You too can have the best loudspeakers in the world
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Tuesday August 1, 2023
David Mellor
David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.
I have a pair of LS50 meta speakers arriving next week. There is no way I can compete with that level of engineering
@CORVUSMAXYMUS: Great logic.
@robertmeyer7664: I love the way you explain things and a great sense of humor
@Justwantahover: I built my BSITW by having an open 10" coaxial driver on top of the box with a 10" woofer in the box. The coaxial was built up from a 10" bass/med (PA) driver and a mini car 1" dome tweeter that fits inside the bass/med voice coil tube. It's time aligned. The 1" dome has a > 1/2" hole in it so there is only > 1/4" of the dome around the edge. The bass/med cone also has breather cutouts (thin radial banana shape holes) in two layers. It's a 4"diameter set and an 8" diameter set of banana cutouts. It simulates a whizzer cone as part of the main cone (that's in phase) and an 7" simulated free edge cone.
The med range is free and clean like never before! My whim is to have NO ENCLOSED CAVITIES from 300 hz upward! š The best med to treble sound I ever heard (and there is no going back). It's point source and dipole for sounds that come from nowhere. Some bass is fed into the large open driver and it works with the woofer for way better bass. The open cone gives the kick that "puh-huh" that you hear on a real kick. Sensational bass!
The 10" woofer is on the bottom panel (in the box) firing down onto the floor. There is an annular radial bass vent around the top of the box. Witch is a tall plastic flower pot (round and up-side-down). š It's drastically braced with a bunch of 3/8" dowel pieces across inside (in triangles) like the star of David. š And there is a wood bottom plate for the woofer, at an acoustic height above the floor (1"). The top radial bass vent also incorporates a large 6" diameter bass vent tube running down 7". The top plate of the box makes the radial bass vent and is the base for the top open coaxial.
I designed the crossover by the f*ck around and find out method. But I do have reference bought speakers too. That's for course adjustment and I change the sound very slightly, to my liking. I happen to not like my > 2 grand (AU) B&W 706 speakers, but they are extremely helpful with the course adjustment. That's important cos it's a start! Bass level changes drastically in my room so it's hard to tell the right bass level without reference speakers. š A must have if you are building and designing speakers from scratch and don't have a soundproof room etc.. I'll give you an idea of how they might sound:
I heard a low flying jet fly over our house and I went to the window near my speakers to see the jet. But it turned out that the jet sound was from the speakers a metre away! My friend was fumbling with his phone, try to stop it from beeping, and it turned out to be from my speakers, 3 metres away, while holding his phone. Being the only one in the room, I sometimes hear a "real" voice in my room and I get a fright. Turns out to be from my speakers. This happens with my open FR driver plus boxed woofer, as well. But I love the 10" open coaxials cos the voice sound has more oomph! The med range is more ROUND than with my FR driver versions but the coaxial is still just as open and AIRY! They are the best speakers I made so far at least.
My next project is the same, but with a lower, more squat up-side-down flower pot to allow room for an extra (open)10" woofer, for even better punchy bass. A boxed woofer with an open woofer on it, and the 10" coaxial driver on top (on a tripod frame around the bottom flower pot). š You need the boxed woofer to give it the warmth. You might think it would sound cold and harsh, but not with the boxed woofer! You can balance the coldness and warmth, cos you can easily get either way, so it's just a matter of tweaking it. And of course a boxed woofer gives you real bass! š
@Worlds_Biggest...: I've build a number of sets of speakers and you are absolutely correct!
@philippeterson9512: Iād like to add my story on how to get the best speakers, or the best system. Back in my mid 20s(around 1992) I got into home theater, and wanted to buy a whole home theater system. I spent hours looking at magazines, visiting all the different retailers, etc. I agonized over every single decision. Eventually, I settled on a small speaker manufacturer near my house in New Jersey, I got the CD player from another place, and the receiver from another. The TV I chose was the one that was used to demonstrate DIRECTV, the first digital TV provider. Plus a VCR with VHS hi-fi. I didnāt have a big budget, but I had a lot of time on my hand and I really put effort into this. I loved that system, and I still use the speakers today in my workshop and they sound great. But over the years, my career progressed and I make a lot more money. So I upgraded my system. And although my system today blows away my first home theater set up, I never really get the sense of pride out of it that I did back then. Iām getting ready to upgrade once again, but this time I want to build my own speakers. My hobby is woodworking, so the cabinets are no problem. But the design and component selection is what Iām going to spend my time on. When I finally get these built, I know that when I fire up the system, I will get a warm glow inside.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @philippeterson9512: Maybe you'll build transmission lines and tell us all about them. They're the kind of speakers that need a proper woodworker's touch.
@philippeterson9512 replies to @philippeterson9512: @ š if you can be my mentor on the design and picking the components, Iām game. I will warn you that my home theater room is very oddly shaped.
