DIY Loudspeaker Design

blackworx · Post by **blackworx** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 6:38 am

If you're into building your own loudspeakers this may interest you.

If you sign up to download a trial copy of LspCAD Lite from this site*, they will also email you a series of articles entitled "Loudspeaker Design", written by a professional 'speaker designer and taken from Hi-Fi World magazine's well-regarded DIY supplement. He uses several worked examples of the design process taking them through initial concept to finished product.

The articles cover every aspect of design and measurement from a DIY perspective and I've found them very informative. The writer doesn't go too deep into difficult physics, nor does he gloss over any part of the process. More importantly, he's a pro, not a hi-fi snob, and doesn't indulge himself in any handwaving or snake oil peddling.

Having said that, there are understandably a few plugs for the 'speaker kits themselves, and the reviews of their own work should probably be taken with at least a small pinch of salt.

* The page doesn't render properly in Firefox (I had to resort to IE to submit my details

)

N7SC · Post by **N7SC** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:36 am

As I am just quickly browsing a bit at favorite sites (like spcr), as I rush around the house doing housework today, no time to check out link, so must ask: Do they cover designing a system that uses equalization to acheive flat response all the way down to 20Hz?

I'd love to try building a system like Roger Russell's IDS-25, www.ids25.com, but to achieve good, flat, response it would need an equalizer, and, of course, I would need to know how to determine exactly what equalization the drivers/enclosure I use would need. I don't have Russell's experience to help me there. He was the head of loudspeaker design for McIntosh Labs from their start in speakers (1967) to Dec. 1992, when he retired.

Of course, I could just buy a pair of IDS-25s, but I don't have the spare $18,900 that they cost (plus 6.5% sales tax, here in Florida, where they are made).

blackworx · Post by **blackworx** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 11:05 am

Nothing as in-depth as that I'm afraid; it focuses on standard hi-fi fare with passive filtration only, no active equalization.

aristide1 · Post by **aristide1** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:20 pm

I gave your link to a friend who's constantly building speakers. I haven't heard back from him. The more I learned about speaker building the more intimidated I got. Basically I want to solve every problem I am aware of. Haha.

blackworx · Post by **blackworx** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:29 pm

Yep - the old clichÃ© about the devil being in the detail

I definitely find the enclosure design and building bit easier to understand than the crossover design, measurement and tuning bit, which is most intimidating to me.

My first two attempts in my teenage years were alright. Nothing special, and certainly not technically proficient in any way, but gratifyingly better than anything available off the shelf for the same amount of cash. They're long gone now, but reading these articles has given me itchy fingers again!

Hope your friend enjoys them as much as I have

psiu · Post by **psiu** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:35 pm

blackworx wrote:Yep - the old clichÃ© about the devil being in the detail

I definitely find the enclosure design and building bit easier to understand than the crossover design, measurement and tuning bit, which is most intimidating to me.

My first two attempts in my teenage years were alright. Nothing special, and certainly not technically proficient in any way, but gratifyingly better than anything available off the shelf for the same amount of cash. They're long gone now, but reading these articles has given me itchy fingers again!

Hope your friend enjoys them as much as I have

I've gotten 3 of the emailings so far--just a quick glance so far.
I do have them saved away for future reference though...between building my own speakers, building my own projector, setting up a good screen and acoustic room, and maybe throwing something like a Maui build together, that would be the ultimate geek triumph everytime I sat down to watch a movie in my personal theatre.

Gives me something to plot for--assuming my wife and I ever move into a real house someday, though I guess getting a job should come before that

blackworx · Post by **blackworx** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:33 pm

psiu wrote:between building my own speakers, building my own projector, setting up a good screen and acoustic room, and maybe throwing something like a Maui build together, that would be the ultimate geek triumph everytime I sat down to watch a movie in my personal theatre.

Too true! I'm in the process of moving our living room to another room in the flat. I gutted it completely and am organising it from the ground up to work as well as possible for music and movies, with proper shelving for the as-yet mostly nonexistent gear that will live there. It's great getting to build a room around a system rather than the other way round! The OH seems fairly enthusiastic so far, although that could be down to the fact that she gets to do the whole decor thing (i.e. pick stuff out and tell me to get on with it!)

Gives me something to plot for--assuming my wife and I ever move into a real house someday, though I guess getting a job should come before that

Yep, that will always be a stumbling block for expensive hobbies - been there many a time!