When I was a youngster I wanted to make my own guitar amp and a lot of folks talked me out of it because of how critical the speaker box measurements were. Years later I chose to give it a try and built a little transistor amp, ripped a speaker out of an old set of computer speakers, put it all in a random metal project box from Radio Shack and it sounded awesome for what I needed it for. There are a lot of naysayers in this world who may mean well but thanks for encouraging folks to take on these projects.
Love this! Guitar amps are not meant to reproduce recorded sounds. They are their own instruments and can sound like whatever you want them to sound like!
Nice vid! FYI for first time woodworkers: A $5 hand-held scrollsaw cuts all sorts of tight internal shapes including circles. It is incredibly accurate and removes precious little material. You don't need a jigsaw, router/cnc or even forstner bits for cutting internal circles. Of course, don't expect to build cabinets anytime soon using a scrollsaw 😂😂
David. As a teacher and wood worker, let me just say this- mistakes are not failures. A failure is making a mistake and not being willing to own and learn from it. You have not failed us- you created a learning experience. Thank you. And thank you Dan. And thank you to your mom, your teachers, your fourth grade teacher, etc.
Finally, a set of speakers with dado cuts. So many videos of speakers built with buttons joints. Maybe it’s not a big deal but it is to me. That and quality components.
I used to look at reviews on speakers and audio components. Everyone's tastes are different. You like what you like and it doesn't matter what other people think.
I just finished a set of speakers with 2 Pyle 10" - 200 RMS drivers, 6" mids & horn tweeters. I've made several sets of speakers through the years but, these sound better than any of the others. I do silicone the speakers in to eliminate any leakage. Yours look amazing!! Keep up the good work. You said you're looking for a good amp. I run a Carver M-500 amp & pre-amp, 250W/channel, RMS. Sounds amazing!!
I'm a speaker building guy and am getting into CNC so this was an excellent video. You're next speaker project should be a nice sub to really fill out the full frequency range. If you want something inexpensive to drive your system you might look at getting a Sprout from PS Audio. They make amazing gear and the Sprout gets you into high end audio for a very reasonable price. Very excited to see how you finish your enclosures. You have a very creative and artistic flair and I am really looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
An informative video. I'm starting on building a pair of boxes for my shop speakers with 12" woofers and horn tweeters. A buddy who's built several over the years is helping. I can't wait to hear how they sound.
I built the swan hi vi 3.1 kit and am very happy with those. The css will be next but a suggestion on the amp would be crown. I have the xls 1500 I believe is the model I'm not at home now but it has a DSP built inn plenty of power and each channel is separate. Also I am using a s.m.s.l. DAC and you would not believe how good that combo sounds.
The difference between the '70s speakers and the CSS almost sounds as if the '70s speakers were in another room, behind a closed door. You open the door and boom, you hear CSS. There is that much high end difference and overall clarity and that I must say is an impressive difference. And this is something for me to consider because I am in the process of moving and need to get rid of lots of things that basically weigh me down. And close to the bulkiest items I have are my 2 Rogersound Labs (RSL) Nevada XT speakers which I love and have owned like the rest of my component stereo since 1986. But the speakers are massive, weigh something like 70 pounds each, pre-date subwoofers by a few years, and probably could be easily outclassed by something like what you just built. Time to seriously ponder my options.
You know you say TH-cam doesn't reveal its sound for your speakers. I have a sound card with Dolby Atmos connected to a 9.2.2. speaker system and I can tell the difference between your 70's speakers and your CSS setup. Sorry it's 3 years later but I have only just discovered your channel. I can sort of guess what you are going to do next in your videos. They are very entertaining. I like your forearm tattoos, they're discreet and compliment your work. All the very best.
I used to work in a prefab house building factory. The turnover for employees was incredible. A new hire was tasked with cutting sheets of plywood to a specific size. He started running his first sheet through the table saw backwards. He got halfway through the cut when the sheet was sent flying and hit an unfortunate co-worker. That was one of the more "tame" injuries that occurred during my time there.
Wow, you both poured a lot of time into the video editing and the research/planning/building on this one. Looks awesome! I’m looking forward to part two!
On the "snobs" subject, I wouldn't call that turntable a "high end turntable." Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's definitely on the list of units I'd recommend to someone who's starting out with a budget. 🙃 VERY nice speaker build!
Beautiful work!! I definitely prefer the feel of the 70’s. They have less high emphasis but their body is so full of different frequencies. The new ones feel tin highs with over the top high kids and plastic rubber deep bass. But that’s only through the phones.
Placement is very important: Those are rear ported and must be pulled out from the wall 10-16 inches- A lot of the bass response of those speakers come from the rear port, that bass will come from the space between the rear of the speakers and the wall. What you could do is put them on stands and pull them out when you listen to them.
While you shouldn't back the speakers up against the wall, the function of the port is not to let out sound, but to provide acoustic loading (resistance at a specific frequency) to the woofer to flatten it's response curve, allowing the woofer to extend its low frequency response.
@@DTW-bx2vy There's also something called "corner loading". Subwoofer placement is even way more critical than speaker placement, I run two subs in all my setups.
@@johnbarker8504 - Yes, but as I mentioned, it is not the *function* of the port. It can be argued that the sound emanating from the port is detrimental to overall sound quality as it is out of phase. This creates something called comb filtering, where alternate frequencies are either amplified or nullified. It’s a trade off for the advantages of the tuned port design. You get, in general, more efficiency and bass extension, but you also get higher levels of distortion and comb filtering.
You might find that the new speakers improve with some playing time. The woofers have a physical suspension that should loosen up a bit....it might be audible, it might not be. The caps on the crossovers may improve with some playing time as well....good caps tend to get clearer with burn-in time. Again, whether it's audible or not involves many variables including the rest of the system, the room, the source music, setup, and the listener. All-in-all....this is a great video. Enjoy your new speaks!