@rogersharpe2490: In the late 1960ās , I proudly owned a pair of the original Leak Sandwich speakers that were beautifully finished in teak enclosures. The company owner who if I remember correctly was Harold J. Leak bizarrely advertised these products by standing on top of one of the drivers cones to emphasise their stiffness I suppose ! What that had to do with the sound quality of his products is a rather debatable point. I do remember enjoying the ownership of the Leak speakers when my journey through hi fi and music generally was just beginning.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @rogersharpe2490: The point HJ was trying, seemingly unsuccessfully, is that the diaphragm of a woofer needs to be both light and stiff. Obviously the lighter it is, the more bendy it is likely to be, resulting in distortion. The heavier it is then the less efficient the driver. I don't have any evidence either way whether the sandwich principal was worthwhile, but it doesn't seem that other manufacturers have been in a rush to copy it.
@rogersharpe2490 replies to @rogersharpe2490: @ I donāt recall any other manufacturers following the sandwich principle developed by H J Leak. In those days some of the British speaker firms were using horn loading principles, particularly a company called Lowther Acoustics who enjoyed particular success with their PM6 which only required low powered amplification to drive them adequately.
@ninovasev: Hahah you always make me laugh... The spirit bmw haha
@MrHristoB: Totally agree. I've been building and experimenting with my own speakers, amps, equalisers since I was a teenager. Etching the PCBs myself using my mom's nail polish to cover the traces. Unwinding old transformers for the crossover wire...Ruined countless T shirts in the process. With electronics and woodworking always been my hobbies, it was some combination. You cant beat the satisfaction of building something yourself. What a time it was....
@jefferysmith5921: I build some speakers in Wood Shop decades ago... And, they sounded really bad! LOL
@MarkLloyd-yo4li: I can barely tie my own shoes let alone build a speaker, but i can train a horse. The best speaker in the world for me will be the one i like and love the best that i can buy 'not build '. š. Luckily I love my Focal 826D dual duty speakers. Focals entry speakers which happened to be on clearance to make way for the Thevas . 60% off š. I paired them with 2 REL T9x's on sale $300 off each . Im over the moon . Merry Christmas everyone.
@Tonysia-y: my first build was 2 jam tins and some fishing line . . . .
@joecotter6803: The way to get the best speakers in the world is to read as many reviews as you can. Then buy the ones that the reviewers like for the styles of music you listen to. Never give the speakers a listen in the shop.
Then, never listen to music anywhere else that has hi-fi loudspeakers.
These will be better than any radio/pub or bar system. Never, ever set foot in a hi fi shop or go to a hi fi show. Ever.
@HappyUser-d1x: I built speakers in the 70's but in the 80s I was using four Wharfedale Diamonds in surround. My new Philips 2x60Watt HiFi came with two 3 way large speakers which sounded terrible. So I modified them. Using crossovers I could easily outperform my Diamonds with both the plastic and doped paper dome midrange. But peaked with a 3 way crossover which 30 years later I am still using. I have since improved with damping and super solid heavy metal stands. I replaced the failed 165mm woofers but no change there. I have a sub but only use for movies. I disagree that design is essential. I am an electronics expert; you can design for one frequency but not for a full range; otherwise top speakers would suffice with a single driver. Crap. Speaker design is a compromise. Great chat Mr Masterclass.
@Stratman6969: Absolutely right
@gino3286: Hi ! thank you very much for your excellent video tutorials I am stuck with the drivers selection and quite lost actually
The drivers are like raw materials in cooking Their quality set the level that can be reached When used rightly of course
I heard stories about cheap drivers sounding better than much more expensive ones
It is very difficult to assess their quality
A very excellent 2 ways speaker uses a woofer from India that could cost like a pizza and a beer This is my nightmare
Drivers selection
@rajendrabareto8065: The best thing in the world for me that what I have made out of my own hands and my mindš
@johannbogason1662: ...silly old grifter.
We donĀ“t need the BEST SPEAKERS IN THE WORLD!!!!
. probably a MAGA-fan as well
@michaelcorlet2998: Who is this idiot.
@VintageGearMan: I tell you what,,, if this guy was hiring,,, I would joyously work daily with him. A wealth of Knowledge!
@VintageGearMan replies to @VintageGearMan: Sir, when you get time please listen to this original first pressing LP record if you have time. The dynamics are amazing! Count Basie, Chairman of The Board "mono" version. "Roulette Birdland R 52032" Thank me later.
@bartbarelds8454: Allot of what i did, not sure my speakers are the best in the world but i have yet to a/b test them with a better speaker š
@vincentw9610: @AudioMasterclass is it really the best way to build your own speaker and amp to save money and get what makes you happy?
