DIY?

[leonski]

Someone was looking for a center channel speaker.   And not to the 'picky' side of the equation and not concerned with timbre matching.
Several good names were mantioned but no hard resolution......

I mentioned the AMT as a way to get a different brand speaker which may have a good chance of matching current setup....which also 
uses 'em...

You might be surprised that Triton and EMO and several others use the Heil Type AMT......

So I went to PE for a quick look.

Yep.   an EMT for about 30$ on UP.   Even an 'automotive pair' for 50$.

A 5" give or take mid/woof and (not time to skimp!) some good ply for the cabinet.

Some go pretty low in an ported box so do NOT give up on 'real' bass.....

[Boomzilla]

Even though the savings of DIY are attractive, all my tools (or at least most of them) are packed for the move. I think that for the time being, I’ll just migrate one of my Klipsch bookshelf speakers to center channel duty. If it’s grossly inadequate, an Emotiva center seems attractive (the Klipsches can be surrounds). But I’m thinking that a 3.2 system will fill my needs until we get where we’re going.

[leonski]

Tooling IS a non-trivial consideration.

I've seen vids where a builder skips from table saw to joiner / plainer than to the band saw......

and back thru a jig saw

I've got a very minimal tool set. If I up-tooled? Table Saw would be an obvious choice.

In an act of desperation I once made (and kept) a special baseplate for my router which allows me to cut

perfect circles......I used it to make a lid and other parts for my shop-vac. At the same time, I made a

dust seperator so I can preserve my $$$ vac filter.....<10% of everything makes it to the vac....the remainder

to the seperator!


I estimate drivers at 150$ and about 100$ (probably less) on a 3/4" sheet of A/C exterior plywood......

You'll need 1x or 2x for 'reinforcement' and a couple port tubes......Some sound absorber for the interior

and whatever you decide on for a crossover and input cup......

This is for a PAIR. Substantial savings for just building a singleton....

Clamps? Glue? Flat assembly table?

[405x5]

Jun 16, 2024 20:13:20 GMT -5 leonski said:

Someone was looking for a center channel speaker.   And not to the 'picky' side of the equation and not concerned with timbre matching.
Several good names were mantioned but no hard resolution......

I mentioned the AMT as a way to get a different brand speaker which may have a good chance of matching current setup....which also 
uses 'em...

You might be surprised that Triton and EMO and several others use the Heil Type AMT......

So I went to PE for a quick look.

Yep.   an EMT for about 30$ on UP.   Even an 'automotive pair' for 50$.

A 5" give or take mid/woof and (not time to skimp!) some good ply for the cabinet.

Some go pretty low in an ported box so do NOT give up on 'real' bass.....

“Someone” (from the sound of this) Then can simply grab anything that fits the budget and the space…. Then just shove it in there because all bets are off no?

[leonski]

ONE thing I omitted was sensitivity.

It's up to YOU if it sounds good or not. for the speaker I noodled? Given about a 3k crossover.....voicing becomes important for each driver.

Given the site information, the bass cab of the given size should have the F3 given......than it's up to the tweeter for the rest. I just went to the least $$$ since

boom was going to start to mix and match, anyway. His Triton speakers have EMIT tweeters and I asked if they'd go with Klipsh Horn mid/ tweet.

Don't forget that Boom was less than concerned about matching....At least I went with a DIY using the AMT tweeter......one of many versions.....

Ya gotta start somewhere if you want to build some speakers........


Spend an hour or so perusing the DIY speaker builder sites to get some idea of what is possible and various opinions of quality of sound...

[KeithL]

Just for the record...
Tritons have folder ribbon tweeters (aka AMT; aka "new version of the Heil Air Motion Transformer") - like what we use.
This is NOT the same as "EMIT" (EMIT was Infinity's old tweeter "technology" - which was a planar, with a thin - not Kapton - diaphragm, and not a folded ribbon).

Jun 19, 2024 19:00:13 GMT -5 leonski said:

ONE thing I omitted was sensitivity.

It's up to YOU if it sounds good or not. for the speaker I noodled? Given about a 3k crossover.....voicing becomes important for each driver.

Given the site information, the bass cab of the given size should have the F3 given......than it's up to the tweeter for the rest. I just went to the least $$$ since

boom was going to start to mix and match, anyway. His Triton speakers have EMIT tweeters and I asked if they'd go with Klipsh Horn mid/ tweet.

Don't forget that Boom was less than concerned about matching....At least I went with a DIY using the AMT tweeter......one of many versions.....

Ya gotta start somewhere if you want to build some speakers........


Spend an hour or so perusing the DIY speaker builder sites to get some idea of what is possible and various opinions of quality of sound...

[leonski]

Jun 21, 2024 10:19:02 GMT -5 KeithL said:

Just for the record...
Tritons have folder ribbon tweeters (aka AMT; aka "new version of the Heil Air Motion Transformer") - like what we use.
This is NOT the same as "EMIT" (EMIT was Infinity's old tweeter "technology" - which was a planar, with a thin - not Kapton - diaphragm, and not a folded ribbon).

Jun 19, 2024 19:00:13 GMT -5 leonski said:

ONE thing I omitted was sensitivity.

It's up to YOU if it sounds good or not. for the speaker I noodled? Given about a 3k crossover.....voicing becomes important for each driver.

Given the site information, the bass cab of the given size should have the F3 given......than it's up to the tweeter for the rest. I just went to the least $$$ since

boom was going to start to mix and match, anyway. His Triton speakers have EMIT tweeters and I asked if they'd go with Klipsh Horn mid/ tweet.

Don't forget that Boom was less than concerned about matching....At least I went with a DIY using the AMT tweeter......one of many versions.....

Ya gotta start somewhere if you want to build some speakers........


Spend an hour or so perusing the DIY speaker builder sites to get some idea of what is possible and various opinions of quality of sound...

Sorry......I miswrote and KNEW it when I did it.    AMT it is......

A buddy of mine HAD some original ESS types which were vaporized in a gigantic wildfire some years back.

His log cabin likewise was reduced to ASH.    And the cars.    and everything else for miles around......

One of the DIS advantages of living on the reservation is lack of insurance coverage being that far out......so every

los was 'total'.   

[405x5]

Jun 16, 2024 20:13:20 GMT -5 leonski said:

“Someone was looking for a center channel speaker.   And not to the 'picky' side of the equation and not concerned with timbre matching.”

that alone is enough to contradict the idea of going through the trouble of DIY isn’t it?

[leonski]

Least Expensive Airmotiv center channel speaekr is 400$.

You tell ME.

[405x5]

Jun 22, 2024 20:10:37 GMT -5 leonski said:

Least Expensive Airmotiv center channel speaekr is 400$.

You tell ME.

A good deal me thinks 🧐
Maybe I’m living on another planet??

[leonski]

Your plantary alignment is fine.

I just think making a single speaker and saving 200$ is easily worthwhile.

No telling when I'll need another skill.....

Were I SERIOUS? I'd start looking at plans / parts for an appropriate speaker.

[leonski]

Both Madisound and Parts Express have kits which fit this niche......
But be warned, some kits can go way way UP in price and use some of the finest drivers available.....