I’d like to propose a fun design exercise and see where it might end up.
I’ve been reading some books and a lot of this web site, trying to learn about speaker design and construction. I made a sub and I’m in the middle of making the Modula MT’s. It’s all quite fun. :T And now I’m thinking about making some DIY speakers to replace my main commercial speakers. I’m wondering what might constitute a “no compromises” pair of speakers. Something to live up to my 7 foot tall sub. Maybe there are some designs already out there? Some practical constraints will come into play, like keep them under 500 pounds so they can be moved, etc. (see below). But what might we end up with if we tried to design the best speakers possible?
Here are some things I think might be good to start guiding the design:
-General: I’m thinking a 3-way design (tweeter, mids, woofers) might be best. That way it will be a full range speaker. And anything more than 3-way gets pretty complicated with regard to crossovers, integrations, etc. So maybe keeping it a 3-way will maximize the chances of it sounding good. Maybe it’ll be MTMWW or WMTMW or…?
-Crossover: Maybe passive to start. But let’s pick configurations, drivers, etc. prior to getting into any crossover design.
-Size: Let’s say it can be as big as needed to optimize the sound quality. Within reason, however. I’d think 8 feet tall and 500 pounds would be both very cumbersome to construct and move around when complete. If things are getting quite large, it might be helpful to break things into separate cabinets. Say an MTM top with a WW bass bin bottom, for example.
-Cabinet design: It’s a DIY design, so it has to be buildable by a nonprofessional woodworker. Let’s say it’s buildable by someone with strong woodworking skills. Maybe Avalon-esque faceting is the limit for complexity.
-Efficiency and amplification: Let’s say normal amps at normal prices are up to 200 W. So perhaps that’s what we should work with. If we use the THX standards as a very rough guide for desirable output, I think that’s 105 db transients. So that’s how loud we’d need to go without any distortion. Biamping would be fine. Having 4 amps around at 200 W each is reasonable, I think. Triamping only if you ask very nicely.
-Bass extension: It needs to play every note of music cleanly, before dropping off. It’s aimed at being full range for a critical music listener. But it’s OK to supplement it with a sub for movies. No need to play 10 Hz at 110 db for some movie explosions.
-Cost: Let’s say no limit for now. I’m curious where a “no compromise” design might lead to. Maybe we could come up with different flavors for different budgets later. If a good design were to emerge and it could be built for, say, $2,500 in crossover parts and drivers, I might like to do it.
So what would be the best speaker possible? What drivers to use? What configuration? What’s it going to look like? What do all you bright folks think?
OK, go! :B
I’ve been reading some books and a lot of this web site, trying to learn about speaker design and construction. I made a sub and I’m in the middle of making the Modula MT’s. It’s all quite fun. :T And now I’m thinking about making some DIY speakers to replace my main commercial speakers. I’m wondering what might constitute a “no compromises” pair of speakers. Something to live up to my 7 foot tall sub. Maybe there are some designs already out there? Some practical constraints will come into play, like keep them under 500 pounds so they can be moved, etc. (see below). But what might we end up with if we tried to design the best speakers possible?
Here are some things I think might be good to start guiding the design:
-General: I’m thinking a 3-way design (tweeter, mids, woofers) might be best. That way it will be a full range speaker. And anything more than 3-way gets pretty complicated with regard to crossovers, integrations, etc. So maybe keeping it a 3-way will maximize the chances of it sounding good. Maybe it’ll be MTMWW or WMTMW or…?
-Crossover: Maybe passive to start. But let’s pick configurations, drivers, etc. prior to getting into any crossover design.
-Size: Let’s say it can be as big as needed to optimize the sound quality. Within reason, however. I’d think 8 feet tall and 500 pounds would be both very cumbersome to construct and move around when complete. If things are getting quite large, it might be helpful to break things into separate cabinets. Say an MTM top with a WW bass bin bottom, for example.
-Cabinet design: It’s a DIY design, so it has to be buildable by a nonprofessional woodworker. Let’s say it’s buildable by someone with strong woodworking skills. Maybe Avalon-esque faceting is the limit for complexity.
-Efficiency and amplification: Let’s say normal amps at normal prices are up to 200 W. So perhaps that’s what we should work with. If we use the THX standards as a very rough guide for desirable output, I think that’s 105 db transients. So that’s how loud we’d need to go without any distortion. Biamping would be fine. Having 4 amps around at 200 W each is reasonable, I think. Triamping only if you ask very nicely.
-Bass extension: It needs to play every note of music cleanly, before dropping off. It’s aimed at being full range for a critical music listener. But it’s OK to supplement it with a sub for movies. No need to play 10 Hz at 110 db for some movie explosions.
-Cost: Let’s say no limit for now. I’m curious where a “no compromise” design might lead to. Maybe we could come up with different flavors for different budgets later. If a good design were to emerge and it could be built for, say, $2,500 in crossover parts and drivers, I might like to do it.
So what would be the best speaker possible? What drivers to use? What configuration? What’s it going to look like? What do all you bright folks think?
OK, go! :B
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