NewbieAudiophileExpert
Senior Member
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- Apr 17, 2022
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So i've been really keen about this whole audiophile thing for a couple of months now and have explored many different facets of it, from reference headphones to 5.1.2 HT setups, tower speakers, rasp pi streamres, DACS, etc.
One thing that i was looking into was designing my own speaker and assembling it, and then i took the time to look at the logistics of doing that vs just purchasing a pair of decent (used) 'like new' speakers and it just doesn't seem to be 'worth it'.
For example, my fronts are the Wharfedale Crystal 4.3s, which are 3 way speakers that can reproduce music spectacularly down to 50hz with help of my Yamaha AVR's pure direct mode - when broken down into parts the 3 drivers in each speaker would retail for about $175 AUD at minimum, crossover and plugs for $50-60 AUD, enclosure can be anywhere from $100 dollars to $400 already built.
These speakers were purchased in a like new condition for $500AUD, where as these retail for $1100AUD brand new - whilst at minimum the parts would cost $250 for each tower and more realistically $350-400 AUD.
Another example is these Edifier passive speakers called P17s, which i'd purchased for $65AUD brand new on sale from edifier.com (they usually retail for $120) - I initially thought, "these can't be that good, perhaps i should 'upgrade' the woofer since the enclosure is decent quality".
So, I started opening the speaker and once took the driver out and saw the woofer's back end/magnet, reality set in hard, the reality that a 4-inch woofer alone that's as big as this one would probably cost over $50 dollars to purchase from an online supplier, let alone the tweeter and crossover.
FYI the speakers are actually rather good and can produce enough bass to cause a rumble - nothing like the dedicated sub of a 2.1 system such as a logitech z603, but this is even better, since it doesn't over power anything.
Anyway, what is everybody else' opinion on the matter of DIY speakers? Worth it or nah? Any websites or brands that could be suggested for me to consider when it comes to 'DIY kits'?
One thing that i was looking into was designing my own speaker and assembling it, and then i took the time to look at the logistics of doing that vs just purchasing a pair of decent (used) 'like new' speakers and it just doesn't seem to be 'worth it'.
For example, my fronts are the Wharfedale Crystal 4.3s, which are 3 way speakers that can reproduce music spectacularly down to 50hz with help of my Yamaha AVR's pure direct mode - when broken down into parts the 3 drivers in each speaker would retail for about $175 AUD at minimum, crossover and plugs for $50-60 AUD, enclosure can be anywhere from $100 dollars to $400 already built.
These speakers were purchased in a like new condition for $500AUD, where as these retail for $1100AUD brand new - whilst at minimum the parts would cost $250 for each tower and more realistically $350-400 AUD.
Another example is these Edifier passive speakers called P17s, which i'd purchased for $65AUD brand new on sale from edifier.com (they usually retail for $120) - I initially thought, "these can't be that good, perhaps i should 'upgrade' the woofer since the enclosure is decent quality".
So, I started opening the speaker and once took the driver out and saw the woofer's back end/magnet, reality set in hard, the reality that a 4-inch woofer alone that's as big as this one would probably cost over $50 dollars to purchase from an online supplier, let alone the tweeter and crossover.
FYI the speakers are actually rather good and can produce enough bass to cause a rumble - nothing like the dedicated sub of a 2.1 system such as a logitech z603, but this is even better, since it doesn't over power anything.
Anyway, what is everybody else' opinion on the matter of DIY speakers? Worth it or nah? Any websites or brands that could be suggested for me to consider when it comes to 'DIY kits'?