I guess it was inevitable that this would devolve into a debate around the merits of DIY in general, even though that wasn't the context of the OP. The OP was specifically interested strictly in saving money, and was explicitly NOT interested in the actual DIY process/skillset. I'll still contend that this is an outright bad idea, and that the used market is a far more realistic and appropriate path for this type of person.
As for the merits of DIY in general, to be honest it strikes me as a bit of a pointless discussion. DIYers are highly motivated by the D component, and the doing is as important if not more important than the actual outcome/results. They'll continue to pursue this route even if the results are no better than commercial offerings because the motivation and payback are more complex than that. And, conversely, the non-DIYers really want/need a system that they can just turn on and reliably work and that they can connect to anything/everything (and, frequently, that the spouse can use reliably and will accept in the house). Different psychology, different worlds.
IMHO the DIY approach typically has a few advantages over commercial mostly due to having to only satisfy 1 single person rather than a large enough market to make it profitable. Some considerations
- Can ignore patents
- Can usually ignore aesthetics - great big MDF boxes are ok in the man cave, as are monstrous horns/waveguides.
- Can usually ignore broader ergonomic considerations (single source is OK, lots of boxes is OK, complex wiring/cable clutter OK, complex startup/shutdown routine OK etc)
- Can frequently be what is effectively a 'custom installation' - designed/built for a specific room environment.
- Massive overkill is fine
- almost always a one-shot effort, so longer term availability of parts is not a concern. can take advantage of salvage, closeout pricing etc
- usually doesn't have to undergo a final audit as to whether the design goals were actually met. "It was worth it" is a perfectly acceptable outcome
Fit/finish, aesthetics and ergonomics are the obvious categories where DIY efforts typically fall short of commercial offerings. Not that it's impossible for a DIYer to do this, but it is just usually not an aspect that they care about significantly enough to invest the time and labor into it - the DIY payback is far higher in continuing to experiment/prototype/explore than it is in achieving consumer-style levels of finish and usability.
If we're talking about 'drivers in a box' type of speakers, I would tend to agree that the last few years really has seen the DIY landscape mature significantly. Kimmo's VituixCAD is a remarkable package that makes world-class design tools available to the DIYer for free. Couple that with REW that has improved by leaps and bounds from it's origins, along with cheap DSP capability and things like Augerpro's waveguides (or ATH4) and there really is no reason a motivated DIYer with an understanding of Toole's work can't create a "drivers in a box" speaker design that competes with commercial offerings. I mean, there just isn't that much uncertainty in that realm anymore. Now, whether the same cost advantage is still there is a bit of a different question - COVID and the supply chain mess has seen a decrease in driver availability and an increase in material costs (although commercial vendors are also struggling with this). Certainly the profusion of cheap studio monitors has killed the cost advantage of DIY in the basic entry level 2-way category to a large extent. Even going higher-end in the 2-way category something like the very good Directiva design is a bit of a tough sell given that it's almost as expensive as say the KH120/8030C or the LS50Meta - not that there aren't arguments in favor of the Directiva, but you really aren't saving any money. I think the 'dual woofer 3-way' is probably the sweet spot for DIY designs at the moment, where a DIY riff on say the Revel F206/F208 can probably be done for $1500 or so.
Of course, it also needs to be pointed out that there is a LOT of 'survivor bias' in the DIY world - everyone can very conveniently ignore the multitudes of abandoned projects that never came close to being finished, or the outright failures that consumed potentially valuable time but were just scrapped. And it also has to be emphasized just how much DIY relies on 'free labor' - most of the impressive 'higher end' projects are literally year or years long undertakings. For DIYers that are engaged in the process this isn't a problem as so much of the payback/satisfaction is tied up in exactly this type of engagement, but it does pretty clearly limit the audience.
As for the merits of DIY in general, to be honest it strikes me as a bit of a pointless discussion. DIYers are highly motivated by the D component, and the doing is as important if not more important than the actual outcome/results. They'll continue to pursue this route even if the results are no better than commercial offerings because the motivation and payback are more complex than that. And, conversely, the non-DIYers really want/need a system that they can just turn on and reliably work and that they can connect to anything/everything (and, frequently, that the spouse can use reliably and will accept in the house). Different psychology, different worlds.
IMHO the DIY approach typically has a few advantages over commercial mostly due to having to only satisfy 1 single person rather than a large enough market to make it profitable. Some considerations
- Can ignore patents
- Can usually ignore aesthetics - great big MDF boxes are ok in the man cave, as are monstrous horns/waveguides.
- Can usually ignore broader ergonomic considerations (single source is OK, lots of boxes is OK, complex wiring/cable clutter OK, complex startup/shutdown routine OK etc)
- Can frequently be what is effectively a 'custom installation' - designed/built for a specific room environment.
- Massive overkill is fine
- almost always a one-shot effort, so longer term availability of parts is not a concern. can take advantage of salvage, closeout pricing etc
- usually doesn't have to undergo a final audit as to whether the design goals were actually met. "It was worth it" is a perfectly acceptable outcome
Fit/finish, aesthetics and ergonomics are the obvious categories where DIY efforts typically fall short of commercial offerings. Not that it's impossible for a DIYer to do this, but it is just usually not an aspect that they care about significantly enough to invest the time and labor into it - the DIY payback is far higher in continuing to experiment/prototype/explore than it is in achieving consumer-style levels of finish and usability.
If we're talking about 'drivers in a box' type of speakers, I would tend to agree that the last few years really has seen the DIY landscape mature significantly. Kimmo's VituixCAD is a remarkable package that makes world-class design tools available to the DIYer for free. Couple that with REW that has improved by leaps and bounds from it's origins, along with cheap DSP capability and things like Augerpro's waveguides (or ATH4) and there really is no reason a motivated DIYer with an understanding of Toole's work can't create a "drivers in a box" speaker design that competes with commercial offerings. I mean, there just isn't that much uncertainty in that realm anymore. Now, whether the same cost advantage is still there is a bit of a different question - COVID and the supply chain mess has seen a decrease in driver availability and an increase in material costs (although commercial vendors are also struggling with this). Certainly the profusion of cheap studio monitors has killed the cost advantage of DIY in the basic entry level 2-way category to a large extent. Even going higher-end in the 2-way category something like the very good Directiva design is a bit of a tough sell given that it's almost as expensive as say the KH120/8030C or the LS50Meta - not that there aren't arguments in favor of the Directiva, but you really aren't saving any money. I think the 'dual woofer 3-way' is probably the sweet spot for DIY designs at the moment, where a DIY riff on say the Revel F206/F208 can probably be done for $1500 or so.
Of course, it also needs to be pointed out that there is a LOT of 'survivor bias' in the DIY world - everyone can very conveniently ignore the multitudes of abandoned projects that never came close to being finished, or the outright failures that consumed potentially valuable time but were just scrapped. And it also has to be emphasized just how much DIY relies on 'free labor' - most of the impressive 'higher end' projects are literally year or years long undertakings. For DIYers that are engaged in the process this isn't a problem as so much of the payback/satisfaction is tied up in exactly this type of engagement, but it does pretty clearly limit the audience.
