Which DIY speakers would you like to see reviewed?

[Rotiv]

One of the projects from aos-lautsprecher.de

 

[EXIF68]

One of the projects from aos-lautsprecher.de

I have had the AOS Studio 24 XL. Very expensive system. Then I have build the DXT-MON. After comparison of this speakers I have sold the Studio 24.

 

[OWC]

I just bumped into this thread and I would like to address something about DIY in general.

For some it still seems to be a bit of an idea that DIY is always lower quality product or something.
Especially among certain reviewers (just in general, not in particular this forum).

I would like to remind the fact that the main difference between DIY and commercially available loudspeakers or audio equipment in general, is the fact that commercial products product have to bring in money to pay wages and other additional costs.

Actually I have seen quite some projects over the last 15 years that exceed any commercially available product by many miles.
Some made it to a commercial product, some never did.

As an electro- acoustic consultant, I come across many, many different companies.
Some well established, some are just new start-ups.

Let me put it this way, some have a very "interesting" vision about audio and acoustics.
I have seen (very) "high-end" products, selling for quite a price, that I very personally would label as nothing more as (cute) an hobby project.
(and in some cases barely being able to meet any safety and EMI regulations).
The main point is, that a commercial loudspeaker is a lot more than just only audio quality.
Think about production, consistency, marketing niche, labor and the involved wages.

Even something simple and cheap as soldering a crossover board, which a DIY'er can do in his spare time, can be a major issue in cost-price and labor for a commercial product.

Also looks are a really big thing. Something that looks nice is great and there is nothing wrong with it AT ALL.
But it doesn't add anything to the audio quality. (well, people who know a thing or two about psycho-acoustics might argue that, lol )

As a response to what price-range, I have also seen VERY known manufactures using parts (speakers, tweeters, amplifiers etc), that would most people consider as being "cheap" if not very cheap.
So as always the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" really is in place here.

With all the "Klippels" and "spinorama's" these days for all those commercially available products, the observant viewer or reader would maybe come to certain conclusions when it comes down to price/performance/build quality.

If we want to collect objective data, price shouldn't be a starting point to begin with., by saying not to consider something because "it's to cheap" or "to expensive".
I don't even think the price should be known by the reviewer who is testing the products, except in the end after reviewing.

 

[egellings]

A lot of DIY'ers do not have the test equipment, and maybe knowledge needed to verify that performance of their little Fifi electronic audio project is respectable. They may just listen and pass favorable judgement on what they hear alone, with all personal biases operating even if the S.Q. is anywhere from marginal to execrable. A true believer type (cables!!) audiopile (sic) buddy of mine with no electronics background tried to build a 2-way active x-over from some plans, and he got it wrong but it sorta worked. He rhapsodized over how good it sounded, when in fact something was definitely audibly wrong with it. I hung a scope on the hi-pass output and swept a sine wave through the thing and the shape was visibly highly distorted. Didn't bother looking at the low pass section, as I told him that we need test no further. I told him that the output signal should be a sinewave signal, just like the input, but varying in amplitude only (I'm ignoring phase angle here) as the input frequency is varied. He refused to believe that anything was wrong with the x-over, even with the evidence of problems staring at him from the scope screen. What do you do with someone like that? I disconnected his device from the test setup, gave it to him and showed him the door. He would not talk to me again. Good riddance! True believers! Bah, humbug!

 

[digitalfrost]

A lot of DIY'ers do not have the test equipment, and maybe knowledge needed to verify that performance of their little Fifi electronic audio project is respectable. They may just listen and pass favorable judgement on what they hear alone, with all personal biases operating even if the S.Q. is anywhere from marginal to execrable.

I once built a speaker that had an RLC parallel to the tweeter to remove an 8khz spike. I opened the speaker sometime later again and I found out I didn't connect the RLC to ground in one of those boxes

I never noticed until I saw it.

 

[OWC]

A lot of DIY'ers do not have the test equipment, and maybe knowledge needed to verify that performance of their little Fifi electronic audio project is respectable. They may just listen and pass favorable judgement on what they hear alone, with all personal biases operating even if the S.Q. is anywhere from marginal to execrable. A true believer type (cables!!) audiopile (sic) buddy of mine with no electronics background tried to build a 2-way active x-over from some plans, and he got it wrong but it sorta worked. He rhapsodized over how good it sounded, when in fact something was definitely audibly wrong with it. I hung a scope on the hi-pass output and swept a sine wave through the thing and the shape was visibly highly distorted. Didn't bother looking at the low pass section, as I told him that we need test no further. I told him that the output signal should be a sinewave signal, just like the input, but varying in amplitude only (I'm ignoring phase angle here) as the input frequency is varied. He refused to believe that anything was wrong with the x-over, even with the evidence of problems staring at him from the scope screen. What do you do with someone like that? I disconnected his device from the test setup, gave it to him and showed him the door. He would not talk to me again. Good riddance! True believers! Bah, humbug!

