DIY speakers

Hey there, I'd suggest you ask questions in DIYaudio.com where a lot of speaker DIY hobbyists hang out.

PS - A four way design is extremely ambitious, even if you are starting from a pre-designed kit.  I'd strongly encourage you to build a more affordable 2 way first.

Those cabinets are not going to be easy to make.

All the rest is easy, VERY easy. 

Multiple pairs? Do you want to go into business? 

I'll tell you first hand, you better have more than a passive knowledge of wood working to make those cabinets.. You want to buy the tools and CNC yourself.

I admire your stones. Kinda sounds like me 50+ years ago when there were no CnC in DIY. Come to think of it the machine shop I worked in was all analog. 

It can all be done, but that is one ambitious path your on.. GR may be an option in the short term.. They do the CnC for you. Danny at GR has a great crew he works with. They can prefab the cabinets for you.. Flat packs to finished, you choose..

Just a thought. 

But if your up for it.. GO MAN GO!!!! Enjoy the ride.. My hand ache thinkin' about it. Love hate relationship.. Youth, what a wonderful thing. Alive ain't bad either though.. LOL

Think I'll work on a set of mine.. 65 degrees here perfect work weather. 

Come on Dog...

Regards

erik_squires

Thanks for redirecting me in that direction. 

I also appreciate your concern about a four way build. My skill set would allow me to build this, with some head scratching I'm sure, but feel confident this will not be out of thee realm of my abilities. 

I want to use a router to speed this entire process up, as I do not have time to be in a wood shop for many weeks or months building the cabinets.. This would also provide relatively easy assembly as all the math is computed through MasterCam program so angles and joints would align with a very tight tolerance. 

I know there are many, like myself, who if hey had all the panels and bracing could easily put the cabinets together in a short time. 

Getting others who are interested would cut cost as the CAD Modeling, programming, and set up cost are distributed over 3-5 pairs for example. 

The Atell 3 is very similar to the 71K Kaiser Kawero Classic for a mere fraction of the cost so I felt this would be a great opportunity to those who wanted to pursue. 

I'll look intro becoming a member to DIY Audio so I can post this. 

oldhvymec,

I am in professional motorsports that adhere to extreme  +/- tolerances so working with wood is relatively easy compared. 

I have three large routers with high HP with over 12 tool carousel. They do 3D cutting so cutting these panels and the angled baffles is a walk in the park so no need to buy any routers or tools. 

I'm using Panzerholz for cabinets. 

Thanks for the heads up with Danny at GR but he would have to create a Cad file, Program the file to router, and incur time consuming set up with loading 10-12 tools carousel with correct bits and adding fixating for multiple OPTS that they will need.

This is the initial cost I was looking to spread over 4-5 people as I want to build a pair for myself. 

Geez, I was talking hand made, not CnC for me. I've no need for that stuff. LOL I use a duplicating machine. If I don't have a sculped model to copy from I'm SOL.. Nothing fancy here. 

I use to hand carve the kitchen soup spoons.. I made the cabinets in all the house. No fancy tools. Table saw, routers, planers, shapers. Old school.. 

I do draw the line with screw drivers though, except for the slot alignment. I'll use a power driver or the old ratchet driver. I still align the slots on the brass screws I use by hand.

GR has programs on file, unless you have the file. No need to go there. 

Well I wish you the best, have fun in any case..

Regards

Old,

That was the point of the discussion. I do not have the time to make cabinets with powered and hand tools. I run two businesses and have a choice at the end of the day to eat, sleep, or shower but cannot do all three. 

Maybe when I have my dedicated woodshop when I retire I'll carve a speaker out of a reclaimed log but for now I want to. get a set of these speakers in my listening room as soon as I possibly can. 

If you are looking for an excellent cabinet maker I can highly recommend Lee Taylor :

http://www.taylorspeakers.com/

erik_squires

I'm using Panzerholz so there are very few  cabinet makers that have worked with this densified plywood. I've seen it stop a Powermatic 3hp table saw cutting 25mm Panzerholz.

I don't want a cabinet that looks like a woodworkers project. I'm looking for a fit and finish that will rival high end speakers. 
 

So I guess hammering every nail in your own house by hand is out to? I did.

I did use a screw or two though.. 

