+1 on the above post. My son and I recently built a pair of C note speakers from Parts Express and just increasing the panel size from one half inch MDF to 3/4 Baltic birch plywood and adding some internal baffling changed and improved the measurements completely from the original specs
DIY mid to low end speakers. Worth the price?
I have been doing woodworking for a few years. I start with a tree and go all the way to the end product. I'm not particularly talented at it but I can make basic shelves, bookcases and small tables.
I am also a passive audiophile. By that I mean I have my 3 systems, I like them and don't feel the need to upgrade. My main system is at least 30 years old.
Given those two interests it seems like it might be fun to build a pair of tower speakers. They would replace the Polk Audio Monitor 70s ($180 used) that I use in my lowest end system down at my cabin. They are driven by an NAD 316BEE integrated. They sound remarkably good together.
I am looking at the Tori Tower P2 kit from CSS. It is their most basic tower kit and is configured like my current Polks. I like the idea of the CSS kits because of the 3D printed board for circuits for simplicity and since I'm not into electronics.
All of this is to ask if the CSS hardware, which is $650, would be worth it from a sound quality standpoint assuming I do everything right. I do not know anything about speaker components.
For perspective, if I have fun building them, and they look better than the Polks (which they should) and they sound better than the Polks then I will be satisfied. I mostly don't want to pay $650 for a pile of parts worth $100. Thanks for any input.
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Thanks guys. I do not have test equipment and this is a pretty low end system so I'm not even sure what I'd do with the data. I was hoping that that was the sort of thing that was worked out beforehand since the components are preselected by CSS and they designed the cabinet. Probably the only way I'll deviate from their plans is that I will use quarter sawn white oak for the cabinet. I've heard that solid hardwood is not as good as MDF but I do not care to mess around with veneers and the white oak will be 1/4" thicker than the MDF. The interior dimensions will be the same as in the plans. @simao I will look at those other companies as well. Thanks. |
You can also hit GR Research. They are very well respected and have Kitz available. In some cases you can buy flat packs of MDF… But in this case, you would only be interested in the drivers and the crossover. They do expect you to assemble the crossover… But I think they also have somebody who will do it for you if you like. |
Thanks. I have looked at GR and will consider them as well. One thing that had not occurred to me (until someone mentioned it in a video) was that hardwood expands and contracts over time. You take this into account with tables and larger pieces. If the front of the speaker is a single or even a couple of pieces of oak glued together it will move along the width of the board and this would put tension on the drivers that are mounted in it. So if I’m going to do this I’d have to figure out something other than hardwood boards to make the face of the speaker. Glued up narrow strips would probably be more stable and is not hard to do but might look strange. |
It sounds like a good project and I suspect it will improve on your aged Polks. As a woodworker myself, I understand the tendency to want to use solid hardwoods for simplicity, no veneers, aesthetics and personal satisfaction. However I would recommend you consider a good veneered plywood instead, much more stable, and will dampen vibrations better than the hardwood. |
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