@nman2563: Do not follow this advice. Ask me how I know.. I have owned speakers from 0-thousands of dollars. I've built my own designs. I've built kits. I have a World Design kit waiting in the wings, designed by the legendary Peter Comeau. The problem with homemade or kit speakers are that you never know what you are going to get,. Most of my homemade speakers speakers did not please me even though they were technically fine. You do not have blinders big enough to look over speakers that do not fundamentally sound good to you. It's a money pit. I've recently bought a pair of speakers I love - a set from a Sony Midi system of 40 years vintage.
@jeremyaguilar3805: Fantastic video. I have built a pair, a trial pair of speakers from a kit. Very challenging since I have not soldered in 25 + years and I was not accustomed to reading electronic schematics. They speakers sound ok. I purchased the recommended book, I am sure I will build more, maybe without a kit.
@socksumi: You built Falcon Tabors from a kit? So did I in 1980. Mine used Audax woofers and tweeters in a ported box. They were very clean and deep in the bass but had an odd tonality... a leaness in the lower mids that made an alto sax sound like a tenor sax. I venture to say the crossover was the culprit. Often designers were not as good as they are sometimes made out to be.
@thatBrickishkid: you look like paul mcarney
@AudioMasterclass replies to @thatBrickishkid: Am I Paul McCartney? Related to him? Or am I even Eric Idle? Find out here - https://youtu.be/aB3JNivlMnI
@zabtej1645: Have you seen the movie saw?
@AudioMasterclass replies to @zabtej1645: Is it about cutting wood for building the cabinets?
@zabtej1645 replies to @zabtej1645: @@AudioMasterclass I wish it was
@alexandermikhailov2481: I do have the best speakers in the world. B&W Matrix.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @alexandermikhailov2481: Of course you do. Now tell that to ESL63 owners.
@barney6888: The look and sound of Paul McCartney is a bit uncanny. Hopefully, so are the speakers he's recommending !!
@chrisrichards2827: no such thing as best speakers in the world everybody's hearing is different shouldn't make stupid comments like that
@isaachunt5799: Get the room right then you have the best speaker. a multi million dollar speaker in a big echoey room will never sound any good. the room is everything imho. get the room right than you have it cracked
@jsprite123: If there are "loudspeakers", are there "softspeakers"?
@philippe7166: You can build speakers that will be very good speakers if you made active filter, good measurements
And this time itās not just for you itās available for everyone
Just forget passive filters and donāt forget to make good measurements
If you just put hp in a box like that it will be crap
@lawadelante2813: Yes very funny our capacity to fool ourselves is amazing but its true.
@VintageGearMan: Awesome humor to!
@VintageGearMan: Really enjoy your uploads. Subscribed!
@Smood47: dont listen to him he knows nothing
@AudioMasterclass replies to @Smood47: And it has taken me an awful long time to learn that much.
@Smood47 replies to @Smood47: @@AudioMasterclass Change hobbies
@shazmanbound1496: My speakers cost me $80,000 just to listen to Vinyl. Yes I'm insaneš
@robertforrestmontreal7707: I build a set of speakers in the 60's warfdales they were ok Then i made a huge mistake I build a kit of goodman speakers It includes 1 woofer 1 horn midrange 1 horn tweeter 2 volume controls per side 4 total a bass port and instructions for the cabinet and crossover . I built to exactly what they said In the money of the time they cost a small fortune . To my ears the sound was garbage the horns sounded like listening in a bathroom the volume controls $20 each in 1962 money didn't help I swore never again to take a chance on speakers I can't hear first . Later bought AVID 103's which were excellent at the time and a good price now have B&W 100 i's with a polk subwoofer .
@49inxs: best speakers I have ever owned were Linn Isobariks
@dragdrag1507: You can buy a 10K wine bottle and have good wine or you can buy a 30$ wine and have good wineš
@AudioMasterclass replies to @dragdrag1507: I suppose you're right. I just check the alcohol percentage on the label.
@gavincurtis: Mine are just fine. Finally reached the "no longer need to find better speakers" stage in my life. :) No more stress... other than neighbors getting closer.
@clasvirhodes4969: I am lusting over a pair of La Scala's. Cannot set them up by myself so I do not buy them.
@davebutler3905: Brave man... admitting to that phase mistake. We've all done daft things but most of us keep quiet about them!
@davebutler3905: I just finished building a pair of experimental speakers... 9 x 3" drivers with a tuned port and obviously, no crossover.
They sound dreadful!
Possibly not the very worst in the world, but a close runner up!
@mikaelbiilmann6826: Sounds like Appleās pricing policy: Infinity, add more RAM, and you still have infinity, add more storage? You still have infinity!
@jesse75: Could I please watch a video on this subject without a narcissist showing his face ?
@AudioMasterclass replies to @jesse75: Who moi?
