DIY Speakers, worth the hassles?

DIY is the only way to go in speakers!!! Even if you have someone else to everything, you still save 70% over retail. And if you have any kind of skill with a screwdriver or soldering iron, you can save 90% over retail.
Start simple and use premium parts, especially in the crossover. Many people and companies do designs that are as good, or superior, as commercial speaker products.
Another thing is just the learning experience of what goes into a speaker, and the ability to sort through the marketing crap that the commercial companies use to describe their products.

www.speakerbuilder.com (info and projects)
www.zalytron.com (parts and kits)
www.madisound.com (parts and kits)
www.murphyblaster.com (lots of designs)
www.audioc.com (kits)
www.speakercity.com (kits and parts)
www.e-speakers.com (kits and parts; ribbon freak)

www.meniscusaudio.com (kits and parts)

BTW, there are NO hassles in DIY Speakers
Making, creating, and assembling are not hassles

New speaker out, but not yet on the market, designed by Linkwitz. I'm sure its not going to be cheap, i'm guessing like $6K/pr. Seas T25 tweeter + Seas W22 (as midrange??) + DUAL!! Peerless XL 10 inch woofers. Has active xover besigned by the master himself. Looks like it may require a "special" amp. Power hungry. hummm, if you've got the bucks, look no further. Also Dennis Murphy at Murphy Masterblaster, does very nice xover work. Super guy! Email him, tell him what you're looking for. Also Rick Craig at Selahaudio is a very capable designer.

Just returned from the Summer "Chicago Horn Bash" and had the chance to spend many hours talking to Dan Wiggens of Adire Audio. [I kept the conversation on audio/speakers as much as possible through dinner without going off the "you're driving me nuts buddy" meter.] Actually, he is a nice guy and really didn't seem to mind.

But the things he emphasized were that the cost of the drivers is just not the thing to focus on and is not usually going to make or break the sound. It's the total package. Focus on the crossover & enclosure and even the room you have. Account for room (your particular room)gain in your XO. Don't rely on published specs. You have to measure your drivers in the box you are going to use. Also, don't forget the acoustic roll-off of your drivers in your enclosures when deciding on the electrical filter you want to use. He also is not concerned with phase problems of high order filteres. He thinks the problems are overemphasized and that you should go for flat frequency response and dynamics. You have to compromise somewhere in speakers and he thinks you lose a lot if you go to first order so as to minimize phase problems. There are som nice short technicl papers on speaker building at his Adire Audio site if you have't been there.

Had a chance to listen to his $300 Kit HE10.1 speaker for the first time and it is very good. He is changing it to linearize the motor strength (BL). He has a new patient so it should get better. If you are looking for a cheapee you could do lots worse.

Some of this isn't exactly late breaking news but it's fresh on my mind after yesterday and though I'd pass it on.

It was a great time. Bruce Edgar was there too and talked for a couple hours on horns. Try to make it next year of you have a chance.

I remain,