DIY Perks' "Exceptional Speakers"

[ALaylowguy]

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.

Like a member said above. We don't do it because it's easy

 

[jaakkopetteri]

I would make a distinction between kits and DIY here. I feel like most kits either spend hundreds on mediocre drivers or skimp on fundamental things like waveguiding/chamfering the baffle. Builds like the Mechano23 or Protones shown here on ASR give a pretty good run for the money, IMO

 

[LouB]

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.

I used to build furniture for a living, I also have a full shop at my house. I enjoy woodworking & still build furniture I have nothing but time on my hands (retired) & have very little interest in DIY speakers for exactly what you say. I did build a few sets of speakers years ago beautiful cabinets just OK sound. I think your 100 hours is a bit light Unless you just buy a complete kit you could spend 100 hours just researching cross overs !

 

[fineMen]

Making some really nice speakers isn't super difficult if you follow a plan like ...

But it is. I gave up when buying my KEF R3s (helplessly outdated model). Starting with the bass drivers, gracefully not mentioning the mid/treble being coax'ed, up to the finish of the protective grille, there definitely is no free lunch. Only counting the raw materials in, it would have been two times more costly to DIY a standard speaker, non-coax, of the same objective performance. And it would have been much bigger ...

DIY could tell you what performance is about, avoiding shiny nonsense, what to seek for. But today, from a few decades of experience, I would say, DIY is dead.

 

[ALaylowguy]

But it is. I gave up when buying my KEF R3s (helplessly outdated model). Starting with the bass drivers, gracefully not mentioning the mid/treble being coax'ed, up to the finish of the protective grille, there definitely is no free lunch. Only counting the raw materials in, it would have been two times more costly to DIY a standard speaker, non-coax, of the same objective performance. And it would have been much bigger ...

DIY could tell you what performance is about, avoiding shiny nonsense, what to seek for. But today, from a few decades of experience, I would say, DIY is dead.

I can tell you for sure that it's not dead, just not for you, my friend. And it's completely fine.

 

[Curvature]

I can tell you for sure that it's not dead, just not for you, my friend. And it's completely fine.

Good example is the Dutch & Dutch 8c, which grew out of DIY efforts.

 

[fineMen]

Good example is the Dutch & Dutch 8c, which grew out of DIY efforts.

The D&D are a good example. Part of the magic comes from the maximum integration of the individual components: from the subwoofer to the programming of the built-in amplifier. Professional grade product design that is.

The hallmark of the cardioid midrange is its superfluousness - DIY? I didn't know that! A typically bad compromise of miracle factor, unsubstantiated stories about revolution for the good cause and lousy side effects. Just DIY.

Of course, you can learn a lot from DIY - as I said, that is also a value in itself, but in ernest I better buy good stuff from KEF or even genelec.

 

[sheeple]

I don’t want to come across
rude, but the glimpse at the measurement possible from the video, angled and considerably focus blurred, leaves the impression with me that he is being dishonest: the vertical scale could well be something like 200 dB.

 

[sheeple]

The hallmark of the cardioid midrange is its superfluousness - DIY? I didn't know that! A typically bad compromise of miracle factor, unsubstantiated stories about revolution for the good cause and lousy side effects. Just DIY.

What?

 

[fineMen]

What?

Yes, Sir! You may want to read a quite controversial thread on room acoustics. You may even revitalize it with mentioning, besides room acoustics, the claimed benefits of cardioid. It starts here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...room-treatment-goldensound.45104/post-1607682

Or you may want to read on e/g distortion, the currency in what you have to pay for cardioid here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-increase-detail-retrieval.44788/post-1595138

 

[GeicoGecko]

Hey all, figured I should keep this to the same thread as others. Ok so I’ve built the speakers, assembled the electronics (I got caught by not powering the aux on the amp), loaded the DSP and wow, they really do sound impressive. The only issue I’m struggling with is writing the configuration to the EEPROM.

I bridge the pins, write and then confirm (per the instructions), but when I disconnect the USB programmer I just get static on the drivers. What have I missed? I was fighting it with an hour or so tonight but figured I would ask!

Thanks,

Adam

 

[GeicoGecko]

Ok solved it! Turns out it was being programmed. My issue was a GND issue on the 3.5mm/phono wire. The programmer was providing the GND to the laptop. When I disconnected the programmer, the signal started floating.

These things sound awesome!

 

[CARAMELIZED]

Ok solved it! Turns out it was being programmed. My issue was a GND issue on the 3.5mm/phono wire. The programmer was providing the GND to the laptop. When I disconnected the programmer, the signal started floating.

These things sound awesome!

Im also in the process of building these, let me know how they sound since it seems like youre pretty close to completing them. Did you use the same DSP and Amp as matt did?

 

[GeicoGecko]

I did! They sound fantastic. I am going to put a temperature controller on the fan though. It’s too loud and so far I haven’t seen the amp get excessively hot.

 

[Koeitje]

I did! They sound fantastic. I am going to put a temperature controller on the fan though. It’s too loud and so far I haven’t seen the amp get excessively hot.

Do you have CEA 2034 measurements?