• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

DBR62 vs DIY Speakers

DanielT

Major Contributor
Joined
Oct 10, 2020
Messages
4,751
Likes
4,633
Location
Sweden - Слава Україні
But yes, there can be some goals - like special look and finish - acheived (but most of DIY speakers look poor for some reasons).
But not all DIY::)

Screenshot_2022-04-19_123456.jpg



 
OP
E

egothrasher

Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2020
Messages
32
Likes
11
Thank you everyone for all your thought out and wonderful replies. I love hearing the pros and cons, especially from those that have tons of experience and first hand knowledge. That's why I post questions, to try and learn as much as I can from as many people as I can.
 

Sdvorak

New Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2018
Messages
1
Likes
1
I can’t comment as to the kits referenced above, but have built a few well researched/thought out designs of my own. Many moons, piles of MDF dust, and iteration finally resulted in something that by objective measurements is “good.” You know what? To mine own ears, this Active MTM Bathroom-Shelf-Bachelor-Speaker-Thing sounds quite nice really. Sonically, it lays “the veil” quite nicely over those ghastly 200-400Hz (ish) oscillations frequently found in said Speaker-Thing’s home . Oh, and I haven’t gotten around to the cosmetics yet, so unless unfinished MDF is your thing, it looks like the end result of aforementioned “oscillations.” . It’ll probably stay that way…

That little speaker, a lark really represents in excess of 100 hours of research, reading, learning, ASRing, more ASRing, then re-ASRing. The actual assembly once I had verified and checked and re-checked everything took maybe a weekend. I agree with all of the above. I have the knowledge, skills, tools, resources, materials to theoretically re-create some very good speakers. In fact, I spent waaaaay too many hours unsuccessfully trying to figure out who makes the drivers in both the DBR62 and Debut 6.2. I already own two pairs of the former and one of the latter. I was gonna try and recreate my DBR62s. Even if I definitively found the OEM woofers, which I can’t— SB? SEAS? Peerless, Vifa? Wavecor? Anybody?

Buy the DBR62 for $425. Great price, I’m sure if they aren’t to your taste, you’ll have no problem offloading them. If you have an appreciation for good engineering choices, what is possible for asking price (see also JBL Studio 530, have and love them too), they are worth it just to see. I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the woofers in the Elat’s. Especially the woofers in the DBR62s. Wish I knew who made ‘em, curiosity won’t subside.

Whatever choice you make I hope its fun. This forum, and a little research will make it more funnnnnnner!
I agree with Scrivs. There are lots of good reasons to build a speaker yourself. But it's not for everyone. I've built a couple of DIY designs. You either enjoy building something like that... or you want a very specific "look" that you can't find on the retail market, and are driven to build it yourself. In my case, it was just a fun project that allowed me to get some excellent sounding speakers for less $$. I now have some very nice sounding speakers to show for it.
In regard to ELAC DBR82 drivers. I think you're out of luck Scrivs. I can't remember the source, but I seem to remember ELAC designs and manufactures their own drivers. This was one of the reasons Andrew Jones was interested in working with them. Like his previous employers, QEF and Pioneer, ELAC.... makes their own drivers I believe. For supporting evidence, take a look at the landscape of OEM driver designs. See any that have concentric drivers? SEAS used to make one. But it seemed to get mixed reviews. Regardless, (I could be wrong) I don't believe you'll ever find a driver from the likes of Scan Speak, SEAS, etc. that was used in a modern ELAC speaker.
 

Paweł L

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2021
Messages
94
Likes
45
Building your own, well if the kit is properly designed and the drivers are good quality, 'blend' with each, it can be fun. But whatever woofer with whatever tweeter via el-cheapo crossover will sound like 'whatever' junk. Big manufacturers have the extra resources to produce their own transducers according to their needs and budget. While there are many excellent transducers available to DIYers, sometimes exact final result might not be the expected one. However, if the designer knows his stuff, hits the right driver combination, proper crossover, right enclosure, and the results can beat many commercial offerings. As for CSS, I would definitely try the one with the LD25X tweeter, even though it's pricey.
 

ta240

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 7, 2019
Messages
1,358
Likes
2,656
Times have changed. Then:

Kal Rubinson, #7:

Yes, in fact, in the very early days, you had no choice regardless of your budget. If you could not DIY, you commissioned someone to do it for you. Empty speaker and equipment cabinets were available along with custom cabinetry. My first real speaker had a 12" GE woofer and a 3" RCA tweeter with a network I designed and assembled myself. The cabinet was a floor-standing bass reflex which I bought, unfinished, from River Edge. I was fortunate to have a cousin who finished it for me in satin mahogany.


