Zalytron or Audire speaker kits? (1 Viewer)

[Larry Noud]

I have been toying with the idea of building my own mains,center channel and surround speakers from the kits available from the above.I currently have the Legacy 1`s (now called the Classic`s) for my mains and the Silver Screen center and Definitive BPX rears.I have no knowledge of speaker building with kits and I want to know if these kits have the cabinets precut for the drivers ect.Plus how hard is it to assemble the crossovers.
I do not want to spend a fortune on this project and any input would be appreciated.Thank you

 

[AjayM]

Well, first you get a lot of bang for your buck by building your own. But before you set out on such a project, I think you first will need to define a few things, like what your budget is going to be, what kind of sound you like, and how much of the DIY part you can do.
An entire Adire front end will only cost you around $500-525 for the kits, this represents an outstanding value. However Adire has no pre-cut/built cabinets, so you will have to arrange for that, either do it yourself with some help from a woodworking friend, or talk to a cabinet maker, wood-shop in your area to see if they can handle it for you, the kits are fairly easy to build, so the cost shouldn't be to bad to have cabinets built. The cross-overs do come pre-built, so it's really just a plug and play arrangement now.
Zalytron offers so many different kits that without being specific to one it's hard to say, but if you went with something like the Focal home theater kit for the front end will cost you around $1500, or you could start to mix and match and go with an Aria 7 and the Center channel kit which will drop the prices down to around $1100. So there is a huge difference in price there. The big advantage of Zalytron is that he has cabinets available for almost all the kits he sells. So the Aria 7 cabinet is $550pr, and the center channel is $325.
The cabinet prices are going to be around the same for either set of speakers, so that kind of cancels each other out. Unless you can build them yourself. But you do have to set a budget, as we see the difference in costs can be pretty big.
Andrew
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[Larry Noud]

I like both music and movies and I want the ability to play at reference levels with impact.My budget would be around $1750.00 to $2000.00 for the cabinets ect.

 

[AjayM]

First, that's a tall order for 5 speakers, capable of playing reference with impact for your price range is going to be tough. You may want to ask some people you know and ask if any of them are able to help you out with a little woodworking project (pizza and beer is cheap payment for services rendered here), if you can build your own cabinets then the $2k cap is achievable.
If you want to get all 5 speakers and cabinets with $2k, the Adire kit is probably going to be the best bet. You may want to email Dan Wiggins and ask him if he knows of any source for pre-made cabinets.
You may also want to look at Madisound, as almost all of their kits are available with cabinets. The Dynaudio Gemini's are very highly regarded, but will slip a little out of your price range, as they are around $1000 a pair, so if you want 5 you'd spend around $2500. But it will be a really nice system, it won't have a lot of bass, but it will do everything else nicely.
Northcreek and BESL (http://www.northcreekmusic.com and http://www.bamberglab.com) also sell kits with cabinets available, some that may fit in your budget some that may not. You may want to look at going with spending your $2k on the LCR channels and use what you have for now for the rears.
Just some more ideas.
Andrew
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[Bob Sorel]

If you already have your own sub, then you can buy the Vifa A/V's from Madisound, as they cost only $215.50 each, including the cabinets, for a total of $1077.50 for all 5 speakers. This would be very easy for a first time kit builder, as the cabinets are already preassembled. In sound they are very close to the Dynaudio Gemini's, which cost $530 per speaker (which, incidentally are better than Dynaudio's own $1200 per speaker Contour 1.3's), though not quite as smooth overall. And even if you don't already have your own sub, with the money you just saved on 5 perfectly matched speakers, you would still have enough money to build a DIY Shiva or Tempest sub, including the amp. BTW, I personally own 3 Dynaudio Gemini's and 4 Vifa A/V's, with 2 Tempest subs, so I know from personal experience that the Vifa's and Dynaudio's can be used together in a system very effectively!
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[Larry Noud]

Thanks for the input.I have a feeling I might have to spend more than I planned.At least I know I already have 2 good subwoofers.I have a pair of SVS 20-39`s which are fantastic.

 

[Bob Sorel]

Since you already have a great pair of subs, then I would recommend 3 Dynaudio Gemini's for $1590 and then a pair of Vifa A/V's for surrounds for $431, for a total of $2021. I know that these would be slightly over budget, but the Vifa's match the the Dyne's in size, appearance, sensitivity, and timbre, integrating beautifully. They are all MTM designs and can handle loads of power and high SPL's. (Just ask other members of the forum around here. I have a reputation for listening at extremely high power levels ).
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[Jimmie]

Bob,
I thought that Madisound had discontinued the dynaudio gemini's. Is there another source for getting this kit?
Thanks
Jimmie

 

[DanWiggins]

I'm pleased to announce that, starting this weekend, Adire Audio and DIY Cables have partnered to bring you pre-cut cabinet flats. Starting with the cabinets for our HE10.1, and continuing with flats for the KIT281s and our reference subwoofers, DIY Cables will offer pre-cut cabinet flats to the DIY builder.
These flats are CNC cut from 3/4" thick MDF, and use biscuit joinery for the strongest of joints. Additionally, full veneer and grille kits will be a available, too.
We will have more details available on our website on Monday or Tuesday; however, you can visit http://www.diycable.com/speaker_kits.htm for current information.
Thanks,
Dan Wiggins
Adire Audio