I'm waiting for a suggestion of an epoxy river speaker side 😆. They look really cool, I would add some nice stain and a satin finish. Great video, glad you addressed those who would comment on your soldering and man I felt that matter whack all the way here in Ireland
5:15 fun pedantic fact, it's also only a dado if it's across the grain. It's a groove if it's with the grain. Also irrelevant in this case because plywood doesn't really have grain direction. Fun build Dave, thanks for the vid
I know specialty tools piss some people off, but you can't hold back the future. I, for one, would love to see some more CNC-centric builds. There are dozens of us!
Built my 2 ways from ground up. My enclosures are made of 1" MDF (special order). Baffles custom milled on large CNC router to Augment Audax Aerogel drivers. Cross overs built by Madisound per my instruction. Sidewinder coils with High end caps. Rear bass firing ports. Internal Window bracing as well as threaded rod bracing. Coated internally with Cascade Audio Engineering sound damping material. Also 3 layer Black Hole acoustic foam. Internal wire is flat copper. Using Morel soft dome tweeters. Everything with Cadas silver solder. I get just amazing high definition sound. Worthy of high end SACD sound! Aerogel drivers is a highly regarded audiophile secret! ;)
I can't wait to see how these turn out. Hell, the plain plywood front looks good on it's own. My gut reaction was to use the racing stripes design from your kart... but that might be a bit much.
Your wood working skills are amazing. If I haphazardly threw my wood pieces around like you, I'd have dinged corners, edges and dents in all the pieces. How do you do that?
Really enjoyed this, I've made a couple speakers and plan to do more in the future, will have to check out the place you got your kits from. Good sounding speakers are like 60+% design or more in my research, I was a bit sticker shocked by the price of the kit and saying it used Dayton components. Dayton makes great stuff, I just was surprised to see the almost $700 for all the components, must be a lot of work that went into the cross overs. I built some pi speakers that were about 100$ or so per speaker for the kit including x-over, they're old school style speakers, super high sensitivity and love to play loud and accurate
Over 800$! Yikes lol, but I bet they sound amazing. The A B comparison showed what I thought, more accurate and more clear than the old ones. I see they are 90db rated which is really good in terms of the sound I like. The price scale is not linear as you move up and down in efficiency. Plenty of cheap kits will land you low and mid 80db which is not great in terms of it needing a lot more power to drive them. Excited to see these finished!!
No serás un profesional o ingeniero de audio, pero posees un gran DON, para crear cajas muy hermosas, guiándote solo por tus instintos y esencia de ese gran DON, que él Señor te brindo. Felicidades amigo 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Dude the idea for the record player stand with the vinyl display/storage boxes! You’re reading my mind ! I’ve been toying with ideas on that. There’s a few commercially available HELLA overpriced ones out there but they are good for inspiration or a starting point. I like the idea of flipping through the records like you were at the store for your most commonly played ones. Pumped for those videos!
Great video. The new speakers vs the old debate... it all depends on your taste. The vintage woofers are gonna be less punchy since the surrounds have loss some elasticity. I've always been a fan of horn style tweeters since they best replicate arena style sound. Have a pair of old vintage Kilpsch speakers I want to rebuild the housing for. This gave me motivation.
I say paint or wrap the front flat black and veneer the sides and back. Would be a good mix of old and new. Instead of stands how about making two 8" subwoofers so they end up being like towers. You would need two plate amps for the subs. As for the stereo. Yamaha makes a really nice 2 channel modern reciever you should look at. Also very affordable.
Very nice. The LDW7 from CSS is one of my all-time favourite mid-woofers. I wish I had 4, but $$$ for me. The only thing I would suggest is keeping these a little further from the wall.
Very nice speakers! I'd love to making some of this one day, but i dont have good wood cutting tools. Have you thinking about putting the event on the front of the speaker ? the bass may be more deep. About the amplifier, you should buy a highrange or midrange Denon, thats what i have for years and the sound is awesome !! And you can find used model for less than 100 dollars. I got mine for 80 dollars and it's work perfectly. Best regards
Looks great! When I make speaker cabinets, I always put a piece of cardboard or scrap plywood on top of the driver when screwing them down. Also, I mark the holes for the screws and pre-drill without the driver in place. I'm super paranoid about the screwdriver slipping and gouging the driver 😬.
Attempting to describe sound in words is a lot like describing astrophysics in dance: You can do it, but you need an audience that knows how to interpret it. Great job. The speakers look awesome.
Wow, those speakers must put out some serious sound~! Looks like they blew your facial hair off~! lol Great build, Dave~! This is something I've always wanted to do. I have a pair of Klipsch Choruses that I bought in the late 80's that still sound great, but I can always add some speakers to my B channel. My shop will really be rockin' with that added~!! Thanks for the video~! (and I LOVE your comment about those wanting to critique your soldering technique. Could not have been said better~!)
Just reviewing this great build again - very well done and quite funny - and thinking about my next speaker build. David, just wondering if you have worked further on the speaker boxes and have a video on that? Eager to see how it turned out!
@@MakeSomething thanks for the reply and update! No pressure! Was worried I had missed it. Still considering some options for a kit and CSS looks pretty cool.
You have silver/aluminum on your other components and you have a fancy new portaband, incorporate some of that material/tone into skinning it! Maybe with acrylic over it to create depth, colored or clear.
Always wanted to do this. You probably know but it is possible to get "acoustically transparent" grill cloth if you wanna spend a few extra bucks. Luv ya, legend!
