Recommendation for diy near field desktop and bookshelf with sub?

[AJVenice]

Would anyone have a recommendation for a near field desktop build and a bookshelf/sub build that would sound good together?

Here's the background - my son and I are redoing his room, I just gave him an old turntable so he's suddenly a vinyl junkie. We have a bunch of left over Doug fir veneered MDF and I thought it'd be a fun project to build some speakers.

His room is small 10 x 12 but the setup is a desk under a loft bed and then a set of bookshelves on opposite wall.

Need to do something small for on top of his desk and then a couple of bookshelf speakers on opposite wall. Thinking about a sub as well.

Anyone have recommendation for a budget build that would sound good together? On the near field could even do in-wall (but not sure if there are diy plans for those).

This is going to be primarily for vinyl.

Appreciate any help. Thanks!

 

[Rick Sykora]

welcome to ASR!

have a target budget for your speakers and how big is the desk top?

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Would anyone have a recommendation for a near field desktop build and a bookshelf/sub build that would sound good together?

Here's the background - my son and I are redoing his room, I just gave him an old turntable so he's suddenly a vinyl junkie. We have a bunch of left over Doug fir veneered MDF and I thought it'd be a fun project to build some speakers.

His room is small 10 x 12 but the setup is a desk under a loft bed and then a set of bookshelves on opposite wall.

Need to do something small for on top of his desk and then a couple of bookshelf speakers on opposite wall. Thinking about a sub as well.

Anyone have recommendation for a budget build that would sound good together? On the near field could even do in-wall (but not sure if there are diy plans for those).

This is going to be primarily for vinyl.

Appreciate any help. Thanks!

Did you check here? There is a bit of an overview and some even provide measurements

Forum list

The diyAudio Community

www.diyaudio.com

 

[Timcognito]

Some nice kits and advice here:

SHOP | css-audio

www.css-audio.com

 

[Timcognito]

And this:

Great DIY speaker builds (for newbies) to learn about design?

Have been asked and am sure others may have some good suggestions for beginners that want to learn about designing speakers. It is a bit dated and, despite not having built myself, a great passive build is the Dayton BR-1. The kit is reasonably priced and available with or without cabinets. The...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[digitalfrost]

This is an old design but I'm very happy with mine: https://er18dxt-backer.blogspot.com/2013/12/overview_8.html

So much so that I haven't replaced them with K+H or Genelec yet

They use the same tweeter as the 10k Kii Three. You don't necessarily need a sub, but if you want to you can build them closed and they will have -3db@80hz.

 

[Prana Ferox]

- Desk under a loft
- Small room
- Young boy (you didn't mention if he's at the "this one goes up to 11" phase of volume appreciation, but we all get there)
- Vinyl source
- I'll assume you're in the US

DIYSoundGroup has S2000 MTM kits in stock. You can get model-specific crossover PCB boards for cheap on eBay to make the build a whole lot easier. You don't need a full flatpack if you're building the cabinet with your existing wood but having a cut baffle is nice, and in the worst case you trace it to make your own. That takes care of everything but the woodwork, some light soldering and the joy of assembly. I use S2000 TMs for my nearfield computer setup in a room roughly that size and it is plenty, the MTMs are a bit more.

Vinyl is 2-channel and generally you rumble filter out the lowest frequencies anyway. Also that is a small room and the loft is going to magnify that, you are going to get just gobs of room gain in the bass. I would recommend holding off on a sub and all the complexities it would need, or rear? speakers, until you see how loud and deep your two mains get. It won't be a setup to drag out in the back yard and antagonize the neighbors, but it's up to you whether that is a priority.

@Timcognito above mentioned CSS and I was going to recommend some other comparable models but I suspect that's a size and volume class beyond what you may want for a room that small.

 

[Rick Sykora]

- Desk under a loft
- Small room
- Young boy (you didn't mention if he's at the "this one goes up to 11" phase of volume appreciation, but we all get there)
- Vinyl source
- I'll assume you're in the US

DIYSoundGroup has S2000 MTM kits in stock. You can get model-specific crossover PCB boards for cheap on eBay to make the build a whole lot easier. You don't need a full flatpack if you're building the cabinet with your existing wood but having a cut baffle is nice, and in the worst case you trace it to make your own. That takes care of everything but the woodwork, some light soldering and the joy of assembly. I use S2000 TMs for my nearfield computer setup in a room roughly that size and it is plenty, the MTMs are a bit more.

Vinyl is 2-channel and generally you rumble filter out the lowest frequencies anyway. Also that is a small room and the loft is going to magnify that, you are going to get just gobs of room gain in the bass. I would recommend holding off on a sub and all the complexities it would need, or rear? speakers, until you see how loud and deep your two mains get. It won't be a setup to drag out in the back yard and antagonize the neighbors, but it's up to you whether that is a priority.

@Timcognito above mentioned CSS and I was going to recommend some other comparable models but I suspect that's a size and volume class beyond what you may want for a room that small.

S2000s likely fit better than any other suggestions posted here, but is why I asked about space and budget. I have a pair deployed on my workbench that would be pleased to sell. They would be rather large for a smallish desk. So would not recommend the MTM. Last I checked, the MT is out of stock (like most stuff unfortunately) at diysoundgroup.com. A better choice might be sealed Zaph 5.2 MTs or some of the smaller PartsExpress kits. Agree about subwoofer as with turntable feedback may be an issue.

Will know better when OP resurfaces!

 

[AJVenice]

Thanks for all the input (sorry last week was nuts).

Okay, the S2000's are the right budget price point. The MTM's are a little big. The MT's are more the size I'm thinking.

Threw the only speakers I had around in the room over the weekend (pair of old JBL control 25's) and definitely don't need a sub.

