DIY Speakers

[dementedchord]

check out the local craigslist... audiofools change their sytems regularly and real good deals are to be had... it may take a week or two and ya may need to research some brands but well worth the effort...

[Wavebourn]

Originally Posted by jamsmith

The fellas up in Mastering pretty much insist you need some might fine speakers for Mastering. I just can't afford them. Anyone know of any DIY speakers that are of audiophile quality for a reasonable price?

Mass production is always more reasonably priced than custom made things, especially manufactured in China production against made in USA custom things.

[Marik]

Check a couple very popular excellent Zaph's designes:

Zaph|Audio - SR71

and

Zaph|Audio-L18

[jamsmith]

Originally Posted by Wavebourn

Mass production is always more reasonably priced than custom made things, especially manufactured in China production against made in USA custom things.

I hardly think I want to mastering on a production line speaker, let alone one from China. My goal is not cheap, my goal is custom for far less than what I would have to pay a company to do it. My brother-in-law has a wood/machine shop in his basement to die for.

[jamsmith]

Originally Posted by Marik

Check a couple very popular excellent Zaph's designes:

Zaph|Audio - SR71

and

Zaph|Audio-L18

Thanks, that looks very promising, the one that really caught my eye was this:

Zaph|Audio - ZDT3

[Wavebourn]

Originally Posted by jamsmith

I hardly think I want to mastering on a production line speaker, let alone one from China. My goal is not cheap, my goal is custom for far less than what I would have to pay a company to do it. My brother-in-law has a wood/machine shop in his basement to die for.

Good idea;
but if it is not for production so no need for shipment you may afford concrete boxes; they would sound much better than wood: no problems with surface resonances (stiffness) and reactive oscillations (mass).

Here you may see the secret how I make woofers:

http://wavebourn.com/images/domeg/woofers.gif

http://wavebourn.com/images/audio/woofer-12inch-1.gif

http://wavebourn.com/images/audio/woofer-12inch-3.gif

Monitors with good bass is the mast: recently I've bought a CD of Josh Groban, but can't listen it without EQ: some kick drum sounds on frequencies below 40 Hz too loud (my home Hifi is flat from 16 Hz to at least 24 KHz). Most probably mastering engineer used nice stock Yamaha monitors or something similar so could not hear that drum properly...

[tINY]

Madisound has good kits. You can buy them with or without cabinets.

They design the cross-overs and do a good job.


DIY Speaker Kits from Madisound Speaker Components, Inc.



-tINY

[jamsmith]

Originally Posted by Wavebourn

Good idea;
but if it is not for production so no need for shipment you may afford concrete boxes; they would sound much better than wood: no problems with surface resonances (stiffness) and reactive oscillations (mass).

Here you may see the secret how I make woofers:

http://wavebourn.com/images/domeg/woofers.gif

http://wavebourn.com/images/audio/woofer-12inch-1.gif

http://wavebourn.com/images/audio/woofer-12inch-3.gif

Monitors with good bass is the mast: recently I've bought a CD of Josh Groban, but can't listen it without EQ: some kick drum sounds on frequencies below 40 Hz too loud (my home Hifi is flat from 16 Hz to at least 24 KHz). Most probably mastering engineer used nice stock Yamaha monitors or something similar so could not hear that drum properly...

Damn! Them some ugly speakers! But I hear (see?) where you are coming from. And that is a fantastic idea. Ever since I read about Bob Ludwig's monitors (EgglestownWorks Ivy) make from black Italian granite, I have wanted to build something along those lines, but getting and working granite, Italian or otherwise, is beyond my resources. Now concrete...and maybe even some granite just to make them pretty! (I use to do decorative stone work decades ago.)

[jamsmith]

Originally Posted by tINY

Madisound has good kits. You can buy them with or without cabinets.

They design the cross-overs and do a good job.


DIY Speaker Kits from Madisound Speaker Components, Inc.



-tINY

Tiny. You live in here don't you?

I am glad you posted that. Some of the Zaph stuff uses their components and I didn't even think to check them out.

In fact, they even sell a complete it kit for the Zaph ZA-SR71

[Wavebourn]

Originally Posted by Wavebourn

Good idea;
but if it is not for production so no need for shipment you may afford concrete boxes; they would sound much better than wood: no problems with surface resonances (stiffness) and reactive oscillations (mass).

