My DIY Speaker Project

**JCD** · **04-23-06, 04:39 AM**

Thought I'd share my experience building a set of speakers..

I'd been hanging around some AV forums when I got bit by the DIY bug. Bad enough, but it could have been worse, it could been have been Upgraditis.

After picking a budget (hahaha.. a budget he says

) of ~$500, I scoured the internet and solicited opinions on some of the forums on what would be a good project. In the end, I decided on the Usher 2.5 (http://www.zalytron.com/usherkits.htm). I hadn't heard them, so why did I choose these? One reason was that these were suggested by someone I had a certain level of respect for -- he's been building his own speakers for a long time and we seem to share the preference for the same "sound" from speakers, i.e., as little coloration to the speakers as possible. Not warm or bright but just right

Now, do I have ANY experience with such things? Nope. I know how to pound nails and cut reasonably straight lines, but nothing approaching cabinet work. Fortunately, I have a cabinet maker friend.

Do I know much about the theory behind speaker design? Nope. But, I'm willing and wanting to learn. Also, if you buy a kit, the theory isn’t necessary.

Anyway, I bought the kit on faith and began the construction process. I gave the dimensions to my cabinet maker friend and he cut the pieces at his shop for me.

The next step is to cut the holes for the drivers, input cap and port. All of this is 'detailed' on the plans that came with the kit.

If you don’t have access to a full workshop (e.g., a cabinet maker’s workshop), you’ll need a plunge router and a jasper jig to get a nice flush mount.

Here are the results:

Now that the holes had been cut out, time to assemble the box. This part was actually easier than I thought. The only tricky part was the internal brace that I inserted between the two woofers. I made a groove on the inside of the cabinet that the brace was inserted into. You can see the brace in the above picture. At this point, a little bit of nailing and a little bit of gluing and I have a box that’s beginning to look like a speaker. Finally, I caulked all of the seams on the inside to make it as airtight as possible. Again, the picture above shows the white inside seams. Have to admit, I don’t totally understand the physics involved here, especially when there is a big ol’ port hole in the back of the speaker.

Now, speakers shouldn’t just sound good, they should look good as well. MDF isn’t all that exciting, so I put a layer of lacewood veneer over the speaker shell. Here’s what it looked like with the unstained veneer installed.

Let me not forget the crossover. Here is the schematic:

..which looks like this in real life:

These were installed on the inside of the cabinet.

Now, it’s just a matter of staining/urethaning the veneer and installing the speaker drivers themselves.

The (almost) final result is this:

There are still some final touches left, for example, I didn’t have the screws I wanted in the final construction – I had to use what I had at the time.

So, in the end, how did it sound? With not just a little bit of trepidation, I fired them up at my cabinet maker friend’s house on the floor of his living room. How did they sound? Pretty good I thought. They’re supposed to be on stands, and they weren’t exactly set up well, but I was happy. The next time I listened to them, they were on my dining room table. Not an ideal situation either. Again, I liked them, but not as much this time. They sounded so different. It really is amazing how much the room and setup will make it the final sound. The third and last time I was able to listen to them, I had them setup on the floor in a dedicated home theater room. The sound stage was pretty amazing here since there weren’t ANY reflections of sound in the room. It was DEAD because it was WAY overtreated with acoustical treatments. Between the overtreatments and the fact that the speakers were sitting on the floor, the bass was out of control. However, they were favorably compared to the Paradigm Signature 8’s that were installed in the room. As you can imagine, I HATED that..

Sigh, three different rooms, three totally different sounds. I haven’t had a chance to set them up in their permanent home yet – my garage that I hope to convert to a listening room. I’ll be able to give a final review at that time.

That being said, I enjoyed the whole process and would encourage anyone with the inclination to give it a try. You can get some great sounding speakers for 25-50% of what you’d have to pay at an audio store.

Overall, the following is what I learned from this project:
1) A table saw really is a must for a job like this. You can get away using a circular saw, but spend the $100 for an inexpensive table saw. It might not be the best, but it'll be better than cutting with a circular saw.
2) A router is also another piece of equipment totally needed.. with the proper bits.
3) Patience is a virtue. Take the time to do it right.
4) You're going to set a budget -- know that you're going to exceed it
5) It's actually easier to build than I expected (so far) but far more time consuming than I thought. Naturally, I expect the next one to go much more smoothly.

JCD

**Sonnie** · **04-23-06, 09:37 PM**

Totally impressed JC!

They look factory to me... you sure you didn't buy those already built? heehee

So... do you have grilles for them, I didn't notice any holes for them.

**JCD** · **04-24-06, 01:50 AM**

Quote:

Sonnie wrote:

Totally impressed JC!

They look factory to me... you sure you didn't buy those already built? heehee

So... do you have grilles for them, I didn't notice any holes for them.

Thanks.. I have to give the credit to to my friend. If it were just me, it would probably have more of a modern art look.

As for the grills.. I decided against them. I kinda like the whole nekkid speaker look.