Another way of saying muddy is that the drivers have a bit extra distortion (another name for the driver is transducer). Older drivers from 80s and earlier often had a lot more distortion compared to modern drivers. Distortion itself isn't necessarily bad, but it changes the sound. Audio purists fight distortion with the DAC, the receiver or pre-amp, the amplifier itself, but they often overlook that the transducer itself has distortion. So modern drivers can give an uplift in quality just by using those. The MTM/WTW (mid-tweeter-mid/woofer-tweeter-woofer) was popularized by D'Appolito, a person that literally wrote the book on testing loudspeakers. He used to promote third order crossovers for them but now supports even steeper drop-offs (I am a fan of Linkwitz-Riley crossovers which are cascading Butterworth, or just using DSP for an active crossover, but to each their own). For the towers I just built (just have to glue on the back, tune the ports, and paint), I used a bracing style that is unique and hard to do. I chamfered the edges of the bracing to make it slide into the dadoes easier on the sides. Doing by hand sucked, but a tip I figured out for the next set is to use blue painter's tape and line the sides up with the bottom edge. With them taped in place, use my tracks for my track saw, set back the distance to the edge of the router bit, then use the router to cut the dadoes all at once even. You use a straight edge to align the bottom of the board. You also can use pipe clamps or cabinet clamps to help hold the boards together in place to help prevent shifting. But, that should have the dadoes aligned to easily accommodate shelves/bracing. Meanwhile, the chamfering just makes it easier to slide into the slot, if you know what I mean. For the amplifier, the Topping PA5 goes for $350, is able to do a 4Ohm load at 125W (around 20dB louder than the base sensitivity of the speaker, which is the dB rating at 1W, or rather now like 2.83V at 1M, which is why 4Ohm is actually 3dB lower than an 8Ohm driver if the measurement is given at 2.83V instead of 1W, something to keep an eye on when buying drivers). For 1% into an 8Ohm speaker (the woofer or subwoofer largely defines if a speaker is 4Ohm or 8Ohm), it gives 65W or 18dB in gain over base sensitivity. But the distortion is extremely low, at 0.0004%, or less than -105dB. Audio Science Review has it with a SINAD of 106dB, just less than the Benchmark AB amplifier. Great video! Loved the work on it. Hope the $350 recommendation doesn't break the bank. If you want to build your own amplifier, look into getting ONLY the ICEPower 300A2 or 400A2 if buying from ICEPower, or look into the Hypex N-series amplifiers. If you really want to go high end class-D, look into buying direct from Purifi-Audio, which has some of the best amplifiers on the market incorporated into some of the highest quality (and price) amps currently being produced. Two channel amp board from them is around $700, give or take. It now lists Kr for the currency, but previously listed the DKK (Danish Krone), so they are likely still using that, not the Krypton Coin worth 1/10th of that. Buying one ICE Power 400A2 is around $182, for comparison. Hypex is more expensive and I would go purifi over hypex. There is Orchard Audio as well, but that is more expensive than the purifi amp boards. Both have their benefits and drawbacks. And remember, you have to buy a power supply to run the amp board. You could just buy one from ICE Power as well, or a company named Connex if you want to learn about the electrical side enough to connect things up. But Ice Power has turnkey solutions, so buying from them can make it streamlined. For example, their 1500S switch mode power supply runs $490, and has it where you can just wire it directly into it. That means closer to $800 after buying a case, etc. But it can run 400W per channel and you can add other amp boards to daisy chain in the future if you care to. Personally, I'd pick up the topping as most do not need to do that much, or grab a power supply from connex, a different company, for less than half the cost if doing the ICE Power boards. It just depends how much DIY you want to do. For Purifi amp boards, you may consider the Hypex power supplies as the company made those compatible and it would take more work to make a Connex power supply to work with Purifi (doable, just you have to understand what, why, limitations, etc.). But the Hypex power supplies with Purifi amps is tried and true. And that would have you a 400W per channel amp with some of the lowest distortion on the market that money can buy. Seriously worth the DIY, but just putting it out there. So, if you don't need the extra power, and most do not need more than 10W, depending on how loud you are listening, which is 10dB gain, you could grab the topping giving 18dB gain at 8 Ohm, 20.x dB of gain for 4 Ohm, and call it a day with $350, with some of the lowest distortion on the market. I'd say that is the easiest route to take. Once again, great video!
addendum: when I say gain, I do not mean signal gain of the amp, I mean the additional level of dB that is approximated over the base level of the sensitivity of the speaker. The signnal gain of an amp is baked in and is a different factor in DIY amp boards, but I wanted to clear up the confusion if any existed.
Awesome video, and thanks for sharing.. One improvement I did spot or a question 1st of all is about the tweeter because if its open back then air pressure /movement from the woofers would be enough to push/pull the tweeter cones potentially causing reverb and the like.. If the tweeter has a closed back then it's all good 👍🏼
I seem to recall hearing a while back that MDF is preferred for speaker cabinets due to it's stability and resonance capabilities. It's that still considered the standard, or has opinion changed on this subject? Much like "tone wood" for guitars or comb material for harmonicas, I'm sure there is much debate over this. This set sounds great to me. I'd characterize the sound compared the old set as clear across the frequency spectrum. I might dial in a tad more bass for myself, but you can hear everything nicely. Looking forward to seeing how you finish these. Thanks for sharing!
MDF is denser than even Baltic birch plywood and absorbs resonance better. BB plywood is stiffer. There are very small trade offs between the two materials. You can measure it in a lab but you are unlikely to hear a difference between the two unless one cabinet was improperly built.
MDF has widely been used for top notch speakers the last 30 odd years, even turntables. Probably the bell wire hes using that gives the thin sound. Also have to be careful unless he buys a load tolerant amp.
Very cool project...being an old fart I still have my pioneer system with the diamond needle. I’d really like to see a Bluetooth build of some kind. Just throwing out an idea. Nice job enjoyed this one.
You could route a round over around the front baffle . Sharp corner can cause diffraction. Solder the wire directly to the speaker. This will help keep the signal pure.
