To Buy or to DIY, here is my question

lemonhaze,

I smiled when I read you comments about the importance of the crossover being so important and laughed when you recommended the Altec Model 19.  So I accept your statement that great minds think alike!

The cabinet houses only the woofer and a slightly taller and smaller version of the ALtec 620 cabinet.

My crossover is the Zilch Z-19.  As you know, he separated the woofer in the circuit since it didn’t need the L-pads.  That crossover is mounted in the cabinet with proved cap and inductor.  The HF portion is outside so I could try different capacitors.  Started with affordable Solen PB-MKP’s to figure out a layout and in case I messed something up.  Sounded impressive.  Coincidentally, today I finished a new HF crossover build using Jantzen Superior Z-caps and Mill resistors and the improvement - to my ears and for what I was looking for - was very rewarding.

As you know, Zilch was the mastermind behind the Econowave.  His posts were very helpful throughout my DIY project.  What speakers are you running theses days?

chorus, 

So if you go the DIY route, look up some of Zilch’s posts for general build insights, regardless of what speaker design you go with.  And if you decide, now or later, to build a high sensitivity speaker with it life-like dynamics, (and ability to tame the highs with the right gear), you could build a set of Klipsch Chorus for your name’s sake.

Enjoy the music.

@johnk --

"If you have no skills are lazy or have no time then off the shelf is what you get. If you have skills an open mind and are craving something unique then DIY is the way to go. Kits are fine but it's not like going your own way. And those who say DIY can not look good are only interested in what the mass market gives them. Anything that's different is perceived as wrong they crave the boring imported rectangles and cubes. A toaster must look like a toaster."

Well said. Regarding looks it's also disheartening seeing veneered cabinets being covered in freakin' layers of shiny lacquer, to such degree even that any semblance with actual wood is mostly gone. Isn't that somehow analogous with the sonic imprinting of "off the shelf" speakers in general and what's typically preferred here; something "shiny" and covering the real texture and organic feel of what's being reproduced? To me at least a DIY approach or what otherwise eschews the usual, pre-assembled product can be the better way to accommodate said texture and organic feel of something real, both one way and the other. 

Just my 2 cent opinion, Here ya go, worlds best midrange My 1955 Puccini Turnadot Erede as conductor La Scala UNREALL, No xover speaker in the universe will touch this midrange. Even unto Wilson’s 800K design. Dual FR rules. I’ve heard many a speaker in my 40 yrs, nothing comes even close to a DIY dual FR. In midrange Got another tweeter in the plans. 

@oldschoolsound, Zilch was the backbone of that long thread and his passing a big loss.  My current speakers are some cheap OB jobs but when finished house repairs I will try Tannoy MG15 OB with helper woofer/s below.

The last speaker I built with a waveguide used the 18 Sound alloy unit with, I think, an Eminence 10" below which were sold to a mate and later rebuilt as floorstanders. Every time he upgraded amps or cables the speakers came to the party and revealed the superior components. With some encouragement from me he installed some room treatment and these things now sing along beautifully. When we switched temporarily back to some Missions he had they sounded ... well they were very quickly removed.

The econowave or similar style using either the cheap but excellent JBL $9.99 waveguide or the more recently developed SEOS waveguide come in at about 97dB sensitivity, so with low power amps can fill the room easily and because these components are from the pro-sound sector 😲 can blow you out the room with 500W amps.

Another unmentioned advantage is the unusually wide sweet spot created when these waveguide speakers are severely toed in, because of the proximity effect.