@jesse75 replies to @jesse75: @@AudioMasterclass you're not the best speaker in the world.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @jesse75: @@jesse75 Your attempt at humour is commendable but there is no prize for you yet.
@janulik9535: I have buit css audio torii and it is the worst speaker ever passed my door, and yes I had a lot of cheap staff
@bb_lz9790: A couple decades ago, I visited a friend's place of business. He led me to a room on the second floor that was filled with raw drivers. He told me that he bought out a jukebox manufacturer when they closed down. He said that he'd never get around to doing anything with most of the drivers and told me that I could help myself to what ever I wanted. I was not bashful and loaded up my car.
Knowing nothing about each driver, I borrowed some test equipment and proceeded to determine the Thiele-Small parameters that I needed to design some enclosures. A trip to the lumber yard ensued and I turned the stack of plywood into a bunch of bass reflex enclosures.
The largest set had two 15 in. woofers per side, a horn loaded 12 in. midrange and a couple horn tweeters. I designed and built the crossovers myself.
At low volumes, they didn't sound that good. When turned up to the point where my wife started to object, they actually sounded pretty good. In hindsight, I'm not sure if it was the loudness or perhaps she just didn't care for Joe Satriani's Surfing with the Alien CD!
I ended up selling off all of my creations. I didn't really miss them, but it was fun!
@bb_lz9790: That was the most fun I've had watching a YouTube video in a long time! Thanks for sharing!
@chowd.a.d.8309: Hi "Master". How on earth do I know what "crossovers" my DIY hifi speakers needs or should have?. Kindly if you could dedicate a stream on this topic. I'm in progress to build a pair of big speakers something like "Kappa 8", but better I hope. I'm searching for an open and detailed "wall of sound" that fills the whole room without having the volume at full blast. Listening mostly to guitar rock, jazz and blues. I think I have sufficient power amplifiers for heavy load, 2 pcs Primare A35 mono blocks 800W - 8 ohm. All the best.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @chowd.a.d.8309: For this I would recommend a loudspeaker building forum. You'll find more information on this very specialised topic than I can provide. https://www.google.com/search?q=loudspeaker+building+forum
@mannye: You forgot that to REALLY build the best speakers in the world you have to learn how to make the components yourself... just kidding.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @mannye: It wouldn't be impossible to make your own inductors. I'll bet some audiophiles do.
@mannye replies to @mannye: @@AudioMasterclass I wasn't trolling... just illustrating the rabbit hole we can go down. Frankly, had I thought this was possible when I was a youngster, I might have given it a shot.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @mannye: @@mannye Neither was I. It wouldn't surprise me at all if a subset of audiophiles improve their speakers with hand-coiled inductors.
@mannye: I disagree. The best speakers in the world are the ones you like best. And yes, you will want to build yours. BUT you will not build the best speakers in the world until AFTER you build the worst speakers. in the world.
@stavroskarnezis843: During the 90s, I studied at the University La Sapienza in Rome. One of my favorite pastimes was visiting Cherubini, which was considered one of the best Hi-Fi stores in Italy at the time. They had multiple locations, with one close to me, but my preferred store was in a region called Ottaviano. This particular store had a spacious showroom where customers could explore and listen to a wide selection of high-end audio equipment combinations.
I vividly remember one day when I was browsing around and suddenly became captivated by a symphonic orchestra piece emanating from the big room. The salesperson, whom I was familiar with due to my frequent visits, politely invited me to sit on a couch placed directly in front of the speakers that were playing at the moment. As I settled in, the room seemed to transform into a theater, and it felt as though the symphonic orchestra was performing just for me. It was an astonishing experience, and I was completely enthralled. Eventually, the music piece concluded, and I had to leave the room to allow others to enjoy the experience. Before departing, I inquired about the equipment combination responsible for such a magnificent result. To the best of my recollection, the source was a CD player from Nakamichi connected to a pre-amp of the same brand, two Threshold monoblock amplifiers, and a pair of Klipschorn Speakers.
After this remarkable listening experience, I was left with a bittersweet memory, knowing that I would never be able to replicate that performance in my modest listening room. Since then, I have been enjoying my favorite music on a Luxman LV103u with a pair of Infinity clone loudspeakers. To conclude, I highly doubt I can build anything even remotely close to that....
@MrFrobbo: This vid is a trip down memory lane and echos thoughts around a recent update to my xover, thanks, great channel.
30 years ago I embarked on a ground up design and build of my 2-way Scan Speak front ported 'book shelf' (large, on stands) and I was exceptionally lucky to have a local audiophile business and well regarded speaker designer and manufacturer near by, and as an apprentice took a chance to pop in for some advice. I was greeted with an exceptionally kind reception (from the owner of the well known family business) and he gave me many pointers including the scan speak 18w 8545 and advice surrounding the build and selected tweeter the Scan Speak Revelator 2900 including how tricky this match would be. However I forged ahead using the same book you mention and they were indeed 'the best speakers in the world'. But I was never that impressed with the crossover and stereo separation, I even designed and custom produced the inductors myself.