What does not change is the skill of woodworking. It will be the finsh it will be, depending on the skill, on DIY speakers.:)
There was a time when store bought speakers often meant thin particle board with moderate finish quality. Now high quality, mass produced speakers that fall into a fairly normal budget range are pretty common. It is hard to compete with companies that produce large quantities off shore; buying their components in large numbers.
Video after video on youtube touts the latest DIY project as a giant killer at 1/10th the price. The odds that even a decent home designer with some free software is going to be able to quickly design a high end equivalent speaker seem pretty low to me. Granted there seem to be some pretty expensive speakers that don't perform real well so the bar could be low in some aspects.
If you can find a design that has gone through many many builds and refinements (and even some measurements) then you are likely to end up with a better product. The HiVi 'kit' is barely a kit as it is just the final assembly that is left to the consumer; it is more of a nearly complete commercial offering. But it does ensure more consistent results. I think a some DIY builds end up just enough off from the design to bring the final results into question.
If you enjoy building things like speakers then by all means go for it. If you later change your mind on them, be prepared to only recoup a portion of the purchase price of the drivers themselves unless you are a master woodworker. I've seen some amazing DIY speakers built by people with impressive skills but most end up looking a bit rough; and since for most the fun in DIY is the doing it is hard to get someone to pay much for someone else's fun.
There is a lot to be said for the pride felt in building your own speakers; just don't fall into the over hype of all speaker manufactures are greedy and driver and crossover component manufactures aren't....
 

DanielT

Major Contributor
Joined
Oct 10, 2020
Messages
4,751
Likes
4,633
Location
Sweden - Слава Україні
There was a time when store bought speakers often meant thin particle board with moderate finish quality. Now high quality, mass produced speakers that fall into a fairly normal budget range are pretty common. It is hard to compete with companies that produce large quantities off shore; buying their components in large numbers.
Video after video on youtube touts the latest DIY project as a giant killer at 1/10th the price. The odds that even a decent home designer with some free software is going to be able to quickly design a high end equivalent speaker seem pretty low to me. Granted there seem to be some pretty expensive speakers that don't perform real well so the bar could be low in some aspects.
If you can find a design that has gone through many many builds and refinements (and even some measurements) then you are likely to end up with a better product. The HiVi 'kit' is barely a kit as it is just the final assembly that is left to the consumer; it is more of a nearly complete commercial offering. But it does ensure more consistent results. I think a some DIY builds end up just enough off from the design to bring the final results into question.
If you enjoy building things like speakers then by all means go for it. If you later change your mind on them, be prepared to only recoup a portion of the purchase price of the drivers themselves unless you are a master woodworker. I've seen some amazing DIY speakers built by people with impressive skills but most end up looking a bit rough; and since for most the fun in DIY is the doing it is hard to get someone to pay much for someone else's fun.
There is a lot to be said for the pride felt in building your own speakers; just don't fall into the over hype of all speaker manufactures are greedy and driver and crossover component manufactures aren't....
DIY because it's fun, to learn. To feel the satisfaction of creating something of your own.:)
Affordable, as previously mentioned in the thread, not to old used speakers. It's hard for a DIY to beat that.