JCD

**Sonnie** · **04-24-06, 08:34 AM**

Well I'd have to say they are definitely gorgeous with no cover! lol

**Fincave** · **04-24-06, 08:53 AM**

A grille would just cover up a gorgeous speaker! If I had the skill and also hadn't just bought new speakers DIY would be the way to go I think. Really nice finish!

**JCD** · **04-24-06, 12:35 PM**

Quote:

Sonnie wrote:

Well I'd have to say they are definitely gorgeous with no cover! lol

Thanks! I'm really pleased with the way they turned out.

Quote:

Fincave wrote:

A grille would just cover up a gorgeous speaker! If I had the skill and also hadn't just bought new speakers DIY would be the way to go I think. Really nice finish!

Thanks again! And it's not as hard as they look. If you don't have much woodworking experience, you'd have to go slow, but it really wasn't that bad. Of course, you'd have to access to the tools.. That being said, most sites that sell the parts will also build the boxes for you, and leave the rest of the construction to you -- applying the veneer, mounting the drivers, building the crossover. Those don't require much in the way of tools.

JCD

**Exocer** · **04-27-06, 05:03 PM**

JCD, first of all, awesome job.
Second of all, I have no idea where to start when building a crossover although I do have a good understand of it's purpose. Care to share any first-timer pointers with us? I've never built a crossover but will have to for the MTM's next on my project list

**JCD** · **04-27-06, 06:22 PM**

Quote:

Exocer wrote:

JCD, first of all, awesome job.
Second of all, I have no idea where to start when building a crossover although I do have a good understand of it's purpose. Care to share any first-timer pointers with us? I've never built a crossover but will have to for the MTM's next on my project list

Crossover design is SO FAR ABOVE my level of understanding.. mine was, fortunately, a part of the kit.

I've been able to pick up a few pointers though..
1) Don't skimp on the parts. They're more important than I would have thought. Don't get crazy, but don't get the bargain basement stuff.
2) The tweeter should be crossed over 2 octaves above it's lowest posted rating, the woofer 2 octaves above. .or is only one? I think it's two.
3) When actually constructing the crossover, the inductors should be perpindicular to each other. So if one is lieing on its side, the other one should be upright and positioned to "roll over" the one laying down. If you take a look at the second picture of my crossovers above, you'll see what I mean. This minimizes the interference between the two inductors.
4) An active crossover is the easiet AND best alternative -- however, it's more expensive.. go figure

. You'd have to buy an active crossover and an amp for each driver(s) driven. For example, if your two M's are to be crossrf over at the same point, then you would only have to get two amps per speaker. If they were crossed over at different frequencies, like mine, you'd have to get three different amps for each speaker. Maybe a little more expensive than someone would like spend.

After that, I'd have to send you to other websites such as:
this one, or
this one, or
this one, or
this one, or
etc, etc..

Hopefully you can read all of that and explain it to me!

JCD

**Exocer** · **05-10-06, 03:06 PM**

Thanks, a lot for that.
JCD, I don't know if this has already been answered, but will this stay a 2-channel system? If not, what are you plans for a center channel as far as driver arrangment?

**JCD** · **05-10-06, 03:16 PM**

Quote:

Exocer wrote:

Thanks, a lot for that.
JCD, I don't know if this has already been answered, but will this stay a 2-channel system? If not, what are you plans for a center channel as far as driver arrangment?

Hope it helped.. there's way too much info there for me.

For the time being, it will stay a 2.1 system. I've toyed with the idea of going to a 4.1 system -- there is a 2 driver system related to mine that I would use for the surrounds. I'd PROBABLY ignore the center channel or go with the 2 driver speaker in the center (this would be mounted in an upright position).

I contacted the company I bought the kit from -- they offered to sell an already built pair of speakers of the two driver system for $400. The parts seperately cost more. That's been tempting me for the last couple of days. I'd have to re-veneer the thing though -- it's currently black

JCD

**Exocer** · **05-10-06, 03:21 PM**

For $400 it seems like a smokin' deal! I would try and snag those up ASAP even with having to veneer them yourself it would be major money savings. Its always good to have at least 4.1 for HT as an option IMO. 5.1 in my room sounded exactly the same as 4.1. But lets not get a 4.1 vs 5.1 battle started

**JCD** · **05-10-06, 04:42 PM**

Quote:

Exocer wrote:

For $400 it seems like a smokin' deal! I would try and snag those up ASAP. Its always good to have at least 4.1 IMO. 5.1 in my room sounded exactly the same as 4.1. But lets not get a 4.1 vs 5.1 battle started

Yeah, no doubt about it, it's a great deal. I just have to find out if it's worth the 2 weeks I'd be in the dog house with the she-beast!

JCD

**mobilelawyer** · **05-10-06, 05:26 PM**

Great looking speakers. I am curious about the veneer you used. Where did you get it, and what process did you follow to apply it with such perfect looking results?

**JCD** · **05-10-06, 06:23 PM**

Quote:

mobilelawyer wrote:

Great looking speakers. I am curious about the veneer you used. Where did you get it, and what process did you follow to apply it with such perfect looking results?

Thanks! I guarantee that it wouldn't have looked this good the first time without a friend's help.
I have a friend who is a cabinet maker. He got the veneer from his shop. It's good to have a wide variety of friends!