So fast forward to last month (30 years later) and I decided to revamp the xover using modern equipment including simulators (Vituix) and a calibrated measuring mic with REW, and BOOOM, I've never been so pleased, even though I did buy the xover parts this time, infact the coils were actually better than my attempt.
I could not only simulate xover designs, I could measure them, phase, SPL, time delay!
I now have even better 'best speakers in the world' and I'm exceptionally proud, which is obviously why they are the best, it's all psychology and effort, and that's great.
I could also hear the wandering clarinet ššš
@jwestrik9308: It would be a Sound investment..
@Snowsea-gs4wu: Wonderful story, thank you!
@3limin4torZockt: Hey i came back to your video to say your right.
I own a the PMC Twenty5 26i, they cost 11'000&.
So i thougt you just havent heard this quality thats why you say you can build better ones.
But now i started to build my own speakers and i have to admit, he is 100% right!
Ive never heard something sounding sooooo gooood!!
I will sell my PMC's!
I thank you so much! ā¤āŗļø
@mikey92362: I built my forst pair of speakers when i was 13 years old.
I got hired to clean out a warehouse for the local Datsun/Nissan dealership.
They said i could keep anything I found.
There were 40 pairs of brand new Nissan factory car speakers. About 2/3 were 6" and a thirrd were 4". All were just single cone, full range drivers.
I bought four sheets of plywood and made two huge boxes. Took an entire day to cut out 80 holes!
I learned about ohms and even bought two cheap crossovers to separate the 6" from the 4".
Tool a while day to solder so much wire!
And in the end, the result was totally worth it! They sounded absolutely terrible. Probably the worst speakers ever made.
But they were big and allowed me to start a DJ business that eventually paid for college.
And they made me save my money as fast as possible to buy better gear!
I sold those speakers to a middle aged stoner named Biff after about a year and he loved them. LOL
@joedeegan3870: EMI Model 62 speakers are the best I have heard in my 79 years an they were only 80 dollars new each:
@knutarneaakra6013: Best? No but at the time it was great.
@fonkenful: Iāve owned my fair share of āaudiophile approvedā speakers over a period of 40 years, then stumbled into the rabbit hole of DIY building - and damn, but youāre right: every single pair of the hundreds* of those was the best in the world - until the next.
*not an infinite number, but more than I can remember.š
@nastybadger-tn4kl: Best speaker is one have fast and crisp bass. It canbe separate subwoofer. without it it you wont have goood speaker
@AudioMasterclass replies to @nastybadger-tn4kl: Now that you've said that, I feel the need to add, "closed box".
@nastybadger-tn4kl: GET TO POINT
@petermach8635: My first speakers were a pair of Acoustic Research ones, bought in 1975 using a Thorens turntable and a Cambridge P50 amplifier, after that a pair of Spendor SP1's with a Quad 33 and 303, then I had a week working at Linn's factory outside Glasgow where I had a demo of their then new Kan's and as soon as I got home I bought a pair of those, only I could never drive them hard enough living in a London flat to make them sound as good as in the demo room. I very quickly traded them in for a pair of Harbeth LS3/5A's which suited me perfectly until I fell for a pair of Quad 7710's which, 35 years later, are still standing on the old Kan stands in my sitting room ... I might not have built them myself, but to me they're definitely the best speakers in the world.
@LordVictorHalgaard: This definitely hasn't been true for me, I'm just as critical of my own work, if not more so, than any store bought speaker.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @LordVictorHalgaard: The people who are the very best at what they do are never happy with their performance, which is why they are the best.
@Freedom89984: Donāt think you can do better than KEF. Just buy a pair of KEF LS50 meta. ā¬1000 and youāll be happy. Iāve build some speaker sets with the best Scan Speak and Vifa drivers. But you never get the balanced sound of a good production speaker set.
@blackdaan replies to @Freedom89984: scanspeak make drivers of 200 600 1000 2000 and 6000 each. what you used?
@3limin4torZockt replies to @Freedom89984: Uhm my Markaudio Speaker (Selfbuild) wich cost's 300 Dollars outperforms my Dali Epicon 2, Canton Karat Reference 2DC, PMC Twenty 26i, Magnat 703. I thougt the same thing, especially with my PMC Twenty 26i wich cost me 11'000 Dollars new. So yes you can get easly get the sound of a good production speaker set, id say.. :)
@thomasschafer7268: Vor 30 Jahren konnte man sich die diy BausƤtze vorher in Shops anhƶren. Erst dann gekauft. Das waren noch Zeiten. Schraubt man heute fertiglautsprecher auf bekommt man TrƤnen in die Augen. Was ein Schrott an billigsten Bauteilen.
