Build Your Own?


Was wondering…how many of you have built your own speakers? I have built two over the past decade. With the advent of computers there is such a plethora of information and programs you can use to build your own.
barroter

Showing 1 response by drew_eckhardt

Sure.

Linkwitz Orions (believed by many to be the best speaker price no object provided you can live with the output level and placement constraints; and better than his Beethoven Elite in all areas but maximum low frequency output (fixed by the Thor + option) by the designer (the merely bi-amplified version of which was Stereophile's 1998 loud speaker of the year) in the main system.

Linkwitz Pluto (very good, but lacking life-like SPL capabilities below 100Hz and the last bit the Orion's resolution and dynamics) with Pluto+ sub-woofers in the bedroom.

Building top-notch performance isn't that hard; especially for the money spent. You just have to pick a good design from some one who understands how to design speakers. For exceptional performance you need to get away from the inherent flaws (polar/power response, cabinet resonances) in conventional designs which means something by Siegfriend Linkwitz, John Krevosky, or Earl Geddes. For merely good people like Dennis Murphy, John Krutke, and Joeseph D'Appolito have conventional designs. Siegfriend and John license their designs and sell circuit boards for nominal fees; Earl sells kits; and the rest have free designs done as independent projects or to showcase available drivers.

Popular designs have evangelists who will host auditions; and less popular ones can be heard at DIY gatherings.

Designing great sound is a separate issue; where lots of experience and experimentation are in order (for instance Don Maurer measured a couple dozen baffles optimizing for polar response in his winged Phoenix project) and you ought to enjoy the journey because it's not a quick or inexpensive means to the ends.

With computers good measurements are achievable by hobbyists for reasonable prices; and with the internet people don't even need an AES membership to become familiar with the giants whose shoulders they can stand on.