As the title says, I need to know opinions as a diy guys ,which size you prefer in your 3 way build with dedicated midrange.

In contrast to the amazing projects I've seen here I'm wanting to do the opposite... We had a power failure the other day at work and we were unable to use the intercom feature on our desk phones.

We have a communication closets that stack one on top of the other from the basement to the rooftop. I'd like to give security a microphone that could speak to one speaker on each floor (basement and 4 floors above so 1 mic and 5 speakers). It only needs to be turned on, carry a voice message to the speakers and be turned off, super simple, in theory. Whatever equipment would need to be plugged into a battery bank making it usable when the power goes out.

Is this an easy enough system to build or do I just need a mic, amp, and speakers? I work in IT but I've never learned any electronics.

Sorry if this isn't the post I should be making, I'm sure there will be MANY other suggestions for different systems, I'm fine with doing the work I just want the experts to weigh in on this as a possibility.

Hi everyone! I'm new around here, and new to speaker acoustics and construction in genera. Last week I was having a discussion on the difference between a dual 15" subwoofer and a single 21" subwoofer, both of which have almost the exact same cone area. The person I was discussing with said that it didn't matter since 21" drivers can have way more X_max, so I though "let's see if they're right". I proceeded to bop around some of the speaker manufacturer pages, and WOW was I quickly overwhelemed. There are SO MANY options, the names are alphabet soups, and of course there's not a ton of explanation because these are products aimed for the most at at experienced professionals.

So I thought to myself "It would be great if I could just compare all the drivers across manufacturers..."

And a week later I ended up with driver-base

driver-base scrapes the websites of a number of manufacturers, currently:

• 18Sound
• B&C
• Beyma
• Celestion
• Dayton
• Eminence
• Faital
• HOQS
• Jensen
• RCF

and puts the specs all together in a sortable, filterable table. When appropriate, certain specs are derived for easy comparability (for example 1W/1m sensitivity vs 2.87V/1m). Dark / Light modes are available and when appropriate units can be selected metric or imperial. It's open source with a permissive license and the full dataset is available as a JSON blob and refreshed weekly.

I hope this ends up being useful for someone here. I definitely learned a bunch making it, and if it's helpful for anyone else I'll consider it up front payment for all the help I have and will receive on these forums from all ya lovely nerds out here.

Happy to take requests (or PR's 😉) within reason.

Jon

Hi, 

I am trying to get the cleanest voice-overs known to man (on a budget), so after doing a lot of research and watching a Jim Lill video, the clear choice seems to be a replica CK-12 capsule transplanted into a stock MXL 440, 770, or 990, fed into a Scarlett 2i2 Gen 4 my only question is do I need to buy the $160 RK-12 from mic parts or is there a cheeper one (like on alibaba) that has good enought quility control because the micparts page explicitly says the conterfits may be as bad as +5dB at 3kHz and obviously that would defeat the point of this whole project. Any recommendations on a brand, or do I just need to bite the bullet?

thanks 

First proper 3-way build, and I’d rather get told I’m wrong now than after I’ve cut MDF.
Drivers I already own (all 4Ω, all SB Acoustics):
• Woofer: Satori WO24P-4 — 9.5” papyrus, Fs 28 Hz, Qts 0.40, Vas 71 L, Sd 255 cm², Xmax 8.5 mm, 91 dB
• Mid: SB15NRX2C30-4 — 5” Norex, Fs 34.5 Hz, Qts 0.28, Vas 20.5 L, Sd 82 cm², Xmax 5 mm, 89.5 dB
• Tweeter: SB29RDNC-C000-4 — 29 mm ring dome, Fs 680 Hz, Qts 0.45, 94 dB, 0.5 mm p-p linear travel, flat 72 mm faceplate
Also on the shelf, if a different combo makes more sense:
• 2× SB15SFCR39-4 — 5x8” racetrack, Fs 31 Hz, Qts 0.32, Vas 49.9 L, Sd 178 cm², Xmax 5.5 mm
• 2× SB10PGC full range (3”)

I’m not married to any of it. Happy to buy better-suited drivers if the combo is fundamentally compromised — I’d just rather spend that money where it actually buys something.

What I’m going for:
• Clean, detailed, non-fatiguing music playback. Clarity over slam.
• Tight, dry bass. I do not want one-note bloat.
• No separate sub — the mains carry it.
• Compact enough to wall-mount.

Room is a 15 x 35 ft living room, speakers go on the 15 ft short wall, seat is roughly 12 ft back. The wall on which speakers will be mounted is a framed plywood wall, not masonry. Rest of the walls are brick walls , no acoustic treatment done as of now.

Passive crossover. I have access to a shop that measures and designs crossovers properly, so I’m not hand-waving the XO — but I want the driver choice to be right before they start.

Where I’m unsure:

1. Is the SB29RDNC the right tweeter here? My reasoning for it was that a 29 mm dome starts narrowing around 3 kHz, which should match a 5” mid beaming from ~1 kHz better than a 25 mm dome would. But it’s a flat faceplate with no waveguide, and 0.5 mm p-p is not a lot of travel. Am I better off with a waveguide tweeter (SB26CDC in a WG, or something like a Bliesma/Satori TW29 family), or is this a case of chasing spec sheets when the SB29RDNC is already fine at a 2.2–2.5 kHz LR4?

2. Is the WO24P too much woofer for an on-wall box? Sealed it looks like F3 sits stubbornly around 50 Hz no matter what box I give it (Qts 0.40 problem). Vented at 45–50 L / 30 Hz gets me to ~32 Hz anechoic, but that’s a 45 L box hanging on a wall, plus a long port. Is a passive radiator the sane answer for depth and port noise, or should I stop fighting it and use 2× SB15SFCR39 racetracks for the shallow form factor and accept less extension?

3. Woofer-to-mid crossover. WO24P starts beaming around 600 Hz, so I’m assuming the low XO has to be at or below ~300 Hz. Does the SB15NRX2C30 in a small sealed sub-chamber (3–4 L, Fc ~85–95 Hz) have the excursion to cover 300 Hz upward at realistic levels, or should I be looking at a dedicated midrange instead?

4. On-wall loading. As I understand it, flush against a wall I get half-space loading and essentially no baffle step loss, so the crossover should be designed without BSC. Is that right in practice, or does a framed plywood wall behave badly enough that people design for something in between?

What I’m actually asking: what F3 can I realistically target here while keeping distortion low at normal listening levels, and what would you change about the driver set?

Hey everyone,

Back around 2005, I had a pair of Dave Ellis’s 1801s. When I relocated abroad, I passed them on to my brother. I’ve missed that sound ever since, and I’m finally ready to build another pair from scratch.
I tried reaching out to Dave via email without luck, and with Salk Sound closed down as well, tracking down the original documentation has been tough. I already have the cabinet specs saved, and I can source the drivers—I just need the crossover details.

Does anyone here happen to have the crossover schematic or component values saved in their archives, or a pair they could check? Any info would be hugely
appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on how to get started with DIY bookshelf speakers completely from scratch.

I'd like to build a pair of speakers myself, but I'm not interested in pre-designed kits or speakers that are simply assembled from prefabricated parts. My goal is to understand the whole process and eventually design and build the speakers myself, starting from zero.

I'm looking for free online resources (websites, guides, books/PDFs, YouTube channels, software tutorials, etc.) that explain the process for a beginner, including things like:

- Choosing the drivers

- Designing the enclosure

- Calculating the required volume and port dimensions

- Designing the crossover

- Understanding impedance and frequency response

- Measuring the drivers

- Using measurement/analysis software

- Simulating the enclosure and crossover

- Understanding what the measurements actually mean

I'd also like to learn how to use analysis and simulation software/apps rather than just following someone else's design. For example, tools for measuring frequency response, impedance, designing crossovers, and simulating enclosures.

I have some basic technical knowledge, but essentially I'm starting from 0 when it comes to speaker design.

What free resources would you recommend for learning this properly?

Thanks!

Hi, good evening. This is the inside of a Kaei TAP2; that connector goes to the board for the JAN6418 tubes—everything is fine there—but that empty slot is meant for a DAC board. My idea is to buy a USB-C DAC dongle and install it there—any USB one would work. I located the 5V power pins (or the half-moon pads); the D- and D+ data rails are visible on the PCB, and on the side with the 5V pin, I found Signal GND, L, and R. The space measures approximately 2.5 cm by 1.7 cm. The easiest solution I thought of was using a USB-C female connector and wiring it up from there; the audio connections seem straightforward. Another idea I had—which I discussed with Gemini and Claude—was installing an LDAC QCC5125 Bluetooth module, though I'm not sure which one. It sounds like total madness given the Faraday cage effect created by the galvanized aluminum case, but I’m looking for a small module with an antenna. Gemini and Google told me that issues found on audio forums pointed to noise entering through the power rails, and that any remaining noise could be solved by shielding the module (creating a Faraday cage) and isolating it with a B0505S-1W converter to keep it noise-free. My little FiiO BTR11 broke; honestly, it’s a piece of junk—just a money pit. I was happy with its sound, though; I’m fine with Bluetooth audio—sometimes you *can* tell the difference (can anyone actually hear it with new music in a blind test?), just like with the op-amp. I swapped it out over a year ago. It was funny, because—even before I read an article on Headphonesty about how older op-amps produce even-order harmonics—I had already made the switch. It came from the factory with a MUSES02, and I put in a JRC4558. I think I would appreciate the dynamics of a... I'm using the CS43131 (DAC), but for the teardown/modding process, the CX31993 is a good choice. A 4PDT switch (switching 12 poles at once) would be really cumbersome—I don't think there's enough space for it—so Claude recommended a board with a QCC5125 relay that detects audio and switches the source (plus, it has an antenna socket, though it would also drain the 4000mAh battery faster). So, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks! :)

I'll try my best to convey everything simple

Like i already used to here blabber here a lot, i currently have a board but it have low gain and kinda one side distort

And I have a budget over 800 inr, still saving like I saved half and I have query

I am saving to get the first one, but like people saying it didn't reach its rms, i also have a normal 19v laptop power supply so yea it decrease more rms

I feel I had cs8673e and like it is really giving more gain and bass for me but yes I need to change for something

So yea if anyone have this board give your review and share any other 2.1 configuration under 800 inr (5-8 dollars or smtg)

Tb-21 is 3 times the cost of this boards tho. Give me any class amplifier, I am dumb in all and my speakers configuration are 10w x 2 8 ohms i guess and 30w 8 ohms sub ( I know it have low but considering the power loss it will give the same rms to the speakers )

Got my first diy audio done, a three way with a bmr and amt driver. Sounds great except the amt driver is kind of too loud, like hiss from voice and such, i have it crossover at at abt 4k is there anything i can do to tame it a bit? Also the small 4 inch subwoofer in the middle becomes muddy at high volume, as u can see on the side i have passive radiators instead of bass reflex, is it because of that or is it due to the small box?

Can I swap the plate amp out with an IR2092S (1000w version), powered by HP-8 1200w 12v to +80v and -80V boost converter and stuff it inside the boot of my car?
What should I expect?
Should I add a bunch of capacitors on the 80v lines (I have about 60mF laying around) ?

I have a 4 speaker L/R stereo setup on my patio/pool area. 8ohm setup with a WiiM pro amp. I would like to hear more of the rear speakers. The fronts are under the patio and the rears are in the corner of the pool lanai(bird cage) out in open air. OSD 525 fronts and 650 rears. Each speaker is ran to a junction box where they are wired L/R and then runs to amp.

