Stuck at home? Make a kit!!

“Look at my system. I know what I’m talking about. Because I’ve actually done it.”

This guy doesn’t get tired of boasting....could it be that he’s stuck in a time loop? 😎

I agree with Eric that there is enormous satisfaction in DIY audio. My second pair of speakers used the drivers and crossover from a kit that KEF offered back in the late 1970’s, and performance-wise they killed my first pair of store-bought, magazine-reviewed speakers at a small fraction of the out-of-pocket cost. 

If I were building a kit today, I’d find SOME way to inject my own creativity, for better or for worse. It would just mean more to me if my "fingerprints" were on some aspect. Maybe I’d substitute boutique capacitors for the stock ones. Maybe I’d do some contrained-layer-damping of the enclosure walls. Maybe I’d nudge the port tuning this way or that, depending on my room acoustics.

But there is a dark side to all of this: That first speaker build was my "gateway drug". It took several decades of addiction for the day to come when I took to hard look in the mirror and faced the awful truth: I needed to either join a twelve-step program... or become a manufacturer.

It’s a slippery slope.

Duke
manufacturer

Ha! audiokinesis, diy could be a gateway drug, that’s so true!
I started with speakers as a teen and now design and build amplifiers....

My message here is:

"The more of you who actually build things, the more informed the opinions of the community become."

But kudos to those of you who read my every post and save them for use later. It is a level of enjoyment knowing my words are forever ingrained in your memories.

Thanks for the forums.

I DIY all the time, and I love it. When I was working (seemed like 24/7)
I still found time.  The neighbors and their kids would stop by with their BOOM BOOMS and we have a bit of fun.  It is one of the most satisfying thing I've ever done. I love working with wood. After smelling 90 weight gear oil and starting fluid all day... Wood ahhhhhhh.  Me the dog and the shop. Got some nice SATs going right now. 32" x 12" x 12". 8" MB coupler columns, 4 to start, one on top of the other, one foot off the floor, one foot from the ceiling, the space in between varies on ceiling height..

SATs Stack and Test, modular design...

The model worked great as a single center coupler, and integrated well with a servo bass system that I'm trying to get right for me. It was DIY also...just someone else was nice enough to do the tough part at GR, cut and fit the boards...

Thanks again, great stuff, Yea Pass is the bomb for sure.. great, great stuff...Have a B5 Alfa/Beta project in the parts collection stage too, looks very promising. 

Regards