r/audiophile • u/opschief0299 • 3d ago
Discussion DIY Speakers or Maker-Built
So if I was preparing to drop a decent sum on new speakers and was only concerned about the listening experience, would DIY kits like GR's and others be a good choice (I enjoy woodworking), or should we always trust factories?
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u/Spicy_McHagg1s 3d ago
I don't trust either and build mine from scratch. I'm a weirdo with line arrays and a center channel for my turntable though.
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u/nbriles2000 3d ago
I'm a huge fan of my XLS encores. I haven't had any desire to upgrade
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u/nlitworld Strange things are afoot at the Circle K 3d ago
X-LS is seriously underrated. I do like my NX-Studios more, but really do best in dedicated listening room. X-LS you can toss anywhere with any gear and it always sounds great. Put effort into placement and gear pairing and it's amazing.
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u/nbriles2000 3d ago
I haven't really felt the need for a sub, either! Sometimes I wanna go back to something vintage like big ass tannoys or klipsch fortes, but it's really mostly an aesthetic desire
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u/Best-Carpenter-8397 3d ago
I am into DIY speakers and there are some REALLY serious folks into it. Most us really into horns, point source or "synergy" horns. Humbling build. I am a REALLY good WW and these designs are wicked to make. https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/diy-3-way-sh-50-synergy-horn-clone-tuning-phase-pics-and-vid-included.383973/
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u/the_blue_wizard 3d ago edited 2d ago
Give us a link to the Speakers you are considering?
Understand that Speaker Manufacturers have Teams of Engineers, and tons of Test Equipment to build their Speakers, but they also have more of a profit motivation.
DIY many not be cheaper, but you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself.
Is this by chance the DIY Kits you were looking at -
https://www.diysoundgroup.com/home-theater-speaker-kits.html
https://www.diysoundgroup.com/home-audio-speaker-kits.html
Or perhaps, these are the Speakers you are referring to -
https://gr-research.com/diy-loudspeaker-kits/
What do you have in mind for Speakers - Bookshelf? Floorstanding? Other?
How much MONEY are you willing to dedicate to your Project?
I highly suggest that you copy an Existing Design, and there are many, rather than designing your own from scratch. Speaker Design is a pretty complex process, though there is Software than can help you if you are willing to invest in it.
There is also Free Speaker and Room Testing Software you can download, though it does take another ~$100 to ~$150 in hardware to support the system. Hardware Suggestions are made on the Webpage -
There are many YouTube Videos demonstrating how to uses REW (Room EQ Wizard).
What specifically you are looking for and what you are willing to spend will go a long way to help determine the feasibility of your Project.
Here is another forum that can be very helpful to anyone thinking of a DIY Speaker Project -
AVS Forum - DIY Speakers and Subs -
https://www.avsforum.com/forums/diy-speakers-and-subs.155/
This forum might also help provide you with links to Other DIY Sites and to a range of DIY Designs.
EDITED:
Here is the Parts-Express Customer Project Gallery -
https://projectgallery.parts-express.com/
That might give you some ideas.
We still need your WORKING BUDGET, and the General Nature of the style/type of Speakers you are trying to build.
Also, for what little it might be worth - here are some 12" 3-Way Speakers I built myself -
https://imgur.com/towers-2x8-box-speaker-12-3-way-7AZ0gqi
https://imgur.com/a/12-3-way-speaker-inside-RICnvlV
I also built the Marble Stands that the Speakers are sitting on. PS: Sorry if you are not allowed to view IMGUR Posts.
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u/indyboilermaker69 3d ago
Go factory… I understand the desire, and you could probably make an incredibly nice cabinet, but unless you are going to spend A LOT of time with learning and implementing the details of crossovers and transducers, I don’t think it’s worth it…
Idk, there are decent kits out there, but I’ve never really seen that as “DIY”, it’s only Do One Part Yourself… and honestly it’s the least satisfying part, even if it may be the most visible, but it has the smallest effect on how “good” a speaker is…
Factories know what they are doing, the people who design the speakers have designed many speakers and have way more resources than a normal person could have…. When taking into account the value of your time, it is never worth it…
But that’s just like, my opinion man…
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u/nlitworld Strange things are afoot at the Circle K 3d ago
100% recommend GR Research speaker kits. Just built myself some X-LS Encore for living room and have NX-Studios with Rythmik F8 subs in dedicated system in the other room. My NX-Studios are best speaker I've heard under $10k.
If you'd like some help with build out or painting, just PM me. Also lots of informative build threads over on Audiocircle or Peter Rawlings videos on YT.
