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DIY - Affordable 2-ways to rival high end

Hi guys,

So I've recently posted some pretty expensive speakers, in terms of DIY. I want to post 2 different 2 way designs now which are very similar. One from me: 

https://speakermakersjourney.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-lm-1-bookshelf-version.html

And one from a famous DIY speaker designer named Troels Graveson:

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/Peerless_HDS830860.htm

Which to use? If you are using room correction OR up against the wall, I think my design will have a better balance, and higher efficiency. Troels is better as stand mounts with only moderate rear wall reinforcement. 

The tradeoffs here are sensitivity. My design is a couple of dB more sensitive, but also has less bass. Ideal for desktops and crowded bookshelves. 

I make no money on either. I do share Troels' assesment of the 5" peerless mid-woofers though, pretty outstanding for midrange clarity. 

Best,

E
erik_squires
erik_squires OP
16,051 posts
 
So undoubtedly some will ask "What do you mean rival high end?" 

Tonally these designs are really really good. The XT25 tweeters and derivatives have been used in speakers from Krell, YG Acoustics and Magico. 

The mid-woofers are also super smooth sounding. They do not have a ton of bass, nor do they have the sheer dynamic range of much more expensive and/or much larger drivers. On the other hand, I spend most of my day listening to a pair sitting on IsoAcoustics stands on my desktop. They can be pretty distracting. When I'm trying to get work done and the music I am streaming pulls me away from my work. There's just absolutely nothing wrong with them in their scale, and they play very well with my small NAD 3020 D integrated. 

So, will you stop buying uber pricey speakers? No, not at all, but if you want something super smooth sounding, you can build yourself or maybe with help from your kids, and get you into part rolling, I think these two examples are really good.

Also, mine has a lot of simulation and measurement data, to help you get into DIY and learn about speaker design. 

I hope you enjoy them! 

Erik 
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