Speaker kits in the UK?

[Soundsinheaven]

Looking at speaker upgrade but can't afford want I want so thinking the DIY route is the way to go? Came across GR research and his designs. You either are love or hate Danny. ​

Wondering what is available in the UK? does anyone have any experience with kits? What is available to buy for around £3000 all in?
Only one I could see is this, but is a very old design?

VISATON CONCORDE MK III​

 

[tuga]

£3k can buy a really good pair of second hand speakers...


Are you able to manufacture the cabinet or would you prefer to assemble a flat-pack?

I would probably only consider kits from Heissmann or from Troels Gravesen:

https://heissmann-acoustics.de/lautsprecher/

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/

There's a guy selling built Troels Gravesen kits on eBay.

If you really want to get your hand dirty why not try a restoration project of a pair of old NS1000s and install Gravesen's crossover for this model?

 

[bobovox]

There are some Troels Gravesen Illuminator 4 in the classifieds if you are interested…

https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/th...luminator-4-loudspeakers.109244/#post-2243274
(No affiliation with the seller BTW)

What are the speakers that you would ideally like? It might help to know when recommending kits.

 

[pmcuk]

I noted these designs as interesting. I fancy a build myself, but lack motivation for the work involved ATM. These are all 2-way stand mounts.

Kalasan 165mm
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/vendor-s-bazaar/220330-sb-acoustics-satori-monitor.html Crossover at post 700, page 35
Satori MW16P midbass 6.5”
Satori TW29R or cheaper SB29RDC dome tweeter

Duet WA HB2 165mm
https://www.wilmslowaudio.co.uk/wa-hb2-loudspeaker-2131-p.asp Based on Heybrook HB2
https://www.wilmslowaudio.co.uk/duet-loudspeaker-2131-p.asp Duet Sealed box 410mm high x 230mm wide x 230mm deep
Vifa D27TG-35-06 £28.10+ = £33.72 Willy’s £35
Monacor SPH-165 £48+ = £57.6 Willy’s £50
Total for units = £182 Wilm, £170 Willy’s.

Ergo IV KJF 150mm
https://kjfaudio.com/product/ergo-ix/#pair-of-ergo-ix-cabinets
Treble: Morel CAT 378 LR4
Bass-mid: Scanspeak 15w8530 k01 Revalator

Troels G 150mm
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/W1501_95.htm
Treble: D2905
Bass-mid: Scanspeak 15w8530 k01 Revalator

Ellam 150mm
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/Ellam98-mkII.htm Scanspeak
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/1.Ellam98mkII/15W-8530K00.pdf Revelator 15W/8530K00 148mm, 125mm cutout 15W/8530-K00 D2904/980000
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/1.Ellam98mkII/D2904-980000.pdf Classic D2904/980000 104mm, 74mm cutout
The Revelator mid bass units can produce deep bass (well controlled too if the box design is right) with clean detailed midrange (if the crossover design is right). A bit pricey, but capable of producing excellent sound.

SEAS ER15RLY 150mm
https://heissmann-acoustics.de/dxt-mon-rly/ DXT 27TBCD/GB tweeter

Sutantoroy 5”
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/mul...2-standmount-speaker-project.html#post5826477 later designs 2021
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/315253-2-sb15mfc-08-sb26stc-04-a.html
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/2-way-sb15mfc-08-sb26stc-04.315253/
SB26ADC-000-04 aluminium dome
SB15MFC-08 poly cone 5”
Does this x-over work roughly the same with SB26STAC-C000-4 tweeter? Seems to be the same tweeter, but with a fabric dome.
I change the tweeter into SB25ADC, its a better tweeter to me.

 

[tackleberry]

Don’t think you’ll do much better than the troels in the classifieds!!

 

[TheFlash]

Don’t think you’ll do much better than the troels in the classifieds!!

Snap! I was just going to say the same. Buy these already constructed ones, parts costing, £4500+ for less than your budget. If you insist, you can take them apart and rebuild them yourself! You might just want to look and listen first though...

https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/threads/troels-gravesen-design-illuminator-4-loudspeakers.109244/
Amazing black gloss finish

 

[tackleberry]

If I’d not bought my ATC, I would have bought these immediately

 

[Soundsinheaven]

£3k can buy a really good pair of second hand speakers...


Are you able to manufacture the cabinet or would you prefer to assemble a flat-pack?

I would probably only consider kits from Heissmann or from Troels Gravesen:

https://heissmann-acoustics.de/lautsprecher/

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/

There's a guy selling built Troels Gravesen kits on eBay.

If you really want to get your hand dirty why not try a restoration project of a pair of old NS1000s and install Gravesen's crossover for this model?

Wow!

£3k can buy a really good pair of second hand speakers...


Are you able to manufacture the cabinet or would you prefer to assemble a flat-pack?

I would probably only consider kits from Heissmann or from Troels Gravesen:

https://heissmann-acoustics.de/lautsprecher/

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/

There's a guy selling built Troels Gravesen kits on eBay.

If you really want to get your hand dirty why not try a restoration project of a pair of old NS1000s and install Gravesen's crossover for this model?

Love the DXT Wave kit! Doesn't come in flat pack kit?. I am handy but no cabinet maker. I own the sonus Faber venerere 2.5 which look the dogs bollocks but I would like the next sonic step up. Thanks for the link.

