DIY Loudspeaker Pages
Introduction
The purpose of this web site is simply to share with you the plans for my most recent speaker
building projects. I consider these projects very successful, as they sound very good, and represent
and outstanding value. I've built a few pairs of loudspeakers as a teenager, mainly a three cabinet
PA system, and a copy of a pair of the JBL studio monitors. While I did considered those project
successful at the time, they were not Hi-Fi type speakers and I have long since sold them. I've been
enjoying a pair of Energy 22 Pro
speakers for the last fifteen years and recently got the itch
to do the "speaker building thing" again.
Why build? It's no secret that building your own speakers is a very cost effective way to achieve
good quality sound. You can often achieve a level of sound quality that can only come via retail
at two or more times the price. Even more important is the fact that it is fun. You will feel a
great level of pride and accomplishment if you succeed. I say "if you succeed" because it's not
as easy as slapping a woofer and tweeter into a wood box.
Projects
As far as I'm concerned, the pre-requisite to any successful project is properly identifying your
requirements. You will surely be disappointed if you build a high quality small 2-way, when what
you really wanted was a big kick-ass mother of a sound. Another pre-requisite for success is a
good looking cabinet. Trust me here, don't rush through your project. While an ugly looking box
can sound as good as a pretty one, chances are your wife won't even let you get it through the
garage door. Even if you're not married, you problably won't be able to tolorate something ugly
for very long.
Listed below are two projects that I recently completed, and plans for third. Together they
complete a Home Theatre system (less the sub-woofer). Click on a project icon for complete project
details.
Links
There is tons of stuff on the internet, and many helpfull individuals willing to offer good advice.
Pop into one of the many DIY loudspeaker discussion groups if you need help. I visit the two boards
listed below regulary. These are also great places to buy your stuff in the US. In Canada you can
get stuff from Solen .
Madisound Audio Discussion
Parts Express Tech Talk
Here are a few really good links to get your mo-jo going. There are way too many to list, besides ePanorama has
already done that.
North Creek Music Systems - Offers some excellent kits.
John K's DIY Speaker Pages - Excellent articles and designs, including a clone of the famous Rogers Ls3/5a.
Wayne J's SpeakerBuilder.net - This site has some good articles and several designs
Andy G's Home Page - Series crossover fanatic, and everything else NOT square
MurphyBlaster Productions - This site offers several designs, schematics and measurements
ePanorama Audio and HiFi Page - MAMMA MIA! Links galore, you can spend days going through these. Don't say you weren't warned!
Contruction Tips
The Cabinets
The cabinets are generally made of 3/4" MDF these days. MDF is said to be acoustically better than plywoods
and are also less expensive. On the down side, MDF can easily split and its dust can be very hazardous.
Make sure you were a protective face mask and don't inhale the dust when dealing with MDF. The only time
I wouldn't use MDF is if you are building a kit or design which calls for something else, or if you are building
PA speakers. I doubt the MDF will tolarate the travelling very well.
I don't have the required clamps or tools to make fancy joints, so I just use glue and screws to assemble my cabinets.
Make sure you drill pilot holes for the screws or you will split the MDF. I had the wood cut at Home Depot. The only
power tools I used were a drill and a jigsaw for the hole cutouts. That said, you can probably guess that I didn't
flush my drivers. Flush mounting is desirable (especially for tweeters) but can be omitted if you don't have a router.
You should always seal all inside joints with silicon caulking, but especially sealed enclosures. It is important to
make the cabinets as rigid and vibration free as possible. Cabinets larger than 15 Litres should be braced, sub-woofer
cabinets should be braced heavily.
Finishing the cabinet is one of the fussiest parts of the project, remember you do want it to look good. I used
raw oak veneer which I attached to the cabinet with Press-tite contact cement. I did this slowly and didn't have
any problems. I finished my cabinets with six coats of clear satin polyurathane. Obviously, you would stain or choose
a different wood or finish if you preferred.
The Grills
I found the easiest way to make grills is to cut a piece of 1/2" mdf to the size of your baffle, then cut out a hole
large enough for the speaker components - so you end up with a frame. Contact cememt was used to attach the cloth
to the frame, and I used the grill fasteners available from Solen to attach the grill frame to the cabinet. You may need
to use 3/4" wood if building a grill for a large woofer with a large x-max (long excursion), so the woofer doesn't slap
the grill cloth.Optioanally, you can put open cell foam (the weather strip) around the tweeter area to help reduce
diffraction effects.
Picture of my finished grill.
The Crossovers
Wayne J. has recently written an excellent article titled
Building The Crossover! . Make sure you check it out.
Music
This is what it's all about folks, recreating as accurately as possible, the sound as it was meant to be heard.
Below are some of my favorite CDs. Its so hard to just pick a few. This list mostly represents discs
that have stood the test of time for me. Some of them you think I would out grow, but not so.
I still listen to all of them, including Zeppelin, once in a while.
Thanks
Thanks for stopping in, and I hope you enjoyed reading this page.
I would like to send a big thanks to all the folks at the discussions boards who helped me get this far. You know who you are.
Now lets play some tunes!