I am still thinking about doing 4 speakers given that his desk is under the loft bed so those speakers aren't going to be ideal.

Is there any way to cobble together parts and plans for the MT's? Other rec's at that price point/size?

Really appreciate all the input.

 

[Rick Sykora]

Thanks for all the input (sorry last week was nuts).

Okay, the S2000's are the right budget price point. The MTM's are a little big. The MT's are more the size I'm thinking.

Threw the only speakers I had around in the room over the weekend (pair of old JBL control 25's) and definitely don't need a sub.

I am still thinking about doing 4 speakers given that his desk is under the loft bed so those speakers aren't going to be ideal.

Is there any way to cobble together parts and plans for the MT's? Other rec's at that price point/size?

Really appreciate all the input.

No big deal on the S2000s as the Zaphs are better (I own both). See the plans here: http://zaphaudio.com/ZA5/ZA5.2s.pdf

The driver and crossover kit is available at Madisound for $319. It is also one of few kits that offer the crossover optimized for the intended speaker placement:

 

[AJVenice]

Interesting, anyone have any experience with the in-wall? That's an intriguing solution for the desk pair.

 

[Rick Sykora]

No I but might be able to google and find. Feel obligated to mention that there are plenty of commercial in-wall speakers that are more likely to have reviews (and are pretty inexpensive). If this is what you think works best, suggest you look some up on Amazon. Would also get a nice grill to protect the drivers.

 

[AJVenice]

Attached to the idea of building something together.

Open to this or other suggestions.

Thanks.

 

[motomech]

I used S2000's (TM's) in a desktop system and they are very nice. Their strength is their subdued nature, there's no "in your face" sensation.
When I replaced a rather revealing Class D amp (w/ sm. tube hybrid) and upgraded the DAC, I wanted more detail and replaced them w/ 2-ways w/ a full size tweeter and a flater FR. But they are "regular" sized book-shelfs (.23 ft) and quite a bit larger than the S2000s.
But I would say the S2000's are not a bad place to start. They sound nice no matter what's driving them, a good value and easy to find another place to use them if one feels the desk-top electrionics are "musical" enough to allow more revealing speakers.
I think my next build might be the Speedsters as I really liked the size of the S2000"s. I've read the knock against them is their directivity, which I would think wouldn't be an issue in a DT system.
P.S. I also tried the the tiny Passive Aggressives from P.E. Ok for casual listening, but the S2000's start to bridge the gap between casual and serious.

 

[M@tt]

FWIW, I've been listening to the Classix-2 DIY for the better part of three years for my desktop speakers.

Home

Classix II MT Bookshelf Speaker Kit with Knock-Down CabinetClassix II MT Bookshelf Speaker Kit with Knock-Down CabinetThe Classix II kit is a 2-way bookshelf speaker that provides a big sound from a small package. With powerful bass response, relaxed midrange, and natural high end this speaker...

www.parts-express.com

$229US

They're loud enough, good enough, and gosh darn it, people like em.

I pair them with my Aiyima A07 and Topping PA5 (which now needs to be fixed).

 

[Rick Sykora]

FWIW, I've been listening to the Classix-2 DIY for the better part of three years for my desktop speakers.

Home

Classix II MT Bookshelf Speaker Kit with Knock-Down CabinetClassix II MT Bookshelf Speaker Kit with Knock-Down CabinetThe Classix II kit is a 2-way bookshelf speaker that provides a big sound from a small package. With powerful bass response, relaxed midrange, and natural high end this speaker...

www.parts-express.com

$229US

They're loud enough, good enough, and gosh darn it, people like em.

I pair them with my Aiyima A07 and Topping PA5 (which now needs to be fixed).

Old school so helps drive the price down. Still large for a desktop speaker but OP's call as his project. Last check, he liked the in-wall approach.

 

[M@tt]

Old school so helps drive the price down. Still large for a desktop speaker but OP's call as his project. Last check, he liked the in-wall approach.

They definitely aren't small, but smaller than my DIY TMMs (see profile pic) and Lore 8" woofer bookshelf speakers.

For grins, I created some DML speakers using the Dayton exciters and foam board. It's was a fun cheap project and gave my daughter something to paint. On-wall, not in-wall though.

 

[Timcognito]

Interesting, anyone have any experience with the in-wall? That's an intriguing solution for the desk pair.

Well buy something designed and ready to go. Putting them in the wall and wiring is a big project itself.
In-walls double the sound pressure (everything moves forward), eliminates baffle step distortion inherent in boxes and saves space.

 

[AJVenice]

Okay, after reading up on in-walls - I'm not going that route.

Looking at the speedsters. Beyond directivity - what are people's take on those?

 

[Rick Sykora]

Okay, after reading up on in-walls - I'm not going that route.

Looking at the speedsters. Beyond directivity - what are people's take on those?

Not sure what you want from us. This is a technical forum and without measurements, you are just as well-off googling for subjective opinions. Not fond of overlapping drivers that do not deal with the resulting diffraction (and no stated justification for why the diffraction is more acceptable than the benefit of slightly closer mounting). At least with the C-Notes, you could trim the tweeter waveguide AND we know how they measured. Same for the S2000 performance.

If you do not care about measurements, then for the money, the Speedsters are a decent DIY value. But if you forgo directivity and measurements, we know almost nothing of speaker's flaws and how readily they may be corrected. Bottom line, the Speedsters seem riskier than the other alternatives. However, if solely listening to vinyl, matters less anyway.

Can understand your desire to build a worthwhile speaker, but just as important is whether the speaker fits the listening situation. Given this, a speaker designed for close listening and has better directivity is more likely to sound better and can be optimized via equalization.

Hope this helps you make a better decision!