I'll start out by stating that I know very little about audio equipment in general, and I'm sorry if these questions have been answered elsewhere, but after looking through several forums I'm starting to realize I'm not going to get far by scouring thread after thread for answers. However, I spend a good amount of my time listening to music, and I really would like to have a decent set of speakers so that I don't have to use my headphones and be tethered to whatever piece of equipment I happen to be using.
I've been looking for something to build for a while now, and when I stumbled across the home page of an audio engineer and was introduced to the world of DIY speaker building I felt like it was the perfect task.
I don't have much money though, so my objective is to buy equipment I can expand upon over time and gradually build up a decent sound system. I would like to start off with something like the Modula MTs, since those seem to be very good for the cost. Aside from the benefit of saving money on speakers by building them myself, I really want to learn all about how to build a proper speaker so I'm not really interested in using any sort of project plan (driver placement, cabinets, crossovers ... I want to do it all). I just don't know if it is realistic to think that I would be able to learn how to build an entire speaker from scratch using only knowledge gained from books and forums.
My question is, if it is possible for me to do this, what starting equipment and books would you suggest I get? I've spent the past week reading a lot on the internet, but most of what I read explains specific models rather then the concepts behind the acoustics, and that doesn't help me much.
I currently own what can best be described as a collection of salvaged goods and cheaper than cheap equipment, so I really doubt I have anything worth keeping (a pair of Sony ss-u 4030's, a set of Boston computer speakers that have seen better days, and a 5.1 setup that ... well let's just say that just by owning these speakers I put in to question how much I could possibly enjoy music while at the same time participating in murdering sound with these tin cans.)
I'm assuming that to start off I'll need a receiver that offers me an opportunity to expand once I have the money and skill to do so, and a nice set of drivers to build a decent little 2 channel setup with. My TV and turntable both have speaker outputs, and if I could do without a receiver for a while by sticking with a low power set that would be great since I haven't got much of a budget, but I also haven't got much patience and would really like to throw myself in to a big project so if it would be better to buy the proper equipment, I'll find a way to bite the bullet. Of course it's possible that I'm making no sense here given my present understanding of audio in general.
I'm not under the impression that I'll be able to build a speaker just as well as anyone here in a year's time, but I'm not afraid of the math or cabinet design and I would love to gain a skill that I can use in a practical way and still be passionate about.
Sorry about the length of my post. I was debating whether to post anything at all, but I couldn't find anyone else in my particular situation. I don't mean to offend anyone if I have, I'm just not making much progress by lurking.
I've been looking for something to build for a while now, and when I stumbled across the home page of an audio engineer and was introduced to the world of DIY speaker building I felt like it was the perfect task.
I don't have much money though, so my objective is to buy equipment I can expand upon over time and gradually build up a decent sound system. I would like to start off with something like the Modula MTs, since those seem to be very good for the cost. Aside from the benefit of saving money on speakers by building them myself, I really want to learn all about how to build a proper speaker so I'm not really interested in using any sort of project plan (driver placement, cabinets, crossovers ... I want to do it all). I just don't know if it is realistic to think that I would be able to learn how to build an entire speaker from scratch using only knowledge gained from books and forums.
My question is, if it is possible for me to do this, what starting equipment and books would you suggest I get? I've spent the past week reading a lot on the internet, but most of what I read explains specific models rather then the concepts behind the acoustics, and that doesn't help me much.
I currently own what can best be described as a collection of salvaged goods and cheaper than cheap equipment, so I really doubt I have anything worth keeping (a pair of Sony ss-u 4030's, a set of Boston computer speakers that have seen better days, and a 5.1 setup that ... well let's just say that just by owning these speakers I put in to question how much I could possibly enjoy music while at the same time participating in murdering sound with these tin cans.)
I'm assuming that to start off I'll need a receiver that offers me an opportunity to expand once I have the money and skill to do so, and a nice set of drivers to build a decent little 2 channel setup with. My TV and turntable both have speaker outputs, and if I could do without a receiver for a while by sticking with a low power set that would be great since I haven't got much of a budget, but I also haven't got much patience and would really like to throw myself in to a big project so if it would be better to buy the proper equipment, I'll find a way to bite the bullet. Of course it's possible that I'm making no sense here given my present understanding of audio in general.
I'm not under the impression that I'll be able to build a speaker just as well as anyone here in a year's time, but I'm not afraid of the math or cabinet design and I would love to gain a skill that I can use in a practical way and still be passionate about.
Sorry about the length of my post. I was debating whether to post anything at all, but I couldn't find anyone else in my particular situation. I don't mean to offend anyone if I have, I'm just not making much progress by lurking.
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