If you don't have access to a cabinet maker friend, I think you could probably find the same thing at Tapeease.

The steps I followed to get the veneer on the box after it was assembled went as follows:

Roll on contact cement over one side of the box. In particular, you want to make sure you get all of the edges.
Carefully apply the veneer onto the box -- avoid getting any air bubbles.
There was a tool sort of like a roller paint brush we rolled over the entire surface. Start in the middle and work your way out. This will get rid of any of the residual air bubbles and give a good connection for the veneer and the glue.
Turn the box over on to the side with the veneer
With a razor like this http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/...s/165683_3.jpg you extend the razor out to the max. If you do that, you slide the razor so it's flush against the side of the box cutting off the excess veneer.
Sand the edges a little bit so veneer is flush with the side of the box
Repeat the process for the remaining sides of the box.

It really wasn't that hard. I think I could probably repeat the process right now with close to the same results (I did do half the work) by myself. The trick of course is to go slow and be careful.

I've seen other methods/procedures on the web, but this is the one that my friend knew, so it's the one we used.

If any of the steps above don't make sense, let me know and I'll try to clarify.

JCD

**mobilelawyer** · **05-11-06, 07:16 AM**

Quote:

JCD wrote:

The steps I followed to get the veneer on the box after it was assembled went as follows:

Roll on contact cement over one side of the box. In particular, you want to make sure you get all of the edges.
Carefully apply the veneer onto the box -- avoid getting any air bubbles.
There was a tool sort of like a roller paint brush we rolled over the entire surface. Start in the middle and work your way out. This will get rid of any of the residual air bubbles and give a good connection for the veneer and the glue.
Turn the box over on to the side with the veneer
With a razor like this http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/...s/165683_3.jpg you extend the razor out to the max. If you do that, you slide the razor so it's flush against the side of the box cutting off the excess veneer.
Sand the edges a little bit so veneer is flush with the side of the box
Repeat the process for the remaining sides of the box.

It really wasn't that hard. I think I could probably repeat the process right now with close to the same results (I did do half the work) by myself. The trick of course is to go slow and be careful.

I've seen other methods/procedures on the web, but this is the one that my friend knew, so it's the one we used.

If any of the steps above don't make sense, let me know and I'll try to clarify.

JCD

Not hard for you maybe, but based my luck in trying to get air bubbles out from under a just- applied screen protector, the devil is in the details!!!

Anyway, you did a great job! Don't know that I would ever be brave enough try myself, but it does look interesting.

**JCD** · **05-11-06, 11:11 AM**

LOL.. I can see where you're coming from.

The air bubble thing isn't too bad with veneer though -- it is kind of a stiff material, so as long as you're careful, you should be fine.

And I think if you're interested, you should TOTALLY give it a try. It was fun, interesting, etc.
I might have started with something a bit smaller had I not had a friend's qualified help, but then again, I probably would have jumped in the deep end still.

That being said, there are a lot of inexpensive projects out there you can try. This project is something I thought I'd try out sometime just for the heck of it. The drivers are $10/each, not sure what the crossover parts are, but it looks fairly straight forward. I'd say, $40 in parts for a pair of speakers, not including the box itself. Of course, this also assumes you have the parts..

JCD

**Brian Bunge** · **05-13-06, 09:11 AM**

Wow, those are some very nice looking speakers! Great job!

Exocer, which MTM's are you planning on building? If you haven't bought all of your parts yet, you should really consider some of the free designs posted over in the DIY section of HTGuide. There are several designs over there using the Dayton RS line of speakers. I can honestly say these are among the best drivers on the market at any price and you can achieve results that would cost you multiple thousands of dollars for a retail equivalent.

Here are a few pics of the speakers I built with these drivers:

Unfortunately, the picture of the finished speaker didn't come out well and I haven't had a chance to take new ones. Maybe this weekend...

**Exocer** · **05-13-06, 10:44 AM**

Nice pics BTW.

Well, I don't know if you remember, but a gentleman by the nick of "PMazz" upgraded his towers from the DA 175's to the RS line you mention. What he did was send out his DA 175's to people who were interested, free of charge. I received 2 for free

They cost under $20 a peice so I thought about maybe ordering 2 more Da 175's to build a pair of MTM's. I'll have to take a look over there and see if anyone has used these drivers in their designs. It would be MORE than helpful to have everything already layed out as far as crossover is concerned. My knowledge in this area is very vague and probably mis-interpreted

BTW the Dayton RS line is incredibly affordable. hmmm i should probably go that route. sssabripo's center came out awesome.

Maybe i'll use the DA 175's to build a small sub for my computer setup..?

My apologies for changing the course of this thread.

**Brian Bunge** · **05-13-06, 02:57 PM**

The DA 175's are nice drivers for sure. They definitely have great bass output. And I know Pete pretty well. He painted the gloss black front and back of my center channel that matches the above towers for me. PE has their MTM design using the 175's and the Vifa metal dome tweeter. I like that tweeter and I'd expect it to be a nice speaker. That being said, if you can afford it, something like Jon's Modula MTM design using the RS drivers would be one helluva giant killer.

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