How To Choose Speaker Building Materials | DIY Speaker Building
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2024
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-Kirby 
Хобби
The points you make about form versus function are very very good.
I had been on the high end audio merry-go-round for many years, and have spent way too much money in the hobby. I am really enjoying your videos from the standpoint of aesthetic design knowing full well the sonic compromises some of your designs might have. But really, who cares about compromises?
You are creating great videos of awesome audio projects that are inexpensive, and within the reach of most people's skill set to build.
It's fun to have expensive audio gear in your home that you worked your butt off to afford. But in many ways it's probably more rewarding to build your own speakers with your own hands without breaking the bank.
Keep up the great work, Kirby!
If I may I'd like to chime in with an observation about plywood. The greater the number of plies, the stiffer the board. I noticed that you had some nice 11 ply along with some thinner 3 and 5 ply boards. While the thickness of the wood does contribute to the overall stiffness of the board you can sometimes get away with using a thinner board with a greater number of plies to the same effect as using a thicker board of lower ply density. Example: 1/2" 11 ply would be at least as stiff as 3/4" 5 ply. This is if both are void free. 1/2" void free would be stiffer than 3/4" 5 ply with voids.
At any rate, keep up the good work. I enjoy seeing what you come up with.
Great point! Thank you for that!
Great channel...I would like to thank you for some great information 👍 I love EDM and ambient music (soundscapes) and my personal favorite material is extra dense concrete because a lot of other materials create more harmonics. Very best wishes to you...and to all the other music lovers out there 🙏
Hi Kirby thanks for the awesome video. Can you please suggest the type of glue I need to use if I have to stick the speaker to wood. I have 2 3W 4 ohm speakers.
Very true. I built an experimental open baffle tower using an actual cardboard box from Home Depot and it sounded fantastic! Even the bass from the 15in woofer was thoroughly satisfying. No vibration issues whatsoever, for the sound, which was quite shocking to me. But because the cardboard was so soft it wouldn't hold the larger woofers for more than a week.
good video. I bought one home theater dvd and it finally broke down, the speakers are ok though. could you make a video explaining how to disassamble it and make a sound bar? that would be nice!
Brother, thanks for all the info and I really appreciate your great vibe you put out in your videos, much needed these days. 😁👍
Old Video helps me in 2020 nice thanks 🙏
This channel really makes me want to finally get going, Allways wanted to build speakers.
What do you think about making a sealed 2way out of MDF and have some kind of reinforcement inside with the help of high density epoxy?
If you go for solid wood, expansion and contraction due to variations in temperature and humidity should be considered. Especially if you plan to build larger cabinets for e.g. subwoofers.
Well, this is actually a good video because were discussing the issue and it's a big one!
MDF, Highdht, plywood,Corrian, and many more examples of speaker building material all have good and bad points. Panel resonance is actually the big problem.
Increasing stiffness and creating stiffness is what needs to be achieved. It cannot be done just by increasing the mass of the panels although its a good place to start....sometimes.
Damping or "pushing" resonance out of the problem area is the best solution. Developing a critical material and killing off resonance altogether, by reducing panel masses to a low/no level and preventing energy storage in the first place is the right way to approach this subject.
There seems to be real interest in this area so i will be making some videos soon to explain the maths and how to do this cheaply and quickly.
just out of curiosity, have you ever done a test of building a set of basic boxes to test the effect of materials on the sound, like same woofer and tweeter and amp, same room, same day test. I do know that's easy said and harder to do being that your running a business, but could be interesting. Cheers and thanks for your work.
