Questions before starting a first build

[KevinB]

Hi,

I’m looking at building some DIY speakers and I have got a whole bunch of general questions first. I hope this is the right place/appropriate.

I’ve been looking over a lot of the designs in this forum and several others for a few days now and I’ve taken quite a liking to how well documented htguide.com is on its completed projects. However I’m looking for speakers that, although they will be used for HT, will be primarily for listening to music. Would most the designs work well for both, or should I be looking elsewhere?

When looking into speakers for music should I focus on budgeting for a system with cheaper mains and a sub, or something more encompassing such as the statements (which I’m assuming could function without a sub until I find the time and finances to build them). A lot of what I listen to has deep pronounced baselines and what I would call punchy percussion (excuse me if I’m butchering the method of describing music heh). I’m concerned about how some of the designs here would satisfy the heavy demand on the lower frequencies when used for music.

Assuming HT speakers are perfectly fine for audio only purposes I’m then torn between the 2.1 or 2 mains setup to begin with. Having not alot of experience with woodworking (although I’ve worked with electrical circuits and soldering so that’s not an issue) I feel like starting with a sub might be an easier route. Looking around it seems some other beginners have chosen that path.

For an example case would 2 statements (https://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28728) be a superior choice to 2 mini statements (https://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27552) and an affordable sub for my purposes?

(I haven’t decided on any design yet, but the statements seem the most discussed, and so the easiest to reference. That’ll be the next step assuming I’m in the right place)

[Jordo]

I built the statements so far and I can tell you for HT they are excellent, but still need a sub for the deep bass. For music it is incredible, I can't get enough of listening to them, I just need to upgrade my audio source so I can really get the full effect! If you have the opportunity and space, build the full statements as I'm sure you won't be dissappointed!

[shame302]

if room isnt an issue, id go with the full size statements. they really arent all that much more costly than the mini statements. do consider that i havnt heared the mini myself but you would never get me to part with my speakers.

they sound amazing in every way. no harshness or brightness but very much alive. they are so...transparent. everything that you have read about them is very true.

music is great. i find myself listening to a much broader range of music because of these speakers. unfortunately, my room is awefull accoustically. i couldnt get quite the low end extention i was looking for untill i moved them into a different room. im jelous of anyone who has an appropriate, dedicated room. i certainly didnt need a sub, but i couldnt live without one now.

movies are amazing. they were killer when i was running a phantom center. they image well and do the job nicely. i later built the center and it made my jaw drop litterally. it made an incredible differance. i deffinetly needed a sub for LFE. adding that allowed me to cross my speakers higher in order to let the sub do its job. the whole system runs more efficient and the headroom is much, much higher.

personally, i would build the mains and a decent sub. it may push you oer budget but you wont be dissapointed plus you will have a system that will easily last years that will also be better than anything you could buy in a store anywhere near this price point.

[BobEllis]

IMHO, good speakers are good speakers whether you call them HT or audio speakers. Sometimes commercial HT speakers will sacrifice bass extension under the assumption that you'll be using a sub anyway.

It sounds like you want deep bass at more than moderate levels, so you'll want a subwoofer even for music. While many argue that you don't need below 40Hz (low E on a 4 string electric bass) there are an awful lot of 5+ string basses reaching lower and then there is the fundamental of kick drums.

If you want/need to build in phases, I suggest starting with a 3 way main (statements, Khans, etc.), to get you listening with decent bass capability. Add a sub, surrounds and center as time and budget allow. If you want HT for more than two cozy near the sweet spot, consider moving the center ahead of surrounds.