[intlplby]

I'm interested in maybe embarking on DIYing some speakers.

I currently have a commercial set of speakers that go down to 42Hz but I would love to have something that goes down to the 20-30Hz range with good soundstage and imaging...

i know there are literally dozens and dozens of DIY speaker plans out there....

i don't want to start from scratch and design the cabinet and crossover myself.... i just want a tried and tested design that is very highly regarded

where do I look?
what is considered the mother of all DIY speaker designs?

 

[Wodgy]

The current "mother of all DIY designs" is almost unquestionably the Linkwitz Orion:
http://www.linkwitzlab.com/orion_challenge.htm
Beyond the solid science, one nice thing about the Orion is that there are many professional reviews out there, so you'll at least have some idea of how it sounds before you build. There is also a list of people who've volunteered to let you come to their homes and have a listen.

If you want the last octave of bass with the Orion, you'll need to also build the Thor subwoofer, designed to complement it. That's the price for dipole bass on the mains.

John Krutke also recently published a "statement" two-way design:
http://zaphaudio.com/ZD5.html
Cheaper to build than the Orion, but still not cheap, and you would still want a sub, most likely. Another option is Krutke's Waveguide TMM, which is the design he currently uses for his own personal listening. It's also reasonably inexpensive to build:
http://zaphaudio.com/Waveguidetmm.html
The Waveguide TMM is quite efficient and thus has the dynamics, but it won't have the lowest octave. It should go low enough for music though. I'm building a pair of these currently.

Another option to consider is the MBOW1 3-way:
http://murphyblaster.com/content.php?f=MBOW1_3-WAY.html
It uses a pair of 10 inch woofers and you could play with the port tuning to get it satisfyingly low.

The last octave is always a problem. Really, it's better to build mains that go cleanly down to 40 Hz or so, and then fill in the last octave with a sub. That low, integration isn't a problem, and you can run the mains fullrange.

 

[ooheadsoo]

If you must consider the orions, then you should also consider Kreskovsy's Not Another Orion: http://musicanddesign.com/naomain.html

Zaph's Vifa XG18 / Seas 27TDFC MTM also extends down to the low 30s in floorstanding vented config. http://zaphaudio.com/audio-speaker16.html

Oh, and before I forget, here's Danny Richie's OB-7 kit: http://www.gr-research.com/kits/ob-7.shtm
Plays into the mid 20s anechoic, open baffle mids.

 

[intlplby]

the orions require 8 channels of power amplification

what's the best option if you only have two power amps?

 

[Wodgy]

That's a hard question. What is your budget? Are you building the cabinets yourself? What kind of power amplification do you have? Tube or solid state?

 

[happyangryhappy]

The Orions are probably one of the most highly regarded DIY speakers, but for a few other links you could look at:

HTGuide forum has a number of designs of which two I have built myself and really like. Generally these are more simple designs like the ZaphAudio link above, although the well documented Arvo project is supposed to be very similar to the Orion.

DIY Loudspeaker Projects has quite a few nice higher end projects and clones to check out.

Humble Homemade Hifi has a number as well.

Also if you are interested in a fullrange speakers like a Cain and Abby clone or similar have a look over at DiyAudio as there are ton's of guys building over there as well.

And here is one more page of just general speaker building links as well.

 

[intlplby]

these are my power amps

http://www.opera-consonance.com/products/cyber800.htm

I would be making the cabinets myself. My older brother used to be a carpenter and would be able to help me.

 

[Wodgy]

Since you're running tubes, your best bet would probably be John Krutke's Waveguide TMMs:
http://zaphaudio.com/Waveguidetmm.html
You've got enough power there to drive most speakers, but the Waveguide TMMs have the advantage of having a flat impedance, which means the relatively high output impedance of the your amps won't affect the frequency response of the speakers. To see an example of this happening, see the first graph here:
http://www.stereophile.com/integrate...ma/index3.html
Notice that the amplifier's frequency response varies by almost +/-3dB into the simulated speaker load. This is not atypical for tube amps, especially ones with minimal amounts of feedback. A speaker with a relatively flat impedance avoids this problem.

The Waveguide TMMs are also quite efficient, so they'd work with a lower powered tube amp if you ever wanted to experiment with one of those. They also have a fairly good power response thanks to the waveguide, so they'll be suitable for a variety of rooms.

