Has anyone here built their own speakers?

In my quest to upgrade to a 5.1 tube amplified system I came across the suggestion of getting Fostex full range speakers and building my own cabinet and adding supertweeters. Any comments?
I'm looking at 20watt mono tube amps (antique sound) for power and I have a wide range of music preference I occasionally like it loud but quality is the most important.

 

The best way in building speakers, is doing it yourself. If you want them to really shine, learning about how to build a crossover is key.

What kind of 5.1 are you looking for in experience? HT or audio?

Here's a few "idearrrs":
http://hometown.aol.com/pjay99site/speakerhome.htm
http://www.pispeakers.com
http://www.pmillett.addr.com/kit281.htm
http://www.pmillett.addr.com/tqwp.htm (Pete is a great guy)
http://www.mfr-eng.com/dbt.htm

As always, a magazine that covers loudspeaker DIY (tube as well) design is www.audioxpress.com Their monthy magazine is indispensable!

Good luck!

 

Audio for me! but since my living space is small my tv is also nearby my sacd player does double duty as a dvd player.

thanks for the links I'll check them out.

 

Hi Floyd,

Another very important part of building your own speakers is air space
in the cabinet and provide the proper port location and diameters to
minimize distortion, balance the bass response and maximize imaging.

 

I've found a lot of bench testing is vital. Don't be surprised if your 1st pair doesn't move you. Make sure you spend a good ammount of time testing and listening.

You have the power!

 

I've been considering going the diy speaker route for a while now, and am seriously thinking about building these:

http://www.adireaudio.com/diy_audio/monitors/kithe10_1.htm

(I can't say the picture they have posted looks too good, but check out some of the links for a little better woodwork)

They're pretty high efficiency (95 dB) and supposedly tube friendly (flat impedence). From all that I've read, they're supposed to be great, especially for the $299 per pair for everything but the box. Magnetic shielding may be a concern around the TV though.....

you might visit www.hometheatertalk.com and do some searches on the HE10.1 ...

I have done business with Adire Audio before (subwoofer driver and amp) and can say that the customer service was great.

Just one of a million options.....

 

Thanks for the posting sneakmasterG and welome to the forums.

 

Get yourself to the library and look for speaker building titles by David Weems; he writes in clear language for a novice to get rolling, and does a nice job explaining terms. The mag sckott mentioned is a combo of several titles that includes the former Speaker Builder magazine - get a look at back issues of SB, too. I've got the run up into the 90's, and they're also very good...

 

Does anyone have any opinions on these? They look interesting and the price is right...

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&PartNumber=300-640&DID=7

 

Just too risky a propostion for me. I thought about it 100's of times. What if I don't like it - is the thought that stops me. And picturing myself laboring for countless hours tweaking the crossover. You might want to check out Zalytron- elliot the owner has some very nice kits.

 

Madisound Speakers also does the kit thang - I useta buy from them a lot when doing up speaks. Funny thing is, you love homebrews even when they're not quite right - the rush you get when things work out is tremendous. Start small, get a kit with boxes that are already built up, and install the drivers and x-overs - lotsa fun, my friends!

 

Some of the Pi Speakers (including my Series 2) don't have a crossover. The woofer and tweeter are just connected in parallel. Natural rolloff of each is the crossover.

Don't be afraid to ask questions from the designer Wayne Parham in the pi speaker forum over at audioasylum.com. He's very enthusiastic about what he does (even tho its a side gig). For example, he was very helpful about what to look for in a speaker if your going to use it for a low power, under dampened SET tube amp (make sure the woofer has a low impedance at resonant frequency to avoid bloated one note bass) like I was.

He will email you the plans for free or you can order a kit (includes everything you need but the wood). Pi Series 2 kit is $55 per speaker. He also sells fully built speakers.

For anyone in this part of the country, there's a 2nd annual convention of DIY audionuts (tube amps and speakers) in Lima, OH in April.

Here's the link:

www.midwestaudiofest.com