofer and figure out the volume in which it works best. Anyway, it goes through driver selection, crossover design, etc.

The book "Designing, Building, and Testing Your Own Speaker System" by David Weems is fairly easy to read and would be a good starting point. "The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" is a great reference but it's pretty dry and hard to read. I would recommend it a bit later as something to check out when you have a specific question but I wouldn't want to just sit and try to read through it.

 

[djnagle]

Hi Rob, I would start poking around the eWave thread in the speaker forum. The first post has links to all the project data and all the eWaves that have been built. There will be tons of support for your project on the thread as well......they love newbies!!!!

Also, what will be the application for your speakers? Computer desk, living room, shop, Yankee stadium???

Done right, you can get into a pair of ewaves for a couple hundred bucks and have speakers that would cost you many many hundreds of dollars to buy new.

 

[baniels]

I would recommend getting your feet wet by first building a proven design. There is plenty DIY satisfaction to be had without designing it yourself. And chances are the end result will sound a lot better. There are a lot of variables when it comes to crossover design, and using premade crossovers is almost never the right thing to do.

Some places to start:

https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/diy - Paul Carmody has donated a lot of great designs to the public. I have a made a few of his Overnight Sensations as PC speakers and for family members. You can buy a kit for $64/speaker - with CNC'd cabinets ready to glue - here.

This is one of my OS pairs.

http://zaphaudio.com/ - many popular designs.

http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showthread.php?t=211558 - a compilation of designs, build threads, etc. The PE forums is very active with DIY talk/designs/builds.

http://www.htguide.com/forum/forumdisplay.php4?f=6 - This forum seems to have slowed down a bit over the last few years, but it is still a great resource for the new DIY entrant.

http://madisound.com/kits/ - A lot of Zaph Audio designs can be found here in kit form, among others.

http://clearwaveloudspeaker.com/kits.html - Another skilled designer, but he will be discontinuing kit sales on April 1st to focus on his retail line. I built his 4TSE last year (below).

 

[ramahon]

Here is the truth.
Take it slow.Learn the terminology.Keep notes.Ask and answer your own questions where you can.
Be prepared to be at it for a very long time.This will not happen by next Tuesday.
You may have to actually study the topic.Its deep.
Take it slow and enjoy yourself.
Post a ton of pics.
We like pics here.

I figured it something that will take a long time to understand and gain knowledge about. I'm very much looking forward to it though. With time, practice and patience comes success.
Whenever I do start, I will most definitely post pics. Can only help to get thousands of other audiophiles eyes for opinions.

Thanks!

 

[ramahon]

Hi Rob, I would start poking around the eWave thread in the speaker forum. The first post has links to all the project data and all the eWaves that have been built. There will be tons of support for your project on the thread as well......they love newbies!!!!

Also, what will be the application for your speakers? Computer desk, living room, shop, Yankee stadium???

Done right, you can get into a pair of ewaves for a couple hundred bucks and have speakers that would cost you many many hundreds of dollars to buy new.

Thank you for the information! I am certainly a newbie :yes: very excited to learn though!

My first project I intend to be pretty simple and small. Something perfect for a computer. Eventually I would love to design my own set for a living room. That would be my ultimate goal!

 

[Frank Sol]

My 1st real project was the 'Big Fun Box' - easy to do and sounded nice

 

[ramahon]

I would recommend getting your feet wet by first building a proven design. There is plenty DIY satisfaction to be had without designing it yourself. And chances are the end result will sound a lot better. There are a lot of variables when it comes to crossover design, and using premade crossovers is almost never the right thing to do.

Some places to start:

https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/diy - Paul Carmody has donated a lot of great designs to the public. I have a made a few of his Overnight Sensations as PC speakers and for family members. You can buy a kit for $64/speaker - with CNC'd cabinets ready to glue - here.

This is one of my OS pairs.

http://zaphaudio.com/ - many popular designs.

http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showthread.php?t=211558 - a compilation of designs, build threads, etc. The PE forums is very active with DIY talk/designs/builds.

http://www.htguide.com/forum/forumdisplay.php4?f=6 - This forum seems to have slowed down a bit over the last few years, but it is still a great resource for the new DIY entrant.

http://madisound.com/kits/ - A lot of Zaph Audio designs can be found here in kit form, among others.

http://clearwaveloudspeaker.com/kits.html - Another skilled designer, but he will be discontinuing kit sales on April 1st to focus on his retail line. I built his 4TSE last year (below).

