Hello DIY'ers 
My first post on this forum, so sorry if I miss something or ask what's been asked - I did a bit of sniffing around and general googling, but it's still a bit..unclear.
I currently have Ruark Audio MR1 MK2 speakers so that's my benchmark for, to my not-yet-audiophile ears, decent sound.
I'm not too much after crazy low bass as long as there is some. I listen to jazz/classics mostly with an occasional more groovy/bass-heavier song.
I want a relatively portable speaker for my 'hobby' room or other places around the house, e.g..kitchen.
I have watched quite a few vids on youtube about using 3" fullrange drivers and was thinking to stick to those and try to use 2 of them.
Models that I managed to find or was suggested by aforementioned youtube are:
Dayton audio PS95-8 or PC83-8, as well as Monacor SPX-31M. Anything else within 15-25usd/eur/gbp range would do as well. Budget is not exactly tight, but for the 1st speaker I want to keep it low.
Design-wise my idea was to try to roughly mimick either Klipsch Three or Ruark MRx as sizes look quite suitable, so i'd be looking at enclosures of around 7 liters. I did try to put all of those speakers into WinISD and for a 2 speaker am getting suggested box volumes of 10-14 liters with quite a long vent (trying to keep 'Vent Air Velocity' <17) which i'm not sure i'll manage to fit.
As for electronics I was thinking about using one of the amp/bluetooth boards - possibly from aliexpress, or Raspberry Pi zero with this (considering turning it into a multiroom-capable speaker later): JustBoom Amp Zero pHAT for Raspberry Pi Zero / Pi Zero W • JustBoom
Tbh I think the electronic bit i'll manage as long as the actual enclosure/vent design and speakers are clear.
So my question is...is it possible to get a decent sound from those speakers and if so..how, given the requirements above? Or perhaps I'm looking at wrong drivers for the purpose ?
Thanks!
My first post on this forum, so sorry if I miss something or ask what's been asked - I did a bit of sniffing around and general googling, but it's still a bit..unclear.
I currently have Ruark Audio MR1 MK2 speakers so that's my benchmark for, to my not-yet-audiophile ears, decent sound.
I'm not too much after crazy low bass as long as there is some. I listen to jazz/classics mostly with an occasional more groovy/bass-heavier song.
I want a relatively portable speaker for my 'hobby' room or other places around the house, e.g..kitchen.
I have watched quite a few vids on youtube about using 3" fullrange drivers and was thinking to stick to those and try to use 2 of them.
Models that I managed to find or was suggested by aforementioned youtube are:
Dayton audio PS95-8 or PC83-8, as well as Monacor SPX-31M. Anything else within 15-25usd/eur/gbp range would do as well. Budget is not exactly tight, but for the 1st speaker I want to keep it low.
Design-wise my idea was to try to roughly mimick either Klipsch Three or Ruark MRx as sizes look quite suitable, so i'd be looking at enclosures of around 7 liters. I did try to put all of those speakers into WinISD and for a 2 speaker am getting suggested box volumes of 10-14 liters with quite a long vent (trying to keep 'Vent Air Velocity' <17) which i'm not sure i'll manage to fit.
As for electronics I was thinking about using one of the amp/bluetooth boards - possibly from aliexpress, or Raspberry Pi zero with this (considering turning it into a multiroom-capable speaker later): JustBoom Amp Zero pHAT for Raspberry Pi Zero / Pi Zero W • JustBoom
Tbh I think the electronic bit i'll manage as long as the actual enclosure/vent design and speakers are clear.
So my question is...is it possible to get a decent sound from those speakers and if so..how, given the requirements above? Or perhaps I'm looking at wrong drivers for the purpose ?
Thanks!
Hi RandonFactoid. Looking at your requirements - smallish portable, 3" FR driver, low budget to build your first speakers - I would suggest that you look at the mini Karlsonator options here: Mini Karlsonator (0.53X) with Dual TC9FD's
I have the 0.4x mini Karlsonators with TC9FD18 drivers. They cost me only a few dollars (<$30) to build, but they sound terrific for their cost and size. Also - you don't have to cut wood and you can build them on your dining room table.
I have the 0.4x mini Karlsonators with TC9FD18 drivers. They cost me only a few dollars (<$30) to build, but they sound terrific for their cost and size. Also - you don't have to cut wood and you can build them on your dining room table.
Hello again.
After a little break I'm back to the project.
I salvaged a 5s battery pack from a cordless vacuum together with a BMS/charging board and thought I could pair it with the project...which is partly the motivation to keep going. But powering the whole thing is probably the easy part.
My real concern is whether what I understand from Bassbox/WinISD actually makes sense. I quite randomly ended up with 2x Tang Band W3-532SQF drivers for this. After a bit of tinkering with (mainly) Bassbox, I landed with ~4.9L ported enclosure per speaker (tuned for ~72hz)..so I'm planning to make a ~10L enclosure from 18mm plywood and split it in half for each speaker+port. I have 3D printed the ports and it seems they'll be short enough to easily fit inside.
Attaching a pic from Bassbox (winisd gives similar numbers/curves) here: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
My question is...am I not missing anything or doing an awful mistake about something ? What's slightly confusing is that Mr Google suggests high Qts drivers should be used in closed enclosures...but I seem to be getting better lows and still reasonably flat response curve with a vented design.
I'd appreciate some feedback before diving into this
Thanks!
After a little break I'm back to the project.
I salvaged a 5s battery pack from a cordless vacuum together with a BMS/charging board and thought I could pair it with the project...which is partly the motivation to keep going. But powering the whole thing is probably the easy part.
My real concern is whether what I understand from Bassbox/WinISD actually makes sense. I quite randomly ended up with 2x Tang Band W3-532SQF drivers for this. After a bit of tinkering with (mainly) Bassbox, I landed with ~4.9L ported enclosure per speaker (tuned for ~72hz)..so I'm planning to make a ~10L enclosure from 18mm plywood and split it in half for each speaker+port. I have 3D printed the ports and it seems they'll be short enough to easily fit inside.
Attaching a pic from Bassbox (winisd gives similar numbers/curves) here: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
My question is...am I not missing anything or doing an awful mistake about something ? What's slightly confusing is that Mr Google suggests high Qts drivers should be used in closed enclosures...but I seem to be getting better lows and still reasonably flat response curve with a vented design.
I'd appreciate some feedback before diving into this
Thanks!
Last edited:
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.