Building some monitors...?

[jmcox44]

Ok, let me give you the basics...

My roommate is interested in some monitors. He has a couple of turntables, a mixer, and some recording software and he has decided his laptop speakers just aren't cutting it. What we are trying to find out is if it would be a better idea to build a couple of monitors rather than buy some.

Here is what he is looking at right now: Behringer


These Behringers have great ratings, but I have him convinced that it's probably a better idea to build a few.

So what I'm looking for are some opinions of whether you can build better ones for under $300, and if so, what kind of components would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

Jacob

[joecarrow]

What do you already own? Do you already have an amplifier? Woodworking tools? A good soldering iron?

It is hard to beat the convenience of those monitors- their included amplification makes transportation and setup that much easier. It's also hard to do much for $300. Are you trying to make something loud enough to play at parties? This kind of a project would not be about saving money, unless you wanted to build a bunch of them.

[jmcox44]

No, no amplifier, I knew that the internal amplifier of the Behringers was a plus but figured that maybe a nice amp and equalizer wouldn't be too costly.

I do own some wood working tools from previous speaker building projects. And yes i do own a couple of soldering irons, so that is not a problem.

These wouldn't be for parties due to us already having a nice sound system downstairs. They would be mostly used in his room in order to mix and just listen to on and off.

And no we wouldn't be building more than just two...I've got my own projects to worry about, not to mention school...

I mean honestly these speakers go around for 200-250 on ebay used and seem like a great deal, I was just wondering if it was worth the time and enjoyment of just building them.

[joecarrow]

If you enjoy the time spent building them, and already have the tools to build them- then it might be worth it to build your own.

The Modula MT or the RS225-RS28A MT project would probably make a really nice monitor. Either of those could be built for about $300 to $350. An amplifier that will live up to either of those speakers will probably be at least $150 to $200 used. Equalization can potentially be done in the laptop via software, if the laptop is the final output.

Do you know how loud is "loud enough"? If the laptop speakers are "pretty close", and you just need a bit more- then there might be some projects that are even more affordable.

Also, I've used some computer oriented sub-satellite systems before that aren't what I'd consider monitor-quality, not terribly loud or extremely faithful to the sound- but a lot better than what used to be out there. These cost about half the price of the Behringers.

[Dan B]

Check it out

Lou's got a couple of his projects for sale. I'd buy one of these in a heart beat.

http://www.lonesaguaro.com/audio/forsale/forsale.htm