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DIY speakers, good place to start?

post #1 of 28
7/10/11 at 1:40pm
Thread Starter 

I'm just a college kid, and I can't afford really nice speakers. My current setup:

Speakers.png

 

The Quadraflex brand was apparently owned by Pacific a long time ago, since discontinued.

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I cleaned them.

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Crossovers.

 

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4" "Foster"? woofers, 10W 4Ω.

 

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1" silk dome "Foster"? tweeter 12W 4Ω.

 

 

 

Anyways, should I buy some new drivers for them off Madisound or Parts express and use the existing cabinet? Or would they be seriously under amped? Is that kidn of a waste of money, since the only ones that seem to fit the pre-drilled metal cabinet are Goldwood or something similar. I was going to do that or just build my own speakers. I really want to do the latter. I found some kits on Madisound. Is that a good place to start? Seems easy enough. I know I need a REAL amplifier, probably 2X100Wrms so what's a good value oriented option? 


Edited by Mdraluck23 - 7/10/11 at 1:45pm
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post #2 of 28
7/10/11 at 2:02pm

Well certainly put those back together and give them a listen.  There is a "Fostex" speaker brand which is well known.

 

There are a lot of tube amplifier aficionados that think that 8 watts is a lot of power.  Don't discount 15 watts per channel, especially if you are not looking to fill a large room with sound.

 

Speakers differ in their sound output per watt of power, just like headphones do.  15 watts is plenty for "near field" listening, even with somewhat less efficient speakers.

 

If you decide to order a kit, given your 15 watts, I would look for some that are at least 90db in efficiency, or a little less if you are just using them on the desktop with your computer.

 

If you are looking for some "retro" speakers to replace those(similar looking), look for some Realistic Optimus speakers on EBay.  You should be able to find aftermarket replacements/upgrades for most of the parts to that speaker.

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post #3 of 28
7/10/11 at 2:17pm
Thread Starter 

They're back together now, they sound great. It's a nice 2.1 setup I guess. I still considering making my own and getting a secondhand receiver. The drivers are definitely made by Foster. Still, not bad for my mom having them lying in the garage. This looked good. Alas, I was wrong, it's 15W total. I think it's 4W to each speaker and 7 to the sub...  HERE is the manual to the old speaker setup...


Edited by Mdraluck23 - 7/10/11 at 2:22pm
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post #4 of 28
7/10/11 at 2:31pm
First, Foster is one of the world's biggest audio manufactuters. You might not have head of them, but Foster makes loads of speakers and other gear that are rebranded by other audio companies. I'd bet 90% of Head-Fi owns something Foster built. And probably 99% of them have no idea Foster built it.

As for replacing those speakers, you'd likely have to mod the crossovers and cabinets to get new speakers to work right. In other words, you'd end up building a new speaker.

Madisound is a great resource. The staff is excellent and check out their forums. Also checks Pass' DIY Audio, the Melhuish singledriver site, and Troels Gravesen's site. Also visit Linkwitz Lab; if the Pluto is in your budget, it's worth building. Lots and lots of ideas. If you want to go cheap, singledrivers are great. Simple boxes and no crossovers.

As for cabinets, go to a local shop that builds kitchen cabinets. MDF is cheap and the cabinets will be cheap as long as you finish them yourself. That's not difficult, about 90% labor and 10% skill.

Don't give up and go with more cheap plastic boxes. Build your own and you'll get much better sound. Also, ditch the computer speaker/amp thing. Just get an older receiver. They're better and you can find them for $20-$50.
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post #5 of 28
7/10/11 at 2:39pm
Thread Starter 

I definitely want to go DIY. I just need to find a cheap amp, but I don't want to skimp on it either. I'm currently in my Amazon Prime Free Trial so that's an excellent place for me to buy. How does AudioSource hold up? Is it like Pyle, or is it actually pretty good? I would max my budget around 100$.

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post #6 of 28
7/11/11 at 7:39pm
Thread Starter 

So what would be the best kit from Parts express around $250? Having Cabinets is a plus. I'm not a very skilled craftsman. Yet.

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post #7 of 28
7/11/11 at 11:56pm
For an amp, go with a vintage receiver. I like old NAD and Marantz. You'll find some under $100. If you want to spend a little more, buy an Adcom GFA-555 (Nelson Pass design!) an older Bryston, Rega integrated, or even an old McIntosh like the MC2100 or MC2105. You'll be much happier with one of those than a new $100 amp.

