Kit speakers

plasticpenguin

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What would you advise for a novice like me? Just a conventional standmounted passive. Is the sound mainly influenced by crossovers used and drivers or how solid the box is?

 

plasticpenguin

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I may just have a go and make sure I double brace the cabinets (extra layer of thin wood inside). I can understand the satisfaction this must give in building your own speakers, just not sure if I have the basic woodworking skills.

 

robbie010

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What would you advise for a novice like me? Just a conventional standmounted passive. Is the sound mainly influenced by crossovers used and drivers or how solid the box is?
I can highly recommend building your own speakers and you don't necessarilly have to stick to kits either, there are lots of plans availble and plenty of helpful people around if you have a little know how and a lot of patience!

Good luck!

 
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plasticpenguin

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I can highly recommend building your own speakers and you don't necessarilly have to stick to kits either, there are lots of plans availble and plenty of helpful people around if you have a little know how and a lot of patience!

Good luck!
Wow! They look different. 

 

plasticpenguin

Legend Wammer
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...then you try making FULL SIZE Klipschorns! (These being La scalas)

My hi-fi journey started with my Father making up a Heathkit stereo; deck, Amp, tuner, speakers, case....where I learnt to solder!

THese (pic) are good too.Tricky angles though.

74DDAFBE-9944-4023-B8FA-14EB9B2A836A.jpeg
Way too large for my gaff. If Mrs. P was to see them she'd lay an egg

 
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bencat

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FrugalHorns are pretty sweet, Stefan is an ace bloke too.
Plus one for me for KJF Audio and Stefan . Currently on PFM he has some prototype Markaudio full range drivers that could be used in the FrugalHorn XL build which are going for £60 per pair plus VAT and £8 postage which is less than half the price for the current equivalent . As he only has 30 of these you would need to be quick .

Nice thing about Stefan is that he produces a full kit of parts already cut and so I am told easy to assemble . I am sure if you spke to Stefan he would make the front panel cut out to match these speakers and with drivers , binding posts , internal wiring , speaker fixings , internal damping and even the glue to assemble it will be just over £400 which I think is very good value for a nice pair of easy to drive full range units that will sound far better than they have a right to . Stefan brough a pair of the smaller FrugalHorns to Harrogate and they sounded really good in a quite large room the XL would just fill the room better and still have a very small footprint .

In addition you will get all the assistance you could need from Stefan to make the build go as smooth as possible.

 
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steve 57

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Try Zigmahornet; these are called Metronome FE127e.
Steve Cresswell designed these with help from Scott lyngren (Scottmoose) who has many full range and multi driver designes to his credit

Both guys are local ish to me and come to my place 2 or 3 times a year ordinarily 

Good speakers.. Steve posts on here as Lord rockingham

I've loads of drivers, but got a cheapy good sound combination  with just a little Visaton  frs8, together with some small mark audio chp 70 on a baffle ( headboard!) for my motor home, the chp70 are cheapo and I was not too impressed on their own, but running both fullrange sounds good, probably not too flat but they sound very well together. 

Both drivers in the mid size frugal horn would sound very well id guess. If I was starting out the frugal horn is a good starting place. 

 
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Hornucopia

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I've said before- my Zigmahornets are made from 1+1/2 inch polystyrene! (long story...) PVA coated, they sound great as desk side units.

Even Bass! "Shaft' playing!

They changed my views on small speakers (from my 17 years of Klipschorn owning!)

and after hearing the depth and detail/aura , I invested in Ocellia Calliopes for my main set-up.

IMG_1549.jpg

 
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JazzyG

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Oct 10, 2018
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I am currently building a pair of these Classix II speakers, designed by Paul Carmody.  These are my first build and I recently took up woodworking, so I have the tools or I am willing to buy them, but still learning a lot as I go.  The baffles have been challenging for me, I just finished them and they turned out pretty good but not perfect.  I would maybe rate them about an 8 out of 10.  The instructions that came with my kit are pathetic, pretty much it gave me outside dimensions of the cabinet and a schematic to build the crossover.

My advice, having planned out a build, ordered everything, and 1/2 way done.  Keep it inexpensive, simple, and small for your first kit, 2-way stand-mount speakers with no odd angles in the cabinet are perfect.  I know you can buy kits with 'flat-pack' or built cabinets and crossovers that are already put together, but for that matter you could just buy a complete speaker.  Do you want to build speakers or not?  If so, then build them from lumber and solder up your own crossover, otherwise you simply 'assembled' your speakers.  I would also build a commercially available kit the first time, proven designs, easy to order, and lots of information on forums about other people's builds that can be useful.  Whatever you do, do not try to design your own speakers or alter the design in any way on your first build!

It is fun and I am sure I will have a great sense of accomplishment in them when complete!

Cheers,

JazzyG    :rockin:

20200712_134222.jpg

 
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