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How to Build Custom Speakers
by noahw on May 29, 2008
Table of Contents
How to Build Custom Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Intro: How to Build Custom Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
Step 1: Why? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
Step 2: Speaker Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
Step 3: Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Step 4: Select your kit or components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Step 5: Choose a cabinet design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Step 6: Cut the speaker panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Step 7: Mark and cut support panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Step 8: Mark and cut biscuit joints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Step 9: Glue the cabinet sides together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Step 10: Cut out holes and recesses for the drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Step 11: Cut holes for the terminal cups, ports and any other additions to the cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Step 12: Glue in the support braces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Step 13: Glue on the back panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Step 14: Install dappening material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Step 15: Wire up the crossovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Step 16: Install the crossovers inside the cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Step 17: Glue the front panels onto the cabinets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Step 18: Sand the edges smooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Step 19: Explore finishing options and finish the cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Step 20: Install cabinet spikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Step 21: Install terminal cups, ports and port flanges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Step 22: Install drivers (tower speakers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Step 23: Install driver and plate amp (subwoofer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Step 24: Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Step 25: Enjoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
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Intro: How to Build Custom Speakers
Building your own custom speakers has got to be one of the most rewarding, straightforward and cost-effective DIY activities I've come across. I'm absolutely shocked
that it hasn't had a larger presence on Instructables and in the community...well, until now of course.
Some speaker projects can be complete in a weekend, while others can go on for years. Budget speaker kits start around $100, while top-of-the-line kits and
components can add up to several thousands of dollars. Regardless of how much you choose to spend on your speakers, you'll likely be building something that will
sound as good as commercial product that off the shelf would cost as much as 10 times more.
So, if you've got access to a table saw, a jig saw, a drill, some wood glue, clamps, and a place to make some sawdust, then you've got the opportunity to build your own
custom speakers.
This Instructable will cover the entire process, from sourcing components, to tips and tricks, to exotic and inspiring finishing options.
The images below show just a few of the speakers that I've built over the last 10 years.
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Step 1: Why?
Back in 1997 I attended the Home Entertainment Show with my father. We had the intent to build the best speakers that we possibly could. We listened to just about
every manufacturers flagship model. I recognized all of the drivers from the DIY catalogs, wondering which one would reign supreme.
At the end of the day, after the votes were in, we both selected the JM Labs Grande Utopia's as our favorite model, hands down. Since then, it's been widely agreed that
the Grande Utopia are among the best sounding home audio speakers in the world. The only catch is that back in those days, the speaker sold for $40,000, and now the
updated model, equipped with a Beryllium tweeter, costs even more.
JM Labs uses affiliate company Focal brand drivers. Now here's where it gets interesting...the same line of drivers used in the JM Labs loudspeakers, can also be
purchased from Zalytron. My father and I purchased an extremely similar set of drivers, from the same product lines that JM Labs uses, including "W" cone woofers and
audiom inverted metal dome tweeters, and built our own "DIY Grande Utopias" for only $3,000. I would never claim that they are an exact copy of the Grande Utopias,
but they do sound absolutely amazing, and at less than 1/10th the cost, it's hard to argue. That, my fellow Instructables users, is why I think everyone should build their
own speakers.
Image Notes
1. JM Labs Grande Utopia
Image Notes
1. DIY Grande Utopias
Step 2: Speaker Theory
I built my first set of speakers as a high school student over 10 years ago. I've been making them for friends, clients, and now for Instructables as a prize for our Art of
Sound Contest ever since. Over the years I've generated a few simple theories about speaker building that I think are relevant.
Yes, they do sound better, and no you don't have to be an audiophile to hear the difference
Sound quality has been steadily declining as heavily compressed digital audio, iPod docks, and bottom dollar stereos have proliferated around the world over the
last 10-15 years. Listening to music on a great set of speakers is the single biggest change you can make to your stereo to get better sound quality. If you want to
blow $200 a foot on oxygen free speaker wire made from precious metals, great, go for it, just make sure you've already invested a lot of time and energy in
making the best possible speakers your finances and skill level allow.
Spend more money then you thought you were going to
If you're about to build your own custom speakers, you'll likely be spending at least 40 hours on the project if you've got experience with woodworking, electronics,
finishing techniques, or have built your own speakers before, and even longer if it's your first pair. Depending on how you value your time, you'll have thousands
of dollars of free labor (your own) invested in the speakers. If you happen to find yourself deciding between a $5 paper cone, no name woofer, and a $25 poly
cone made by some brand name, please, get the more expensive one. Like tools, speaker components are an investment that you'll have for the rest of the your
life, so reach a little and get the best stuff for your project that you can afford.
Start with a kit
Get started by ordering a kit from a supplier. It takes a significant amount of knowledge and work to design your own crossovers and calculate your own box
dimensions. It's much easier to tackle your first speaker project by standing on the shoulders of experienced audio engineers. So, get a kit from one of the
retailers listed in the next step and get started on your project today.
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Step 3: Resources
Before embarking on a DIY speaker building journey, take some time to familiarize yourself with the process (this Instructable should cover that), and also poke around
sites that showcase DIY speaker builders work, designs, and the companies that distribute the best components in the U.S. There's a wide range of designs, driver
options and technologies to learn about and choose from.
Great print resources include:
The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook
Introduction to Loudspeaker Design
Designing, Building and Testing your own Speaker System
There are numerous web resources for DIY speaker builders:
DIY Loudspeaker Designer's Selection Guide (the LDSG)
DIY Speakers
SpeakerBuilder.net
The Subwoofer DIY Page
DIY Audio Projects
Wayne's Speaker Building Page
Retailers:
Parts Express is great for entry level drivers and is also a great supplier of all kinds of speaker building accessories.
Madisound has a wide range of products, from hi-fi components to complete kits that even include pre-assembled cabinets.
Zalytron is the primary US dealer for the world renowned Focal brand drivers and offers everything from budget kits for the money conscious builder, to top-of-the-line
audiophile kits that rival the industry's best speakers.
