Building speakers (costs)

[bluishbob]

Hey chaps,
For those of you who have build your own speakers, could someone give me a rough breakdown of what it cost to get the materials cor the cabs on their own.

I know i could look through a catalogue and price it up ( i have), but it would be useful to know what it has cost people who have actually done it, as i expect there wil be a hidden cost somewhere.

Also, how do you lot rate Eminence Kappa bass drivers, I know they are used in class D sometimes. Would they stand up in a disco/pa environment? Some chaps on the speaker plans forum weren't impressed by them, but to be honest they are all sound techie type people with big big systems, unlike me with my little 1/2kw disco and pa system.

Many thanks

[Daryll]

Hi bluishbob.
First the Finished product.

http://billfitzmaurice.com/DR250.html
( all prices approx)
1 x 8 x 4 baltic ply sheet £40
1 x Eminence deltalite 11 2510 £60
24 x pizeo tweeters £1.50 each
Screws/glue £20
Corners/handels/speakon plate £35
Crossover components/wire £12
Covering material ( highbuild/carpet) up to £30
4feet of 4" down pipe ( dont ask , but its in the plans at the rear of the box) £5
So you are looking at £200 each.

Time, if you had all the tools 20 - 30 hours !!.
This is one of the hardest of bills cabs to build , mainly because of its trapezoidal shape and many angles. but it is worth it.


There are pros and cons..
Pros.
You built them.
If they are made correctly they will blow factory built cabs of the same value out of the water.
Personal pride.

Cons:
Almost zero resale value, because they are home built/un branded
Very expensive if you make a mistake.
Time comsuming.




Cheers
Daryll

[Andy Westcott]

I build my own, and always have.

If you are going to go to the trouble of building your own speakers, consider going for better drivers than Eminence. I'd suggest the Fane range, or Precision Devices. For a bass cabinet go for the Fane 18XB or the Precision Devices PD 186. Personal preference at the end, but don't skimp here - it'll be money well spent. Do it right and you'll have a speaker for life.

I'll differ from Daryll in saying avoid peizo tweeters like the plague - in my opinion they are totally unsuitable for serious PA work - far too fragile and innefficient.

For a bass bin only:
Cost in the drivers - see above notes.
Cost in the wood: Panels plus glue blocks and bracing strips if required.
Cost the handles.
Cost the covering material.
Cost in corner protectors.
Cost glue & screws.
Cost in the Speakon connector panel for the back.
Cost in wheels if needed.
Cost in speaker mounting hardware and protective grille.
Cost in for a length of 4 inch black drain pipe. (for ports) Tubes are more efficient than square slots due to having less port surface per square section area.

Finally, design the speakers properly:
Ensure you have the appropriate cabinet volume for the particular driver and the way you intend to use it.

Ensure you have calculated the port dimensions correctly - this is an exact science and it has to be right.

You can probably find a free design program available on the 'web - winlsd pro is a useful tool, although it does give incorrect port depths - I find it is better to run the program, see where the calculated dip in impedance occurrs and adjust the actual ports to obtain that dip at the same frequency. Bit of a fuss, but if you are building your own stuff, it's a good idea to understand the technicalities a bit. In any case, a big improvement on using a pencil & paper!

Have fun, do your design work properly, and keep asking questions!

[Tony Scott]

Hey chaps,
For those of you who have build your own speakers, could someone give me a rough breakdown of what it cost to get the materials cor the cabs on their own.



Andy has given some really sound advice there (no pun intended)........agree totaly on the Peizo issue.

If you havn't visited already try: http://www.speakerplans.com/forum/default.asp?SID=518bcdfa8fzdb12126498878cb5b89d6
...........you will get some really good plans and advice if you are serious about self build.

Eminence Kappa are good speakers for the money and offer a more than acceptable set of specs although as mentioned go for better if you can.

Your cost is really going to depend on what you want.
These days you can buy a second hand set of speakers cheaper than you can make them if you intend to buy the components new, but cost is not really what self build is about.

If you already have or can get hold of some cheap drivers/cross-overs/grills/MDF etc. then obviously the cost will be less :)