FireMoon
pfm Member
A couple of points to mull over....
I decided on what to build based on the fact I particulariy like SEAS drivers and the notion that, barring a complete mess up, it's actually quite hard to build a truly bad sounding speaker with the Excel range. Other people might prefer Scan drivers etc etc, it's worth taking time to see if there is a link between the sound of speakers you like and certain makes of drive unit.
Cabinets; If there is an area where, commercial designs struggle to compete with DIY speakers it's cabinets. Go for decent Baltic Birch over MDF and go for 1 inch thick or its' metric equivalent. This might mean having to rejig the maths of any plans you might have to accommodate it however, it is well worth the difference performance wise. Also if you are building a larger cab, you can afford to add extra bracing that would be missed out in all but esoteric designs. Likewise, proper damping on the walls of the cabs, in the end the less resonance when you tap a cab with your knuckles the more you are hearing of the actual drivers, not the cab.
Crossovers: Put them in box outside the cab, I can see no reason to have them inside a speaker where they are often almost impossible to get at without dismounting the drive units and they are, the one area you might want to try something different and also, to have some problem with outside of the drivers themselves.
Time; Take your time, it's not a race.
I have idea what your budget might be however, given the dimensions of your room these might well float your boat. http://www.lautsprechershop.de/index_kits_en.htm?hifi/regalboxen_en.htm
I decided on what to build based on the fact I particulariy like SEAS drivers and the notion that, barring a complete mess up, it's actually quite hard to build a truly bad sounding speaker with the Excel range. Other people might prefer Scan drivers etc etc, it's worth taking time to see if there is a link between the sound of speakers you like and certain makes of drive unit.
Cabinets; If there is an area where, commercial designs struggle to compete with DIY speakers it's cabinets. Go for decent Baltic Birch over MDF and go for 1 inch thick or its' metric equivalent. This might mean having to rejig the maths of any plans you might have to accommodate it however, it is well worth the difference performance wise. Also if you are building a larger cab, you can afford to add extra bracing that would be missed out in all but esoteric designs. Likewise, proper damping on the walls of the cabs, in the end the less resonance when you tap a cab with your knuckles the more you are hearing of the actual drivers, not the cab.
Crossovers: Put them in box outside the cab, I can see no reason to have them inside a speaker where they are often almost impossible to get at without dismounting the drive units and they are, the one area you might want to try something different and also, to have some problem with outside of the drivers themselves.
Time; Take your time, it's not a race.
I have idea what your budget might be however, given the dimensions of your room these might well float your boat. http://www.lautsprechershop.de/index_kits_en.htm?hifi/regalboxen_en.htm