Step 4: Select your kit or components
Using the resources listed in the previous step you can begin the process of selecting your drivers or kit for your speaker building project. Speaker builders constantly
debate over the best drivers, and can rarely agree on just one winner. That being said, there are some brand favorites in the field that have proven themselves over time,
again and again, as DIY speaker builders have used them in their designs around the world and been happy with their performance. The LDSG is an excellent resource
to figure out how the drivers you're considering stack up to the competition.
Some factors to consider when selecting drivers are:
price
reviews
history
the kit designer
design specs and requirements
sensitivity db
The best resources for investigating the factors listed above can be found right on the retailers website, in the manufacturers technical documentation, and on the LDSG.
Take your time in learning about what technologies and speaker components you'd like to use. When making your selection about tweeters alone you can choose from,
horn tweeters, soft dome tweeters, inverted metal dome tweeters, coaxial drivers, ribbon tweeters, bullet tweeters, flared tweeters, and piezo tweeters.
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Check out Madisound's drivers page to get an idea of what the different technologies look like.
Some of the most well-known producers of speaker drivers are:
Focal
Seas
Morel
Usher
Accuton
Vifa
NHT
I primarily build with Focal brand drivers. I do so for no other good reason other then for the story I told in Step 2. I've always been very happy and impressed particularly
with Focal's Audiom TD5 tweeter, the TC 120 TD5 tweeter, and "W" cone line of woofers.
The speakers that are being given away feature the following drivers from Zalytron and plate amp from Parts Express:
2.5 way MTM Towers:
(2) JM Labs 6VE3251B woofers
(1) Focal TC 90 TD5B tweeter
2 way TM Bookshelf Speakers:
(1) JM Labs 6VE3251B woofer
(1) Focal TC 90 TD5B tweeter
12" Sealed Subwoofer:
Zalytron 1201PL
Dayton SA100 100W Subwoofer Amplifier
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Image Notes
1. JM Labs Grande Utopia
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Image Notes
1. DIY Grande Utopias
Step 5: Choose a cabinet design
Once you've selected your drivers it's time to begin planning out the cabinet. Work with your component provider to choose a box design that best matches your specific
components. If you're building a kit, a box design should have come along with your drivers and crossover plans.
Box design can make a $5 driver sound like a speaker that costs $500 retail, but if it's not designed and built correctly, it can also make a $500 driver sound like it was
ripped out of an old transistor radio. DIY speaker builders can't make their own drivers very easily, but we do build our own speaker cabinets, so that's where we tinker,
innovate, build with care, and shine. As a result, it's the cabinet design and execution that we spend the most time on.
Cabinet design decisions start at the basics, like the volume of the cabinet, whether it will be sealed or ported, how much bracing the cabinet needs, what thickness
material it should be made out of and what height the tweeter should be mounted at so that it's in line with the listeners ears.
From there, it progresses to more complex and acoustic decisions like rounding over the corners to reduce interference, building elaborate horn structures to amplify the
sound, using exotic materials to further dampen resonant frequencies, line arrays to gain efficiency, mounting drivers at different distances from the listener to
accommodate for the fact that high frequencies travel slightly faster than low frequencies, and eliminating parallel faces - the surfaces that create resonant frequencies,
by building poly-faceted cabinets, or better, spheres, rather than the standard rectangular cabinet.
That being said, the vast majority of DIY speaker builders start with a straightforward, rectangular cabinet design that even though lacks the bells and whistles, and highly
engineered elements listed above, still sounds fantastic.
An example of a MTM bookshelf speaker speaker design appears below from Zalytron.
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Image Not
1. Rounde
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Image Notes
1. Line array
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Image Notes
1. Rounded cabinet design with coaxial driver
Image Notes
1. Exotic horns
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File Downloads
TC120TD5+two7W4411 MTM vented.pdf ((612x792) 173 KB)
[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'TC120TD5+two7W4411 MTM vented.pdf']
Step 6: Cut the speaker panels
I build all of my speakers from a type of fiber board called MEDEX. It's a LEED certified formaldehyde free material that's similar to MDF, but far heavier, denser, and
moisture resistant. Many contractors use it as a building material in humid climates, and it's widely used to make counter tops.
It's not stocked in every lumberyard, but it can be special ordered. If your local lumber yard can't find a source for it, or if you don't want to pay the higher price for it, MDF
is the next building material of choice. Avoid plywood, hardwoods, OSB, strand board, and light density fiber boards if possible.
The speaker cabinets should be as sonically dead as possible. That means heavy, thick-walled, and well constructed. Ideally the entire cabinet should be built out of 1.5"
material. In reality, I've only done a handful of speakers that were that thick due to the cost and weight. The industry standard is a 1.5" front baffle, and then 3/4" for the
rest of the cabinets. Zalytron builds their cabinets to these same specifications. Many other companies do not. Look closely to see what's included in your specific kit if
your ordering one that has the cabinet included.
Plan out your speakers on paper and create a cutting diagram based upon the raw 4' x 8' sheets. Head to the lumberyard and pick up as many sheets of MDF or MEDEX
as you need for your projects.
Transfer your cutting diagram onto the sheets themselves and then begin to break them down, making the biggest cuts first. Work the large sheets down into small
manageable panels and cut things to their exact size. When cutting like-sized speaker panels make all of your same-sized-passes on the table saw at the same time,
without moving the fence, to ensure that parallel panels will be exactly the same size.
Once all of your panels are cut, check and then recheck your measurements. If the speaker cabinets are going to be square, they've got to start with perfectly cut panels,
otherwise they just won't ever line up correctly.
Image Notes
1. Cutting diagram and plan.
Image Notes
1. Transfer the cutting plan to the actual sheet so you know what to cut.
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Image Notes
1. MDF dust is notriously fine. Wear a respirator while you're breaking the boards
down so you don't have to cough too much.
