driver replacement

[zuter]

I am looking to replace my existing HT 5.1 speakers, all but the sub. This DIY forum has peaked my interest in building my own. However I would like to use my existing cabinets and replace the drivers. They are (main and surrounds) 18" x 10" x 11.5" consisting of 2 drivers - 1 mid/woofer either 6.5" or 7" (not sure how you measure them) and 1 tweeter 1", with a bass port in back The center is also just a 2 driver system with rear base port, but I think I'll either build a new one from scratch or look for a complete replacement.

The reason I'd like to replace only the drivers and probably the x-over is that I can spend as much for the replacements as I would have for the complete speaker and get a better speaker in the end! That and learn a thing or two along the way!

The existing cabinets are 15 years old, are well made and have the facilities for bi-wiring/bi-amping already installed. Being older, the drivers have lost some of their luster over the years and I think an upgrade would work very well. What should I look for in replacement drivers to match these cabinets. As I'm a newbie to this side of the audio any help or advic would greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[kano32]

Just replacing the drivers wont really work so well. The crossover is designed specifically for the drivers, the enclosure and multiple other factors. If you want to build your own there are tons of excellent DIY designs. Many of these designs will deliver a great sounding speaker for a modest price.

Check these out for starters.

http://www.htguide.com/forum/forumdisplay.php4?f=39

http://www.partsexpress.com/projects.../homeaudio.cfm

[zuter]

Yeah, I thought as much and thanks for the feed back! I particularly liked the partsexpress link...some pretty funky designs! Being an artist I could envision some other pretty way out there speaker enclosures....probably not too practical though! I'll look into this a little deeper and decide what I'm going to do.

Thanks again!