Pls help newbie w/ speaker kit questions (1 Viewer)

[TedS]

Greetings all,

This is my first post, so please bear with me. I've been coming here for about a year, and I've learned a lot from all of you. I've finally been convinced that DIY is the way to go for the best bang/buck.

I've selected Dennis Murphy's MBOW1 for my first project. I wanted a bookshelf kit w/ flat FR in the $300-400 range that would be sure to blow away my current speaks (Bose 301's- don't laugh), let alone what I could buy at that price.

Anyway, now to my questions:
On his webpage, Dennis states a target cost of $70 for the crossover components. I've put together a parts list that comes out to ~$70 that includes:

• Axon True Caps ($2-3 each from GR Research)
• Sidewinder 16 Ga air core copper wire inducters ($6-7 each from Madisound)
• Eagle metal-oxide film, non-inductive resistors ($1 each from Madisound)

Are these all of comparable quality? Or should I spend more/less on one of these components?

I'm also very interested in Sonicaps, but I think I'll leave that as a potential upgrade for later on to stay w/in budget.

I'd appreciate any thoughts or comments you might have, particularly anyone who's built an MBOW1 and tried different crossover components. Thanks again for bearing with me!

Ted

 

[Brian Fellmeth]

Ted,

Excellent plan, the MBOW1 is an excellent bang for buck project. Here are 2 implimentations :

Birch MBOW1

Walnut MBOW1

I also used the axon true caps from GR and endorse that choice. You can save a few bucks on the inductors by looing at the Jantzen 18 guage coils from parts express, easily good enough (might confirm this by email with Dennis himself who is very good about helping) The Dayton resistors from PE are also appropriate for this project so that you don't have 3 vendors. (Not to knock Madisound in any way cause they are great). I suggest you aquire the tweeters from Dave Ellis :

Ellis hiquiphon page

Good luck !

 

[TedS]

Brian,

Thanks for the info and the links! It's good to get feedback from folks with some experience.

 

[TedS]

A couple follow up questions:

1) What kind of wire did you use? I keep finding that you can spend a lot of money on all these different components. I guess I'm just trying to figure out what quality/price level makes the most sense for this project and how much difference the they make on the final sound.

2) How much of the cabinet work did you do yourself vs. had someone else do, and at what cost? I'm considering a range of possibilities between having someone like Brian at RAD do a flat kit that I assemble & finish, to having someone do the complete assembly. Of course, cost is a major factor.

Thanks again for any thoughts!

 

[Brian Bunge]

Ted,

Danny uses 16 gauge oxygen-free copper speaker wire with his AV series kits.

 

[Brian Fellmeth]

If your aiming question 2 at me, I did all of the cabinet work. Its not really DIY otherwise- a big chunk of the savings evaporates. Cutting and assembling the MDF carcass is the easy part. Veneering and finishing takes 3x longer.

To do everything, you will need access to a saw (table saw best but doable without), a router (perferably plunge) with a beefy flush trim bit and a 1/4 spiral up cut bit, a Jaspar circle jig, some clamps and a soldering iron.

If your motivation is only to save money, its not worth it. You must relish the process....

 

[TedS]

Brian B.: Thanks for the info!

Brian F.: I agree. I'm comfortable with the electronic side- I've had classes in linear circuits and have worked with electronics in grad school and in work. So I'm excited about assembling the crossover and drivers. The wood-working side is a little more intimidating at the moment, not having tools or much experience. If I had ready access to the tools, I think I would pick it up and enjoy it, but I'm a bit gun-shy on my first project.

Thanks again for the input!

 

[MikeSRC]

Also, unless you intend to pursue this or other woodworking projects as a hobby, there's no need to spend the money on a table saw, router and associated blades and bits. The gluing, veneering and finishing, although difficult, do not require expensive tools. A cabinet maker or woodworking shop can cut the panels and do the routing for a reasonable price.

 

[TedS]

Mike,

That's sort of what I've been leaning towards. I don't want to invest in tools unless I know I'll be using them again. Maybe I can see if anyone I know has the tools and can show me a thing or two. Otherwise I think I'll play it safe and let someone else do at least the cutting of the MDF.

Thanks for the input!