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Step 7: Mark and cut support panels
As shown in the cabinet design in step 5, the basic speaker cabinet contains supports on the inside to further strengthen and sonically dampen the exterior walls. These
supports are usually cut from scrap 3/4 material and are cut with a swiss cheese like pattern to allow air to pass through them so that they don't divide the cabinet and
impede air flow inside.
Internal support panels should be located in parts of the speaker that are closest to the woofers, and anywhere that the cabinet may need reinforcement, like the midpoint
of the sides.
The tower speakers have two internal supports, while the bookshelf speakers have only one.
Trace a simple pattern of circles or squares onto the support panels and use a drill with a large drill bit to create a starter hole for your jig saw. Then, use the jig saw to
connect the drill holes and trace the path of your cutout.
The picture set below ends with the brace for the subwoofer, so it's a bit bigger and has a larger cutout for the larger subwoofer driver.
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Step 8: Mark and cut biscuit joints
Like most professional kitchen cabinet makers, I use biscuit joints to hold my speaker cabinets together. They easily and perfectly align adjacent faces, are quick to cut
and install, and are super strong.
First, mark adjacent surfaces with a pattern or code of your choosing. I simply assemble the speaker panels into the correct formation and mark adjacent sides with an
"a", "b", "c", or "circle", "square", "triangle" code and so on. I then give them a little tick mark crossing onto both sides where I'll alight the biscuit joiner to make the plunge,
and draw a long line on the face that will get a groove cut into it, so that I don't get lost and cut into the wrong face. See the secondary photos below to see what I mean.
With the faces all marked up, I clamp the boards down to the table and begin cutting slots with the biscuit joiner.
I generally install two biscuits per joint on the speaker cabinets. This part is a bit tedious, because there are many joints and adjoining faces, but it's worth it when you go
to glue because things will line up really well. I find messing around with screws while trying to glue and clamp the cabinets together is just a bit clumsy and certainly
more difficult to square up.
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Image Notes
1. This shows me where, and on what face to cut the biscuit holes.
Image Notes
1. Cut biscuit slot here.
2. Cut biscuit slot here.
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Image Notes
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1. Line biscuit joiner up with tick mark and plunge.
Step 9: Glue the cabinet sides together
The first part of the cabinet to be assembled are the sides, top and bottom. The front and back go on later.
Before gluing up the cabinets I lay everything that I'm going to need out on a large flat level surface. Once the glue bead gets laid down, the clocks ticking, so you'll want
to move with some speed and efficiency. Having an extra set of hands for the step really helps, but it's not a necessity.
Lay a thin bead of high quality wood glue (I like Titebond myself) along the edges of all adjacent sides. Be sure to spread extra glue inside the holes for the biscuits. I use
a chip brush to paint the glue into position and spread the bead evenly into a 3/4" strip.
Insert the biscuits into the slots, being sure to push them all the way down. Any biscuits that don't easily fit into the slot should be discarded and swapped for a new
biscuit--sometimes the biscuits swell slightly due to moisture and humidity.
With the biscuits in place and glue on all of the adjoining surfaces, it's time to assemble. Join edges to faces and construct the cabinet.
I use many many clamps to pull the cabinet tightly together and apply uniform even pressure to the joints.
With the edges glued and the clamps loosely in place, now's the time to square everything up. Using a tape measure and the clamps, measure the diagonal from corner
to corner of the square you've just created and adjust the clamps until they are equal. This means that the box is perfectly square. See the photos below.
Before the glue sets up, it's also a good time to make all of the panels flush with each other. Use a dead blow hammer and a block of wood to knock all edges flush.
Apply a sufficient amount of clamps and wait for the exterior walls of the cabinet to dry. As you can see from the pictures below, pipe clamps are great for this purpose,
and if you've been needing an excuse (or two) to buy some, 42" tall tower speakers are good ones.
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Image Notes
1. Ready to be biscuited and joined.
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Image Notes
1. Edges are done just like the other surfaces.
Image Notes
1. Insert the biscuit fully. Just less than half of the biscuit should be protruding from
the slot.
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Image Notes
1. Make the top surface of all of the edges flush and even.
Image Notes
1. Squaring up the cabinet.
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Image Notes
1. Adjust the clamps so that they are equal - once they are, the box is square!
Step 10: Cut out holes and recesses for the drivers
With the sides, top and bottom of the cabinets drying, it's a good time to start work on the front and back panels. First time builders may choose to simplify this step and
simply cut a large circle opening for the speaker driver to mount in. In that case, the speaker drivers' frame will rest on the surface of the speaker, protruding an 1/8" or
so. For a truly professional look, however, you'll want to recess the drivers so that they mount flush with the front face.
In either case, the first step is to cut out a circle that accommodates your driver. I use a plunge router fitted with a Jasper Circle Jig. This Jasper Jig allows be to cut a
circle of just about any size up between 2" and 18". If you don't happen to have this handy router and circle jig set up, the old drawing a circle using a piece of string tied
around a nail works pretty darn well too. Then, simply cut carefully along your line with a jig saw and you're in business.
If you are using a router, use a 1/8" or 1/4" straight bit to cut out the circle so you end up removing as little material as possible. The wider the bit, the more material you
have to eat through, the more dust you create, and the slower the process goes. Make multiple passes, incrementally plunging deeper and deeper through the front face.
Once the circles are cut, it's time to tackle the optional recess.
To do this you need to create a pattern template. Carefully trace, draw, plot, copy, CNC cut, or laser cut the outer pattern of your driver onto a thin piece of material
creating a template. Technical drawings for speaker components can usually be found on the manufacturers or resellers website. Recreate a pattern in a drafting program
of your choice from the drawings and produce the actual pattern piece. Remember, this step is totally optional!
Once the patterns have been created, center and mount it into place on the front face. I'm using some simple wood screws in the photos below.
Then, using a good router and a sharp straight bit fit with a pattern bushing collar on it, simply trace the pattern at the proper depth to create the recess.
