• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

I want to make Loudspeaker Design into a career.

John Carr

John Carr

Active Member
I am 17 years old and on my last year of high school. I have built and designed a few speaker boxes and crossovers and I find it very interesting and can imagine learning more and making it into a career. I have been looking at couple of different colleges and cannot find anything that follows something in the regard. Obviously it is a thing, because who is designing these professional grade monitors and home stereo loudspeakers. Now, there are courses that lead up to valued knowledge for loudspeaker design, but not directly. (such as acoustic engineering.) The topics I want to learn include basic components of loudspeaker design, driver parameters, sealed and vented enclosures, crossovers, studio monitors, and computer aided analysis systems.

Is there anyone on this website that enjoys audio equipment beyond a hobby that can help me out?
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
seems like you're going to want to study electrical engineering as well as acoustic engineering in college. A good place to start before then would be to get the latest copy of the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook, by Vance Dickason. It's a great primer before you get into the minutiae in your post-secondary coursework. as far as where you want to go to study this? I don't have a clue.
 
Sadly that does not seem like a viable career path as it seems a majority of the world has moved away from stereo towards home theater and portables. The days of working for someone like Henry Kloss or Matthew Polk are coming to a close so finding a job at one of the conglomerates who manufacture speakers is pretty slim.

Study math/physics/engineering, get yourself a good job with sufficient income to pursue you passion outside of the office.
 
I would imagine there's little scope for improvement in speaker design and what there is will already be catered for by many companies already which produce them. There'll be comparatively, a hell of a lot of people working in this limited field and as many amateurs, doing what you want to do.
At seventeen, I would suggest you broaden your horizons which would give you more opportunity of finding an actual job.
 
I sort of feel bad agreeing with the group, that is I admire your optimism and your ideas. I tend to doubt that you could earn a living doing what you describe or at the very least the time and effort you would have to put in, would give you much better opportunities in other areas. Also it'd give you more disposable income to play with the audio things you seem to love.
 
I also tend to agree with others recommendations. With that said, there is an AK member, @baco99, that has his own company. He has designed and built speakers. He still does that. However, he is much more diversified with his company. Something like what he has done or is doing might work for you. If you live in the Massachusetts area, you might look him up. A really nice guy. Helped me out with rebuilding some crossovers.
 
I spent 25 years in the industry. It's really not a place I would suggest you go for a career. Conventional audio is a dying proposition right now. Too much is getting offshored, including the engineering. The future of audio is digital. Class D amps with software driven everything. Keep it as a hobby.
 
I disagree with some of the opinions here. People are flocking back to traditional 2-channel audio as they come to realize how awful bluetooth and portable speakers actually sound. People who love music, will invest in hifi. That said, it's a very challenging industry to be in, and you need to be ready to pivot at moment's notice; as we have several times.
 
hopeless said:
The future of audio is digital. Class D amps with software driven everything.
Click to expand...
That may be true of electronics, but eventually actual sound has to come out of something, and that's still usually moving coil drivers in a box of some sort. Whether it's domestic hi-fi, home cinema, concert PA systems, televisions (do they still call them televisions?), announcement and/or background music systems for shops or airports or whatever, they all still need loudspeakers.
Making a career out of just designing speakers seems a bit unlikely, but a wider systems approach to audio engineering doesn't sound impossible.
 
If audio design and speaker building is what you love... don't ruin your love by turning it into a job, keep it as your hobby.
Look for a career that pays well, has long term stability and affords you the time and money to pursue and enjoy your hobby.
 
I'd search for local speaker builders and apply for a job or pick their brain. If you find the right person they might let you hang out with an engineer for a short tour.

Up here we have Magnepan, Misco and maybe a few other specialty companies. Then we have a lot of places that sell industrial/commercial speakers, which might be a more fun, lucrative avenue.

MISCO Speakers | Custom Audio Solutions | USA Based Manufacturing

The best US-based OEM speaker & amplifier manufacturer, offering USA and off-shore manufacturing plus full turnkey service from product design to delivery.
www.miscospeakers.com www.miscospeakers.com

Magnepan

Magnepan is the leader in high value, high quality, flat panel audiophile speakers for stereo and multi-channel use.
magnepan.com magnepan.com

We used to have many more but sadly the market couldn't support all of them.
 
Loudspeakers are a mature technology; Joseph Crowe recently tested an Altec 416 woofer, a driver first made in the 1950s, and it had excellent performance by any standard. And much modern design is simply finding pleasing combinations of available drivers and putting them in boxes. And this is made much easier by easily available design programs.

Maybe the best way to make a living at speaker design is to find a niche and make a business at it rather than being an employee.
 
I agree with others that banking on getting a job at one of the few large audio companies (I'm guessing like Genelec, JBL, QSC, B&W, etc.) that still hire any decent quantity of engineers for their loudspeaker products is a risky proposition. I just checked all of them -- software engineering and DSP design careers vastly outnumber acoustical engineering+cab design, for which there are barely any openings. Tons of the engineering jobs are offshored, and the ones that do exist require a full BS in acoustic/MechE.

If you're interested in classic passive speaker design for hifi use, I'm guessing it would be far easier to earn good money in another field and start your own company. The barriers to entry in boutique hifi are pretty low anyways. But just my 2c as someone without any particular qualifications beyond being a young college grad with friends in the engineering/software spaces.
 
I read on this forum a month or so ago that the Ohm speaker company was for sale. If your family has a ton of money, this may be one way to go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom