On Mon, 22 May 2006 15:42:53 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:

But your new builds haven't been evolutions, have they. You haven't
assessed a speaker, done some sums and thought "I think the horn may
work better if it is three inches longer", then built and evaluated.
What you have built is several different designs. That isn't
development.


Hmm, I'm not talking about *designing & developing* - I'm really only
talking about *building*.

Most DIYers build an established and proven design - some will tweak, some
won't. Some will go on to design completely new stuff themselves - that's
how it goes and is one of the reasons DIYing is a Good Thing.

Myself, I have constructed the various 'established design' cabinets (quite
accurately) and have experimented with different drivers (Fostex and
Visaton) and played about with stuffing and bits of carpet (as you do), but
I don't have the knowledge (or will or time or money) to get into
*designing* per se!! Having said that, I have *extended* the design on the
last pair (on a 'suck it and see' basis) and appear to be getting away with
it!! :-)

It's too easy to dismiss DIY activity as folly in the face of modern
commercial offerings and I'd be the first to admit that there's some good
stuff at very reasonable prices out there, but consider this analogy - Mr
Kipling makes exceedingly good cakes (says so on the packet) but, if you
are/were lucky, yer auld mum could beat him hands down every time!! (When my
mum signed off steak and kidney pudding vanished *forever* from the face of
the planet, AFAIAC!!)

It's a mistake to think most DIYers are dozy chancers like me - there's a
great deal deal of real experience and expertise out there and which seems
to be freely shared and passed around. Even my numpty efforts attract a post
or three every week - along the lines of this one (received yesterday):


"Hi keith, a really nice friendly website.

Congratulations. I've ordered a pair of tangband 317s with a view to
making some needles myself. However I'm completely new to speaker
building so your descriptions are very welcome. You imply that some
places will cut to size ? Could you literally come away with a kit of
parts ? Failing that it looks like the minimum tools I'd need would be
a circular saw & router."


(OK, I've put him right on the circular saw and router....!! ;-)

Telling people like this 'don't bother, it ain't worth it' does nothing to
further the cause or the quest for Audio Nirvana. *Even if* someone's
speakers were actually crap in reality but they liked and *preferred* them,
then their efforts would have been worthwhile. If my own efforts were/had
been crap, trust me, the 'listeners' I've had round here would have damn
soon told me so!! (You know how it is!! ;-)


All too well. For myself, I have taken what is probably the commonest
compromise path these days. I have professionally built speakers
(Sonus Faber Amators), and a home-built sub. There is no alternative
to home building for this sub because it is built into a concrete
under-stairs cupboard space. As such it has a huge internal volume and
works in effectively infinite baffle mode. This makes it very
non-boomy - musical in fact. It also goes very, very low in frequency.
It does need quite a few of those "expensive" watts, though ;-)

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com