DIY Speaker Kits, a good idea?

pindac,

Yes I believe Kaiser uses Pz for their bracing but not sure about baffles/side walls/top/bottom/back. Clicking the link you provided the image tells me no they do not. 

I have A/B/C tested MDF, Finnish birch, and Pz. In blind test you can distinguish a Pz cabinet over the others two quite easily. 

Without going into the many adjectives to describe Pz sonic merits the best way I can describe it is "It just sounds right". 

I have CNC machined many Pz cabinets, that the end user assembled, and despite the added cost not one has ever reached out stating they regretted using Pz. In fact the opposite is true. 

A DIYer reached out to me yesterday regarding a Linkwitz build in Pz.

From my experience having the mindset of no compromise with the objective of highest performance, you will save a lot of scratch upstream chasing cables, components, tweaks, etc...

@wolf_garcia - 

Sure it can definitely be a good idea as well as a fun project.  

@duramax747 Thank You for your reply.

Not the same as you have done, but along similar lines. 

There was a want to distinguish between Marine Quality Plwood  700Kg  m/3 - MU 25 900Kg m/3 - P'holz 1400Kg m/3

All made quite differently in relation to compression of Veneers and adhesion method for Veneers. 

The comparison was for a same model DD TT Plinth. 

Identical TT's >Tonearm >Cartridge was used with the same audio system.

The findings are a description very similar to your own.

The Panzerholz proved to be extremely attractive in use. The End Sound being just how it should be when compared. 

Individuals who supplied TT's and Plinths all use Panzerholz Plinths today. 

The owner of the P'holz Plinth moved on from a 25mm Thick Board to one that is 32mn Thick. 

My feelings are that the best reasons to go DIY is for the fun of it.  The worst reasons are because you started pricing components out and now are thinking "Well I can get the same parts as brand X for 1/20th the cost..." 

If you aren’t really jazzed at building and learning along the way you are not going to be happy.

Having said that, Audiogon needs more actual builders and less arm-chair builders.  The more people we have with hands on practical experience the better overall our hobby will be. 

So, yes you absolutely can get into any particular type of speaker for a lot less than commercial speakers in many cases, but if you aren’t already thinking about what you want in a speaker made just for you I think you are missing out and always run the risk of building a speaker kit based on how much money you save.

I am a victim of this often.  I see golf clubs which are $5,500 off for Labor Day and I immediately want to buy them.  I don’t even golf.  At all. 

If you do want to investigate this further head on over to DIYaudio or the Parts Express forums where the hard core builders hang out.