Built your own speakers ?

Carl, I am sorry if I was sounding like a speaker building "basher". I have had some bad experiences and though I have learned by them, I would really consider building again if I could tackle the project with better knowledge and patience concerning speaker design. Yes, Joseph D'Appolito has made substancial contributions and insight in regards to speaker design and building which I acknowledge and respect. I think what I like the least about some homebuilt speakers I have heard ( incorperating crossovers designed by LEAP programs mainly ) is the lack of soundstage depth and integration with frequencies through the spectrum. My biggest gripe with my previous and most recent project was time ( too long ) and money ( too much ). When I began the prospect of speaker building, I thought I could actually save a bundle and still get the end product I desired. In the end, I have a set of great speakers which, though costly, have provided great listening satifaction and an elegant appearance.

And by that, you are meaning that you aren't listening to any of the projects you built? Anyway, I don't mean to be overly touchy either, and don't mean to diminish your time and effort. It is indeed a terribly time consuming endeavor.

I have built my own speakers. Started with kits, then moved on to my own designs. There is a lot of room in the hobby for everyone, no matter what your skill level. I think it's a great thing for someone to build their own speakers. You can get great(or poor) sound, but I think the biggest thing is that you have to do your homework first. I found that that the most important things I learned were: 1). A + B often does not equal C. 2). Don't think you are going to build a reference set of speakers the first(or second) time you try - there is a LOT to learn(from experience). 3). Use your ears, and go around and find out what type of sound YOU like. Many people are disappointed after hearing the best equipment (hopefully they didn't buy before listening). Not that the equipment is not good, it just doesn't suit their tastes. That said, my current speakers are not homemade, but they are the best speakers I've ever heard. I could never build them, no matter what kind of CNC equipment I had. They are not typical in shape, so hard to work with the manufacturer realized they could not produce them in volume - they now make more typical shapes. From the lessons I learned, I will upgrade them, as there is always room for that, no matter how great. Better materials are available to us every day. I'd be happy to offer advice. GOOD LUCK!

Re: Who has built their own speaker systems My design ideas are less extreme and perhaps more elegant, but I don't feel the need to be ridiculed by the jerkwads on here that don't know as much about speaker design as I do (which is most all of them). A few of my designs might be good enough to be "world beaters" one day, you never know. The point is, you started this thread as sort of a confessional to say "look what I did tens of years ago...gee, I'm glad I'm past that stage now"...There's entirely too much of that bull dung going on in this hobby already. I just don't look at speaker design that way, and don't feel the need to justify my speaker design philosophies to anyone in a public forum, because the "public" doesn't need to know anyhow. And as far as nano-decible measurements go, the human variable is never absent in gathering this "data", and certainly no one on this forum has their room dialed in enough to make use of such skilled-labor intensive testing/manufacturing. And most assuredly, anyone who can't even hear the full frequency range to begin with (anyone over age 40), has no business commenting on loudspeakers in the first place. I'm a speaker hobbyist and audiophile, and I refuse to apologize for my philosophy to anyone, especially if they think they've "seen it all, heard it all"! By Carl_eber on 07-04-00

It was very interesting reading the people's comments on DYI. I posted above my comments about my BESL dual 10 sub. Thorty40 I understand your frustration. I had a local custom cabinet maker build my sub case. Since he had to fit it in around other projects, It took a month to get it. Was it worth it? Yes. The build is as good( I think better) as anything in my price range. Most subs in my 1000 price range don't use anything more exotic than MDF; so the materials issue is pointless. I did have him use soild oak instead of veneer. Looks wonderful but really makes this thing heavy. My amp is a madisound 5230. It looks very similar to the amps in my 1k price range. I suspect they they are all made in Asia. I almost sprung for a North amp but the 500 price was too high for the project. I figure I can always upgrade later. I spent tons of time reading about sub design at the sub DYI page and on Madisound's board. I was going to purchase a pair of Totem Model ones for my basement but now have changed my mind and will purchase a pair of BESL 2.4s.