4:27 It's perfectly OK to use a miter gauge with a fence when cutting dados. There is no offcut so there is no danger of one flying back toward you. use downward pressure with your Gripper in your right hand and forward pressure on your miter fence with your left. Easy and safe.
David -- Nice build! Very crisp sound! I bought my first new stereo receiver/amp in over 30 years... It was a Klipsch home entertainment system from Costco. Might not work for you, but it's really awesome. Cheers!
For those wondering, while the dadoes are great, they are NOT absolutely necessary. Simple, tight butt joints are more than sufficient. Be sure to follow the instructions and keep the driver spacing correct.
That would be cool but usually the record player has to be on a separate piece of furniture. Otherwise it'll pick up the vibrations of the speakers and rumble. But I'm sure there are workarounds for this!
Nice Drivers, Nice Cabinets ......... Now, get rid of the Ports and Cross-overs, and pack the Cabinets tight with Fiberglass Insulation. Add an Active-Crossover, 2-Stereo Class-D Amps, and a Sealed-Sub-Woofer with its own Mono Class-D Amp. Then you'll have a top-notch, truly "High-Fidelity" Sound-System, with extremely low Transient Distortion.
Lol, love how you use the CNC on the never seen unimportant holes on the back that could have been done with a hole saw or jigsaw, but the then use a janky router jig on the front where the CNC would be the perfect solution. :)
This video just poped up in my feed. When I built my cabinets out of Birch Ply back in '92 everyone including my shop teacher thought I was crazy now it seems to be a standard of sorts. Hell, even bass heads are using birch for their systems. Though when I did a test sound in class I saw the eyebrow rise on my teachers face. I still wonder if he called all his wood working buddies and said "BIRCH WORKS".
Interesting jig saw change? Do you find you like one over the other for different uses (or you just having fun with us)? Love the project, David! And loving the new shop look!
Fantastic work, Dave! Really well done! 😃 I'm kind of the same about music... I love music, but only the small collection I have. You know? And it's mostly hard rock and heavy metal. 😬 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Good job. Crossover component quality is critical for quality frequency response. Should avoid iron core inductors which become ferro-magnetic in the signal path. Also avoid sand cast resistors. Non-ferrous Tube-type Connectors on the back of the speakers are also a great option. (audio HiFi quality capacitors such as aluminum electrolytic and film capacitors can be ridiculously expensive. A single capacitor can cost over $300 which is more than what these speakers cost)
Hey; love this video! 2 things. 1, have you finished the speakers yet? I would love to see that. 2, I have that same Technics receiver, and I really like it. Are you sure you want to replace it for something else? To me there is something cool about vintage gear like that. I'm actually listening to radio on mine right now.
I bought that same receiver new back in high school in the late 70s. It was the 65 WPC version of that line. I kept it until the mid 90s, when I found used NAD components (from the 80s), which produced much cleaner sound than that old Technics receiver, which was sent to the junkyard. Technology moves on. Now I've gotten rid of all my NAD components and have gone with pro audio (powered monitors and a DAC) - the simplest and cleanest of all.
12:14 This is great. Everyone makes mistakes. 17:53 The CSS Speakers are to near to the wall so the ports could not work right. This results in less bass volume. Also you have break in the speakers a little bit. This results in a lower bass.
3M Leather Vinyl - the camel color with white laminate and wood veneer! I subbed so I can see the final product! Can't wait. I'm saving up for this kit too. :D
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When I was a youngster I wanted to make my own guitar amp and a lot of folks talked me out of it because of how critical the speaker box measurements were. Years later I chose to give it a try and built a little transistor amp, ripped a speaker out of an old set of computer speakers, put it all in a random metal project box from Radio Shack and it sounded awesome for what I needed it for.
There are a lot of naysayers in this world who may mean well but thanks for encouraging folks to take on these projects.
Love this! Guitar amps are not meant to reproduce recorded sounds. They are their own instruments and can sound like whatever you want them to sound like!
Nice vid!
FYI for first time woodworkers:
A $5 hand-held scrollsaw cuts all sorts of tight internal shapes including circles. It is incredibly accurate and removes precious little material. You don't need a jigsaw, router/cnc or even forstner bits for cutting internal circles.
Of course, don't expect to build cabinets anytime soon using a scrollsaw 😂😂
It is incredibly accurate IF you are in the top 10% of the population when it comes to hand-eye coordination.
David. As a teacher and wood worker, let me just say this- mistakes are not failures. A failure is making a mistake and not being willing to own and learn from it. You have not failed us- you created a learning experience. Thank you. And thank you Dan. And thank you to your mom, your teachers, your fourth grade teacher, etc.
😊
Nice to see the Katz-Moses stop block in action!
Finally, a set of speakers with dado cuts. So many videos of speakers built with buttons joints. Maybe it’s not a big deal but it is to me. That and quality components.
I used to look at reviews on speakers and audio components. Everyone's tastes are different. You like what you like and it doesn't matter what other people think.
I just finished a set of speakers with 2 Pyle 10" - 200 RMS drivers, 6" mids & horn tweeters. I've made several sets of speakers through the years but, these sound better than any of the others. I do silicone the speakers in to eliminate any leakage. Yours look amazing!! Keep up the good work. You said you're looking for a good amp. I run a Carver M-500 amp & pre-amp, 250W/channel, RMS. Sounds amazing!!
Super impressive, you should make a video on your build
I'm a speaker building guy and am getting into CNC so this was an excellent video. You're next speaker project should be a nice sub to really fill out the full frequency range. If you want something inexpensive to drive your system you might look at getting a Sprout from PS Audio. They make amazing gear and the Sprout gets you into high end audio for a very reasonable price. Very excited to see how you finish your enclosures. You have a very creative and artistic flair and I am really looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
Funny, I was just looking at the Sprout100 today! I like how simple and small it is!