Same thing with subwoofers BUT there on the other hand you can actually DIY create some good ones yourself. If you buy good subwoofer drivers. Then there will also be another advantage to weigh in favor to the subwoofer DIY person: It is possible to build subwoofers that blend into the listening room, the living room. Subwoofers in furniture, adapted to fit behind or under the sofa and so on.:)

Edit:
OT

But then, sub-speakers. It is important to get:


But that's another thread, that topic.:)
 
Last edited:

ksulliva01

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2020
Messages
18
Likes
12
A little late here, but I've enjoyed a pair of the DBR62s for the past few years and just recently built the CSS Criton 1TD (not the x version). I've only had a day or so to listen so far, so I'll report back once I've had more time with the Critons. First impressions below:

1) DIY - I had a lot of fun building these, so if you like tinkering with stuff that aspect was great
2) Sound - these are quite similarly voiced speakers, and I'd be happy with either pair. They're both non-fatiguing, balanced and smooth. Overall the CSS have a slightly larger scale to the sound, due in part to the 7" woofer which without a doubt extends deeper and produces deep bass in a more effortless way. Had to adjust my EQ to tone down the bass in my relatively small room. Both are rated at 87db efficient, but it seems the Critons do require slightly more juice to reach similar volume levels, not a big deal at all.

So far the Critons are really fun with the a bit more "muscle" than the uber-polite, yet highly enjoyable DBR62s. Will report back with a more detailed comparison once I get a chance to do some more listening.
 

ksulliva01

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2020
Messages
18
Likes
12
I've spent some more time with the CSS Criton 1TD vs the Elac DBR67. The major subjective differences I hear in my somewhat small listening room are below:

Deep Bass: Critons win hands down here - they extend much lower and they punch/pressurize the room more aggressively. They are literally room-shaking at higher volumes and still quite full and deep at lower volumes. The Elacs are no slouch and produce very satisfying bass (I ran them without a sub, but with EQ), but not nearly as much weight below 45 hz or so.

Mid-Bass: Critons are more linear or lean in mid-bass - no perceivable hump. DBR62s seem to have a little bit of fullness hump in this area that I actually like, even if it's not totally accurate.

Mids: Kind of a toss up here, but I'd say the Critons are cleaner and more forward or "open" in the midrange, the Elacs a little more thick/warm. Tonally they are both smooth and natural, but the Critons will push vocals/mid range content a bit more front and center.

Upper Mids: A bit of a divergence here - this is where the Elacs have some magic. The DBR62s almost seem to have a scoop out in the upper mids that just perfectly softens their attack - this makes them very forgiving and easy to listen to at higher volumes. They kind of "hifi" everything if that makes sense. People who love detail and attack may find this aspect of the Elacs slightly boring, but I love it. Super smooth. The Critons on the other hand seem to have a more linear or even slight increase in the energetic response of the upper mids that makes them every so slightly fatiguing or edgy to me. The leading edge of vocals etc. are more etched in this region which makes them less forgiving. With certain songs this effect is amazing and amounts to a brilliant palpability, but in other songs it can sound a little harsh or unrefined.

Highs: Both are great and detailed, I don't find the Critons dark in the treble region like many of the reviews claim. If anything they're actually kind of sparkly and extended sounding, at least in direct comparison to the Elacs. The Elacs are slightly smoother but a little more boxed-in.

Sound Stage: They both have a great, wide soundstage. The Critons maybe sound a bit wider due to the flush-mounted tweeter and its dispersion. This can be good or bad depending on your room. The Elacs have seem to have a slightly more defined "center-channel" with dialogue in movies etc. but it's splitting hairs.

Efficiency: Switching back and forth between them, the Critons take a noticeable dip in volume. This is the trade-off for the extreme bass extension. Not really a problem with any decent amplifier, just turn it up a bit. I've tried the Critons paired with a 10 wpc Pioneer from the early 70's and while probably not ideal, it worked just fine and there was still a ton of low-bass.

Overall the CSS are more of an impressive presentation, crazy bass, very clean and neutral sounding, but slightly less smooth and forgiving. The Elacs are so balanced and polite, they have a special warmth and charm. If you want to impress yourself and your friends, the CSS are so much fun - I'm using them as my daily drivers for music and movies/tv. If you want many hours of smooth, non-fatiguing listening even with harsh recordings, the Elacs will deliver this.
 
Top Bottom