Elliot from Zalytron has been kind enough to use his vast library of patterns to route the driver recesses for me when they're too complex for me to generate on my own so if you're sourcing components from him, see if he can help you out.
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Image Notes
1. First pass - only about 1/4" deep.
Image Notes
1. Third pass, now almost all the way through.
Image Notes
1. Medex does one heck of a job on router bits!
2. Brass bushing fitted with a 1/16" thick collar. The pattern is thus sized 1/16"
larger than the final cut will be. Adjust your pattern to whatever pattern cutting
bushing system you have.
Image Notes
1. Trace the pattern you are about to cut to make sure that it's centered on the
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front face.
Step 11: Cut holes for the terminal cups, ports and any other additions to the cabinet
There are some more holes that need to be cut in the front/and or back cabinet faces. Using the same drill and jig saw method described in step 7, cut out properly sized
holes for the terminal cups or binding posts depending on what kind of connection point you've decided to use.
For the port, each situation will be unique. Different port designs require different holes. Slotted ports are built right into the cabinet, while PVC tubes (the kind I'm using
below) require a properly-sized circle. Some ports go on the front face, others on the back, and other speaker designs require no port at all. Consult your cabinet plans to
see what kind your kit requires.
The circle jig makes quick work of the port hole on the back panel in the photos below.
In the final few pictures in the sequence below you can see the back panel of the subwoofer. I'm using the jig saw to cut out the hole for the plate amplifier that will get
mounted back there. Writing myself plenty of notes about the location and sizes of the holes and cuts is really useful for me so I can keep track of everything I'm doing,
especially when building 5 cabinets simultaneously like I am here.
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Image Notes
1. It says "please do not harm". The shop at the tower got busy sometimes.
Image Notes
1. Jigsaw takes care of the terminal cup hole.
Image Notes
1. Hole for PVC port goes here.
Image Notes
1. Jasper circle jig.
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Step 12: Glue in the support braces
If the initial glue-up of the cabinets is dry, it's time to glue in the support braces. As before, apply a thin bead of glue to both surfaces and slide them into position.
*Note*
The support braces can be glued in position when the top, bottom and sides are glued. It adds a bit more work to an already busy process, but it allow you cut slots and
insert biscuits on the supports to join them to the sides, something that can't be done if they're glued in on their own like I'm doing here. Since their position isn't
absolutely crucial like the other parts of the cabinet are, it's not a problem do wait for for the initial glue-up to dry, and do them on their own.
The subwoofer supports are shown below first, followed by the rest of the speaker cabinets.
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Image Notes
1. This semi-circle cutout is shaped to accommodate the back of the subwoofer
driver that will be mounted later in front of it.
Image Notes
1. Check for proper placement.
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Step 13: Glue on the back panel
With the supports in place you can glue on the back panel. By this point we've all gotten really good at gluing and sensing just how much glue to apply before excess
starts to drip out. Paint the glue on both surfaces, apply the back, and clamp thoroughly.
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Image Notes
1. Just a little dripage is ok, that means that you've got just enough glue.
Step 14: Install dappening material
Once the glue has dried it's time to install dampening material. Some people use polyester fill, others use acoustic foam, and others use pre-made adhesive backed foam
products (pictured below). Different designs call for different types of dampening, in different quantities.
Follow your kit guidelines or contact the system designer to find out how much dampening you should use.
Black Hole 5 is the top-of-the-line name out there. It's a multi-layered dampening material, however from what I've found acoustical foam works equally as well and is a
whole lot cheaper.
If your dampening material does not have an adhesive backing, use hot glue, or a construction adhesive to apply it to the walls of the speaker cabinet. The rule of thumb
for dampening is that you'll want to dampen most of the inner surfaces of the cabinet, leaving room for your crossovers, drivers, ports and terminal cups.
For subwoofers I use standard polyester that's found in fabric stores.
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Image Notes
1. Leave space for the crossovers.
Image Notes
1. Black Hole 5
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Image Notes
1. Acoustic Foam
Step 15: Wire up the crossovers
With the cabinets ready to go (minus the fronts), the next step is to wire up the crossovers. As described in the beginning of this Instructable, the crossover makes sure
that high frequencies, like cymbal crashes, get sent to the tweeter, while lower frequencies, like bass guitars, get sent to the woofers and subwoofers. While some drivers
don't require crossovers at all because they are equipped to reproduce all of the different frequencies, the vast majority of speaker designs and drivers require one for the
tweeter, and another for the woofer.
I've built speakers for 10 years now and have never designed my own crossovers. It's a right of passage for sure, but an easy thing to get around by following someone
elses design. In this case, I'm following Joe D'Appolito's design (legendary speaker designer and the man who invented the midrange, tweeter, midrange (MTM) driver
configuration), since he's the guy who developed this speaker system.
Crossover plans look exactly like wiring diagrams and should come along with your speaker kit. They consist of resistors, capacitors and inductors. Audiophile quality
components are a treat to work with since they're about 10x the size of standard electronics components.
Solder all connections together and hot glue components into place on a panel. Inductor coils should already have bare copper on it's ends, but, if there's any doubt, do a
little sanding to remove the paint-on layer of insulation.
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Each crossover will need high quality speaker wire running to, and coming from it. You'll need positive and negate leads going to the start of the circuit from the terminal
cup, and positive and negative leads that run from the crossover to the speaker driver. For woofers that share the same crossover, which commonly occurs anytime
you've got more than one woofer in a 2-way (woofer & tweeter) system, you'll need to solder on two sets of leads coming from the crossover. If you're building a 2.5 way
system, like I am in the tower set in this Instructable, where one woofer plays lower then the other, you'll need to make three different crossovers the three different
drivers.
I label the tails of all of my leads so I know where they are coming from and going to when it comes time to assemble. Nothing worse then gluing everything up only to
find that you put the leads from the tweeter crossover into the woofers and vice a versa.