MC5!!! Saw them live in 1969. My ears were impaired for the next 24 hrs. I have tinnitus these days. Bummer dood.
I'm very jealous of this!
An informative video. I'm starting on building a pair of boxes for my shop speakers with 12" woofers and horn tweeters. A buddy who's built several over the years is helping. I can't wait to hear how they sound.
"Shove it up your" haha . Still just having fun watching you all these years
I built the swan hi vi 3.1 kit and am very happy with those. The css will be next but a suggestion on the amp would be crown. I have the xls 1500 I believe is the model I'm not at home now but it has a DSP built inn plenty of power and each channel is separate. Also I am using a s.m.s.l. DAC and you would not believe how good that combo sounds.
The difference between the '70s speakers and the CSS almost sounds as if the '70s speakers were in another room, behind a closed door. You open the door and boom, you hear CSS. There is that much high end difference and overall clarity and that I must say is an impressive difference. And this is something for me to consider because I am in the process of moving and need to get rid of lots of things that basically weigh me down. And close to the bulkiest items I have are my 2 Rogersound Labs (RSL) Nevada XT speakers which I love and have owned like the rest of my component stereo since 1986. But the speakers are massive, weigh something like 70 pounds each, pre-date subwoofers by a few years, and probably could be easily outclassed by something like what you just built. Time to seriously ponder my options.
Middleclassic, what did you wind up settling on? Did you replace the RSLs, and if so, what did you choose?
You know you say TH-cam doesn't reveal its sound for your speakers.
I have a sound card with Dolby Atmos connected to a 9.2.2. speaker system and I can tell the difference between your 70's speakers and your CSS setup.
Sorry it's 3 years later but I have only just discovered your channel.
I can sort of guess what you are going to do next in your videos.
They are very entertaining.
I like your forearm tattoos, they're discreet and compliment your work.
All the very best.
I used to work in a prefab house building factory. The turnover for employees was incredible.
A new hire was tasked with cutting sheets of plywood to a specific size.
He started running his first sheet through the table saw backwards.
He got halfway through the cut when the sheet was sent flying and hit an unfortunate co-worker.
That was one of the more "tame" injuries that occurred during my time there.
Wow, you both poured a lot of time into the video editing and the research/planning/building on this one. Looks awesome! I’m looking forward to part two!
On the "snobs" subject, I wouldn't call that turntable a "high end turntable." Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's definitely on the list of units I'd recommend to someone who's starting out with a budget. 🙃
VERY nice speaker build!
Yeah, looking back I agree! My next video coming out is me finally finishing these speakers.
this whole thing is teetering on the brink of mid-fi, at best
Beautiful work!! I definitely prefer the feel of the 70’s. They have less high emphasis but their body is so full of different frequencies. The new ones feel tin highs with over the top high kids and plastic rubber deep bass. But that’s only through the phones.
Placement is very important: Those are rear ported and must be pulled out from the wall 10-16 inches- A lot of the bass response of those speakers come from the rear port, that bass will come from the space between the rear of the speakers and the wall. What you could do is put them on stands and pull them out when you listen to them.
While you shouldn't back the speakers up against the wall, the function of the port is not to let out sound, but to provide acoustic loading (resistance at a specific frequency) to the woofer to flatten it's response curve, allowing the woofer to extend its low frequency response.
@@DTW-bx2vy There's also something called "corner loading". Subwoofer placement is even way more critical than speaker placement, I run two subs in all my setups.
Bottom line, they sound better 2-3 feet from the wall...
@@bunkie2100 Ports let out load of sound!!!
@@johnbarker8504 - Yes, but as I mentioned, it is not the *function* of the port. It can be argued that the sound emanating from the port is detrimental to overall sound quality as it is out of phase. This creates something called comb filtering, where alternate frequencies are either amplified or nullified.
It’s a trade off for the advantages of the tuned port design. You get, in general, more efficiency and bass extension, but you also get higher levels of distortion and comb filtering.
You might find that the new speakers improve with some playing time. The woofers have a physical suspension that should loosen up a bit....it might be audible, it might not be. The caps on the crossovers may improve with some playing time as well....good caps tend to get clearer with burn-in time. Again, whether it's audible or not involves many variables including the rest of the system, the room, the source music, setup, and the listener. All-in-all....this is a great video. Enjoy your new speaks!
I'm waiting for a suggestion of an epoxy river speaker side 😆. They look really cool, I would add some nice stain and a satin finish. Great video, glad you addressed those who would comment on your soldering and man I felt that matter whack all the way here in Ireland
CSS is a great company and personal friends of mine. The kits are top notch using high quality drivers.
That's awesome!!!
Hey Chuck! Thanks for the support!
I always enjoy when the music starts, and the wood cutting montages start. It makes me happy!
Thank you!
5:15 fun pedantic fact, it's also only a dado if it's across the grain. It's a groove if it's with the grain. Also irrelevant in this case because plywood doesn't really have grain direction.
Fun build Dave, thanks for the vid
I actually didn't know that! fun fact!! Thanks!
I know specialty tools piss some people off, but you can't hold back the future. I, for one, would love to see some more CNC-centric builds. There are dozens of us!
Dozens!
I don't have a cnc machine but watching you and showing your mistakes and humor is worth it,
Built my 2 ways from ground up. My enclosures are made of 1" MDF (special order). Baffles custom milled on large CNC router to Augment Audax Aerogel drivers. Cross overs built by Madisound per my instruction. Sidewinder coils with High end caps. Rear bass firing ports. Internal Window bracing as well as threaded rod bracing. Coated internally with Cascade Audio Engineering sound damping material. Also 3 layer Black Hole acoustic foam. Internal wire is flat copper. Using Morel soft dome tweeters. Everything with Cadas silver solder. I get just amazing high definition sound. Worthy of high end SACD sound! Aerogel drivers is a highly regarded audiophile secret! ;)
A fan of The Strokes I see! They're my favorite. I've always wanted to make my own speakers. Might try aking some after this.
