Speaker building....

I am trying to build my first set of 2-way speakers, nothing special I just want to make a little 2-way with a tweeter and a 5.25 woofer.

My question is about wiring...... I found a cheap little 2-way crossover, and it says it's 8 ohms. As for the speakers I hook to it, what ohms do they need to be? 8 ohms?
Also I am going to try another set of speakers with two woofers and a tweeter.......can I use the same 2-way crossover and just use 4 ohm woofers wiring them to an 8 ohm load.......that is assuming that I need 8 ohms going into the crossover from the woofer.

Ok was that confusing enough? lol
If that made any sense and you can help me alittle, please do.....thanks.
And if I need to reexplain it better let me know.

Re: Speaker building....

I understand all the aspects of designing and matching this speaker with that one. I am ignorant as to the aspects of home audio, but I do understand car audio and the crossover points. I'm not building a top of the line speakers, I am just starting. Gonna start small and work my way up. I found a 2-way crossover at parts express

Parts-Express.com:2-Way 1800 Hz Crossover | 2-way crossover passive crossover pro crossover dividing network filter

I just want to make a small set of speakers with a tweeter and a 5.25 woofer, as for the box....I'm not just gonna slap some mdf together and see what happens. I have the woofer picked out, and have made the box to the right CF and gonna port it....tuned to prolly 80 htz or so, haven't decided yet. Once I get these done and learn more about the crossovers that are associated with home audio, I plan on making a bigger set with a 7" woofer, a midrange or two, and a tweeter.

I appreciate the help, but my question was about the ohms. I got a response from parts express that cleared it up. I wasn't sure if all the ohms laws worked exactlly the same as car audio. That was why I put it in the basic section, because it was a basic question about ohms.

Re: Speaker building....

Mix and match? I am trying not to let this get under my skin, but it ain't happening. I'm not making a space shuttle.....I just wanted to know about the ohms, and I get these responses. Not everybody is trying to spend 1,000 dollars to make the BEST speaker ever. I am just making a solid set of speakers and trying to learn how to. Yall assume I am a complete idiot and just got a wild hair and decided I was gonna put 2 speakers in a box and hope it was the best thing since sliced bread. Mix and match? What other option is there? I mixed it up and picked a tweeter and woofer.....I really don't understand the responses.
Are yall saying I just blindly picked a tweeter and a woofer? I mean how stupid do you have to be to not be able to match a tweeter and woofer in a 2 way speaker?
My question was about ohms. I was wondering if I needed 8 ohm or 4 ohm speakers to make an 8 ohm load using that crossover from parts express. Also wondering if I can run more speakers in series or parallel using the same 2 way crossover......example.........running a tweeter on the high side, and the running two 4 ohm woofers off of the low side. I know it's hard for some of you guys that know everything and do everything perfect, to understand a question from someone like me that can admit that he doesn't know.

Re: Speaker building....

My bad, to tell ya truth I have had a pretty bad day......sounds like a country song, but my dog even died.
I appologize for my responses......
Let me start over. I have some older stereo equipment from 10 years ago or so, and a few components of my dads from years back and was hooking it all up and tinkering with it. After getting it all out I realized I had nota speaker in site. So i started searching online and in town for some speakers. After looking I really didn't see anything reasonable that fit what I had in mind, and just recently adding an amp and sub to my truck, I decided to just build my own speakers. I have had a blast building a box for the sub in my truck....eventually ending up with a 2 cf or so ported box tuned at 37 hertz. Not being bound by the deminsions of behind the seat of my truck I really liked the idea of being able to play with smaller woofers and experiment with different boxes, ports, and shapes.

That being said, I shouldn't have overreacted.

I have really researched what woofers I want for what I have in mind, and for now just plan on starting cheap to mostly experiment. And as I learn more I will work up to spending more money on better speakers. I also know a enough about the crossover points for the different speakers, and have my ideas of what my tastes are.

As for now I am building a set of speakers 12" tall by 7" wide and 8" deep, I also ported it tuned to around 78 hertz....which the 5.25 woofer I chose goes down to 55 hertz. As for the tweeter I haven't decided yet, but I am leaning towards a 1" dome tweeter. Second set I had in mind was with a 7" sub, and midrange (maybe two), and a tweeter. As for the crossovers.....at parts express they have the 2-way and 3-way crossovers, which I am assuming I can just wire up and go. Or am I wrong?

Nothing fancy, just something that will be evenly powered with the 100w my reciever puts out......and I think I can do all this for under 200.00.

Re: Speaker building....

Got alot of info in the diy at PE. I see now that I have to read up and basicly make my own. Didn't think there was that much involved, but defininatly not discuraged. Might go with the premade one for now on the 2-way, and order everything else for making my own on the 3-way while ordering everything at once.