You just described how some companies operate as well.
Incl the (lack of) knowledge and lack of equipment as well as being so stubborn.

In fact, every once in a while, I get a request to find issues in a certain design (either PCB, electronics or acoustics) and the client stubbornly refuses to except the mistake.
Some of these companies/clients sell equipment for over $10k
And yeah some of those also don't hear the most obvious mistakes.

 

[itsikhefez]

Recently finished Troels Gravesen Ekta mk2 and extremely happy with them.
I previously built the Faital 3WC and prefer the Ekta though it is still early.
I plan to measure both with a Umik-1 soon.

The Adelphos MTM is also planned and I saw that it was one of the speakers proposed in this poll.

I hope everyone can appreciate the irony between the Benchmark components and the Technics turntable/Nakamichi tape deck

 

[stevenswall]

I just bumped into this thread and I would like to address something about DIY in general.

For some it still seems to be a bit of an idea that DIY is always lower quality product or something.

I'd say it's less complex with DIY... There a quicker upper limit with DIY designs because they have to be relatively simple.

EX: The DSP, room correction, advanced cabinet manufacturing, custom port tube, cabinet shape, and coaxial driver on a Genelec 833x would be incredibly difficult to make.

Compares to typical box speakers, yeah: Someone could DIY a Klipsch, JBL L100, KH Audio, or any other the other legacy style speakers.

 

[somebodyelse]

I'd say it's less complex with DIY... There a quicker upper limit with DIY designs because they have to be relatively simple.

EX: The DSP, room correction, advanced cabinet manufacturing, custom port tube, cabinet shape, and coaxial driver on a Genelec 833x would be incredibly difficult to make.

Compares to typical box speakers, yeah: Someone could DIY a Klipsch, JBL L100, KH Audio, or any other the other legacy style speakers.

The upper limit may be higher than you think given the waveguides, custom port tubes and even entire cabinets that some DIYers are 3D printing. The same probably applies to DSP and active crossovers where it's getting increasingly accessible, even if it doesn't have the level of automation you get in GLM. I'll give you the drivers - you don't find many DIYers making their own cone/dome drivers let alone coax. Some do segmented electrostatic panels though.

 

[OWC]

I'd say it's less complex with DIY... There a quicker upper limit with DIY designs because they have to be relatively simple.

EX: The DSP, room correction, advanced cabinet manufacturing, custom port tube, cabinet shape, and coaxial driver on a Genelec 833x would be incredibly difficult to make.

Compares to typical box speakers, yeah: Someone could DIY a Klipsch, JBL L100, KH Audio, or any other the other legacy style speakers.

It all depends on money.
Although these days a lot can be done with a bit of creativity and patience.
3D printers, CNC machines are very affordable and accessible for most people.

But yeah if you produce enough, you can get pretty wild.
Doesn't mean it's always better (whatever that means) but it will be very unique.

edit; as for DIY, there is nothing holding you back for finding a 2nd hand pair somewhere, and building your own

 

[Rick Sykora]

The upper limit may be higher than you think given the waveguides, custom port tubes and even entire cabinets that some DIYers are 3D printing. The same probably applies to DSP and active crossovers where it's getting increasingly accessible, even if it doesn't have the level of automation you get in GLM. I'll give you the drivers - you don't find many DIYers making their own cone/dome drivers let alone coax. Some do segmented electrostatic panels though.

I agree, if I do not have a CNC, easy to find contract houses that can farm out to do a fancy cabinet 3D printing may allow some custom parts, but is not for large cabinetry as yet. Larger cabinetry is where DIY has more potential to compete with commercial offerings.

Knocking off a Genelec or other studio monitor is not a typical DiY target. That said, DIY builders range widely, but as shown with the Directiva project, smart folks with the right equipment are capable of SOTA results. This is also the space where DIY can exceed commercial speakers. One can design and build a speaker that exceeds commercial offerings (like Linkwitz’s LX521) without regard to whether profitability as a necessary goal.

 

[Peluvius]

Ones that sound as good as the Stealth but only cost half as much.

 

[Krillin]

I would love to see the PartsExpress Solstice kit by Jeff Bagby be reviewed with the Klippel NFS. It's one of the very few tower DIY kits that comes with a full flatpack with a ton of builds. And I'm curious how the TMM 2-way holds up.