I can't wait to see how these turn out. Hell, the plain plywood front looks good on it's own. My gut reaction was to use the racing stripes design from your kart... but that might be a bit much.
You’re amp is fine, can’t beat that warm pioneer 👍🏻
Your wood working skills are amazing. If I haphazardly threw my wood pieces around like you, I'd have dinged corners, edges and dents in all the pieces. How do you do that?
Really enjoyed this, I've made a couple speakers and plan to do more in the future, will have to check out the place you got your kits from. Good sounding speakers are like 60+% design or more in my research, I was a bit sticker shocked by the price of the kit and saying it used Dayton components. Dayton makes great stuff, I just was surprised to see the almost $700 for all the components, must be a lot of work that went into the cross overs. I built some pi speakers that were about 100$ or so per speaker for the kit including x-over, they're old school style speakers, super high sensitivity and love to play loud and accurate
Over 800$! Yikes lol, but I bet they sound amazing. The A B comparison showed what I thought, more accurate and more clear than the old ones. I see they are 90db rated which is really good in terms of the sound I like. The price scale is not linear as you move up and down in efficiency. Plenty of cheap kits will land you low and mid 80db which is not great in terms of it needing a lot more power to drive them. Excited to see these finished!!
No serás un profesional o ingeniero de audio, pero posees un gran DON, para crear cajas muy hermosas, guiándote solo por tus instintos y esencia de ese gran DON, que él Señor te brindo.
Felicidades amigo 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
You sure know a lot about speakers for someone that is not a audiophile. Great work again
Ha!
Dude the idea for the record player stand with the vinyl display/storage boxes! You’re reading my mind ! I’ve been toying with ideas on that. There’s a few commercially available HELLA overpriced ones out there but they are good for inspiration or a starting point. I like the idea of flipping through the records like you were at the store for your most commonly played ones. Pumped for those videos!
Great video. The new speakers vs the old debate... it all depends on your taste. The vintage woofers are gonna be less punchy since the surrounds have loss some elasticity. I've always been a fan of horn style tweeters since they best replicate arena style sound. Have a pair of old vintage Kilpsch speakers I want to rebuild the housing for. This gave me motivation.
The mistake was priceless! The hitting your own thumb with the mallet, icing on the cake! :) BTDT!
I say paint or wrap the front flat black and veneer the sides and back. Would be a good mix of old and new. Instead of stands how about making two 8" subwoofers so they end up being like towers. You would need two plate amps for the subs. As for the stereo. Yamaha makes a really nice 2 channel modern reciever you should look at. Also very affordable.
Great choice of speaker kit! Kerry and Dan have a great products 👍👍
Very nice. The LDW7 from CSS is one of my all-time favourite mid-woofers. I wish I had 4, but $$$ for me. The only thing I would suggest is keeping these a little further from the wall.
Very nice speakers! I'd love to making some of this one day, but i dont have good wood cutting tools.
Have you thinking about putting the event on the front of the speaker ? the bass may be more deep.
About the amplifier, you should buy a highrange or midrange Denon, thats what i have for years and the sound is awesome !! And you can find used model for less than 100 dollars. I got mine for 80 dollars and it's work perfectly.
Best regards
Looks great! When I make speaker cabinets, I always put a piece of cardboard or scrap plywood on top of the driver when screwing them down. Also, I mark the holes for the screws and pre-drill without the driver in place. I'm super paranoid about the screwdriver slipping and gouging the driver 😬.
Attempting to describe sound in words is a lot like describing astrophysics in dance: You can do it, but you need an audience that knows how to interpret it. Great job. The speakers look awesome.
Very nice tidy job. Extremely nice workshop!!!
Wow, those speakers must put out some serious sound~! Looks like they blew your facial hair off~! lol
Great build, Dave~! This is something I've always wanted to do. I have a pair of Klipsch Choruses that I bought in the late 80's that still sound great, but I can always add some speakers to my B channel. My shop will really be rockin' with that added~!! Thanks for the video~! (and I LOVE your comment about those wanting to critique your soldering technique. Could not have been said better~!)
You literally said cassette deck!! That’s awesome!!
I hope that you enjoy your speakers. I had not noticed the flags on the wall before. Is Dangerous Dan planning a sequel to "Fun With Flags"?
Love to hear the Make Something
Intro & outro play in those 😁
Just reviewing this great build again - very well done and quite funny - and thinking about my next speaker build. David, just wondering if you have worked further on the speaker boxes and have a video on that? Eager to see how it turned out!
Thanks! Nope, they are still naked in my living room. They get a lot of use but yeah, time to finish them!!
@@MakeSomething thanks for the reply and update! No pressure! Was worried I had missed it. Still considering some options for a kit and CSS looks pretty cool.
The new ones sound brighter and more revealing 🤓
You have silver/aluminum on your other components and you have a fancy new portaband, incorporate some of that material/tone into skinning it! Maybe with acrylic over it to create depth, colored or clear.
Always wanted to do this. You probably know but it is possible to get "acoustically transparent" grill cloth if you wanna spend a few extra bucks. Luv ya, legend!
Another way of saying muddy is that the drivers have a bit extra distortion (another name for the driver is transducer). Older drivers from 80s and earlier often had a lot more distortion compared to modern drivers. Distortion itself isn't necessarily bad, but it changes the sound. Audio purists fight distortion with the DAC, the receiver or pre-amp, the amplifier itself, but they often overlook that the transducer itself has distortion. So modern drivers can give an uplift in quality just by using those.
The MTM/WTW (mid-tweeter-mid/woofer-tweeter-woofer) was popularized by D'Appolito, a person that literally wrote the book on testing loudspeakers. He used to promote third order crossovers for them but now supports even steeper drop-offs (I am a fan of Linkwitz-Riley crossovers which are cascading Butterworth, or just using DSP for an active crossover, but to each their own).
