Christmas Gift (to me) tips

I would really like to do some sort of DIY project as my second project. The christmas budget for my parents' gift is 200 bucks, though I think they'll stretch to 300 if I beg and plead. I'm wondering what DIY sort of thing i shoudl do.

Situational Info: my girlfriend just bought me Audiotechnica ATH-M50 and Fiio E11. I have Audioengine A5 and AMB Gamma 2 F++. My subwoofer is the Logitech Z5500 subwoofer. Technically I'm just borrowing it from my parents, since I sold it to them. I have to give it back eventually.

My ideas for projects I want to do eventually: Build a subwoofer. Build full range floor standing speakers with a ribbon tweeters, 10 inch subwoofers, and either a 3 and 6 inch kevlar driver or a single 5.25 inch kevlar driver (with a 9 inch subwoofer instead). I want to actually design the crossover myself after learning abotu them too, and then I want to build the tube amplifier to power the whole thing, though I dont know the first thing about that. I want to eventually build a very nice headphone tube amp too.

In the future, I plan to buy 2 more full size headphones from now till age 35 (im 22 now): Something in the same tier as Sennheiser HD650/Denon D2000, POSSIBLY somthing in the 1000-1500 dollar range as an upgrade, and definately Audeze LCD3 (though it may be LCD4 or 5 by then). I also plan to buy a set of custom IEM's. I'm thinking 1964T or 1964Q. If I ever upgrade those customs, it will be with Unique Melody miracle, JH audio's best offerings, or westone's best offerings. I dont think the Ultimate Ears reference series is the SQ i'm looking for, considering my other headphone choices.

What would you guys recommend I build next? I did fine-ish on the gamma 1/2. I had a bit of trouble initially due to bad soldering iron, and my finished project was just about destroyed and needed to be fixed by MisterX because I used acid flux instead of electronics flux and solder paste . Apart from that though, given the quality of tools I had, I think I did a marvelous job. Especially considering this was my first project.

I'm ready to take on a project of equal undertaking, though preferably either a kit or something with not so many parts. What can you guys think of that will benefit me? I suppose I could build a subwoofer that works better with the Audioengine A5's and keep that cost under 300 pretty easy. It will require some woodworking and whatnot, so thats a definite change. I know I want a completely sealed box design with high output power for maximum bass clarity. I think i'd use MDF for the box. I just dont know if this is the project I should be aiming for, given my upgrade path.

Passive speakers are a definite want, though I think for immediate benefit the best thing I can build is a subwoofer. The A5's have barely seen a year of use, and I havent even been able to really crank them yet, seeing as how my room is only 10x10.

My hobbies, btw, include computers (im a computer engineer) and I'd like to get into arduino also. And obviously, high end audio is also a hobby that I am about 1 year into.

Any suggestions are much appreciated. Please remember the budget is 200-350 at an absolute maximum, and I get about 120 a month in allowance.

I already have decent enough pliers, side cutters, and tweezers. I also have a positionable lamp and magnifying glass. Really the only thing I didnt manage to get from the AMB Gamma2 F++ was a GOOD soldering iron. I should have gone with a Weller WES51 with an ST6 tip like they recommended, but I started off with a crappy 20 dollar weller pencil that was 25 watts but had a thick crappy tip, and the other tips it came with didnt even fit it. That iron got destroyed within 2 days because of the flux I was using. Similarly, the next 20 dollar iron I bought (with a good tip this time) corroded slightly as well. Considering the WES51 is only 40 bucks and that now Make Magazine sells their own variable temp soldering iron for a mere 20 bucks, I think i'm in good hands as far as that goes. All of the tools that are <$100 apiece i've already bought.

It doesnt make sense for me to buy an oscilloscope or bench power supply or the other big heavy equipment because I'm in college for the next 2.5 years minimum, and I have virtually unrestricted access to tools like this anyways. Even full woodshop tools. Sorry, I should have mentioned that.

I dont have an arduino or a breadboard. I participated in a secret santa this year and apart from cooking stuff like a cast iron skillet or crock pot, or vintage audio equipment that my SS had laying around, the only gift to get me that made sense and wasnt out of budget was arduino. I'm pretty sure thats what he got me. If not, I'd be buying an arduino beginners kit along with multiple large breadboards and perf boards and the like. One thing I am very curios about is where to get random parts to toy with using an arduino. It seems that people use a beginners kit or whatever, read a few electronics tutorials, then suddenly open up some hi-tech equipment and slap the arduino in to repurpose it into something way more awesome. Or that people ahve a seemingly unlimited access to various parts around them. I even have trouble procuring resistors and whatnot....

In any case, thanks for the suggestion. Any more suggestions are more than welcome. I do plan on getting my own equipment eventually but for now I'm set on tools.

For now, I've asked for this. http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-760

This will give me a much needed upgrade to my current subwoofer (logitech z5500) and provide me with the necessary inputs to drive a pair of DIY passive speakers. If my mom OK's this (its significantly over budget) then i'll be a happy little lad this christmas. The logitech sub is really quite attrocious.

I did shortlist a few parts for a set of passive floorstanding speakers and the drivers alone were coming out to be 700 bucks (for sets of 2). Once I get this kit i can look into purchasing a pre-built set of passive speakers or a passive speaker kit. Plus I can experiment with various enclosures and whatnot. This sub is a sealed design but a lot of people recreate the dimensions of it in WinISD and arrive at basically the same box. The box winISD designs though often has a long port with a vent, though the internal dimensions of it are the same. i'd like to stick with sealed for this one because I'm more concerned about accurate bass reproduction than mind-numbing bass.

This year I'll probably be attempting to get a job too since the uni i'm transfering to has mostly morning classes and it is where I'm getting my degree from. I'll try to get a job on campus. If I can save up, I'll be getting something like Sennheiser HD650's or something and then build myself a nice tube amp like Bijou or Bottlehead. I'm a bit limited on funds because all my time and energy is spent on making sure I have the right GPA etc to transfer into this university, or i'd be slaving away at a fast food joint.

My secret santa gift came in, btw. It was a pan. like for cooking. I'm returning it in favor of a cast iron skillet or crock pot, since I already had a pan exactly like the one my SS got. VERY solid pan, mind you.

I figure once I get an arduino and start ordering parts and whatnot for projects I dream up, i'll simply order parts in sets of 10 or something so i'll always have extras. I made that mistake on the Gamma 2. Definately should have ordered doubles of all the IC's and ordered the resistors/caps in sets of 10.

As I said already, I already have pretty much every tool I can think of except a nice soldering iron. Furthermore, it would be a waste to get tools for christmas because a) parents usually sponser the cost of tools in my projects, and b) If I got tools it would be 6 months before I even needed to take them out of the box.

Not to mention, I have full access to my school's electrical engineering lab, computer engineering lab, woodshop, and metal shop for the next 3 years or so. HUGE waste of a christmas gift to get tools, IMO.

it should be noted that I live under my parents' roof, so just about every tool is already available to me. Soldering iron is the one exception right now, and that will be rectified when I actually get a project that requires soldering surface mount components again.

How are these compared to the Audioengine A5's? It looks like they have a passive crossover implemented. That is very relevant to my interests. I'm currently researching passive vs active crossovers, the pros and cons and which method to use, and how to make an N way passive crossover.

Or how to make an N way active crossover.

It looks, just from my inexperienced eye, like the tritrix will be far inferior in sound quality and durability, judging by the paper woofer.