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DIY Perks' "Exceptional Speakers"

Hi guys,
Today I stumbled upon this video detailing a DIY project to build a pair of bookshelves speakers. To me it's really impressive and I would like to share this to our community and get your feedback.
It's my first thread so please let me know if you there are things to improve. Thanks a lot.
 
I would guess there are some problems with this, or at least some significant unanswered questions. The first that come to mind are:
  • Can those 3" woofers play to an F0 of 50Hz and F3 of 40Hz without massive distortion?
  • Can that Bose-style folded 1.4M long port, fed by two drivers, produce bass frequency response that is not a complete mess?
  • In addition to using his DSP board for crossover duty, did he take measurements and use EQ to flatten the response?
  • How useful, or not-useful, are his quasi-anechoic measurements taken outside in his yard?
  • What are the dispersion/directivity characteristics of the speaker and each of the drivers?
  • Are there diffractions from the bass drivers and their surround brackets being mounted proud of the baffles?
All that said, I watched this video this morning and was going to post a new thread about it in the (unlikely :) ) event that there wasn't already one here.

I am a subscriber to this channel and I love his videos. He's done a lot of audio stuff, and while at the end of the day his audio projects are almost always based on a partial and therefore ultimately ineffective or misleading application of audio science, he does try to use measurements and works in good faith - he doesn't make the kinds of claims or use the logical sleight of hand that the usual suspects do. And he puts in an incredible amount of DIY work and trial and error.

So I would be really curious to see what Amir and our other very knowledgeable members here think - but personally I would hope that folks can critique what he did here without being totally dismissive, because I think it's an interesting and creative project and he's not making super-specific audiophile woo-woo claims for the result.
 
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What Matt brings is out of the box thinking and innovative solutions. Has it occurred to anybody here to construct an enclosure out of a 3D print and fill it with a mixture of plaster of paris mixed with PVA glue? Even if you don't construct a speaker, you could use the same method to make something else. And I really like the idea of using an off the shelf DSP card as an alternative to a passive analogue crossover.

His all time greatest video (IMHO!) was when he constructed a computer table, with the entire computer (watercooled, to boot) contained within the 5cm thickness of the table.
 
Really curious about the vertical polars on this one :) Horizontal probably not that great either...
Keith_W said:
What Matt brings is out of the box thinking and innovative solutions. Has it occurred to anybody here to construct an enclosure out of a 3D print and fill it with a mixture of plaster of paris mixed with PVA glue? Even if you don't construct a speaker, you could use the same method to make something else. And I really like the idea of using an off the shelf DSP card as an alternative to a passive analogue crossover.
Click to expand...
Filling 3D prints with sand or plaster or concrete or epoxy or silicone is nothing new, but underutilized for sure. I guess most people just build speakers large enough to make printing impractical, and the benefit of plaster compared to plain MDF is questionable anyway. I also wish he used printing for something a bit more intricate, like non-developable surfaces or hollow features rather than a fairly simple TL that could have been built in a fraction of time with traditional methods (or a laser cutter).
 
I have a DIY microphone that was inspired by his video. It sounds fantastic. He usually does his homework and this makes me really curious about this new speaker's performance.
 
Keith_W said:
His all time greatest video (IMHO!) was when he constructed a computer table, with the entire computer (watercooled, to boot) contained within the 5cm thickness of the table.
Click to expand...

My favorite is the one(s) where he builds a fake sunlight window. Not as sexy as the ones from CoeLux, but still cool.
 
Sancus said:
Would be quite a boost for the ASR YouTube to review one of these whether or not it's any good.
Click to expand...

That's a good point. Matt/DYI Perks' viewership is massive (and probably far larger than any traditional audiophile channel).
 
tmtomh said:
I would guess there are some problems with this, or at least some significant unanswered questions. The first that come to mind are:
  • Can those 3" woofers play to an F0 of 50Hz and F3 of 40Hz without massive distortion?
  • Can that Bose-style folded 1.4M long port, fed by two drivers, produce bass frequency response that is not a complete mess?
  • In addition to using his DSP board for crossover duty, did he take measurements and use EQ to flatten the response?
  • How useful, or not-useful, are his quasi-anechoic measurements taken outside in his yard?
  • What are the dispersion/directivity characteristics of the speaker and each of the drivers?
  • Are there diffractions from the bass drivers and their surround brackets being mounted proud of the baffles?
All that said, I watched this video this morning and was going to post a new thread about it in the (unlikely :) ) event that there wasn't already one here.

I am a subscriber to this channel and I love his videos. He's done a lot of audio stuff, and while at the end of the day his audio projects are almost always based on a partial and therefore ultimately ineffective or misleading application of audio science, he does try to use measurements and works in good faith - he doesn't make the kinds of claims or use the logical sleight of hand that the usual suspects do. And he puts in an incredible amount of DIY work and trial and error.

