Speaker Kit (speciffically Dynaudio)


Has anyone had any epxepriences with speaker kits from Dynaudio or have any comments about speaker kits in general? The unassembled kits seems so much more attractive (price wise). Would the speaker loose anything sonically if it's assembled at home? Thanks for your comments.
bongocymble766f
I had my ACI "Sapphire's" assembled at home. It is easy, and saves a lot of $$. Dynaudio kit's are nice too, however kit's like that don't hold much resale value. Also, i am wary of the enclosures sold through Madisound and other kit companies. I would definitely recommend Audio Concepts, for their SUPERB customer support, and... of course quality.
Eldragon is correct about the ACI kits. I think both the ACI and Madisound kits are great places to start. In my opinion, the Dynaudio kits are great. They are not up to the level of the Dynaudio speakers found in the high end salons, but still quite acceptable. You need some guts to drive them though(like most Dynaudio designs). If you want to really jump into the speaker building hobby(as opposed to a means of getting a nice pair of speakers at a great savings), another good way to get your feet wet is to mess around with a used or cheaper pair of speakers you may have laying around, or can pick up real cheap(I can't wait till the fun police come out of the woodwork to crucify me on that one - "What are you doing? You can't mess with that speaker, its design was cast in stone!!!"). As you become more comfortable, strive to become more adept in the crossover area(harder than it sounds). As it is invisible to most people, it is the first corner cut. Even most expensive speakers do not contain exotic crossover components. I have yet to see teflon, polystyrene, or polypropylene film and foil(other than in some exotic speakers to bypass a cheaper cap) or oil filled(never tried these) capacitors, or wirewound resistors. I am not saying no speakers use these parts, just speaking on my experience. Drivers are a matter of research(which may well include asking for advice, or going to listen to speakers which use those drivers), experience, price, and preference. The one area I recommend having someone else do if you want to build a REFERENCE pair of speakers(which will DEFINITELY NOT be the first pair you design) are the cabinets. I have built cabinets, but I believe the real reference quality cabinets usually come from the professionals(you might be one of those professionals). Have them incorporate your ideas though. Design in multilayer or exotic cabinet walls. Look into different density fiberboards, and a polymer(viscoelastic, silicone, polyurethane, and/or an adhesive material called Swedac) or lead layer between them. And you may want to place SoundCoat or one of two products from OrcaDesign(Black Hole 5 or The Pad - this is the US parts division of JMLabs) internally(or wool, fiberglass, AcoustaStuff, Dacron, etc.). Realize real early that no one has all the answers, but there are very knowledgeable people who give tirelessly(and usually for free) of themselves to help people like us. And that for every supposed truth, there is someone who can build a great speaker by doing the opposite.
Thanks guys. Your comments really helps. In regards to Trelja message above....it seems like there's not a lot of complex components in building a decend pair of speaker. Having said this, how come speakers cost so much then? Does anyone have an idea of what makes of the cost a typical speaker? I.E. Materials, labor, overhead, and etc...Let's take Dynaudio Evidence as an example. This speaker costs $80K, how much of it is really materials and how much is due to marketing expenses. I find it dissappointing when ever I see the anatomy of a speaker. Underneath that thin layer of polished veneers are foams, particle boards, and etc... If anyone knows the answer of this question, please let us fellow audiogoners in on the secrets.....