Here you may see the secret how I make woofers:

http://wavebourn.com/images/domeg/woofers.gif

http://wavebourn.com/images/audio/woofer-12inch-1.gif

http://wavebourn.com/images/audio/woofer-12inch-3.gif

Monitors with good bass is the mast: recently I've bought a CD of Josh Groban, but can't listen it without EQ: some kick drum sounds on frequencies below 40 Hz too loud (my home Hifi is flat from 16 Hz to at least 24 KHz). Most probably mastering engineer used nice stock Yamaha monitors or something similar so could not hear that drum properly...

That ugly bricks with uneven surfaces of cones sound fantastishe!

The rest is, line arrays for from 200 to 3000 Hz in walls made of 8 4" drivers each and 16 1/2" tweeters each.

http://wavebourn.com/images/domeg/left_array.gif

Drivers are mounted on baffles from MDF covered by several levels of linoleum; walls stiffened by linoleum and concrete as well, and contain memory foam.

A sub woofer (below 40 Hz) made as a horn of concrete under the floor (such huge flat grammaphone), you may see it's mouth:

http://wavebourn.com/images/domeg/sub_mouth.gif

Been there, done that, so don't believe such things may be made cheap.

[audiothings]

what you're looking for, is, without doubt, tony gee's andromeda.

[Marik]

Originally Posted by jamsmith

Thanks, that looks very promising, the one that really caught my eye was this:

Zaph|Audio - ZDT3

Well, for monitors I always prefer a two driver solution with 5"-7" mid-bass and a tweeter and then use a sub, but it might be my personal preference.

I actually aquired drivers for this one:

Zaph|Audio - ZD5 - Scan Speak 15W8530K00 and Vifa XT25

Just need to find time to complete the thing.

Another option might be a Proac 2.5 clone, which became almost a standard for many DIYers:

DIY ProAc Response 2.5

Concrete for a sub is a good idea. As an alternative you could check your local craisgslist for granite liquidation. Here in SLC I found a place where slabs of any size can be had for $5 (that's right, five bucks). They charge additional $5 per cut. It might look pretty . As a side note, so far I put complete Ubatuba countertops in the kitchen for about $45.

Or you could make a double box out of highQ plywood and then fill it in with a sand.

The hardest part is just to make up your mind...

Best, M

[jamsmith]

Originally Posted by audiothings

what you're looking for, is, without doubt, tony gee's andromeda.

I think you may be right. The way the faces are made and how the driver a lined up for the proper phase relationship speaks volumes for the design.

[JB872]

Does anyone have a link for a diy Proac Studio 100 clone? I found a few but the forum was in polish and google translate didn't make it any clearer.

[Masterenzo73]

Tony Gee (Netherlands) builds some very fine speakers. Mine are built upon his crossover networks..

Humble Homemade Hifi

You can be as expensive or cheap as you wish.. Especially the crossover components (caps, inductors) have a great influence on sound.

Cheers,
Masterenzo

[Audiop]

Originally Posted by jamsmith

I think you may be right. The way the faces are made and how the driver a lined up for the proper phase relationship speaks volumes for the design.

Nope. Doesn't matter at the wavelength where the bass is x-ed to mid. Also the 45 degree (aprox.) speaks loads about not understanding physics. ;-) but sure, I'll give Tony credit for the contouring of the top which decreases edge diffraction.

You don't want an angle that reflects the HF content towards the listening position as it cuases combfiltering and a doubling of impulses/transients.


/Peter

[Reptil]

nice site Masterenenzo73

I'm going for an active network, and multiple amps of this type:
Hypex Electronics B.V.

[Audiop]

Originally Posted by Masterenzo73

Especially the crossover components (caps, inductors) have a great influence on sound.

Cheers,
Masterenzo

Yes of course. Those components shape the response of the design so it can mean +/- "many dB" in the FR of the speaker.


/Peter

[JB872]

Originally Posted by Masterenzo73

Tony Gee (Netherlands) builds some very fine speakers. Mine are built upon his crossover networks..

Humble Homemade Hifi

You can be as expensive or cheap as you wish.. Especially the crossover components (caps, inductors) have a great influence on sound.

Cheers,
Masterenzo

thx for that link Masterenzo. Looks to be a great source of information. Which one is the closest to the Proac Studio 100?

[JB872]

And here's all the info I've found on the diy Proac Studio 100 if anyone else is interested.

diyAudio Forums - diy proac studio 100s - Page 1

Tuning ProAc Studio 100 by McGyver - Do It Yourself - Forum Audio - Audiostereo.pl

ProAc Studio100 - klon?? - Do It Yourself - Forum Audio - Audiostereo.pl

The bottom two are in polish and google transalte doesn't help too much.