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To Buy or to DIY, here is my question

If I buy the speakers that appear closest to what I desire

they are $11k new and $8k used.

If I buy the raw speakers and build it 

the speakers alone are $2.2k.

That is a 3 way system.

Still must add costs of XOs and cabs.

 

Assume the total custom build cost would be about $3k.

The $8k speakers used are Proac D40Rs.

The raw components would be from ScanSpeak and SB acoustics

and include 10" woofer, 4.5" Mid and a planar ribbon tweeter.

MadiSound provides XO advice. 

 

Comments???

 

chorus
duramax747
207 posts
 

I asked this very question in a thread DIY speakers.

If the design and xover are proven then that leaves building the cabinets to the CAD or drawing specs. 

Not all DIY have someone that makes them and ships them as flat panels for end user to assemble. 

I'm a US manufacturer with high end CNC routers that can knock out cabinets relatively easy. Building tings is what I like to do and was reaching out to members who were also interested in a certain DIY model and we could get a few members as it would reduce CAD, programming and set up time by distributing that cost amongst 3-5 pairs rather than just one. 

 

notlistening
33 posts
 

You'll have to build the speakers to get the answer to your question!

It's like refurbishing an old car; estimate the time and money it'll take and multiply by x, where x is between 2 and 20.

kingharold
304 posts
 

Real gratification comes from visualizing a new speaker, designing it, building it and changing it until it sounds as you first imagined it. In 1999 I got the idea of building a fully horn loaded system with the bass provided by folded corner horns back in the corners and mids and highs played by horns out in the room where they would image better with the obvious time discrepancy corrected by a DSP component. It was 2004 before I found a DSP that would do everything I wanted. This was a DEQX preamp/DSP.

In 2004 I began purchasing components, sawing wood, machining and polishing bronze and brass. It took me about a year to get the system up and playing. The SQ was a big disappointment. Since then I have changed bass horns from the bass bins of Klipschorns to Bill Fitzmaurice designed HT Tuba subs. I changed the wide range driver in Oris 150 horns from Lowther PM4As to AER BD3s. I added Fostex t900a bullet super tweeters. I upgraded the DEQX from the PDC 2.6 to a DEQX HDP4. I reprogrammed the DEQX over and over with the final programming done with the assistance of DEQXpert, Larry Owens. Finally by 2017 I had my horn speakers sounding even better than I had imagined they would. This provides real lasting gratification.  That gratification is intensified by numerous audiophile friends who have heard my system saying really nice things about it such as, "That is the best I have ever heard that song.

If one has good skills and tools and is tenacious enough to keep trying and trying until you get it right then designing and building your own speakers can result in a product as good as the pros produce.  It is like the old Speaker Lab ad from decades ago which stated, "If listening to your stereo is as much fun as going to the circus the listening to your stereo with speakers you built for yourself is as much fun as riding your own elephant to the circus.

carlsbad's avatar
carlsbad
1,551 posts
 

@duramax747  It sounds like you are set up and ready to go and with personal care and attention are likely to get a better build quality than most factory speakers.  As for the crossover and speaker design, you are trusting the guys on the DIY board, who are likely pretty knowledgeable.  They have invested a lot more time than the average guy who walks in a plops down hi Amex and buys a pair of expensive speakers.  OTOH, they are subject to the same confirmation bias as everyone else.

But don't expect guys who have bought $20k speakers on this forum to agree that your speakers stand a snowball's chance in hell of sounding as good as theirs.  they won't do it.

Jerry

erik_squires
16,537 posts
 

Real gratification comes from visualizing a new speaker, designing it, building it and changing it until it sounds as you first imagined it.

 

I agree, but let's not forget this is a hobby, and learning happens from all sorts of directions, as does the passion to learn more.

The DIYer who buys a complete kit, perhaps to build with their children or grandchildren is starting a journey. 

I personally am always happy to see DIY efforts in Audio for a lot of reasons.  I like builders more than I like spenders and people with hands on experience in building a single speaker already know more than any audiophile who merely reads a magazine. 

Please, please, get your hands dirty.  Encourage your daughter or son to learn about electronics, music, physics and let's all have a great time with it.

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