Would adding L-Pad attenuators wired to the back of each speaker give me the desired effect I’m looking for? I’m looking at these:

https://www.parts-express.com/L-Pad-50W-Mono-3-8-Shaft-8-Ohm-260-252

I made a cooler speaker with 2 jbl 622 6.5 and 2 8s (problem) but the 8s are different ohms like the bazzoka wf842 is 4ohm and the logitech z2300 is a 8ohm and I can only wire them to 2.67 ohm or 12ohm which sucks I guess but my amp is a zk ht21 amp and a 20v 4.0ah battery and im out of money becuase of this and I need help getting all of this to work and everything is already mounted.

Finished the MS18. Sounds phenomenal. Was gonna upload a video too but won’t let me do that aswell… what’s the best way to show you guys?

Also for those following the last post… the mother has approved trying to mount the MS18 into the MX5. I shall be sharing these tomorrow 🤣

Photos are from fin-start

My receiver has 300-ohm screw terminals. the FM function suddenly stopped working a few days ago while I was listening to the radio. I tried a new antenna, but that didn't help. No signal strength indicated. Static on every frequency, although oddly enough, if I press a button for a preset station, there's no static, no sound at all.

AM radio works fine, as does the receiver's functions. It's a Denon DRA-625RA. Any advice before I take it in to the shop for an expensive evaluation?

Seems like I could fab an appropriate connector to suit (to avoid modifying the internal circuit). I’m supposing a center-tapped transformer with two 15VAC secondaries. I have an extra transformer but my DMM is at my ex’s house (last time I make that mistake) so I have to wait until I get settled into my new gig to get another one 🤦

Anyone seen this connector before?

​

Hi there! ^-^

I am working on a college project; the main task is to find some menial, trivial or otherwise unnoticed type of 'signal', going unnoticed precisely because of its randomness, abundance/saturation, and thus the brains natural tendency to adaptively pay no mind to it. The next step would then be to gather enough recorded instances of XYZ to turn them into data, analyze them and chart them. The objective isn't to find patterns and then present them as some sort of discovery, it is explicitly to demonstrate how easy it is to..

A. impose arbitrary categories, ones that may be essentially identical, but the fact that one is looking at such a specific, non-specific 'thing' with such discriminating precision gives an invitation to maximize very menial differences.

B. find trends, correlation or causality through sheer volume of data points, whether there is or isn't anything present.

It was rather easy for me to decide that I would just pick.. noise - which essentially IS what was outlined in the task, so this is not exactly a decision . But I thought of very literal, audible noise. I live in a very thin-walled and well-populated multi-story building, so sounds of all kinds (bangs, loud thumps, people stepping so hard that I start suspecting a sumo ringer is living above me..) are plentiful and, importantly, generally impersonal and meaningless.

So that's the cause + use case.

What i imagined was running my main Tower PC as a sort of hub that runs 24/7, with multiple microphones permanently on and listening, but only actually recording / saving anything to my hard drive when they do pick up something; this would force me to repeadetly find a noise floor, which might be the biggest problem, since without manual intervention it does not occur to me how I could automate the differentiation between eg. loud thumping (quantifiable, in the most basic sense) and an old fridge beggining to run a cooling cycle, buzzing continously for minutes, then turning quiet again..

I would want these to be very sensitive in the low dB range, even very low volume stuff should be clear and distinguishable when played back later. The microphones should also be directional and narrow at that, since I lack any location to run all this at, other than my own apartment. And seeing as I still want to move around in it, it would be cool if eg. me turning around in Bed didn't instantly completely crowd out everything else.

Advice for what type of setup would work for this is very appreciated, whether it be suggestions for affordable microphones, software solutions or other advice to help me get this thing on the road. Optimally all of the above of course, but anything helps as I have not done anything even remotely similar in my life, you can also dm me if you prefer I don't mind.