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u/Kayvon188 3d ago
Here’s my 2 cents (Friends, please don’t downvote and wreck my karma points just because you disagree. We all have opinions that are equally valid to help our friend here get some perspective):
I like the factory approach. They have engineering expertise and fancy test equipment to perform quality assurance after the build. Also, when we do DIY, we build a few units. The people who assembled your speakers at the factory have done it thousands of times. Since you love woodworking, why not build a lovely rack system?
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u/altxrtr 3d ago
DIY is the way to go!! Much better value and great speakers! Even better if you can cut your own cabinet pieces. I recommend GR. Also to check out Madisound. I sell one of my DIY designs as a finished pair. You can DM me if you want.
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u/Joseph43211 3d ago
New to this. What is GR?
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u/skinison 3d ago
I recently built a pair of the ABX/LDA compact open baffles. They sound fantastic. I'm powering them with a black ice F11 and could not be happier.
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u/dudetellsthetruth 3d ago
Fun thing of diy is that you can "reuse" the speakers and filters and experiment with different cab designs.
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u/scardeal 2d ago
DIY kits tend to focus on sound quality, and the aesthetics are up to you. At the very low end, you can't compete with a factory for manufacturing efficiency. At the very high end, you can't compete with a factory for fabrication of custom drivers and exotic construction methods and finish quality. But there's a big swath in the middle from maybe $300 - $5k where DIY stuff can compete on both price and quality.
I fell in love with DIY kits when I built Overnight Sensations bookshelves something like 15 years ago and it was significantly better than the Polk TSI300s I had at the time.
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u/GrabtharsVicegrips 2d ago
Apologies for the long response, but I think there are a lot of things to consider.
DIY isn't for everyone, but it's a great path to a great system for a reasonable cost. I built a pair of the GR MTM Encores and they've been in my system for the past 6 years. They were my gateway into DIY and I've now built subwoofers, amps, preamps, phono stages, and I just finished a DAC. I also built my own room treatments including diffusers and absorption. Beyond the ROI, the satisfaction of listening to gear that I built is huge.
It's not "cheap" to go this route since it involves a lot of time and tools. If you're already a woodworker then you're ahead of where I was when I started out. There's also a bit of risk involved since you might make an expensive mistake or you might not like how the final product sounds. Two of the items I built have been replaced since I found they weren't quite what I wanted, but I don't regret building them since I learn a lot from each project.
I also disagree with those who suggest that factory made is superior due to the resources at those companies' disposal. Yes, there's a lot of R&D that goes into many speakers and they've got efficient manufacturing. However, they're also maximizing profit by cutting costs in areas like cabinet material (also saves on weight for shipping), crossover parts (yes, that matters), driver quality, finish choices, etc, etc, etc. As a builder you get to make the choices for those items, even for kits like GR or CSS. Factory companies are also pricing their products to support the administrative costs of the company along with distribution networks (if they're not direct to consumer).
There are a few places where factory makes sense:
- Resale value: a DIYer is building their gear for themselves or family/friends. Most folks avoid buying DIY because of all the unknowns, and there are plenty of really bad DIY projects out there.
- Warranty: a DIYer should know that the final product may not work like they thought, even if they build it perfectly.
- Finished product: Factories make them look polished. However, an experienced woodworker should have no problem making a speaker look as good if not better than factory.
- Performance ceiling: I think there is a spot in high-end gear where factories have access to materials and innovations that are simply not available to mere mortals. However, I think we're talking about 6-figure systems where that becomes apparent.
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u/TheSuperking360 2d ago
DIY was my entry into hifi. Still have my first towers with Seas and Scan Speak drivers. Sounds amazing. Check out Madisound.com for some high end kits.
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u/jprazak95 2d ago
If you like woodworking then DIY seems like a great route for you. I’m currently building my first speakers and cutting the wood panels myself. I’m building the Mechano23 by XMechanik.
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u/IndependentFarStar 3d ago
No question, the Linkwitz LX-521 if you have a relatively big listening room, or the Linkwitz LXMini if you have a small listening room. linkwitz.com
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u/Medical-Ad-4141 3d ago
You can get some really phenomenal speakers through DIY. I don't know what your budget is like, but I've got a set of speakers (the MTML Solstice) built from a kit on Parts Express that has really impressed me in terms of value. Here's a link: https://www.parts-express.com/Solstice-MLTL-Reference-Tower-Speaker-Kit-300-708. I am not handy, but for someone into woodworking I assume this would be very easy.