Build my own speakers?

Unless you are a cabinet maker, and finisher, your speakers are not going to look good when done. I have built lots of furniture so i know what I ca and can't do... Do you?

There are lots of general ideas on how to build speakers, but very few specific ideas.

Your drivers are going to have to work in the volume of your cabinets. Your cabinets are going to have to work in your room.

One of the biggest issues is you crossover design and manufacture.

There are so many critical variables you need to know, do you know them?

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i think there is more to speaker design than just a well-braced cabinet and premium drivers. crossover design and implemenation is also a very intergral part of the overall package. i'm not saying you can't build something spectacular that can compete with the big boys for a fraction of the price, i just think it might be a tad more complicated than you really think. good luck though. nothing ventured...

Check out the system of member 240zracer. He has a pair of the best looking DIY speakers I've seen. They don't look homemade.

I don't know of any "new top of the line" speakers that use readily available, out of the catalog drivers throughout. The $20k Magico Mini, eg, uses the revelator but the other driver is custom made. Top speaker manufacturers custom engineer their drivers because the off-the-shelf ones limit their design flexibility. They often have to specify their own parameters which the standard drivers usually do not have in order to produce the sound they're looking for.

Is it possible to build a great sounding speaker with standard Vifa, Peerless and ScanSpeak units? Absolutely. Their websites have cabinet and crossover suggestions and DIY forums have posted every possible combination with results. You're not going to get it right the first time but the learning experience (and fun) is another hobby in itself.

Just be forewarned: one thing DIY'ers overlook is the cost of the power and hand tools needed to make somewhat decent cabinets. A good table saw and fence, router and router table, jointer, drill press, joinery tools, jigs, workbench, clamps, and assorted hand tools could easily be a few thousand dollar hit. And then there are test instruments...

Even those speakers that use off the shelf drivers subect those drivers to rigorous tests and reject a large number of them. Kftool (an audiogon member)makes his own speakers. He however runs his own tool and die company. There are some DYI companies like GR Reaerach. They can deliver a finsihed product at DIY prices.
I like to think we are being ripped off by expensive speakers. truth is that cabinent making is labor intensive. It reqires skilled workers. That is why planar speakers are generally less expensive. No cabinent. Matching drivers and crossovers- not easy.
My suggestion is buy a kit. They might even let you modify the kit soou can oqn a unique speaker.