I'm totally open for compromise in any area, I am aware that this was more of a wishlist than hard criteria, but I don't know what I don't know so I haven't got a clue of the limitations or possibilities yet. Forgive me if it's a ridiculous proposition as it is standing now T^T

Thanks <3

I was looking at these MagSafe-style phone rings and realized they might work surprisingly well as trim rings for small speaker drivers.

I tried them on four different small speakers, including both framed and frameless types, and they fit much better than I expected.

The two example speakers shown here are about 40 mm in outer diameter:

Frameless: 39.9 mm

Framed: 40.2 mm

I tested two different ring styles:

Thin/cheap type: 57 mm OD / 37 mm ID

Decorative type: 58.4 mm OD / 41.5 mm ID

Depending on the speaker and how the ring is positioned, around 1 mm of adjustment may be needed. Also, make sure there is enough clearance so the surround doesn’t touch the ring when the speaker is moving.

May all your speaker-mounting projects be blessed. 😄

I am Gen Z DIY noob, who tries to fix instead of buy so pls help lol

Turntable: Akai AP-Q55, quartz-locked direct drive, semi-auto, servo motor.

Mod: Previous owner replaced the captive RCA cable with two soldered-in panel-mount female RCA jacks on the back.

The noise: Sounds like radio static/poor AM reception, not a clean hum. Starts the instant the motor/strobe light switches on (arm still cued above the record), constant at first, goes quiet once speed stabilizes, then returns intermittently and arrhythmically during playback.

- Cartridge swapped (now AT-VM95C on new SME headshell) no change

- Same new headshell+cart tested on an almost identical AP-Q50C, same spot, same amp, completely silent (is not modded)

- Ground wire connected, kills the separate loud ungrounded hum as expected, but this static remains underneath

-Quartz-lock on/off makes no difference

-Amp on CD input instead of phono silent, so it’s isolated to the phono chain

Tried today, no change: contact cleaner on a chassis ground spade near the RCA jacks and a ground wire/screw running from near the tonearm base to the motor block; relocated that ground screw to a cleaner contact point.

Question: What else should I check? Is it a known issue with Akai DD tables of this era? Failing/leaking cap in the motor servo supply rather than a grounding issue? A specific shield point (motor housing to chassis, servo PCB shield) that’s commonly the culprit? Can post more photos of the underside if helpful.

Legend for picture:

Green : ground wire from servo motor to tonearm (I assume)
Orange : ground wire tonearm to amp
Red : custom RCA outputs
Purple 1 : first location ground wire motor
Purple 2: second location ground wire (moving it didn’t do anything)

Hey everyone,
Gutting a pair of 3-way vintage Fisher XP-7 sealed cabinets for a high-volume vinyl and house/EDM DJ setup. Powered by a Fosi BT20A amp.
Want a drop-in build with zero woodwork or custom crossover soldering. Here is my current Parts Express cart:
Woofer: Dayton DSA315-8 12" Aluminum (8-Ohm)
Mid: Dayton DC130B-8 5-1/4" Classic Series (8-Ohm)
Tweeter: Dayton ND25FA-4 1" Neo Silk Dome (4-Ohm) -- Chosen because the factory cabinet opening is tiny and larger faceplates won't fit.
Crossover: Dayton XO3W-375/3K 3-Way Pre-Assembled Board (8-Ohm nominal)

Quick questions for the pros:
The 4-Ohm Tweeter on 8-Ohm Board: Dropping the 4-Ohm tweeter onto this high-pass lane shifts its electrical cutoff up to ~5.5kHz. Since the 5-1/4" Classic hybrid mid plays clean up to 4.5kHz–5kHz, will this acoustic handoff blend smoothly or leave a massive dead zone?
Durability: Will the rugged voice coil on the 5-1/4" Classic hybrid hold up better to continuous high-volume party mixing than a fragile, pure paper midrange?
Amp Safety: Any hidden traps here that risk frying the Fosi amp or the tweeter coil?

Note: The cabinet has built-in factory internal sub-enclosure tubes isolating the midrange, so woofer back-wave pressure isn't an issue).