Image Notes
1. Inductor coil that needs it's tip sanded.
2. Sanded and tinned coil lead.
Image Notes
1. Post some simple sanding.
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Image Notes
1. Layout components and match to diagram.
Image Notes
1. Start twisting leads together.
Image Notes
1. Hot glue into position.
Image Notes
1. Solder all connections.
Image Notes
1. Solder on speaker wire leads.
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Image Notes
1. Label everything! There are two different leads going into each crossover, two
coming out, and 3 different crossovers to choose from!
Step 16: Install the crossovers inside the cabinet
Use hot glue, screws, or construction adhesive to install the crossovers inside the speaker cabinet. Put the heaviest crossover on the bottom and try to orient inductor
coils at 90 degrees to each other to limit electromagnetic interference.
Pull leads into position through the terminal cup and into the area where the drivers will be mounted. I tie the speaker wire leads around the holes in the mounting bracket
to reduce/eliminate wire tension that would be transmitted to the drivers and the crossovers in the event of a tug or snag.
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Image Notes
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1. Pull these through before sealing up the cabinet.
Step 17: Glue the front panels onto the cabinets
With the crossovers and dampening material in position it's time to glue the front panels into position. Apply a thin bead of glue, use a brush to spread it out along the
edge, and clamp the front face into place. Before sealing up the cabinet, do one more visual check that you've got all your wire leads in a place that's easy to reach, that
you've followed all of the previous steps, and that everything is set to go, because once that front face gets glued on, there's no getting it off.
The photos below show this process occurring on the bookshelf speakers first, then the towers, and finally on the subwoofer.
Image Notes
1. Speaker cabinet.
2. facing
3. glue
4. Pipe clamps
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Step 18: Sand the edges smooth
After all the glue has dried, there will likely be a small amount of hardened glue that was squeezed out by the clamps. Use a power sander to take this off and sand all
edges flush. Try not to sand off too much, since the more that you do, the more out of true and square your cabinet becomes. Also, be careful to sand only one surface at
a time and never round over the corners. You'll want those crisp lines when you apply our finishing material.
Image Notes
1. Belt sanders make quick work of the glue edge and can be useful to take off a
little extra material too if your cabinet is not quite perfectly square of flush.
Image Notes
1. Needs sanding.
Image Notes
1. Perfecto!
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Step 19: Explore finishing options and finish the cabinet
Before any of the actual components get installed, you've got to do all of the finishing work.
Most speaker cabinets are finished with a wood veneer that's got some kind of lacquer, varnish, or polyurethane product applied to it, but don't let that limit your
imagination. These are you speakers and you can make them look however you like! It won't affect the sound quality really at all, as that's all in the cabinet construction,
so go nuts and make them look beautiful!
Some creative ideas I've seen around the web are linked to below. Since the speakers I made were built as the prize for the Art of Sound contest, we went with
something unique, bold and festive...in other words, bright orange and white upholstered vinyl with black edge piping for the towers, spray on pickup truck bed liner, 3"
chrome plates spikes and waterjet cut steel flames for the subwoofer, and fur covered, eye patch toting, horned and toothed monster treatment for the bookshelf
speakers.
Creative designs:
Tree Speakers
TIE Fighters
Rubiks Cube Subwoofer
Concrete Speakers}
The process of veneering requires an entire Instructable on it's own. The basic concept can be described as taking a very thin layer of a good looking hard wood, like
maple, cherry, oak etc., and adhering it onto a less beautiful substance, in this case MDF or MEDEX.
For the basic concept check out Rockler's Veneering page.
For more info you can also read Veneering: A Foundation Course on Google Books.
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Image Notes
1. glue posing as caulk (i bet it's liquid nails!)
2. blue foam
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Image Notes
1. I'm pretty sure the way each of these sides lines up and overlaps is worth
noting.
Image Notes
1. I bet those two holes correspond to the holes in the facing!
Image Notes
1. oopsie. That's not where his eye goes!
2. this is where his teeth and toes go! CHOMP
Image Notes
1. aww. these are the parts that didn't make it.
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Image Notes
1. are you wearing protective footwear? now's a good time to check!
Image Notes
1. i'm envisioning a wing going here. . .
File Downloads
Speaker Flames Side.ai ((1728x1728) 1009 KB)
[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Speaker Flames Side.ai']
Speaker Flames Corner.ai ((1728x1728) 1007 KB)
[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Speaker Flames Corner.ai']
Speaker Flames Top.ai ((1728x1728) 1023 KB)
[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Speaker Flames Top.ai']
Step 20: Install cabinet spikes
Cabinet feet and spikes come in all different shapes and sizes but generally get installed in the same way.
Pre-drill the proper size hole for the gnarled nut and hammer it into position using a block of wood for protection. Then, simply screw in the spike and lock it into position
with the lock nut. The spike sleeves in the photos below are threaded, so they get screwed into position using an allen wrench, rather than hammered into place.
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Step 21: Install terminal cups, ports and port flanges
It's getting close to the end - time to get excited!
Drill pilot holes for the terminal cups and screw them into position.
The port tube can be hammered into place and covered with a port flange or cap. These aren't necessary, but make everything back there look really nice.
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Image Notes
1. This port flange covers the end of the port tube. It's not necessary, but is a nice
finishing option.
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Step 22: Install drivers (tower speakers)
Mark and drill pilot holes for all for all of the mounting holes on the speaker drivers. Then, grab the leads coming from the crossovers and solder them onto the metal tabs
coming from the driver. Use your labels to match the positive lead to the bigger tab, usually stamped with a red dot and "+" sign, and the negative lead to the other tab,
usually a bit smaller, not marked with a red dot, and stamped with a "-" sign.
Once the drivers are soldered into place, stuff excess speaker wire back into the cabinet and screw the drivers into position using some nice, pan-head, black finish,
coarse thread screws.
