Hello

[Tripp]

Hello everyone!

first id like to introduce myself as im sure you will notice his is my first post. so i thought id introduce myself with a project i have in mind.

Im not going for anything extravegant as this will be my first real speaker build. Now im going a 2.1 speaker setup, I am looking to make the mains a pair of 2way speakers to cover the upper and mid frequencies and my active sub would be used for the lower frequencies.

Now Im not looking to create a pair of speakers which set some kind of audio benchmark im primarily looking to replace my g/f's naff stereo setup which we use for music and HT. These will also be used for 60%HT and 40%music (mostly metal).

The room they will be in is about 24ft by 12ft (9ft tall) and the seating distance is about 3-4meters.

Like most people, i would imagine, im aiming for a setup that has:

Clean, crisp highs
full and accurate bass (which doesnt stiffle the tweet)
Speakers that can fill the whole room when im not sat on the sofa
Good sound positioning
I deffinatley do not want a boomy system, i want something that recreates realistic sounds (or as close to realsitic as possible)

Now my question is what sort of things do i need to be lookin out for, what sort of speaker characteristics/tech info should i bee paying attention to?.

I would prefer a 2-way spkr for my first build so i can keep things simple and eligant but would a 2-way struggle to accuratley produce all desired frequencies? what is a good crossover point for a 2way?

as far as budget is concerned its flexible, but hopefully no more than £300 / $600

As much as it may seem im not really tha big a n00b im just looking for some guidance for my first (of hopefuly many) build.

Thanks

[BoomieMCT]

Do you intend to build a center and/or surrounds at some point? My answer will change depending on you answer this question.

[Mike P.]

Welcome to the Shack! Are you wanting to design and build the speakers and crossovers from scratch or are you looking for recommendations for proven designs?

[Tripp]

BoomieMCT wrote:

Do you intend to build a center and/or surrounds at some point? My answer will change depending on you answer this question.

Hmmm, well lets go with a no. Not for this set anyway, only because as my first build i may want to improve upon them or replace them altogether in the future as my knowledge grows.

[Tripp]

Mike P. wrote:

Welcome to the Shack! Are you wanting to design and build the speakers and crossovers from scratch or are you looking for recommendations for proven designs?

well im open to looking over some proven designs ofc but i will brobably be building my own boxes (likely based on a proven design)

I am toying with the idea of making my own x-over as id really enjoy that but im worried i may be taking on too much by doing that and just get to overwhelmed by information if i do. Short answer im not too sure at this stage...

[nova]

Hi Tripp, Welcome to the Shack. I'm sure these guys will get you headed down the right path.

Are you familiar with; Madisound and/or Parts express? These sites will give you an idea of some drivers and other parts that are available. Also check out Zaph Audio for some ideas on some proven designs. And of course the wealth of info availble here at the Shack from some very knowledgeable folks.

[BoomieMCT]

Just to be clear this is what your constraints are;

300-600 pounds (or $600 - $1200)
Frequency range of at least 60Hz - 20kHz
Good dispersion
Good imaging
No size constraint
Reference levels at 4 meters (so peak output of at least 100 - 110 dB @ 1 meter)

That's a healthy budget for two speakers so this is probably do-able. I'd start off by browsing existing designs. Other then browsing this forum check out these sites and see if anything grabs you;

GR Research
Zaph Audio

Uh, I'd post more but I have to go now. I'm sure others will chime in.

[Tripp]

BoomieMCT wrote:

Just to be clear this is what your constraints are;

300-600 pounds (or $600 - $1200)

well i said about £300 / $600 i just included the dollar conversion to make it easier for people.

600 quid for my first pair of DIY speakers is a bit rich for me atm

Although thinking about it the budget may be a bit tight so say 150-200 pounds or 300-400dollars - Per speaker

Again bare in mind that im not going for the average shacksters level of audio quality atm just something that is above average. i want to enjoy the learning curve before I really get into creating cinema standard speakers like i see on these forums.

[BoomieMCT]

Oops, I didn't pay attention to the monetary sign. Still, $600 for a pair of speakers should result in a decent pair of speakers. Just off the top of my head the GR-Research AV/3's would come in under budget and should meet your needs. One of the BAMTM variants may also fit your needs and will come in way under budget. Many people have reported good reviews of the Tritrix. There are many more options - these are just three.

A few more questions -

Do you have preferences for any speakers types (sealed, ported, dipole, etc.)?
Have you heard any speakers that really impressed you (commercial or DIY)?
Do you use your sub when listening to music?
4 ohm or 8 ohm?

[Tripp]

I have been looking at sealed speaker designs mostly but im still at a point where nothing is concrete

As for testing - no i cant say ive really gone about listening to see what i like which i suppose would have been a smart thing to do and puts me at a dissadvantage.

I dont have a sub atm i will be building one of those aswell, i suppose i may use it for music from time to time but if the speakers are good enough then probably not.