diy speakers v/s branded.

[manoj.p]

5.Never get panic if something went wrong, can fix it yourself and be happy customer

This is a big advantage and disadvantage too. Nobody gets satisfied with any diy, not because its not good. But one thinks there is something that he can still improve and keep tweaking it till end. Then he will have the upgrade bug with new ideas. It's never ending.

 

[prosenjit]

It's never ending.

hyeah:hyeah:

 

[navin advani]

+1 Hari,
1. Can have Warranty and Re-sale of them could be possible than DIY.
2. Branded speakers are done in large scale and they can affort a quality MDF\wood,drivers and cross-overs in pretty cheap compared to what we get it individually.
4.IMHO, Branded speakers are delivered with high research so we can trust for an extent.

Advantages of DIY
1. Replica of some best speakers can be done with minimal cost

Not all brands have unconditional warranties. If your amp for example fries a speaker the speaker manufacturer will not repair the speaker for free and may not be able to repair the speaker at all.

There are few brands that can compete with the quality of construction (note I did not say quality of finish) of a good carpenter and DIY effort.

Many brands sub-contract their research and much of what passes for research in the mid-fi segment (KEF, B&W, Focal, etc..) is rather simple crossover design (can be done using LspCAD) and common sense applied to cabinet construction.

A well made replica of a good speaker will end up costing about 30-50% of the market price of the speaker. Here I am refering to brands like Vandersteen, Wilson Audio, and others that use good drivers and components.

At the mid-fi end a manufacturer pays about 10-20% of the retail cost of a driver but these drivers. So a $1000/pr speaker will cost the manufacturer about $200 to make and ship. Of this $200 about $70 is in drivers, $100 would be in a good well branced and damped MDF cabinet (if one is used), and $30 for the crossovers. A similar speaker would cost a DIYer about $400-500 to produce as the $70 in drivers will cost the DIYer about $250-300 add the $100-130 for the cabinet, $50 for decent crossovers, etc..

In India with cheaper Indian labour (aka carpentry) DIY makes quite a bit of sense.

 

[asliarun]

Navin, out of curiosity, what speakers and amps do you like or would recommend to non diy-ers in the mid fi segment?

 

[navin advani]

Navin, out of curiosity, what speakers and amps do you like or would recommend to non diy-ers in the mid fi segment?

I don't have an honest answer to that. When I was looking for new speakers I first considered buying because my carpenter and 2 other carpenters I consulted told me that they cannot deliver the finish that Focal, Paradigm, Sonus Faber, Martin Logan, Tannoy deliver with their Chorus/Electra, Studio, Luito, Electromotion, and Definition series respectively.

When I was looking for floor standers I considered everything from the B&W CM9, KEF R900, Monitor Audio GX300, Focal Chourrs 836W and Electra 1028, Tannoy DC10T, etc and none satisfied fully (and all of them exeeded my budget). Having had some experience with DIY with great trepidation I decided to go DIY again. Rick Craig at Selah had a few designs which we modified to suit my needs.

Speakers I have liked in the past include the Sonus Faber Cremona, Vandersteen 4A, Martin Logan Sequel, Klipsch's Belle Klipsch and Klipschorn combo, Wilson Audio Sophia (I found the Watt-Puppy lacking in the last octave), etc. none of these I would consider as "mid-fi".

If I was forced to recommend something in the sub 2L budget I would short list Vandersteen, Sonus Faber, Martin Logan, Monitor Audio, Dali, Focal, KEF, Tannoy, B&W, PSB, Paradigm, etc..you know them, they are the usual suspects. A few of them are capable of low bass response (defined as sub 40Hz, @95db/@3000 cu ft.) but at the cost of transparency in the midbass-hf range. Others are good from 50Hz up up but need assistance below 50Hz especially if working in larger rooms (2500 cu. ft +). However I believe that if you are paying 1.5L+ for a floor stander it SHOULD be able to offer good detial and transparency across the entire range as well as not force you to supplement the bass with a subwoofer (except perhaps for home theater requirements). A well designed DIYed speaker can do that.

 

[Hari Iyer]

my knowledge is very minimal regarding diy speakers, so don't think i will be able to make one, the question is should i buy a branded speaker or a diy speaker?please give your suggestion.

If your knowledge is minimal then i will advise you to buy a good branded speaker, as you will not have the necessary tools or the skills to tweak and fine tune the speaker to your liking.

 

[kanwar]

DIY at times will turn out to be more expensive than purchasing a branded one if the skill levels are new. Its better to settle down for a good branded product if you are not aware of what you are doing.

Its obvious as commonsense, i did say.........

 

[soundnovice]

4.IMHO, Branded speakers are delivered with high research so we can trust for an extent.

most of their research goes into fulfilling marketting department's expectations! driver size, box size/shape, colour, finishing...etc. everything is driven by mass market expectations, so at the end very little scope will be left for high research for improving sound quality. the very few brands which actually focus on both sound and aesthetics cost few thousands of dollors!!

 

[designation]

If your knowledge is minimal then i will advise you to buy a good branded speaker, as you will not have the necessary tools or the skills to tweak and fine tune the speaker to your liking.

thank you so much,this was the answer i was looking for.

 

[nitinbose]

hi,

I have a two pairs of Focal K2 power speakers. I intend to make boxes for these speakers and use them at home. Would anyone be aware of any speaker box manufacturers in Bangalore?

 

[dr_Sunil_Das]

hi,

I have a two pairs of Focal K2 power speakers. I intend to make boxes for these speakers and use them at home. Would anyone be aware of any speaker box manufacturers in Bangalore?

Speakers won't go with just any kind of box, you have to determine the proper box volume which is done using various parameters of speakers. Various softwares are there to do it. Commercial box manufacturers for the pro-world can do it but you have to ensure that box volume is determined properly.

I have interacted with Mark of Craftel Audio who is based in chennai. You can check with him if he can build the boxes for the Focal speakers. He is a nice person with a vast knowledge.

Regards,
Dr. Sunil