At the risk of sounding like a broken record:
- if you're going to build just one set of speakers, use a proved and well reviewed design from a noted designer, you know you'll get a good result. Most designers will give you cabinet design and specs, Bill of Materials, crossover diagram and give you a good idea of the sound;
- a 3 way speaker is way more complicated than a 2 way, with more crossover parts and harder to get 'right';
- due to roll off from the drivers and crossover, sound just doesn't disappear;
- for best value, use drivers you can source locally: in Oz, for example, a US$25 tweeter costs about A$50 in shipping, so it's better value to buy local and only spend $10 in shipping; and
- have fun
In my humble opinion there are 2 different scenarios: that of the manufacturer and that of amateur/DIYer.
No manufacturer does that, listening to a device and thinking of changing its sound by replacing a couple of resistors, not even the amateur or DIYer (except, maybe, in strictly specific cases).
But the amateur/DIYer can afford the "luxury" of taking all the time he wants to listen to his favorite music and thinking that by changing "something" in his system or in his device will also change "something" in the sound.
For the amateur, time is not a critical factor.
But for a manufacturer it is, because time equals money and no manufacturer can afford to do it (if it wants to stay and improve sales in its market).
Any manufacturer will be looking for any element that will optimize their costs to better sell their product.
If a manufacturer did listening tests in order to improve the sound replacing "one or two resistors", I repeat "if", then it would also be normal for his device could cost more.
And it might not just be marketing.
Every loudspeaker is a large set of compromises. It is important to understand that. It takes a whole lot of builds to really start to get a handleon things.
dave
No judgment on my part either, just sharing my point of view about Peter Walker's (as a manufacturer) words.
Btw, since he's a manufacturer I don't believe his words 100% on principle.
There has never been a more sincere audio manufacturer than Peter Walker.
Who else would say "No, we think our loudspeaker is very poor" ?
Crossovers are the hardest part (and bring much evil). A one-way is even simplier, but it is harder to design and build a FR driver. We are fortunately in a golden era of single driver loudspeakers.
What you learn from your first build willinform your next (it is rare for a diy speaker builkder to only make 1 set). Just build something. First build, simplier is likely better, or use a solid existing design. You will see if the compromises the designer chose meets your needs.
dave
I loved the 303.I have owned at least a dozen. In retrospect it is not a great amplifier. The original 405 was worse.
They should have listened to them.
dave
I hope you're not taking this personally because that's the last thing I want and sorry, I don't want to get into an ethical discussion, but couldn't that be a sales strategy?
Let's say: reverse psychology?
Or, does he really make very poor speakers?
What if I really believed him just right now?
Sincerely, I think that everyone has the faculty to believe or not believe.
And it is not at all a static faculty.
IMHO No one can ever be considered above the parties simply because no one knows what the "parties" really are.