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Speaker kits recomendations Maybe Horn TL hybrid lets talk speaker kits

After reading many threads on speaker building ( you guys sparked my interest thanks) I'm interested in putting together my own speakers for a second system. this is for pure fun and saving money is nice as well.

I do not have full wood working facility's so it will have to be a flat pack type of build. Pre cut cabinets may be the ticket, as I am not a wood worker by trade  ( Aircraft Tech, Electro Mechanical, minor in Electronics and Engineering are my background ) but I do have access to a wood working shop co-op on the military base for finishing. 

I've been reading the various speaker kit makers, Fugalhorn, Moral audio, Madison sound, part connexion, fostex, ect. so I'm familiar with some of the main sites. Are there kits I'm missing? What do people recommend for kit manufacturers? Obviously I need to decide on a design I'm trending to a Horn-TL hybrid but I'm very open to suggestions.  I own MTM's as my main speaker so I'm aware of what that design can do as well as most 2 way designs I think I'm looking for something different though. preferably higher up on the efficiency scale as I'd like the option to use lower powered amps but not necessarily a must. I'd even consider powered speakers. 

Do you know of a good horn loaded kit? Horn TL hybrid kit? or do you have something totally different that may spark my interest. Subwofer is something i'll do next I think we will see. 

 This is a fun project for me but still wanting good sound from the finished product. Cost is not really a consideration I'd tend to spend a little more for better quality parts but I'm open as this is my first build. lets keep it under $2k but in no way do I need to spend that, couple hundred is fine for a good end result too. I know first time I should buy cheep but then I'll have a speaker I wont use so may as well take my time and do something worth having in the end. 

I'm open to suggestion if I'm thinking down the wrong path. 

Glen 
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glennewdick OP
1,731 posts
 
pragmas

I may be able to, I was thinking birch ply may be a better material to use as well so opens that door. 

 I have the gentle man who built my plinth well did the bulk of the wood working. He is just dead slow but quality of work is top notch so worth it in the end, I may use him if this goes that way.

 I have also been thinking of renting space at the wood working club as I don't have space or tools anymore for serious wood working (precising cutting etc) that would give me some space to do it my self. But I wil last I am not a pro wood worker I just can do it ok when I have to. I tend to electro mechanical stuff. 

Its not really that hard to build from a spec sheet, diagram and drawings. part numbers for drivers would be nice too. I just want the hard engineering stuff done right I can do the assembly etc. just be nice to have something worth having and look presentable. 
pragmasi
212 posts
 
For a first build the A26 speakers are about as simple as you can get, there's no crossover to speak of (just a high pass on the tweeter) and it's a straight forward box. For the cabinet work I get by with a Makita SP6000 for cutting down the boards, a router with a circle jig and a hand drill. If you can get access to a table saw etc. then even better. 
Ply is a good idea, just remember if you use a different thickness board keep the same internal dimensions so that the air volume is as specified. Seas are great drivers but I don't know how easy they are to source in the US, another great resource is zaphaudio.com, Zaph is very well regarded in the DIY world (I think he may have designed some of the Madisound kits too).

My only other advice is don't get too lost in the world of 'high-end' capacitors and the like... strangely the more you spend the less technical information you get about the capacitor's properties. Have a look at the components Zaph uses and go along those lines.
paulcreed
566 posts
 
If open baffle interest you look at GR Research. They have the flat packs and all the drivers. Very reasonable prices and great support from the owner. I learned to solder so I could build one of his cheap monitors, I may have put 3 or $400 in it with alpha core inductors, mills resistors, sonicaps and Miflex bypass. I may change out sonicaps one day but for the money invested I think it can compete with $1500 or more speakers. I don't use them much but it was an eye opening experience and a lot of fun.

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jaytor
766 posts
 
I have spent a fair amount of time researching options for my next speakers and have decided to go with a DIY design using GR Research's kits. I've ordered the NX-Otica with all the crossover component upgrades and have also ordered the flat-packs for the triple 12" servo subs. I haven't ordered the sub drivers and amps yet, but will do so once I get the cabinets built and finished. All in, it will probably cost me about $6K, but from everything I've read and heard, the combination of the NX-Otica and servo subs is competitive with just about anything on the market from a sound quality perspective, although finish quality will not be as nice as many of the $$$ speakers out there.

The NX-Oticas by themselves aren't really full range. They are designed to be used with the servo subs. By themselves, they go down to between 45Hz and 75Hz (-3db pt) depending on the room. In a larger room, where they will sound their best, they don't get as much room gain so roll-off is higher. 

These are fairly efficient speakers (93db) so can be used effectively with low power tube and class-A SS amps. But they can also handle a fair amount of power, so they can deliver plenty of dynamics.

The most significant downside is that you have to construct and finish them yourself, but from talking to others that have built these, this isn't that challenging. 

The other downside is that, since these are open-baffle speakers, and two cabinets per channel, you need a fair amount of space to achieve optimal sound quality. From what I've read, they should have at least 5-6 feet from the front baffle to the wall behind them, and at least 3-4 feet to the side wall. Fortunately, I have a 17' x 27' dedicated listening room to place them. 

Once I get them built and properly set up, I'll post my impressions. In the meantime, check out the NX-Otica build thread on AudioCircle to get an idea of what these are all about. 

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=143221.0
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