For the towers I just built (just have to glue on the back, tune the ports, and paint), I used a bracing style that is unique and hard to do. I chamfered the edges of the bracing to make it slide into the dadoes easier on the sides. Doing by hand sucked, but a tip I figured out for the next set is to use blue painter's tape and line the sides up with the bottom edge. With them taped in place, use my tracks for my track saw, set back the distance to the edge of the router bit, then use the router to cut the dadoes all at once even. You use a straight edge to align the bottom of the board. You also can use pipe clamps or cabinet clamps to help hold the boards together in place to help prevent shifting. But, that should have the dadoes aligned to easily accommodate shelves/bracing. Meanwhile, the chamfering just makes it easier to slide into the slot, if you know what I mean.
For the amplifier, the Topping PA5 goes for $350, is able to do a 4Ohm load at 125W (around 20dB louder than the base sensitivity of the speaker, which is the dB rating at 1W, or rather now like 2.83V at 1M, which is why 4Ohm is actually 3dB lower than an 8Ohm driver if the measurement is given at 2.83V instead of 1W, something to keep an eye on when buying drivers). For 1% into an 8Ohm speaker (the woofer or subwoofer largely defines if a speaker is 4Ohm or 8Ohm), it gives 65W or 18dB in gain over base sensitivity. But the distortion is extremely low, at 0.0004%, or less than -105dB. Audio Science Review has it with a SINAD of 106dB, just less than the Benchmark AB amplifier.
Great video! Loved the work on it. Hope the $350 recommendation doesn't break the bank. If you want to build your own amplifier, look into getting ONLY the ICEPower 300A2 or 400A2 if buying from ICEPower, or look into the Hypex N-series amplifiers. If you really want to go high end class-D, look into buying direct from Purifi-Audio, which has some of the best amplifiers on the market incorporated into some of the highest quality (and price) amps currently being produced. Two channel amp board from them is around $700, give or take. It now lists Kr for the currency, but previously listed the DKK (Danish Krone), so they are likely still using that, not the Krypton Coin worth 1/10th of that. Buying one ICE Power 400A2 is around $182, for comparison. Hypex is more expensive and I would go purifi over hypex. There is Orchard Audio as well, but that is more expensive than the purifi amp boards. Both have their benefits and drawbacks.
And remember, you have to buy a power supply to run the amp board. You could just buy one from ICE Power as well, or a company named Connex if you want to learn about the electrical side enough to connect things up. But Ice Power has turnkey solutions, so buying from them can make it streamlined. For example, their 1500S switch mode power supply runs $490, and has it where you can just wire it directly into it. That means closer to $800 after buying a case, etc. But it can run 400W per channel and you can add other amp boards to daisy chain in the future if you care to.
Personally, I'd pick up the topping as most do not need to do that much, or grab a power supply from connex, a different company, for less than half the cost if doing the ICE Power boards. It just depends how much DIY you want to do. For Purifi amp boards, you may consider the Hypex power supplies as the company made those compatible and it would take more work to make a Connex power supply to work with Purifi (doable, just you have to understand what, why, limitations, etc.). But the Hypex power supplies with Purifi amps is tried and true. And that would have you a 400W per channel amp with some of the lowest distortion on the market that money can buy. Seriously worth the DIY, but just putting it out there.
So, if you don't need the extra power, and most do not need more than 10W, depending on how loud you are listening, which is 10dB gain, you could grab the topping giving 18dB gain at 8 Ohm, 20.x dB of gain for 4 Ohm, and call it a day with $350, with some of the lowest distortion on the market. I'd say that is the easiest route to take.
Once again, great video!
addendum: when I say gain, I do not mean signal gain of the amp, I mean the additional level of dB that is approximated over the base level of the sensitivity of the speaker. The signnal gain of an amp is baked in and is a different factor in DIY amp boards, but I wanted to clear up the confusion if any existed.
best channel on youtube. There is comedic gold in everyone episode. mad references lol
I believe the color of that foam insulation is officially called purpinkle
Ha!
Very cool! I think I'll do this. Might try decorate with brass, metal mesh, leather, or something along those lines!
Awesome video, and thanks for sharing..
One improvement I did spot or a question 1st of all is about the tweeter because if its open back then air pressure /movement from the woofers would be enough to push/pull the tweeter cones potentially causing reverb and the like..
If the tweeter has a closed back then it's all good 👍🏼
Thank you!
I seem to recall hearing a while back that MDF is preferred for speaker cabinets due to it's stability and resonance capabilities. It's that still considered the standard, or has opinion changed on this subject? Much like "tone wood" for guitars or comb material for harmonicas, I'm sure there is much debate over this. This set sounds great to me. I'd characterize the sound compared the old set as clear across the frequency spectrum. I might dial in a tad more bass for myself, but you can hear everything nicely. Looking forward to seeing how you finish these. Thanks for sharing!
MDF is denser than even Baltic birch plywood and absorbs resonance better. BB plywood is stiffer. There are very small trade offs between the two materials. You can measure it in a lab but you are unlikely to hear a difference between the two unless one cabinet was improperly built.
MDF has widely been used for top notch speakers the last 30 odd years, even turntables.
Probably the bell wire hes using that gives the thin sound. Also have to be careful unless he buys a load tolerant amp.
Great Job of building your speakers...Hope you make the next video on how you finish the speakers and what you used. thank you again..Great job
Nice job...gotta love the D'Appolito configuration on those speakers.
Very cool project...being an old fart I still have my pioneer system with the diamond needle. I’d really like to see a Bluetooth build of some kind. Just throwing out an idea. Nice job enjoyed this one.
What an AMAZING solder job, David! WOW!