 

[ooheadsoo]

For a conventional box speaker that plays like the best of them, I forgot to mention selah audio's kits. Good prices, and he can custom design for your needs, as well. Ask him if you can get a kit of his new 3d which was very well received at the 06 RMAF or his RC5, which looks quite killer, as well. Or one of his line arrays, if that's your style. http://selahaudio.com/

 

[intlplby]

thanks for the info

two more questions:

what are some good sites on how to work with the wood including information about tools needed and whatnot? I'm not familiar with working with wood.


what's considered the best pair of 2-way shelf speakers? Something that can be used in a small office or a small bedroom.

i should probably start with something simple like that before embarking on some huge mission

 

[ooheadsoo]

There is no universally accepted best design in any category. There are just too many competent designers. This design that Wodgy suggested should be as good as any: http://zaphaudio.com/ZD5.html

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by intlplby thanks for the info two more questions: what are some good sites on how to work with the wood including information about tools needed and whatnot? I'm not familiar with working with wood.

You'll be working with MDF actually, not wood (MDF has superior acoustic properties and is a lot cheaper too). MDF isn't too hard to work with. For speaker building, we typically just use butt joints. Just cut the pieces into rectangles, clamp together with glue, then sand all the joints smooth. The Madisound forum and the Parts Express forum are both good places to ask specific construction questions. This page basically condenses everything you need to know about all aspects of speaker building in one convenient place:
http://zaphaudio.com/mantras.html

Quote:

what's considered the best pair of 2-way shelf speakers? Something that can be used in a small office or a small bedroom.

The link ooheadsoo gave you is a good one. That's a very high end 2-way bookshelf design (also expensive to build). If you're looking for a starter 2-way project that's well respected, consider the Modula MT design from HTGuide or the MBOW1/CAOW1 from Murphyblaster or one of the cheaper Zaphaudio designs. All of those will have a decent amount of feedback online. Both ooheadsoo and I have built the MBOW1 actually. (Though the MBOW1 is no longer quite as cheap to build as it once was, because with exchange rates the tweeters have become extremely expensive and there is also a lot of copper used, which has also increased in price.) I would probably recommend the Modula design as a high-quality starter project. Choose the variant using the Seas tweeter rather than the Dayton tweeter. A lot of people have built that project, including a couple here, so there should be good feedback.

 

[Wodgy]

One other thing to add: if this is your first DIY project, remember to account for miscellaneous expenses when you're budgeting for the project. This is as true for speaker DIY as it is for electronics DIY, but I went a lot more over budget on my first speaker project than my first electronics project. Just remember to think about what's reasonable to spend on things like sandpaper, finishing supplies, shipping costs, etc. and budget for that. If you choose a project where you can use prefab cabinets, like the ones Parts Express sells, it's a little easier to estimate costs since a lot of steps are done for you. On the other hand, it's very satisfying and addictive when you actually finish a whole pair of speakers on your own.

 

[ooheadsoo]

I just remembered that Selah offers a nice high end 2 way using a fountek ribbon and a scanspeak revelator: http://selahaudio.com/id124.html

Oops, I accidently accredited the NaO speakers to Krutke (zaph.) Actually, they were designed by Transient Perfect developer John Kreskovsky.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Another popular DIY speaker is the ProAc Response 2.5 clone, or "ClonAc." The 2.5 is a highly regarded speaker and those who have listened to both it and the ClonAc find them to be almost identical. I did a lot of reading about a year ago, and bit. They're terrific speakers. Google for Response 2.5 reviews and see what reviewers and others thought of them.

You can find the complete plans and links to information here:

http://www.geocities.com/diyproac25/

Total cost ended up a little over $1k, and I think they are worth it. If you build, I recommend the AlphaCore air core inductors. They have plenty low DCR and sound very nice. Also, use the optional notch filter. They sound better with it.

The low bass response reportedly goes slightly below 40Hz, though I don't have an exact figure. It's plenty good for me. I have seen some complain about the bass being excessive, but I believe that has more to do with your room and placement.

Since you're running tubes, rumor is that the original 2.5 was designed and voiced with them. I don't know that for a fact, but I do know they're happy with tubes.

The strong suits of these are imaging and soundstage. Just wonderful. On the site listed above, one person put these in the same league as the Quad ESL and Wilsons. Now, I've heard Quads, and while they're better, these are awfully good. Go do some homework on these. That's what convinced me.