@MammaDuckk: I tried to build a pair of speakers once, and they sucked. I gave up after that.
One thing I've found is that speakers never sound like being at a classical concert or an acoustical jazz concert. I wanted speakers to sound like being at the concert sounded, but I've never found that. I'm thinking I should become ungodly wealthy and have my own chamber historically informed chamber orchestra. The problem is, I'm not close to being that wealthy, and since I'm retired, I won't be getting any wealthier. Therefore, I'll probably just stick with what I've had for the last 40 years. I'm also not handy, so self building is probably not going to help.
@blackdaan replies to @MammaDuckk: what you builded than.. i am about the buy the audimax reference kit. its expensive.. but ive heard it should beat 20 30 40k speakers
@tigertiger1699: I might build a birdbathšš
@tigertiger1699: Interestingā¦, as an ex Fitter Turnerā¦, I wouldnāt bother.., it would take considerable effort n practice to make anything as good as my Dynaudio Contoursā¦, a lot o time..
@OriginalWis: You are wrong sir. Very wrong. The correct answer is no, you cannot have the best loudspeaker in the world because Hollywood let Marty McFly destroy with one (albeit legendary) guitar riff 5 minutes into the movie. Thank you Marty. Because of you and Bif, we can no longer have nice things. š¤¬
@AudioMasterclass replies to @OriginalWis: Classic.
@luisdiaz3887: Iām too old to start building anything, anyway will you consider to give me and advise about how to keep in shape my KEF 104.2 please if you donāt mind lad. Regards
@AudioMasterclass replies to @luisdiaz3887: That would be out of my range of experience but there are forums on the web on speaker maintenance so a Google search might strike lucky.
@garywells9478: My first speakers had twin eight inch co-axial drivers. They weren't good. Then I built a pair of speakers using Isophonic drivers from a junked Telefunken console stereo. They sounded amazing. A while later, I acquired a pair of Altec-Lansing 515's and built a pair of A 7 bass horns. I added a subwoofer, which I built using two JBL fifteen inch drivers. I own the best speaker system in the world, or so I think.
@TriAmpMyFi replies to @garywells9478: . Same build type here. Copied (without plans) the JBL 4560 horn loaded bass cabinets. Couldn't afford the JBL drivers so I chose the Electro-Voice 15's. Horns were all Peavey in Peavey cabinets.
No crossover, full-range signal to both. Peavey had internal protection & attenuator.
I was a working pro-dj & those speakers kicked ass compared to almost anything then.
Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass ššš
@sjors01: šš·š·
@ccdccd8615: Love the tongue in cheek presentation in this video. I have gone this road before and suggest a 4th path. Pretend like you are going to build your own speakers from the ground up and, at the end of the day, DONāT DO IT! There is a reason for this madness and it is simply that trying to design your own speakers teaches you about the various aspects of speaker design. This comes in handy whether you buy an off the shelf speaker or a kit.
For example, I am a fan of open baffle (OB) speakers. Cabinet design is relatively simple because you are mounting your drivers on a single panel and I love the OB sound. However, OB speakers need to be around 3ā from the front wall. It is also hard to get deep bass out of these designs unless you are using large drivers mounted on a large panel. There are ways to reduce the size of the speaker, and that basically comes down to a hybrid design where the tweeter and mid-woofer are in an open baffle and the woofer is not. There are generally 3 choices (sealed, ported or passive radiator). My preference would be passive radiator as (to me) it offers the best compromise of sound quality , reasonable size and bass extension. I would also tend to prefer bi-amped 3-way speakers where only the woofer is powered because you generally need a fair amount of power to get the most from woofers, Class D amps work well in the bass region and are cheap, and finally, powering the woofers allows you to use much lowered powered amps for the tweeter and mid-woofer.
All of this came from researching speaker design. Part of building the best speakers in the world is knowing what you want and the considerations in the best design to accomplish it. This knowledge allows you to make better choices whether you buy or build your speaker and informs you of what you should be looking for because you know the compromises in a particular type of design.
@asterixx6878: You joke about it and quite grossly underestimate us DIYers. The fact is, however, that many have (at least) as much knowledge as the 'professionals'. Let put it like this.....
For 600-700 Euros, you can easily build speakers that are at least as good as factory-built speakers that cost around 3000 Euros.
If you don't want/can't build the speakers yourself, there are many sites that provide full build descriptions (Audioexcite, Troels Gravesen, Zaph Audio, etc.)
And yes, I have designed my speakers myself. Cost is around 700-800 Euro. Are they better than ready-made speakers in the 3000 Euro price range? I haven't listened to all the speakers in this price range, but they easily beat all the ones I've listened to.
@Dukica-h4j: For me, nothing but BOSE
@blackdaan replies to @Dukica-h4j: omfg you have never heard real music.