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Image Notes
1. Solder all connections.
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Step 23: Install driver and plate amp (subwoofer)
The process of finishing up the subwoofer is relatively similar to finishing up the other speakers. Instead of acoustical foam or Black Hole 5, I use polyester fill.
Subwoofers are generally filled with a larger amount of acoustical dampening material, and as a result, I generally opt for the cheaper, more compressible option of poly
fill.
The subwoofer has no independent crossover, only an active variable crossover built into Dayton 100W plate amp from Parts Express, so there's nothing to do there.
Connect the speaker wire to the binding posts on the back side of the plate amp and install the amp into position in the hole that was previously cut out of the back.
Route the wires through the speaker cabinet, tying them around a support bracket to reduce wire tension in the event of a snag, and then twist them around the leads
coming from the sub woofer driver.
Solder all connections.
Finally, install the subwoofer driver into position on the front of the speaker by drilling pilot holes and then screwing it into position using pan head black finish screws.
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Image Notes
1. Carefully pre-drill holes for the mounting screws.
Step 24: Test
With all the driver mounted and all components in position, it's time for the big moment, the first real test run of the speakers.
Assuming that you can bare the suspense, carefully carry them to a good quality amplifier in a well dampened room, or wherever you plan on keeping them. Hook up
speaker wire, power up your amp, and reach for your best mastered, best sounding CD, record, or dare I say, iPod.
There's virtually endless debate on what to play to "break speakers in" or test them with, but I've found that it's just best to play what you like, and what you've listened to
most. You ears will remember what it has sounded like in the past, and hopefully, if all has gone to plan, will notice the huge improvement that you're now hearing.
I've found that Pink Floyd The Wall Disk 1, and more specifically "Mother" is an excellent track to test with. It starts off slow and low, so you're inclined to crank the
volume up higher than you should at the beginning (this is a good thing), and then, around a minute or so into the track, it explodes in a rich sound stage, excellently
mastered, and beautifully balanced, giving your speakers a real chance to shine. While the list of well mastered and arranged music is constantly growing, many DIY
enthusiasts can agree that even though it's a bit dated at this point, Pink Floyd just sounds bigger and better then a lot of what's out there.
Speakers need a break-in period of time, or at least the industry big wigs claim that they do. I've found that the sound does tend to break in a bit, but for the most part,
how the sound for the first time is a pretty good indicator of how they'll sound in 5 years.
Once the test is complete you should be grinning ear to ear, proud of your achievement and excited to re-listen to all of your music, knowing that it's not only sounding
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better then it ever has before, but that you made the whole thing possible, from start to finish.
Step 25: Enjoy
Once you discover how simple and rewarding custom speaker building can be, you may want to build more of them...I certainly did at least.
Here's to many great speaker projects, thick strong cabinets, the latest and greatest speaker drivers, and doughy-eyed grins at the end of our favorite songs.
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a subwoofer for
your car audio
system (to place
in the trunk of
your car) by
nmesis_02
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-Custom-Speakers/
Fixing an Old
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Comments
50 comments Add Comment
view all 106 comments
andybuda says:
Mar 15, 2011. 8:56 AM REPLY
iv just had ago at recessing some speakers that im making with a dremmel and is not a bad job one tweeter recess was a bit funnky. and if i was doing it
again i would have made the hole afew mm smaller and used the barrel sander to finnish off but you live an learn. thank god for crayons
im using a real wood vanier cut at 45 deg ( miterd corners ) and glued over 3/4 " chipboard. clasic box design. deep rarther then wide. 1 ft 2 ft 3ft with 10"
driver
should be good
onlinemastering says:
Mar 3, 2011. 10:22 AM REPLY
Very in depth and good quality advice IMO. Focal and Dynaudio drivers are ace !
One day I am going to get myself a decent kit speaker and build, not primetime yet but the advice here is top notch.
Thanks for your time.
online mastering
shaneomacmcgee says:
Jun 2, 2009. 6:00 PM REPLY
wats up with the golden rectangle spiral...? just filler or does it serve a purpose?
ayhan13 says:
Jun 3, 2009. 2:06 AM REPLY
the golden ratio, persect beauties? well its this thing where every part i the ratio of the bigger one. search up golden ratio
fbigun says:
Mar 3, 2011. 1:27 AM REPLY
slm ayhan isminden anladıpıma göre türksün:)
adım fatih istanbulda oturuyorum benim ingilizcem pek iyi deÄŸil o yüzden sana ingilizce yazamıyorum :(
acaba senin bu kabin yapımı hakkında bilgin var mı. bende kendime özel bir kabin tasarlamak istiyorum.ama bu iÅŸi profesyonelce yapmak
istiyorum bana yardımcı olabilirmsin ?
ilgine ÅŸimdiden teÅŸekkür ederim
shaneomacmcgee says:
Jun 3, 2009. 1:21 PM REPLY
i undesrtand the golden ratio, i'm just curious why it's here ...?
jerel2u says:
Jun 5, 2009. 3:29 PM REPLY
IIRC this shape is used as an ideal towards which the enclosure is supposed to be designed. It's been about 30 years since I thought about any
of this, but there are a variety of types of speaker enclosures. For example, the famous Klipsch Horn speakers use a folded-horn enclosure, and
I'm sure its design is related to this "golden ratio".
shaneomacmcgee says:
Jun 5, 2009. 4:20 PM REPLY
ah alright, thanks man
djlewis725 says:
Dec 16, 2010. 6:38 PM REPLY
I made a deadmau5 head that plays deadmau5. I modified a deadmau5 helmet and modified it.
firefliie says:
Dec 21, 2010. 5:02 PM REPLY
--i'd just like to point out that you said you "modified a deadmau5 helmet and modified it."
:)
DIYDragon says:
Nov 20, 2010. 9:29 AM REPLY
Those orange speakers are so BA. I don't know anything about speaker building, but I want to learn just so I can make those. = j
mpikas says:
Oct 24, 2010. 5:04 PM REPLY
Hot glue or construction adhesive can be a source of rattles ... if it comes loose in a spot then you have a hard lump of something tapping against the side of
the box.
