DIY monitors

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deen
  • Start date Start date
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Deen

New member
Hello all,

I was just wondering if any of you have built
their own monitors. I mean that's the last thing
I'd want to spend on. I'd like to build magnetically
sheilded ones. Does anybody have a link to this.
Hi-fi designs are plenty, but studio designs are
nonexistent. Is it O.k. to use the HI fi designs? How
does one design flat speakers?
 
Deen said:
How does one design flat speakers?
Click to expand...
You hire an speaker designer to engineer a design for you, then build them from that spec......

It's certainly not going to be cheaper than buying manufactured studio monitors, but you'd have it to your specifications at least......

If you're looking at DIY as cost-saving measure.... fogedabowdit.......!!
 
Yeah, it would be considerably more expensive to build your own, and it would take a whole long time. A whole lot of research and effort goes into the design of a reference monitor. Entire books have been written on the speaker design theory!

A pair of workable monitors can be had for $300 or less. By the time you pay for your drivers, crossover components, wood, finish, tools, and whatever else, you're way over that mark! Plus, you'd have spent a year researching speaker design theory to get everything to jive...and then you probably don't even have the equipment to spec them out!

DIY will only save you money in certain situations, like building cables. The trouble is that raw components cost a hell of a lot more when you're buying one or two than when you're buying 1,000. It's hard to compete with a manufacturer. Only DIY if you want to make something custom for yourself, and you're really interested in the actual modification or construction process. If your goal is a usable end product, then you're better off just buying.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Thanks

Thanks to Blue Bear and Slackmaster. I guess I just have to bite the bullet on that one. I just thought about it because I stumbled
upon a site saying Hi-Fi speakers are so expensive because people are stupid enough to buy them. Therefore we should all just build our own. I did some surfing and It seems hard to really build one that satisfies cosmetically and more important sonically.
I didn't realize it was that much research involved. I'm sure that's
why nobody on the web has any DIY near fields designs for free.
And besides, I'm a lousy carpenter.

Thanks again.
 
Re: Thanks

Deen said:
I'm sure that's
why nobody on the web has any DIY near fields designs for free.
And besides, I'm a lousy carpenter.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

You need this. No wood, I promise

http://www.speakerbuilding.com/content/1106/

LOL!

And hi-fi speakers are not monitors anyway, so not sure you can use these for monitoring. But hey do look... Well... interesting.

But the site above has some decent hi-fi designs but they look to be expensive anyway. Take a look.
 
You could contact the member barefoot. I know that this member constructs custom monitors, but it won't be cheap. :rolleyes:
 
i think if you were to put hifi spks in a studio trying to mix the only speakers you'll be able to mix on would be Focals... they sound better than a lot of monitors, but have a nice price also...mine were $600 a pair....but they are the best speakers on the market..
 
Thank you guys.

but it seems my expectations from this thread have
struck a dead end. It seems certain the best way to go is
find the cheapest monitors that offer best performance
and quality.

Hey Sangram, you're right , those speakers do look
interesting. But I doubt I can make them. Heee!
Heeee! Heee! ( I laugh at myself ) Thanks for the
kind reply.
 
Deen,

There are a lot proven designs already out there in kit form. Sort of a hybrid between DIY and pre-built.

Check out these sites for some options:

http://www.speakercity.com
http://www.zalytron.com
http://www.gr-research.com

You will probably end up spending as much as you would for a pair of decent pre-build monitors, but you will get better quality for the dollars with a lot of these kits. You also get the satifaction of putting them together yourself.

I went this route for my home theater setup, and it sounds amazing! There are quite a few designs for MTM (Midrange, Tweeter, Midrange) that will not work well for nearfieild monitoring, but there are some excellent choices for MT as well (The Focal 7KT is what I use for my surrounds, and they would make excellent nearfields). I've got some details on my web site.
http://hometheater.hoppehome.com

It's worth checking out.
 
Thanks Looney Tunz or better Thanks Jay.

You have an awesome website. Great pics. Great speakers.
I'm a bit confused. Are you more of a recording dude or a
hi-fi dude? You're a senior in this forum so I take it that
you're an expert. Do you still mix using those Focals?
Actually I'm just looking for something better than my
Altec Lansings. Something louder and possibly more flat and accurate. So that maybe I can get away with not buying
those expensive studio monitors. But since you say that
they're just as costly as real near fields I don't think I
can afford them. But thanks for the reply. It sort of gives
a tiny ray of hope that maybe someday I can stumble upon
some good hi-fi speakers that mix accurately. Thanks again.
 
Are you more of a recording dude or a
hi-fi dude?
Click to expand...

I'm both actually. ;) In my opinion, there should be no difference between the two as far as how we listen to music. Good music reproduction is what it's about, and unfortunately, many Hi-Fi speaker designers go for a sound that makes us perceive something to sound better than it actually is by reducing the mid/highs where our ears are most sensitive, and boosting what our ears are least sensitive to (bass). When I choose speakers (for Hi-Fi or mixing), I go for something that is relatively neutral.

You're a senior in this forum so I take it that
you're an expert.
Click to expand...

Well, just because I have enough posts to make me a senior member doesn't mean I'm an expert. Even though I've been recording/mixing since the late 80's, I still consider my abilities a work in progress, and will never stop learning.

Do you still mix using those Focals?
Click to expand...

I use my modified Focal Aria 7s (with the sub) for reference checking mostly. For nearfield monitoring/mixing I am currently using KRK V6's because I wanted to go with an active monitoring system, and going DIY with that venture is way beyond my means.
 
LooneyTunez, those Focal Aria 7s are nice, but when i was referring to focal i was talking about Utopias...the best car speakers around right now...
now utopia's... you could probably mix on, but they cost so much you can just buy some monitors...

http://www.focal-america.com/

i have 2 pair of 136w's.. i want the 3way 165w3 but i don't have money like that
 
Hi again Looney Tunez,

"relatively nuetral" is an inspiring phrase. Perhaps I
can get away for now by finding speakers that are
relatively nuetral or "flat " as we say in recording.
Balanced sound = more accurate mix. I mean they
have to be better than mixing on headphones.

Makes me wonder how many homerecordists on a
budget are actually using real near fields. Maybe
many of them are using stereos.


Peace and Rock on .
 
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