Small and cheap 5.1 speaker kits? (1 Viewer)

[Brian Bunge]

Saurav,

Keep in mind that the cabs are built with a recess in the top and bottom so that you can put endcaps on them.

Jeff,

Make sure that you post your impressions here.

 

[Joel X]

I'm still curious, can the xmax be .5mm?

 

[Greg Monfort]

Sure, why not? It's a small, relatively weak motor, I'm sure an underhung design, and anyway you don't want a wide BW driver moving much or amplitude modulation distortion will rear its ugly head, making it obnoxiously phasey sounding. Driver design is about tradeoffs, and the wider its BW, the more there are. I think TB has done an excellent job on this one overall and a real audio bargain.

GM

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

.5mm xmax seems like it'd be for tweeters. I doubt you'll see a woofer with that type of spec. "The all new Tumult Ultra with 0.5mm xmax!"

Anyways, here's a summary: (sorry if it's sloppy, I just cut/paste)

http://www.CreativeSound.ca/
ELF1.0DK 6.5 (W) X 7.5 (H) X 7.25 (D)3" tagband $18 + 9
EFL1.5DK 6.5 (W) X 10.5 (H) X 9.25 (D) Dual 3" driver$41 + 18

http://speakerpage.com
K05B50 2-ways12" x 7" x 5.25"2-ways$85

http://www.partsexpress.com/
DAYTON BR-1 6-1/2"14-1/4" (H) x 8-5/8" (W) x 11" (D)2-ways$140 shipped

http://www.gr-research.com/
AV-112" h x 8" w x 11.75 d". 2-ways$230pr
AV-1 Center2-ways$120 center

http://www.northcreek.com/
CM-7 Standard Loudspeaker System$300

http://www.madisound.com/
Vifa A/V18.5" x 8" x 10.5", MTM$265
12" x 8" x 10.25" Solo$200
Vifa Studio12 T x 8 W x 10 ¼ D$325

http://www.dillonacoustics.com/Louds...aker_plans.htm
I've heard the egos and they are pretty revealing though not as natural sounding as the GR-Research AVs.

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Hi Saurav. I'll throw in my 2Hz here. I've been building SCH kits for a few years. Solid designs and the best value in speakers I've found. VERY surprising sound quality for the money. If you don't like the recessed top and bottom, just adjust the dimensions for flat surfaces. If you don't want to do the cutouts, just buy the baffle from them.
For lowest cost, and surprising sound (including SPL's), you could try the TB's, as a kit from creativesound, or roll your own. My BoseBusters are based on tweaked TB drivers and impress people with their sound/size/cost combo.
SCH towers and center channel and some BB variations:
http://www.geocities.com/hankbond1/index
I'll do a new web page and add more BB's.

 

[Saurav]

I remember your BoseBusters, but I want to keep the woodworking at a minimum here. I built my HE12.1s in afriend's garage, but he's moved since then and doesn't have a garage at his new place.

Anyway... what does "recessed top and bottom" mean, exactly? What kind of an endcap would I be able to put on? What's an endcap anyway? Ah, never mind, I saw the plans on their website. That's OK, that won't bother me.

Assuming I buy the whole flat kit from them, I should be able to assemble the cabinet using glue and clamps, right? If I can do that, I think I can handle the rest.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Yes, you can build it with glue and clamps. One thing to note is that they normally cut the woofer holes so that the driver is recessed below the surface. Not a problem except the driver has a surface mount frame just like the GR Research drivers. So if you buy the cabinet flats ask them to only cut the through hole for the woofers if you plan to use your black vinyl "finish".

 

[Saurav]

if you plan to use your black vinyl "finish".

Ya ya, go ahead and make fun of me

So they flush mount the woofer... presumably because of their cloth sock thing, right? So would it look bad with the PE vinyl "finish" and flush mounted drivers?

 

[Brian Bunge]

So they flush mount the woofer... presumably because of their cloth sock thing, right? So would it look bad with the PE vinyl "finish" and flush mounted drivers?

Yes, that's why they do it, and yes I think it would look bad with recessed drivers and any finish.

 

[Saurav]

Maybe I'll just go with those silly socks. The tweeter is recessed too, and now that I look at the pictures, it would be hard to get clean edges with that vinyl stuff on the top and bottom too. It's just $10 for a pair of cloth tubes anyway. Or I could paint the MDF - that would be fun, and give me an opportunity to make a mess. As I discovered the hard way, spray painting outdoors on a windy day can be pretty interesting I'll have to try painting with a brush next.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Try latex paint with a foam roller.

 

[Saurav]

OK, I'll remember that.

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Vinyl??!! We don't do no stinkin' vinyl here!

 

[Saurav]

OK, enough with the expert woodworker jokes already