Can AI Build a speaker?

Understanding how to build a crossover.  I can do this!

 

”

Wiring the crossover network is a crucial step in building your speaker, as it ensures that the correct frequencies reach each driver (woofer and tweeter). Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

### Understanding the Crossover Network

A crossover divides the audio signal into different frequency ranges:

- **Low-pass filter**: Allows low frequencies to pass to the woofer.
- **High-pass filter**: Allows high frequencies to pass to the tweeter.

### Components You’ll Need

1. **Capacitors**: For the high-pass filter.
2. **Inductors**: For the low-pass filter.
3. **Resistors** (optional): Can be used for fine-tuning.

### Steps to Wire the Crossover

1. **Determine Crossover Frequency**:
   - Decide the frequency where the woofer and tweeter will split (common frequencies are 2kHz to 4kHz).

2. **Calculate Component Values**:
   - Use online calculators to find the appropriate values for capacitors and inductors based on the chosen crossover frequency and driver impedance.

3. **Create the Circuit**:
   - **For the Woofer (Low-pass filter)**:
     - Connect the inductor in series with the woofer.
     - The other end of the woofer connects to the speaker terminal.
   - **For the Tweeter (High-pass filter)**:
     - Connect the capacitor in series with the tweeter.
     - The other end of the tweeter connects to the same speaker terminal.

4. **Wire Connections**:
   - Use soldering to secure connections. Ensure that you maintain correct polarity (positive to positive, negative to negative).
   - Connect the input from the amplifier to the crossover network, then connect the outputs to the respective drivers.

5. **Testing**:
   - Once wired, test the speaker with a low volume to ensure everything is working. Listen for clarity and balance between the drivers.

### Tips for Wiring

- **Label Wires**: Label connections to avoid confusion during assembly.
- **Secure Components**: Use a small enclosure or board to mount the crossover components for stability.
- **Check Impedance**: Ensure the combined impedance of the drivers matches your amplifier’s output.

### Diagram

Consider sketching a simple diagram to visualize connections:

```
Amplifier Input
      |
      +-----> [Inductor] -----> [Woofer]
      |
      +-----> [Capacitor] -----> [Tweeter]
```

### Final Check

Before sealing the speaker enclosure, double-check all connections and ensure the components are securely mounted. This will help prevent any issues later on. 

By following these steps, you should be able to wire your crossover network effectively, enhancing the performance of your homemade speaker. Happy building!”

My first down the rabbit hole question would be how to determine the crossover frequency? If you gave the AI your cabinet dimensions or baffle dimensions and the drivers you were using, could spit out a list of crossover components?

I assume you mean design a speaker system. I am sure it can help a lot. It is also a great way to learn how to use AI. Especially if you have created a lot of personal content about music and train on that as well as using a really large LLM. It would be fun, good reason to start a discourse about design tradeoffs, and preferences. Sounds like fun. 

Then you could get it to make drawings and pictures of them, and schematics on how to build them. Sounds like a great project. If nothing else from what you will learn about how to use AI and its current limitations. 

You may also learn about the alignment problem, see if they sound like what you had in mind. (joke for those into AI).

If it is really "smart" one should be able to specify the woofer and tweeter and AI should:

Search the world wide web to find all the data it can on those components,

Design the optimal cabinet for those components to a set of specs (e.g., flat response, and/or 6 cu ft, and/or etc,),

Select the optimal crossover point and slope for the selected components,

Design the circuit accordingly including enhancements to make the components work better together.

For example, if the woofer shows a dip just below the crossover frequency, AI should be "smart enough" to enhance the circuit by adjusting the values of the components to create a peak to counteract the dip.

I don't see any benifit to using AI. 

You can get the crossover designed by Parts Express or Midisound or software programs.

 "Use soldering to secure connections."

Agreed but... It doesn't tell you how easy it is to fry your drivers by not using a heat sink when soldering.

Too much fluff

Beyond helping a novice like me better understand how to do this right, I expect AI should be a boon already at this point for even the best and most experienced designers to use anywhere from actual design to as a reference to help refine and validate existing designs.  

That should bubble up to buyers in terms of more higher quality designs for less assuming makes the job faster and more reliable, a safe bet when good engineering and design is already at play. 

Sadly eventually jobs could be at risk once AI is able to do it all from design through implementation and testing, much like other jobs that employ SMEs (subject matter experts).  AI should definitely also help grow SMEs able to use it effectively as a tool with less knowledge needed at the onset.  Interesting stuff!  

 

The fear is of course it will be abused like a weapon for ill intent as well as used for constructive purposes, so important to be careful about that.  No regulation at all is probably not a good thing.

Try DIYaudio first instead. :) 

AI is only as good as the information that has been put into it.

Now, if you could find an AI bot that has been programmed with all the information from speaker designers, as well as the electrical information, not to mention cabinetry, and resonance, I think it might be something that could give you a good starting point.

B

AI can be amazing.  AI can also be pathetic....it’s very capable of making significant errors, and it does so with some surprising frequency.  I've had several confused moments with Chat GPT..  (Proceed with caution, but verify!)

NO! I had a friend I saw design speakers using computers. I asked him how done they were before listening. He said 95%. His speakers were good and I saw this process. But behind his use of the computer was 40 years of designing and listening and knowing relationships of design and what he heard. A n AI program never heard even one speaker. So it can do a technically competent design. But all the technology out there doesn't fully describe sound yet. So it probably will design a decent speaker, maybe even a good one but if it's great it's a coincidence.

I cheat....
A digital Xover combined with 2 eqs' with RTA, line or mic.
Use of RT displays of various sorts...again, line or mic'd.

Read the results and apply, tweek as desired.
Since I'm diy-ing drivers, it beats cut 'n try with drivers' known characteristics rendered nil by brutal surgery without painkillers....

...at least, to the mechanism....the surgeon? 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️😎

@asvjerry glad you mentioned that! After more thought why bother with  all those parts.  An external digital crossover is much easier and more flexible!   THinking that's how I would roll.

Good variable factors, @mapman ...
Enclosure design teeters on the design of a wooden maze in a small enclosure.  I can see while open baffles are trendy for dipoles, an omni has it’s own weirdnesses.  

I’m fooling around with acoustic suspension, a la the old AR’s.... It heats up the voice coils, but the thought is to self-spec units made to be abused....

I.e., instrument speakers, Kapton forms, venting....stuff that can handle the heat.  When the ’backside’ of the magnet gets hot to the touch, the norm is about to fry.

At least I’m my own warranty dept., and I know how to fix it..... ;)

No shipping issues....time lag?  'Ehhh...' *L*

 

I like my Behringer....learn curve is a tad steep, but you can pick flavors of type.

You might check out Sweetwater.....sells used, free shipping...👍

I pinch pennies with a vengeance.... ;)

...and Darnold shoots the piano player when he doesn't want to face the Muzak....

'Dipstick Don'

"Looming retirement".....
Don't let the warp and weft snarl you up...... ;)