As for MY speakers. They do look like a woodworkers project. I did a set of 600 pounders each with bronze Caps and bases. The sides had hand made and carved tile. I was a serious potter at one time too. In high school (when I went) I made more money making custom entry way tile, than working 30 hour a week after school for my uncle and father's, farm and gas station/repair shop.

I love the look too. I use to be pretty good after they were finish fired. I would gild them with silver, gold and fire engine red. I usually did a single red rose with a gold and silver stem.. thorns were bright red just like the peddles.

It was more of an artisan conglomeration than a single piece of work. I used 1" marine plywood from the local lumber yard. The grill work and all the corners were finished black walnut. Jensen Imperials. I did a pair with the forbidden 5 toed dragon inlayed and gilded to mirror each other. I got a lot of money for those. 

They were in the Oakland hills fire and survived the first fire but not the second. Some baseball player. Willie something or other. They say he was pretty good. I was contacted on a replacement cost. I told them 70K in 95. they would be 170k now, if you could find someone to do the tile work. 

Yea they were a wood workers project, with a touch of Master Mechanic.. 

I'll help you out, what do you need, you name it? My hands are good for 15 minutes 3 or 4 time a day. I have plenty of money and the wife has more. I'm tighter than a Cummins head bolt (that's tight). I wear bib coveralls and like animals more than people. I'm a 67 year old Baptist too. Any thing else? I'm not in prison any more or less and my back hurts.. oh I have a rabbit, his name (I think it's a he) is Jr.

The problem is I could die on ya. Other than that. 

I like Gothic think Madrid Spain, or Paris. The Elaborate Gothic Monolith towers or classic English Rook tower.

I got one GREAT pair of big ones and one pair of small ones left in me.. How's that for a confession, I mean resume, I mean something, I'm just not sure what it is..

Can I talk you into a pair of these? :-) These could be either big or small.
With soft ceramic inlays or even porcelain (if you could find a kiln)

Theses are more me.

I like art and sound. Classic open box config. Easy access.

Yours are transmission line speakers with an active downward firing sub.
You really think that is a good idea? From a guy who builds speakers, I'd rethink that for one. The active hypex module.. Not to sure on that either. 

I can see 25K in labor with a finish. Just not 25K in a finished speaker 5-10K They are real close to a Sony SS M-9, like a copy dude.. :-)

The Imperials on the other hand. Custom built and tuned, They will KILL the TLs your looking at.. and resell for 50K.. Just a thought from an old wore out mechanic.

BTW I like a Rolls Royce not a Bugatti and a chauffeur please.

Ok I exhaled, that was a BIG hit.. Iron Lung Scotty

Regards

I went the DIY route and found although I had the ability to make very good sounding speakers, I did not have the ability to make very good looking speakers.

I would check out parts express Solstice MLTL. It is basically a DIY Magico V2 and has spectacular reviews. Or, the GR Research NX Studio kit. That said I have not heard them, but if I was going DIY again these are the kits I would go for. 

dmyersmd,

I appreciate your input. Magico's have never been my cup of tea.  

I use Solidworks and Illustrator and can easily create a rendering of the speaker anyhow I want it to look before I even begin so that isn't an issue. 

Build quality isn't a concern as I cut drivers cutout today with a +/- tolerance of .010". I even made trim rings with 70 series aluminum and must admit it did not look anything like a DIY speaker of woodworkers project. 

OP are you really going to build those speakers that way? All kidding aside. Are you? Hypex module, and an active down firing sub driver? I’d rethink not enclosing that sub in a slot. BAD idea the whole floor will become a huge passive radiator completely out of time. Easy to fix before and still look nice.

That type of speaker the kids call jackhammers. Their parents get pissed because the china falls out of the china cabinets.. LOL. THEN we add a butt plate and decouple the subs.. LOL

Last, fixed ports? and no way to mechanically adjust the (Q)uality of the drivers to the room, amp and cable? Passive radiators are a lot better and on the fly adjustable if you set them up that way..

Enjoy. .010 OK you got me.. If you want to really get fancy @Corian is a great baffle choice

Ok NOW your close to 25K. Let Danny at GR work the XO.

Rythmik plates with servo too.. Not Hypex plates..

Have fun..

The Atell 3 is like the Kaiser Classic. No floor fire woofer