@C-man553: This is pointless.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @C-man553: What? You mean engaging in an endeavour of insufferable futility, akin to attempting to extract nectar from a stone, where the sharp edges of purposelessness pierce through any veil of significance, leaving naught but a barren landscape of vacuity and bluntness, devoid of even a whisper of utility?
@C-man553 replies to @C-man553: @@AudioMasterclass The searing tyranny of every 10^-666 sec of existence.
@asterixx6878 replies to @C-man553: @@AudioMasterclass Yeah, that's probably what davehartwick5009 meant.
Or, maybe he was just trying to say that you are grossly generalizing. Just because you couldn't build a pair of speakers, doesn't mean others can't. Damn good speakers too.
I myself would never buy a pair of finished speakers. I know how to construct and I do it at 1/5 of retail prices. And yes, they are at least as good as factory speakers in normal price ranges (1000-5000 Euro).
@AudioMasterclass replies to @C-man553: @@asterixx6878 I think if you had watched the video you would know I have made several pairs of speakers. In all cases a fun, useful, and learning experience. And yes, a money-saving exercise too.
@C-man553 replies to @C-man553: @@AudioMasterclass No escape Suicidal Ideation Class. The Incubus.
@arthurfleck1554: Magnepan + REL = High End on a budget
@machawley: Do speakers sound good because they color the input single in a pleasing way or do they sound good because they accurately reproduce the original sound? If the answer is the latter, then building as neutral a pair of speakers as possible is the goal. Do that as well as can be done, then use a bit of fixed EQ magic before the amplifier to further flatten them. Greg Macki has been doing this for a couple of decades with his studio monitors. With now better signal processing and quality Class D amplifiers, it is possible to build speakers that are amazing (and neutral). As a footnote to this idea, the Adam T7V speakers at $500/pair are surprisingly good for low cost monitors. The ribbon tweeter is better than any dome tweeter I know of.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @machawley: I think there are cases where certain speakers can make certain types of input subjectively more pleasing. I'm thinking human voice and EDM (not the same speakers!). This is a topic I may look into in more detail in a future video.
@shashinmishra: Can't tell if you are serious or if this is a satire!
@AudioMasterclass replies to @shashinmishra: To be clear, I didn't invent this idea, and it applies to many more aspects of life than just loudspeakers. It's the effort justification fallacy. From Wikipedia, "Effort justification is a person's tendency to attribute the value of an outcome they put effort into achieving as greater than the objective value of the outcome."
@protocoldroid7388: Why is your right speaker so close to the wall/corner in the first background? You gotta let those speakers have breathing space man.
@AnthonyToth-t5v: My amstrad speakers are the best
@ZigSputnik replies to @AnthonyToth-t5v: HaHa
@Astronomator: Thanks for the great video. It brings back memories of my subwoofer construction.
The only speaker I've built is a subwoofer, back in the 1990s. It has a very nice driver, and the cylindrical "cabinet" is a two-foot-diameter Sonotube--a cylindrical concrete form used to pour footings for construction foundations. Though it's made of cardboard, the Sonotube is exceedingly thick and heavy, able to provide structural integrity. And its cylindrical shape ensures that there will be no flexing of the cabinet as sound pressure rises and falls inside the cabinet (since such a response to pressure would require the walls of the cylinder to stretch rather than flex, which even heavy cardboard is not willing to do), which is something you need to worry about when building speaker cabinets with flat surfaces that may flex under pressure.
I downloaded a public-domain computer program that calculated the length of the port needed given the cabinet dimensions and a few speaker specifications. I made the end-caps for the subwoofer out of 2.5-inch solid oak, put the speaker in one, and a six-inch-diameter PVC pipe (the port) in the other. Standoffs (legs, essentially) allowed the speaker to point down, while the port pointed up.
As a final touch, I covered the cardboard tube with black cloth and stained the oak plates to match the room's decor. It stands over four feet tall and sits nicely next to the screen in my home theater.
And just as you'd expect, it is absolutely the best subwoofer in the world.
@jannevellamo: Back in the late 80's I heard good things about Gradient Avantis, but they were too expensive and hard to find, so I never got round to actually trying them out. A few years ago, I found a used pair for 120ā¬ and bought them. They do sound good and they do even look good to my girlfriend, so I'm very happy with the speakers. All it took was 30 years for the price to come down. Next, I'd like to find a pair of ESS AMT 1Bs, to replace the pair that was destroyed by my narcissistic father, just because he could. Now, those were sweet speakers, I really loved them and I do miss them.
@Justwantahover: There's an element of truth about your home designed speakers being TBSITW! You automatically match your speakers to your system and room. And if you change a piece (e.g. a DAC or cartridge or amp) you can tweak the speakers to match the new component(s).