Parts Express is OK, but you should really talk to a local cabinet shop. You could get cabinets for a wide variety of speakers for under $100. MDF is $20-$30 a sheet. At one local shop, they make cuts for $2 each if you buy the material there. So if I wanted to build a pair of Voight Pipes, it'd be (say) $25 for the material. I'd say they'd need 20 cuts, or $40. Let's call it $50 to make sure. I am sure I could get the cabinets for $75, probably less. Mind you, these guys have a high-end tablesaw (probably costs $10k or more) have been doing this for decades, and if they screw up, will cut another piece correctly for free.

So take the plans you like to a cabinet shop and ask if they can make them for you. They'll be friendly and happy to talk about it.

You can do the assembly and finish at home. If you learn how to wet sand, you can do a professional paint job with a minimum of tools and cost. It will take some time, though.

Don't limit yourself to kits. Talk to a cabinet shop and build something that sounds incredible and that you can be proud of.
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post #8 of 28
7/12/11 at 12:17am

Mdraluck23; ROFL @ your avatar

Look on Audiogon, look and wait, look at the bookshelf speakers there. I found a pair of MICRON bookshelf speakers from the late 70's early 80's combined them with a sub and was BLOWN away, whole rig cost me about $400 the speakers were only about $50 (they retailed new for $700 in '79) so go to audiogon, do your homework and find a pair of EPIC used bookshelf speakers, then find some nice used B&K components reference (or regular if you don't want to spend that much) gear, B&K just got bought out so people are afraid to buy their gear, drives the price down, but they make solid stuff.


Edited by BattleBrat - 7/12/11 at 12:41am
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post #9 of 28
7/12/11 at 4:17pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for all the help everyone but unfortunately I've decided that to get what I want, and skip the cheapie 95$ kit etc, it's not really in my budget right now. I'll return to the DIY speakers when I have a bit more cash though! for now, I will continue living with my supremely average sounding speakers, which is tolerable because I still have my HF5's. HD600's are sold, and my D6 is going. I'm going to get an Aune Mini. I don't need a portable amp for my Sansa Clip+ and the HD600's weren't getting enough use. I AM installing some nice components in my car though, which is where I spend at least an hour a day.

 

I will keep an eye out for deals though!

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post #10 of 28
7/12/11 at 4:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BattleBrat View Post

Mdraluck23; ROFL @ your avatar



biggrin.gif

 

Before I start a new thread, everyone in this thread seems very knowledgeable, so I'm just going to ask, Where is the Aune Mini available?


Edited by Mdraluck23 - 7/12/11 at 4:25pm
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post #11 of 28
7/15/11 at 8:24pm
Thread Starter 

Keeping the D6, the lineout is just too awesome.

 

Thanks for the help I guess!

 

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Yamaha RX-550 60Wx2 8ohms

 

Aura LSB-627 With 6.5" peerless woofers and a Monopole Ribbon Tweeter.

 

Free Tara Labs Prism Omni speaker cable and Banana Plugs!

 

~$325! 

 

(I know it's a terrible picture)

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post #12 of 28
7/15/11 at 9:36pm

You should really check out the Tritrix on Parts Express. It includes all the necessary drivers, precut cabinets, and crossovers for $200 shipped. I just got my kit the other day and started last night. I already have both cabinets and crossovers built with the help of a friend. It's a really enjoyable and easy kit for first timers with limited experience and/or tools.  There's also a lot of reviews and support online since it's a pretty popular kit. People say that these speakers blow out other speakers costing $800+. 

 

I highly suggest them since I've been having a great time building mine. It's pretty simple and there are even videos online to show how to build.

 

http://www.parts-express.com/projectshowcase/tritrix/index.cfm

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-702

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post #13 of 28
7/19/11 at 9:54pm
Zaph audio, or something from undefinition's page (https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/diy).

Brendan
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post #14 of 28
7/27/11 at 7:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberspyder View Post

Zaph audio, or something from undefinition's page (https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/diy).

Brendan


Thanks for that cool link......the free crossover design service is a great resource and a credit to the DIY community (to compare my own designs with Paul...I'm using X-over 3 pro/ Bassbox 6 pro). The ZX Spectrum design would be a helluva performer, nay giant killer, knowing that BG planars make for terrific upper mid/tweets. The HiVi magnesium coned woofers are outstanding drivers.

 

Peete.

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post #15 of 28
7/27/11 at 10:21pm
Thread Starter 

By the way, I'm now on to Car Audio. I suppose it's a bit of a waste, but I don't plan on spending a lot. (I say that now... rolleyes.gif) 

 

Looking at some good components. Any ideas? Can I use a 6.5 inch Madisound Driver if it fits? Or a 1 inch tweeter?

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