DIY. Whose speakers would you use?

>If you could pick and choose from any parts out there, which tweeters mids and woofers would you spec for a DIY set of speakers? What about the crossover electronics? Which caps, etc? Crossovers to be internal. Amps SS.

Whatever an experienced and respected designer specified.

Apart from maximum SPL and bass extension there's surprisingly little difference between drivers once you get a properly executed cross-over and uniform polar response.

Without that you can spend as much as you want on drivers (I was not impressed with the $40,000 Feastrex field coil full-range units and have heard a few bad speakers pairing an expensive RAAL ribbon tweeter to a mid-range that was too large) and the results will be mediocre.

>04-01-11: Orpheus10
>I assembled the speakers in my bedroom from a kit. I do not believe there is any kit suitable for the "main room". It's all about "relativity".

Siegfried Linkwitz designed the Audio Artistry line of dynamic dipoles, including the $25,000 Beethoven which Stereophile recognized as its 1998 Loudspeaker of the Year.

Since then he's learned more about hearing and used better drivers to produce the Orion, better in all ways but maximum low frequency SPL which can be addressed with a pair of sub-woofers.

A license to build them for personal use, plans, drivers, cross-over parts, and lumber are somewhere under $3000. Parts flat packs and even completed cabinets are available from Wood Artistry (Don Naples does exceptional work as a furniture maker, with book matched panels machined from figured hardwood, ebony accent strips, etc) if you can't use power tools.

There are hundreds of pairs around the world and finding a set to audition should not be a problem - just post on the official Orions auditions thread

http://67.171.14.91:82/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3

Earl Geddes designed the only speakers more than one or two Orion owners have preferred; you could probably find a pair of those too.

John Krevosky's NaO Note looks compelling on paper with its more uniform polar response.

There are also plenty of popular conventional designs out there; although there's no reason to constrain yourself to designs with inherently flawed physics when you're not limited to selling the market what it expects.