*Its amazing how well that fits together*
I’ve never used that line in my builds (yet) 🤣🤣
Hahaha!
You could route a round over around the front baffle . Sharp corner can cause diffraction. Solder the wire directly to the speaker. This will help keep the signal pure.
Nice kit!
I always love you tube videos that show off how great their new speakers sound.
4:27 It's perfectly OK to use a miter gauge with a fence when cutting dados. There is no offcut so there is no danger of one flying back toward you. use downward pressure with your Gripper in your right hand and forward pressure on your miter fence with your left. Easy and safe.
"I am what you would refer to as a music snob. So whatever you listen to I probably don't like." LOL! Call 'em like you hear 'em!
Sounds like your soldering works perfectly!
😎
David -- Nice build! Very crisp sound! I bought my first new stereo receiver/amp in over 30 years... It was a Klipsch home entertainment system from Costco. Might not work for you, but it's really awesome. Cheers!
For those wondering, while the dadoes are great, they are NOT absolutely necessary. Simple, tight butt joints are more than sufficient. Be sure to follow the instructions and keep the driver spacing correct.
Thanks Charles!
Super nice. It would be cool if the speakers were built into a cabinet with your record player
That would be cool but usually the record player has to be on a separate piece of furniture. Otherwise it'll pick up the vibrations of the speakers and rumble. But I'm sure there are workarounds for this!
@@MakeSomething good point. I have no experience with record players, but what you said makes sense. Love all your videos btw.
Aww yeah! Making me Nervous by Brad Sucks is one of my favorite songs!
So good, right?!?!
Had to pause to comment when I heard it 👍
I think we all want to hear some lo-fi recordings of your band(s). . .
"...sorry." Keep on doing you, David!
'deep passion', I hear ya brother. If they sound good to you, that's all that matters. Thanks for the video.
Very true! Thanks Craig!
Nice Drivers, Nice Cabinets .........
Now, get rid of the Ports and Cross-overs, and pack the Cabinets tight with Fiberglass Insulation.
Add an Active-Crossover, 2-Stereo Class-D Amps, and a Sealed-Sub-Woofer with its own Mono Class-D Amp.
Then you'll have a top-notch, truly "High-Fidelity" Sound-System, with extremely low Transient Distortion.
Dude how sick is this video!!?!? Great idea. Cool concept. Building speakers is cool. Killed it Picciuto! 🤙🏽🤙🏽 I bet they sound spectacular!
Thank you!
Lol, love how you use the CNC on the never seen unimportant holes on the back that could have been done with a hole saw or jigsaw, but the then use a janky router jig on the front where the CNC would be the perfect solution. :)
Haha!
This video just poped up in my feed. When I built my cabinets out of Birch Ply back in '92 everyone including my shop teacher thought I was crazy now it seems to be a standard of sorts. Hell, even bass heads are using birch for their systems. Though when I did a test sound in class I saw the eyebrow rise on my teachers face. I still wonder if he called all his wood working buddies and said "BIRCH WORKS".
Nice work! going through your videos I'm not seeing part two for finishing the exterior of the boxes?
Interesting jig saw change? Do you find you like one over the other for different uses (or you just having fun with us)?
Love the project, David! And loving the new shop look!
Very cool!! I wish I could tinker around and build some speakers
Spring has sprung in Toledo!
No beard is the first sign of spring!
Fantastic work, Dave! Really well done! 😃
I'm kind of the same about music... I love music, but only the small collection I have. You know? And it's mostly hard rock and heavy metal. 😬
Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Excellent workmanship . I like it very much . You have so many tools for every wooden work .
👍👍👍
Good job.
Crossover component quality is critical for quality frequency response. Should avoid iron core inductors which become ferro-magnetic in the signal path. Also avoid sand cast resistors. Non-ferrous Tube-type Connectors on the back of the speakers are also a great option.
(audio HiFi quality capacitors such as aluminum electrolytic and film capacitors can be ridiculously expensive. A single capacitor can cost over $300 which is more than what these speakers cost)
dude's 'high end' record player is an lp-120 lol, don't waste your breath
I loved perfecting your knowledge in preparing professional stereo headphones❤️❤️
Hey; love this video! 2 things. 1, have you finished the speakers yet? I would love to see that. 2, I have that same Technics receiver, and I really like it. Are you sure you want to replace it for something else? To me there is something cool about vintage gear like that. I'm actually listening to radio on mine right now.
I bought that same receiver new back in high school in the late 70s. It was the 65 WPC version of that line. I kept it until the mid 90s, when I found used NAD components (from the 80s), which produced much cleaner sound than that old Technics receiver, which was sent to the junkyard. Technology moves on. Now I've gotten rid of all my NAD components and have gone with pro audio (powered monitors and a DAC) - the simplest and cleanest of all.
nice idea using the pink foam
DIY speakers have their pros and their cons just like any other speakers.
Dude, you CANNOT say you don't like my taste in music and show a clip of The Strokes spinning. :D
Nice work! I've built quite a few subwoofer and speaker boxes in my day, but nothing as nice as this.
12:14 This is great. Everyone makes mistakes. 17:53 The CSS Speakers are to near to the wall so the ports could not work right. This results in less bass volume. Also you have break in the speakers a little bit. This results in a lower bass.
We addressed the wall thing at the end of the video. 😎
3M Leather Vinyl - the camel color with white laminate and wood veneer! I subbed so I can see the final product! Can't wait. I'm saving up for this kit too. :D
17:00 What a change, it looks like two different guys with the same voice.
3:44 good job syncing the music and wood hit
It helps when your woodcraft skill is above average and all the supporting tools and benches in yr workshop easily available. Well done.
I would recommend Japanese-made amplification made in the 1980s or newer. Yamaha is a great start.
could use a heat gun to make the port ends flared , it helps even out the air velocity
You should build a sub too! Crazy what a difference it makes.