So I would be really curious to see what Amir and our other very knowledgeable members here think - but personally I would hope that folks can critique what he did here without being totally dismissive, because I think it's an interesting and creative project and he's not making super-specific audiophile woo-woo claims for the result.
Click to expand...
Woah, reading you comment make me realized there are that many things to worry about (and probably many more things) to make a good speaker. Being a DIY enthusiast, I really hope those pairs of speakers works and with ASR community we could improve it enough to eventually create an open and free guidance to a make EXCEPTIONAL speakers :D
 
Keith_W said:
Has it occurred to anybody here to construct an enclosure out of a 3D print and fill it with a mixture of plaster of paris mixed with PVA glue?
Click to expand...
So, I'm not claiming anything, and certainly not putting this project or youtuber down, because I'm just sitting here talking, and this guy built something and put up a video about it, which is what counts.

However, to answer your question in a strictly literal sense, yes, this idea occurred to me a couple years ago, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I'll post results here once I do. :)
jaakkopetteri said:
I also wish he used printing for something a bit more intricate, like non-developable surfaces or hollow features rather than a fairly simple TL that could have been built in a fraction of time with traditional methods (or a laser cutter).
Click to expand...

Totally agree. 3D printing is by far the best technique when you want to DIY a shape that is hard to build using CNC or traditional woodworking. And really, there's no penalty for making really wacky, 3-dimensional shapes. A 2D profile like this on a 3D printer is fine, but IMO sort of a waste. Why not make a really smooth curved baffle while you're at it?? It literally doesn't cost you anything beyond a little extra design time.

Granted, it's much easier to print something with single cross-section shape like this, but to paraphrase Kennedy, we do not DIY because it is easy, we DIY because it is hard. :D
 
tmtomh said:
I am a subscriber to this channel and I love his videos. He's done a lot of audio stuff, and while at the end of the day his audio projects are almost always based on a partial and therefore ultimately ineffective or misleading application of audio science, he does try to use measurements and works in good faith - he doesn't make the kinds of claims or use the logical sleight of hand that the usual suspects do. And he puts in an incredible amount of DIY work and trial and error.
Click to expand...

There's also Tech Ingredients (which I subscribe to). I am not sure who that guy is, but I think he is a retired engineer or scientist and he has an interest in many different fields - like high voltage, magnetism, rocket and jet engines, and even distilling rum. Some time ago he made a video that he provocatively titled "World's Best Speakers":


I don't think those are the world's best speakers, but it's certainly an interesting idea to mount a driver to a board and use its resonance as an amplifier.
 
ALaylowguy said:
Being a DIY enthusiast, I really hope those pairs of speakers works and with ASR community we could improve it enough to eventually create an open and free guidance to a make EXCEPTIONAL speakers :D
Click to expand...

Don't know whether these are exceptional enough for ya ;):
www.audiosciencereview.com

Introducing Directiva - An ASR open source platform speaker project

There are several Directiva threads, but this is the main one for background and discussion. If you are considering building one, see the build thread here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/directiva-r1-speaker-build-using-denovo-flat-pack.23535/ For other related...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com
 
the important stuff is right at the end where this person uses dsp to 'fix' whatever problems were inherent in the design

this in itself isnt bad... if you have a speaker than needs to be slim and use tiny drivers then if dsp can largely make the unit 'paleatable' then that's ok

i would rather he use a dsp box and then make the units passive so you can use whatever amp you want

to my liking it sounds like a fair bit of expense o re-invent the wheel... all that looked like $400-$500 set if the chinese wanted to mass produce that stuff and in the end is it better than a $400-500 set of bookshelfs?
 
ALaylowguy said:
eventually create an open and free guidance to a make EXCEPTIONAL speakers :D
Click to expand...

Making some really nice speakers isn't super difficult if you follow a plan like Directiva. The problem is that there is no free lunch... the best designs incorporate the best drivers, which tend to cost a lot. Purifi-based designs tend to measure well and sound good, but it's around $1K a pair just to get in the door with those builds. Certainly not a bad value for money if you compare specs and measurements, but there's no such thing as "The $100 speaker that beats Genelec" or anything like that, regardless of how good the instructions are.

This is why DIY isn't more popular IMO.

If you have $1000s to spend on speakers that reach the state of the art, you'll probably just do that, instead of spending $1000s on drivers so you can spend 100 hours building speakers that reach SOTA. If those 100 hours aren't fun for you, it's just a difficult way to get a good set of speakers. I have what I would call an unhealthy inclination toward DIY for the sake of it, so DIY speakers appeal to me... but if you're not the type to build furniture just because you think you can, I would not necessarily pursue DIY speakers either.

If you only have $100s to spend on speakers, it's very hard to beat a nice set of bookshelves from JBL or ELAC, Revel, Genelec, etc. by doing it DIY. The prices of DIY drivers are not low enough to close the gap on mass-produced, quality mid-tier speakers.
 
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