Being a newbie
in diy-loudspeakers, the #1 question obviously is this: What
am I going to build? What will suit my needs, my system, my room, my
wife, etc. HiFi magazines are full of mails posing the same problem,
because we can't hear them all and in particular when we're dealing
with diy, it takes a lot of practice to "read" a project and get some
ideas on how it will perform. Actually it may take many, many sheets
of MDF and experience with a huge number of drivers. I could have
bought a pair of extremely expensive speakers for the money I've
invested in speaker drivers - but it wouldn't have been the same fun!
Those of us having made a large number of speakers will know the
excitement of setting up our finished speakers and thinking this is
the best thing since sliced bread. After a couple of months, post
honeymoon, we may start thinking this really wasn't the stroke of
genius we thought it was - and start planning for the next project.
If I really had to
help you and to make any suggestions, I would have to know you
personally, your spouse, your room, your equipment, your musical
taste, how loud you play, etc. And even then
you might think my suggestion wasn't exactly what you had in mind.
And please remember: What I
hear is not what
you will hear - and
describing sound just doesn't make much sense.
My suggestions below
are only pointing to my own constructions, but these are only a very
few examples found on the web. There may be a lot of other
constructions out there that may suit your needs and money better.
To summarise:
Please do not ask what to build, which speaker sounds the best
and what is the difference in sound between two speakers. Thanks!
Much appreciated!
Always
consider size, cost, complexity and your current skills in loudspeaker
building before engaging.
Size (matters)
BACK TO TOP
This may seem an odd
place to start, but nevertheless: You must have an idea about what
size speaker you're aiming at. What is the size of your room and do
you have a wife who thinks loudspeakers are ugly and should be stuck
away on shelves in upper corners of your living room? You need to
address these issues first. No point in dreaming about a 100 liter
floor-standers if it means divorce. What I have experienced
from mails coming in is that people may have chosen a (small)
low-efficiency speaker and "compensated" by buying a powerful amp, and
they find out the speaker really can't play that loud all the same...
Well, it doesn't work that way. We must look at
the size of the main driver, and if we're dealing with 55-75 square
centimeters of membrane area (4" drivers) it simply cannot move a lot
of air. You may have heard a speaker with a 10-12" bass driver and
we're talking 300-500 cm^2 membrane area. Up to ten times more
radiating area compared to a small mini-mini! Even a 6"
driver, typically making some 135-145 cm^2, won't move a lot of air in
a vented or closed enclosure. A high-efficiency 6" in a huge
rear-loaded horn may be another story, but few people build these
things. Generally people have too high expectations from their diy
projects and buying high-quality small drivers won't compensate for
the lack of radiating area. So, size matters!
Really small,
~4 liter: If it must be really, really small you may take
a look at
Eekels' minis
or similar designs. A 4 liter "bookshelf", which, by the way, do
better on a pair of solid stands. This is probably as small as it gets
- if size is a no-no and it still has to be decent hifi. You may add a
small 1 cu. f./30 L sub somewhere in the corner to get some deep bass
if need be, but there are limits to how loud a 4" driver will go if
you also think of throwing a Saturday night party. Usually very small
speakers also have very low efficiency, so 30-40 watts may be minimum
and never expect 4" drivers to throw a huge soundstage in a 40 m^2
living room. They can't.
Small, ~7-10
liter: If you have room for a little more, the
W15/OWI
may be an option. 7 liter net volume and we get more bass from the 5"
driver compared to the 4" driver. Still you won't get it all from this
speaker unless you invest in - or build - a pair of solid stands and
get it out on the floor. Efficiency is still very low and a decent amp
is required. No rock parties either from this speaker. If 10 liter
net volume is OK, there are more options. The
SEAS 5INCH
projects describe a number of speakers in this category where the
CA15RLY provides a lot of good sound for the money. If you want the
best bass possible from a 10 litre speaker I suggest taking a look at
the
Ellam
or
Ellam-XT.
So, why more bass from this speaker compared to the SEAS-5INCH
speakers? All the SEAS 5-inch speakers have a 75 cm^2 membrane area
and have higher efficiency (except for the W15CY001) compared to the
ScanSpeak's 95 cm^2 membrane area. The price to pay for more bass from
this design is reduced efficiency. Nothing comes for free when we're
dealing with loudspeakers. Remember, when we reduce efficiency by 3
dB, you need twice the amount of power to render the same sound level
- and don't be too sure your drivers like it at all.
Medium size:
So, what's a medium size speaker? Let's say 10-20 litre and either a
stand-mount or a small floor-stander. I have a serious lack of this
size standmounts in my portfolio. Why? I never could figure out why
people would buy a 20 litre stand-mount + a pair of heavy stands - and
occupy the same floor space as a pair of true floor-standers would do.
It's gotta be something visually. Apparently we "see" an e.g. 15 litre
stand-mount as a smaller speaker compared to 25 litre true
floor-stander despite occupying the same space in our living room.