I usually use polyfill which doesn't need to be attached to the sides of the box, but if I use something that does I'd recommend spray or brush/roll on contact
adhesive, since it stays soft and rubbery and thin so there is no potential for making noise.
Whatever you use be careful that it doesn't have solvents in it that will attack the suspension material of the drivers.
If you're going with a home made design based on calculations using TS parameters make sure that account for whatever you use for sound deadening
since it can have some interesting effects, instead of taking up volume it slows the waves in the box causing it to act larger than it actually is. Also, many
calculators out there assume a loose plyfill filling in the numbers they calculate.
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janengel2001 says:
Jun 4, 2009. 11:40 AM REPLY
I agree about the dripage, but is it ok to wipe that up with a damp rag at clamping time, and not need the sanding off when it is dry ?
mpikas says:
Oct 24, 2010. 4:57 PM REPLY
Wiping tends to make a bigger mess... let it dry or partially harden and then scrape it off with a cabinet scraper or a sharp chisel
mpikas says:
Oct 24, 2010. 4:54 PM REPLY
I usually build 3 sides at a time, rather than 4 or if 4 I try to make it 2 adjacent rather than opposite sides... that makes any bracing or internal baffles much
easier to install if you don't have 2 sides on the box yet.
If I get stuck doing them in the order that you're doing them, then I either use a set of the quick grip clamps like you have in a few of the pictures or pipe
clamps with the jaws reversed to spread/slightly bow the box sides. I'd bet that would give you enough room to use the small biscuits that you're using.
Also, for most speaker designs you'll want to ease the hard corners of the support braces to minimize chances of wierd wave reflections in the box/standing
waves/weird tuning issues.
mpikas says:
Oct 24, 2010. 4:46 PM REPLY
OH, one other thing that I forgot... for smaller drivers (anything needing a 6" or smaller hole), forget all this and just use a circle cutter (one used in a drill with
a single or 2 cutting "wings." Most will cut up to a 6" hole and the only layout that you have to do is mount the center point and adjust the cutter position to
the correct radius, the whole thing will take less than a minute on a drill press, where a circle cutter on a router will take 10-15min including setup... (of
course, I only have one router and it usually lives in my router table so I have to pull it out and swap plates as part of the setup.
This is also probably the fastest way of making cutouts for terminal cups (if you choose to use them) and round ports.
mpikas says:
Oct 24, 2010. 4:41 PM REPLY
You're the first person that I've ever seen use biscuits... I'd probably try it if I had a biscuit cutter.
Most people use drywall screws, which is fiddly and ugly, and unless you predrill everything you're just asking for split pieces and stripped holes (If you're
going to do that at least use coarse threaded drywall screws).
I usually use glue and 18ga brads (2" unless there isn't room for some reason). You get a tight fit up, hold incredibly well (try pull one out that you missfired,
it's just about impossible) and a clean look, and I bet that assembly is MUCH quicker than with biscuits. I even have some boxes that ended up bare MDF
covered in tung oil and once you sand them you can't see the brad holes at all. Another advantage with them is that they are so thin and soft that metal
working tools, saws, router bits... will cut right through them without catching or dulling, so even if you fire one through an area which will get cut later they
don't get in the way like screws will.
mpikas says:
Oct 24, 2010. 4:33 PM REPLY
I'm with Fdiddy... the outside recess is much easier to do first, then cut out the center hole. Especially with round or larger driver openings.
Secondly, I usually cut them with the faces already mounted on the box, that way you have something with some size and weight to it keeping the thing
steady instead of just the front baffle (usually the front baffle isn't big enough to clamp down and clear a circle cutting jig, especially with smaller speakers.
mpikas says:
Oct 24, 2010. 4:18 PM REPLY
Are those fostex drivers in the rounded horn housings? How did they sound? I spent a bunch of time experimenting with them after reading great reviews
and was never able to build an enclosure for them that I really liked... and the best were nowhere near any of the recommended designs/volumes. It seems
like the TS parameters for them weren't even close to what was published, even after a friend of mine tried breaking them in for days, and then weeks
ThreeWestCreative says:
Oct 15, 2010. 12:34 PM REPLY
Simply fantastic! Thank you. I'm looking for some ideas for a speaker project I'd like to tackle. Just picked up a sweet, super old record player from a thrift
store for $5 and I want to build a unique and crazy speaker set for it. This IB has given me some great ideas. Cheers!
pakz20 says:
Oct 4, 2010. 7:32 AM REPLY
hi? me i recev a diagram of your crossover?
so me i learn on my own to?
plzzzz???? tanx u very much.
you patern s so nice
gazoutg says:
Jul 21, 2010. 1:42 PM REPLY
After a power problem in the electric line some of our appliance have blown off. One was a dvd/Ipod surround system. we tough about buying an audio/video
selector (like a yamaha or Harman Kardon) but the guy at the shop said those would blow off our current speakers (the one that came with the surround
system). My guess is he was trying to trick us into buying a new set instead. So is there something I should know about the drivers wattage and impedance
before I link em together. If you build one with multiple drivers like in the last photo, what should you know first? do you link them in parallel or in serie?
Thanks
lpkid1057 says:
Jul 5, 2010. 10:57 PM REPLY
Really great write up. It was very descriptive and the many pictures helped a lot. I have a few questions, however. 1) What exactly were the induction coils
for? I understand the crossovers, but the coils are over my head. 2) What tools do you deem as absolutely necessary for this project? I'm in college and
consider myself a "budding" audiophile. As such, I don't have very many tools amassed yet, and this greatly interests me. Do I NEED a table saw? The jig /
plunge router thing I would need, as well as pipe clamps. Anything else? 3) What are some good songs to test equipment on? Any current songs you know
of? I have yet to listen to Pink Floyd's music (Never brought up on it D: ) Need something my ears are already accustomed to so I can hear the difference in
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-Custom-Speakers/
equipment. If thats valid. Again great job! I love the design on the tower speakers.
andybuda says:
Jul 3, 2010. 12:55 PM REPLY
the plates you have fixed on to the side are nice did you have to send them away to be cut... an idea... make coners bend them yourself
bigboy5554 says:
Jun 22, 2010. 1:21 AM REPLY
Have you ever thought of making the cabinets out of glass so one could see the internal workings of the speaker
zinnatty says:
Jun 15, 2010. 9:41 PM REPLY
what's the name of that spiral?