@davidthom7127: š¤£ Most people WON'T build their own speakers because most people CAN'T
@NewtonHamming: Are you Paul McCartney?
@AudioMasterclass replies to @NewtonHamming: Find out here... https://youtu.be/aB3JNivlMnI
@paulburke9198: herewegoagain ! , The sound I have been chasing came from a pair of $5 . 5inch
paper cone spks. in a pretty ordinary (looking) box , that no amount of
money has been able to match , there is something out there , just havn't heard it yet.
(note to self, stop clickin).
@martinslocombe2288: I built my own speakers twice and they definately were not the best speakers I had heard . no 1 HiFi world KLS 9 with an audax 8inch aerogel woofer and an audax tweeter .Far too much bass and not strong on detail crap tweeter Next ...I built a pair of Wilmslow audio prestige model with Scanspeak revelator tweeter , ATC 3inch soft dome mid and 12 inch Volt radial bass very well speced crossover with polycaps etc I wasn`t messing about this time I gave them to my son after a couple of years cause i couldn`t sell them . A pair of svelt Sonus Faber cremonas replaced them . Followed by ATC scm 100 actives towers too revealing then Meridian dsp 8000se too unreliable . still not happy sold them . I now have Michi X5 , Q audio C500s Project cd transport Weiss 202 pre/ headphone amp ,Stax 007 and 009 sennheiser hd 600 ,650 headphones with a Mjolner carbon energiser all used from e bay .Building your own speakers seems a good idea at the time but they are rarely sucessful the Cremonas blew away the WA prestige even with their superior drivers .
@AudioMasterclass replies to @martinslocombe2288: Although your projects seem to have failed, I'd guess that the experience has added to your current enjoyment of audio.
@rochester212: Great stories.
@kcdigitalvideo: Two Altec 211 bass cabinets (normally seven feet tall, from a movie theater) on their sides, with two Altec 515Bs in each, two JBL 375 drivers on hartzfeld lenses, four Heil Tweeters, two on each side, tri-amped. After hearing this, people either a.) wanted the same thing or b.) sold their stereo system and bought an AM transistor radio.
@whitex4652: What would happen if audiophiles would learn some things about physics? There weren't any audiophiles. So ...
@ronklijn5454 replies to @whitex4652: An audiophile listens. That's all and enough obviously.
@tonyfrench1081: How can this gasbag generate so much hot air without saying anything ?
@AudioMasterclass replies to @tonyfrench1081: Practice.
@Strikan33: Listen to 10 amplifiers in the same price range and you will hear ten more or less similar sounds. Listen to 10 speakers in the same price range and you will hear ten very different sounds. That means, LISTEN and listen. And then choose the ones that sound best to you.
@blackdaan replies to @Strikan33: does not work.. aucoustics of a room can ruine the best speakers
@julianmorrisco: Not exactly stereo monitor/speakers, but I had an experience when looking for something to amplify my guitar when I was a teenager in the very early 80s.
My mum had an old stereogram, one of those radio record players with a function to play another record after the first one via a stack feature. Of course it could only play one side of an LP but I think people were so amazed that this thing could play more than one side of one record at a time when it was built, Iām guessing mid 60s, that nobody minded that they had moved on to the next LP before finishing the first. Remember kids, records were supposed to be played one side and then the next in order. No shuffle.
Anyway, the crappy Bakelite/plastic tonearm was broken somehow and it was impossible to get a replacement. Our family had also bought an NAD, Nakamichi, KEF setup so the old stereogram was no longer required.
I noticed that the amplifier in the thing had tubes, and being a young guitarist who could only afford a pretty grainy sounding Yamaha guitar amp (solid state sounded pretty blah back in the day) I wondered if I could somehow use this, rather low wattage, amplifier.
Now, I knew nothing about impedance, levels or RIAA curves. What I did was created a jack socket that went in right where the cartridge, if you can call it that, was hardwired in.
Wow. The creamiest, most gorgeous distorted tone Iād ever heard came out of the āfull rangeā 8 inch drivers.
I did a bunch of recording with that stereogram, which Iād sawn in half and cut the legs off leaving me a cube about 2 feet on all dimensions. It only had one sound, but boy. It was a good āun.
I moved on as soon as I grew up a bit and bought a Fender Twin but I could never get that chocolate, smooth but distorted sound I was getting from the Franken-gram.
I probably couldnāt march it for anything now, it was 40 years ago but I do wish I still had that thing. Maybe it wasnāt as good as I remembered, but to me, at that time, it was the prefect guitar sound.
@donk1822: I don't believe such a beast exists, or ever will :).
@MonkeyBlueAss: clickbait -
@AnthonyToth-t5v: My amstrad speakers are the best and my bush radio and alba turntable lol š
@ZigSputnik replies to @AnthonyToth-t5v: LoL!