 

[Soundsinheaven]

There are some Troels Gravesen Illuminator 4 in the classifieds if you are interested…

https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/th...luminator-4-loudspeakers.109244/#post-2243274
(No affiliation with the seller BTW)

What are the speakers that you would ideally like? It might help to know when recommending kits.

Thanks for that. But they are not my type of speaker design. I'm sure they are the best but not for me.
Sonus Faber look or more realistic what was mentioned already- https://heissmann-acoustics.de/lautsprecher/ Also PMC speakers are OKAY.
Thanks Neil

​

 

[tuga]

There was a long thread on DIY Audio about Wilmslow Audio crossovers being poorly design, later discussed at PFM.

Personally I would keep away.

 

[tackleberry]

You would be very surprised how much better than troels are than your Fabers, but you will have to know your stuff to get the cabs as good, either that or you will pay a premium for a cab maker.

I get your point about the cab design, I wish troels would design some prettier/easier on the eye and easier to build stuff.

 

[bobovox]

One option might be to buy the plans from Heissman, buy the drivers, crossover components and other bits from Willy’s / Falcon / Sound Imports* / Wilmslow and use Wilmslow’s bespoke cabinet service for the box. I think @Bokke may have used this recently.

The DXT-Wave looks a very promising design - do keep us posted if you go ahead. We live a good build thread

* Have not used them since Brex** so things may have changed but have always have quick service from them as they stock a large range of inductors which the others don’t.

 

[Gordon Ewen]

Morning all, I hope it's not too late to add my experience to this thread.
First, let me say, BUILD A KIT! Really, it isn't difficult and what you will get will outperform commercial speakers costing many times more. If you have some basic diy skills you can do it.
I built my first kit in 1986 and it was a Wilmslow Audio design. I built another WA design a few years later (Allegro). Then in 2016 I built another WA design, the Rondo and it was pretty good. Then I discovered the Troels Gravesen website. Initially, I was put off by having to build the crossovers myself as I had no experience of electronics but one day I sat down with some of his crossover designs and figured out what was going on. That set me off on building several of his kits and I think it's eight now. See this link to my Flickr albums list where you can find soime pictures of the builds
https://www.flickr.com/photos/74614447@N02/albums/with/72157688475561724In my experience getting a good finish needs effort. I prefer veneer finishes and would recommend using construction grade, it's 1.5mm thick and much easier to work with than the standard 0.6mm veneer. However, there is a much larger range of the thinner veneers - see the SBA761 constructions with the beautiful pomelle sapele veneer.
I can't recommend highly enough building your own. It's great seeing them evolve and there's nothing like the moment you first power them up. Everyone who has heard the speakers I've built has been amazed at the sound quality obtained for the price of the kits. The Gravesen designs are excellent but there are others of which I have no experience.
It was my Illuinator 4's that just sold on this forum and I can tell you they easily compete with commercial designs at upto £50k. I listened to a number of expensive speakers at the 2019 Ascot show and, yes you'll say I'm biased (!), but I didn't hear any that sounded as good (PMC, KEF amongst other I can't remember). I'm sure the same applies to the other kits I built - in terms of value.
In summary, build a kit, you will not regret it and you save a lot of money. A kit costing upto £3k will be astonishingly good.

 

[timmytiger]

There was a long thread on DIY Audio about Wilmslow Audio crossovers being poorly design, later discussed at PFM.

Personally I would keep away.

When i was looking at them i decided an active setup would be the way to go; a bit more expense but very flexible.

 

[THOMO]

I think the Seas based kits from Troels Gravesen might be a safe bet.They tend to be more efficient and have more benign impedance curves so should perform well with a wide range and type of amplifier.Some of them are also transmission line.Then there is the Seas A26 kit which is very simple as it has almost no crossover-just a capacitor on the tweeter and is very valve amp friendly and not too far removed from the Devore Orangutan speakers which are expensive things.
The JLTI Elsinore is also a very popular and interesting kit and is designed to have a dead flat impedance curve so will suit any amplifier including SETs.

 

[Audio Al]

Don’t think you’ll do much better than the troels in the classifieds!!

Not in the classifieds now , They are at home with me

 

[tackleberry]

What do you think???

 

[pmcuk]

I've been looking at the 2-way SB15MFC designs - good unit and £45 from Willy's Hifi. The SB26STAC is £32 from Willy's.

A few crossover designs available but I'm looking at this one by Sutantoroy

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/mul...2-standmount-speaker-project.html#post5826477 later designs 2021

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/315253-2-sb15mfc-08-sb26stc-04-a.html 2017

https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/2-way-sb15mfc-08-sb26stc-04.315253/

Should sound very nice in 10 litres.

 

[THOMO]

For stand mounts the Meniscus Audio Kairos using Satori drivers is very good.I built the sealed version in solid jarrah.They need a bit of power though.A very honest sounding speaker without the fake mid bass hump that afflicts most of the species.I owned some pretty decent stand mounts in Sonus Faber Cremona M and Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mk2 and the Kairos are at least as good as the Sonus Faber and better than the Dynaudio.The Dynaudios had that horrible mid bass woollyness .

 

[orbscure]

If you really want to get your hand dirty why not try a restoration project of a pair of old NS1000s and install Gravesen's crossover for this model?

I have a spare pair of NS1000M's which sound gorgeous, but which are ripe for a restoration project... I could be persuaded to part with them and at a cost which would leave the OP with £2k to tinker to his hearts content...