Sorry again about the tude earlier.

Re: Speaker building....

I read all night last night....
I had the idea that there where just a bunch of premade crossovers, with different points.....or even adjustable, like on car amps.
Glad to see the way it really is......
So basically I can pick the pieces that I want to make each speaker crossover at any given point I choose......kind of a simple explination. Not sure what those pieces are called, but I understand it. And can get there now, lol. I didn't even realize all the diy stuff at PE, I appreciate the tip on that. That helps emensly.....because now I can compare what I had in mind to that project you talked about, the 2-way. Funny thing is the boxes I built are almost the exact dimensions of that one. And I can also use the crossover descriptions on the diy's to get ideas, and help understand it more.

Yall spoke of software.......I have the winisd program, which I understand enough to get by.....still learning with it. I don't completely understand the graphs, and what I am looking for.....not sure whats right and whats wrong. I entered the info on the speakers I had in mind, and did it in a sealed box and a ported. Sealed the speaker was flat to about 120 hertz, sealed was flat to about 90 hertz then it jumped to +14 then fell off. I am pretty sure that is bad, but the sealed box fell off really high Hard to understand when I am not sure what's best.

Re: Speaker building....

Appreciate the help.
Gonna go to the book store tommorrow and find a book or two, I am sure I can find something. I understand the concept and whats going on I just don't know the language......nothing a little researching won't fix.

I have got a different idea of what I want to do now that I know a little more. Gonna look at the projects on PE and see if I can find something like what I have in mind now. I figure if I am gonna build a 2-way I might as well make it a 3-way....just make the box alittle taller and make room for a 2" full range woofer. Giving me a ported 5.25, a tweeter, and the 2" full range (even thought maybe using 2) in a sealed section. I have till next friday to decide and change my mind again, lol One I do I am gonna order all the stuff for 4 speakers. For the second set I haven't done much thinking on them yet, but I had a thought of using a 6-7" sub for some deeper lows, dual mids, and a nice tweeter.......spending a little more for better speakers on this set, once I have made my 1st I will have a better grasp of what's going on and how they turn out.

Re: Speaker building....

The coils are for the low cutoff points. And the capasitors are for the highs. The resistors are for matching the ohms? so as to get them all down the 8 ohms or 4 ohms....what ever you want. Or is that right? Or does it bring the higher db speaker down to the level of the lowest somehow?

What all do these programs do? I know what winisd does, is it just better more percise or do they help with the actual box building?

As for the graph.....I will see if I can post the snip I took of it.

Re: Speaker building....

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/...@78hertz.JP G

The blue line is the ported box, and the other line is sealed (which didn't change much at all when I changed the cf of the sealed box).

Re: Speaker building....

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/...125023way1.jpg

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/...125033way2.jpg

The 1st picture shows the speaker placement, used 1/2" mdf except for front which is 1/4" mdf......gonna make faces for each section out of something, not sure yet.

The second picture is a close up of the finish I had about a gallon left over from a job a few weeks ago. It's a textured type floor coating, when applied correctly it looks like 60 grit sandpaper.

Nothing fancy, or expensive.....and I think will work great. Haven't finished reasearching, but does this sound close....

The 5.25 cutoff the frequency at 500 and lower, the two 2" crossed over from 300-4000, and the tweeter from 3000 and up.

The 5.25 goes as low as 55 hertz, and the 2"s go from 150 up to like 16000. My goal is to make a low to moderatly powered set of speakers that cover alot of ground range wise. Then for the back 2 channels I just wan't a 6-8" sub with maybe these 2" speakers for a mid to high range.....using like 6 of them maybe, haven;t thought it out much. Then eventually maybe upgrading my unit, and adding a powered 10"or 12" for some nice lows. For the smallish sized room I am working with I think with this setup I will be more than happy.

BTW great site, great to use as research looking thru old posts and searches. Glad I found it.

Re: Speaker building....

Just a start....Once I get the speakers I can make a new box. I enjoy tinkering, and the sizes of these boxes don't hurt the wallet buying mdf. Still haven't found a book on building crossovers.

I would rather trial and error it as you say, so I can say I actually know the difference rather than wondering why.....and finding out the differences suttle little things make. I think I read somewhere routing the edges of the box makes a diffference some how.

Anyway look fer my post, they will be interesting at the least lol.

Re: Speaker building....

Gonna make a nice set of bird houses for those boxes, lol.

And try again on the boxes. Just gonna make a regular box 12" tall, 7" wide, and 8" deep......and go back to my original idea of a 5.25 and a tweeter, and maybe just a premade crossover around 2,000 hertz which works well with the speakers I chose.
Then keep studying up on a bigger project for my second set.

As for the boxes I am building.....as small as they are half inch mdf is fine for them right?