With the floor-stander we may have 10-15 litre more cabinet volume and
for the same money we can significantly increased sensitivity and bass
extension, both things so much needed. Stand-mounts apparently have
higher WAF compared to a similar sized floor-standers. Dealing with
commercial speakers, a given stand-mount may have just the sound you
like - and that's another story. No objections here. If you find
the one-and-only among the huge number of speakers available in
this category, then go for it. The only stand-mount I have in this
range is the
AT-SW
and
ScanSpeak Illuminator
Monitor,
which is a serious investment, I admit, but I don't think you'll be
disappointed. The
ScanSpeak CSM
range provide a more affordable range on constructions and size can be
varied from 13 liter to ~22 liter. And the
STUDIO 101
is worth a look in this range. Standmount or bookshelf?
20-40 liter
bookshelf/standmount/floorstander: Usually we're dealing
with a 6-6½-7-8 inch basic driver here and we may even try a 2½-way in
this category depending on bass driver parametres. Quite a range here:
Illuminator Monitor
(floor-stander version),
Illumina 66,
SP95,
SP38,
Ekta,
TJL2W,
TJL3W,
SEAS CNO,
SEAS CNO25,
SP98-09,
etc. The ScanSpeak drivers will deliver deeper bass compared to
the 18W- SEAS drivers. The SS 18W/8531 driver is bigger and seems
build for bass, where the SEAS drivers may deliver better midrange.
The
SEAS CNO
is my favourite despite not delivering the deep bass of the 18W
ScanSpeak drivers, but combined with the excellent SEAS T29 tweeters I
find it more lively and the lack of colouration is almost as good as
the magnesium drivers. A 2½-way SEAS 18WNX001 has been finished:
SEAS CNO25.
In the SEAS low-cost section we find the
3-Way Classic
and
Poor Man's Strad,
both highly popular according to responses. Both speakers deliver some
90 dB sensitivity and an easy load on valve amps. Latest addition
is the
NOMEX 164
2½-way speaker from Peerless drivers. I can't recommend this speaker
enough if you're looking for a cost-efficient speaker that delivers a
midrange that compares to speakers 2-3 times its price. And take a
look at the new (2010)
QUATTRO
too if you have a valve amp that loves high impedances - or just want
the magnificent midrange quality of the JA8008 driver. My new
favourite middle-sized two-way.
40-80 liter:
Quite a range here too:
Acapella SEas,
Acapella NEXT,
Ekta Grande,
Zahra,
Cyclop,
Jazzman,
Mark21
and
Jensen,
etc. We're entering a range of speakers that will deliver a
significant soundstage. The EktaG, Jazzman and Jensen may deliver the
deepest bass of them all followed by the ATR25 (unfortunately
discontinued). The Acapella NEXT and ATR25 are my favourites here, not
needing a massive power-amp like the Ekta Grande. The sensitivity of
the Ekta Grande is around 90 dB/2.8 volts but like most SS
constructions, it takes a powerful workhorse to deliver its best. The
Acapella NEXT, Zahra and ATR25 are all speakers that can deliver the
best from only 50 watts. The constructions listed here will set you
back some 1,500-3,000 US $ and don't be stingy on the quality of
crossover components. Use good baked coils and super caps where
needed, in particular for mid and tweeter. BTW: I have had reports
back on the Ekta Grande saying it's simply too bass-heavy for their
rooms. So don't put the EG into a smallish 12-18 square meter room. It
can (and should) handle a lot more space. I had a mail recently
asking why there were no reports back on the
Jensen
speaker. I consider the Jensen speaker the best ScanSpeak construction
on these pages and I'm pretty sure why it doesn't attract much
attention. First of all the MDF appearance. Unfortunately I never had
any photos of the finished speakers from the builder. Maybe they're
not finished yet. Next the overall layout may not appeal to diy'ers
not being a skinny runt like the Ekta Grande. So, try visualising the
Jensen dressed in gorgeous hardwood veneers, piano black or whatever.
It's a darn good speaker. Latest addition to this range is the
PRELUDE.
Only thing to say about this speaker is this: Make sure you have good
amps and source players.
100-200 liter,
medium efficiency: The Jenzen speakers fall into this range
(174 litre brutto) and for the time being
Jenzen SEAS ER
is the economy candidate, but you get an awful lot of speaker for the
money.
Jenzen NEXT
is the ER's big brother
and comes at twice the price, but delivers the goodies. The
Jenzen Accu
was a corner stone in the development of the Jenzen speakers,
delivering a level of transparency I hadn't had in my living room
before. If you know the ScanSpeak drivers, you may take a look at
Jenzen Illuminator.
Icing of the cake is the
Jenzen D
and
Jenzen ATS, my current reference speakers.