This is AWESOME thanks! Your OS pair is beautiful. Just looking at that makes me want to be able to do something like that! IN DUE TIME though. I will look into everything you have posted here. Much thanks!

You're towers are incredible btw. Something like that, I hope to achieve in years to come.

 

[ramahon]

The first 10 or 12 pages of the Indignia thread in the speaker forum are kind of a tutorial on designing a speaker. It's a little different than usual as we started with a box volume and found a woofer to fit. Most times you start with a woofer and figure out the volume in which it works best. Anyway, it goes through driver selection, crossover design, etc.

The book "Designing, Building, and Testing Your Own Speaker System" by David Weems is fairly easy to read and would be a good starting point. "The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" is a great reference but it's pretty dry and hard to read. I would recommend it a bit later as something to check out when you have a specific question but I wouldn't want to just sit and try to read through it.

Ill look into these readings. I need to understand what goes into the process, I haven't a clue. Im just fascinated by the final result lol.

 

[bassbinotoko]

What baniels said. There's just so many different things that go into a good speaker design. There's plenty of challenge involved in just building nice boxes (48 edges to get straight and true and square).

Don't be too ambitious. It's better to keep with two-way speakers using 4" to 6" midwoofers. If you need real bass, use an active crossover with separate subwoofers. Subwoofers are an ideal DIY project, and there's fewer holes to cut and the finish is usually less critical.

If you like it loud, or are fond of low-power amplifiers, consider building highly efficient semi-pro speakers. About $300 in parts per channel should get you something worthwhile, using 12" to 15" cast-frame Eminence woofers and compression tweeters. These will get very loud in a party situation if you feed them a couple hundred watts. They won't go very low; you'll feel the kick drum, but won't get the floor-shuddering bass for dubstep. Investigate tapped horns if you need crazy bass on a budget.

 

[ramahon]

bassinotoko --- i don't really care to make my very first speaker anything special. Eventually I would love to create my own home system. I really just want my first speaker to be 2 way, nothing crazy bass wise, maybe reaching down to low 50s would be completely fine with me.

 

[djnagle]

Those Overnight Sensations look to be a great starting point. If I didn't have great computer speakers already, I'd jump on them.

 

[mjennens]

Where are you located? There are a handful of audio relatred get-togethers throughout the year in different parts of the country. There is one on the Parts Express forum, InDIYana 2012, coming up in April. The Parts Express forum is 99% about DIY speakers. A lot of very knowledgeable folks there who are eager to help out a new guy.
Mike

 

[ramahon]

Ha no where near there Mike. Arizona is where I'm at. Know of anything?

 

[mjennens]

Ha no where near there Mike. Arizona is where I'm at. Know of anything?

Hmmm... nothing that I know of in AZ, but there are some pretty proficient builders in the Grand Canyon State. As you look through different posts, check out the members' locations. There is probably someone around who might know where and when a DIY show is happening.
A suggestion would be to subscribe to the Parts Express Tech Talk forum. There are folks who will answer all your questions and go so far as to design a crossover for you; and they'll help anywhere between those points. Great group of people.
Mike

 

[etocynned]

Ramahon welcome to the wonderful world of DIY. Speakers can start as simple as a 6" driver in a margarine tub. I got started that way then took the same driver and cut holes in a piece of plywood and turned my headboard into an open baffle for the pair. Those drivers ended up in a 32" tall QB4 vented enclosure with a 3/4" dome tweet.

your in the rabbit hole now and as far as ive seen it has no bottom. ;-)

go to the library and look for "loudspeaker design cookbook", go to radioshack and find their speaker books. Noodle around with spare plywood and screw it up a couple times. If you get drivers from somewhere, see if you can get some extra "throwaways" to screw around with "Mad Scientist" style.

 

[shelly_d]

This is the book I started with. Written by a former high school math teacher it is accurate, easy to understand and very readable. I also have the Loudspeaker Cookbook. I find that I cannot get through that at all and I am an engineer by trade. (Not audio however). I have not read the Weems book so I do not know how readable it is.

http://www.amazon.com/Speaker-Build...0451/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1329930633&sr=8-3

Good Luck and prepare to get hooked.

Shelly_D