ColdFish says:
Jun 16, 2010. 10:11 PM REPLY
That would be a logarithmic spiral.
zinnatty says:
Jun 16, 2010. 11:25 PM REPLY
mmm I remember is fibo-something, dunno.
jaredn79 says:
Jun 17, 2010. 8:11 AM REPLY
Fibonacci Number / Sequence; but your probably more referring to the "Golden Spiral" that follows the fibonacci sequence.
pickboy2mm says:
May 20, 2010. 12:21 PM REPLY
it keeps saying you make speakers but i just see a bunch of cutting and woodworking. do you have instructions on making a speaker? i have been making
them about 6 months now and sound good but not good enough to mount in a nice enclosure. how do you get the specs of a home made speaker? is their
some sort of testing machine or could i test mine at home? please help i am very interested.
Dlk666 says:
May 17, 2010. 7:02 AM REPLY
Hi, i want to build a speaker cab for my band to use for vocals....it needs to be loud enough to be heard over drums and guitars....ive seen 400w 12"
speakers for around R500(approx 70$) will one or 2 of these be loud enough?
LittleWolf says:
May 5, 2010. 5:06 PM REPLY
Do you recommend taking apart ugly speaker systems and refashioning them (with proper understanding of function, of course)?
dzent1 says:
Apr 28, 2010. 10:59 AM REPLY
Congrats to your dad for raising a kid with an awesome set of skills. He must be quite a guy, too. GREAT instructable, world class.
jebimasta says:
Apr 14, 2010. 3:50 PM REPLY
Amazing Instructable. I've been searching for a project for a while now. I'm pretty set on making some speakers after reading this and looking at the beauties
you've created. I just hope drivers are as easy to find (and as affordable :O) in the UK as they are in the US. My Dad raised me on Pink Floyd and I couldn't
think of anything better to break in some fresh speakers, it would also be interesting to compare them to the Wharfdale/Kef/Tannoy's we have.
Thanks a bunch :D
GreenD says:
Apr 8, 2010. 6:56 AM REPLY
I'm more interested in how to power systems - making your own or improvising with amplifiers - what source would help me the most there? Building the
boxes to me seems important, but less important than how to power speakers.
bowmaster says:
Apr 2, 2010. 9:58 PM REPLY
Cool, I could use this to make a 7.1 surround system.
RedMeanie says:
Apr 1, 2010. 10:32 PM REPLY
Thanks Man.....I used to build boxes for Vehicles when it was first getting hot in like 1993, I owned a stereo shop for 6 years during that time before Joining
the Marine Corps. I pretty much let my installer take the shop over and when I came to visit the Enclosures had gotten way more advanced and built to
higher standards.
Seeing this Instructable brings back some very good memories, Its nice to see the industry is still going strong and still setting the bar higher.
Congrats, and Thank You!
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-Custom-Speakers/
Parts-Express says:
Aug 13, 2009. 10:12 AM REPLY
You have some great designs here, very impressive.
noahw says:
Apr 1, 2010. 11:24 AM REPLY
Thanks Parts-Express!
I've ordered from you guys a ton in the past and you've always been a wonderful resource.
I'm sorry for my very very late reply.
If it's possible for a company to have emotional responses, I hope that you're doing well!
Pyrotechnic-Robot says:
Jan 2, 2010. 11:47 AM REPLY
What type of finish did you use in your sub woofer?
noahw says:
Apr 1, 2010. 11:22 AM REPLY
It's spray-on pickup truck bed liner - awesome stuff. I want to coat all my possessions in it.
th1nker says:
Jan 16, 2010. 11:46 PM REPLY
Excellent tutorial. What kind of time frame are we looking at from beginning to end - especially for someone new at this kind of work?
noahw says:
Apr 1, 2010. 11:21 AM REPLY
As I wrote in my Instructable, at least 40 hours if you're planning on finishing them. If you were to build just an unfinished cabinet and install the drivers,
significantly less.
3VIL G3NIUS says:
Jan 31, 2010. 1:57 AM REPLY
although the sound does change after playing them for a while, it is undetectable to the human ear. Why would a company make a product that
is unpredictable?
It is more about your ears getting used to the sound so that companies dont get refunds a day later from a customer complaining that they dont sound the
same as they did in the store (room acoustics makes a huge difference.)
i have made several homemade enclosures all for subwoofers (the next ones going on here, i promise) and i agree that making them yourself is fun and
enjoyable. and the feeling that you get when you first turn then on and get greeted by their sound is wonderfully satisfying (does this make me sound like a
weirdo? lol)
Anyway i would have to say that this is the best speaker instructable on here!
pigpenguin says:
Nov 27, 2009. 2:45 PM REPLY
did you make your mockups in sketchup?
noahw says:
Nov 30, 2009. 6:11 PM REPLY
That's correct!
mikoco1600 says:
Nov 23, 2009. 10:54 AM REPLY
do you know how to wire up a sub woofer of 2000W ??
mikoco1600 says:
Nov 23, 2009. 10:50 AM REPLY
which components you need for these woofers?
would you like to send to me the schedule from the crossovers
LkArio says:
Nov 18, 2009. 9:43 PM REPLY
The horns look cool, how did you make them?
LkArio says:
Thank you! I wouldn't be able to find good enough resources if you hadn't posted this.
view all 106 comments
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-Custom-Speakers/
Nov 3, 2009. 6:00 PM REPLY