80-160 liter
high efficiency: I've only made the
TQWT
and
DTQWT
in this volume range and they are in the high-efficiency category of
speakers (read below). I've never built a conventional
"low-efficiency" speaker this size - and probably never will. Not that
it wouldn't be great fun, but the trouble of getting rid of it again
is enough for not engaging. I have never made any profit from making
finished speakers for sale. A few times I get a price equal to the
cost of the components, but all the working hours I have to let go for
free. The number of good second hand speakers here in Denmark is
humongous and often diy speakers are sold at ridiculously low prices.
I have a lot of requests from people who want to discuss their dream
speaker, double 10" bass drivers, etc., and I've promised to make the
crossover, but when they start realising the amount of work going into
cabinets, overall costs, etc., I usually don't hear any more. Please
think it through before writing.
200+ liters:
Take a look at this one:
DTQWT-12
Open baffles:
If you have the room and the patience for proper set-up of
one of these monster panels, take a look at
OBL-11,
OB9
and
OB7.
I dare guarantee the OBL-11 will deliver a live feeling that none of
the other speakers mentioned here will ever do. WAF is low, so take
care!
Back to top
Cost
BACK TO TOP
Next:
Take a deep look into your pockets and decide what amount of money you
want to spend on your speaker adventure. Be prepared it will cost more
than you think when you scan driver specs and think: Well, a pair of
drivers - can't be that serious. You need at lot of components before
the project is completed and you may even have to buy additional tools
to finish your cabs. So, is it going to be 500, 1,000, 2,000 or
4,000 US $?? For 2000 US $ you can build a pair of speakers that will
compete with some serious high-end commercial speakers at 5-10 times
the building cost - that is - if you choose the right combination of
drivers and have someone design a proper crossover. Sometimes
commercial speakers are priced deliberately high, because we may think
that a cheaper product may not be as good as an expensive one.
Bear in mind also that diy speakers will never have the re-sale value
of some well-known commercial speakers. I've seen used ProAc Response
2.5 speakers sold for horrific prices, alone due to the ProAc badge.
Speakers are also a show-off thing, something people may want to
own to impress friends - like cars or whatever paraphernalia we buy to
create attention. B&O score high here in Denmark for show-off. People
may think you're filthy rich (and well, you have to be well off to buy
serious B&O stuff!) if you own a whole bunch of B&O gear, where
"hardcore" hifi gear like huge horn, fancy turntables and glowing
valves may only produce sympathy for the poor spouse having to live
with these ugly monsters.
Back to top
Bass extension
BACK TO TOP
People
have very different expectations when it comes to overall bass
performance. We may all be acquainted with earthquake subs at hifi
shows and would like our home speakers to shake our guts as well, but
we won't experience anything alike from a modest 22 liter/6" woofer
floorstander. I can't be done. To clarify your requirements on bass
extension, visit a hifi store and listen to a range of speakers based
on 4", 5", 6", 2 x 6" and bigger bass drivers if available and try to
imagine how this will perform in your own listening environment.
You may think that in order to produce decent bass, you need speakers
with a linear response down to 30 Hz. Now, 30 Hz would be nice - if
the room allows - but I wish it was possible to demonstrate to all
first-time diy'ers what it sounds like when we compare a 6" bass
driver with -3dB @ 30 Hz to a 12" bass driver with -3 dB @ "only" 50
Hz. Most people would probably agree that bass can mean a lot of
things.
Back to top
Efficiency
BACK TO TOP
Efficiency as such is more of academic interest. Efficiency is usually
expressed as dB/1 meter/1 watt. As speakers' impedance may vary a lot,
sensitivity is what we have to look for, that is:
dB/2.8 volts. For valve amps the impedance profile is of particular
interest as most valve amps do not like impedances below 4 ohms, where
well-designed solid state amps sometimes deliver twice to nominal
power in 4 ohms compared to 8 ohms.
Efficiency: My favourite subject, but I won't get into details here,
but refer to my pages on high-efficiency speakers listed here:
High Efficiency
Speakers intro, discussion
High
efficiency speaker constructions:
DTQWT
DTQWT-12
TQWT
OBL-11
Obviously you have to pick a speaker project providing a system
sensitivity that your amplifier can cope with. If you have a fine
little 10 wpc class A amplifier, a 2.5 clone may not be the best
choice, although I've seen exactly this set-up, but this person never
did play very loud. I see a lot of people building 8 wpc 300B
amplifiers, but apparently they often run these amps on 85-88 dB
speakers! I don't say you can't enjoy the midrange of a 300B amp on
these speakers, but they may never reveal all the qualities of your
amp.
Most
modern speakers have very low efficiency compared to the speakers of
the Fifties and Sixties. Low efficiency drivers came around due to the
availability of high-wattage solid state amplifiers and the need for
small speakers providing decent bass extension, e.g. the "acoustic
suspension" (closed box) speakers from Acoustic Research. To do this
we need a membrane with high mass and a magnet with low strength and
to some people this means "modern hifi" = dull and unexciting
reproduction. To others it doesn't matter - and taste cannot be
argued.
Back to top
|