Yo Kirby. It's a good thing when you say: Build YOUR speakers the way YOU wanna do it...that's the best advice you can give! The second best advice, I haven't heard you say, but that's okay ( ;-) ) , is: Do NOT be afraid to make a mistake....wood is very forgiving, mistakes are most of the time, fixable! Keep up the tutorials man, it helps! Thanks :-)
A friend of mine traded me a box with 4x 10" subs in it,but I want to split the size . 2 for my yukon and 2 for my house. Any recommendations on how to build a box for the Yukon would be appreciated
I have been in the cabinet business for about 50 years. Solid wood is going to be a bit tricky for anyone without a well equipped shop. The panels wood need to be glued up panels to help with dimensional stability and warping. I did see a video recently about the resonance of various plywoods and MDF(actually wood fibers glued under pressure, particle board is made of sawdust). I have used a lot of MDF over the years. I think it is easier to either spray paint or veneer it than cope with the raw edges of plywood. Particleboard, while quite dead is not really a good product to use unless you have access to industrial board not readily available to an individual. MDF does wear your tools faster than wood or plywood due to the adhesive resins.
man, i really love this channel, you have made me wish i build speakers again, i haven't build speakers since highschool, that was 12 years ago :D
There are several types of MDF.
1. Home store quality
2. Industrial MDF
The second type comes in sheets 97 x 49 inches, Is much heavier and denser.
Go with Industrial MDF.
Cons of MDF - Water absorption - don't use it near water.
Traveler unless you paint the mdf with rustoleum paint and use truck bed liner on it then it will be water resistant
Hey I'm actually making a blowthrough box in my 86 f-150 for 2 18's right now. Have you had experience with waterproofing an mdf box? You think rustoleum and a clear coat is enough?
I'm with you looks first then sound. Off topic question I brought the plans and built one of your elder speakers. Super happy with it sounds great looks amazing. However I had a small gathering of about 15-20 ish people and and had some sound issues with loss of signal, would that just be the people causing interference. hasn't happen since and didn't happen before. Any ideas
If you're connected via bluetooth I think the people in the room could have been the problem. They recommend line of sight for the connection. So walls, appliances, and I guess people can interfere with the signal. Thanks so much for your support in buying the plans!
Dear RUclips, stop recommending me "Arab Idol" Videos, and start recommending Kirby meets audio.
In regards, Michael.
Hey great video I have 60 watt amp I know I gotta match the Thomson the speakers so haft to match the watts on each speaker.
Mdf is cheap which is good but i had both a cupboard and bed made of mdf
And it was infested with wood larves and termites
It was horrible
So i am kinda skeptical to use it
What material can i use that bugs won't get in again ?
I have a lot of free oak hard wood flooring is it any good for speakers
Great work
Thanks
What if budget is no problem of mine? I want to build a custom enclosure that will either house 2 12’s or 2 13.5’s and I think solid wood is better than voidless plywood. What’s the best hardwood to work with without my box weighing 400lbs?
Great video. Can you help me in making 26 inch tall book shelf for large Canton reference 9.2 reference speaker. Any link or video to share
Voided can cause gaskets to leak if you don't fill the holes with glue. They don't tend to leak from top to bottom but through the board edges. Most stores only have the cheap stuff and the cheapest Baltic birch is usually about 60 quid for a half inch or even 3/8 4 * 8. Also cheap stuff splits more easily and becomes delaminate and is still 25 quid a 4 X 8 sheet of half inch
Hi, I’m currently looking into making some speakers as buying isn’t an option, due to costs, but all I have worked out is size, how would you recommend working out what speakers to actually use for medium to good quality sound and volume as wanting to use for mobile djing when not in use at mine 😂, cheers in advance for any advice
take good midwoofers 150 250 rms and a p audio c d horn . all these are available at vmt .in
Im using 9 ply 15/32 baltic birch on a small car sub box for 2 Sundown SA6.5 SW. Drivers arent loaded yet, but this thing is pretty solid. I felt like I didnt need 3/4 because its 9 ply and small dimensions with lots of 45s and a port for support. Is the difference really that noticeable?
I'd say MDF isn't the easiest material to work with, all screw holes have to be pre-drilled or it'll split and it creates a ridiculous amount of dust when you cut it, it has good acoustic properties though. One material you didn't mention that I like and that is quite common is particle board, it's not quite as "dead" as MDF, but it's really cheap and quite strong and relatively easy to work with. As one sound guru on a car stereo forum once said "it doesn't matter which material you use, as long as the box is rigid and strong it'll sound good".
Very informative man
I like the mdf that comes with the 3mm solid vaneer on one side.
Hey Kirby! I was wondering if it was possible to mix the material used for the enclosure. I was thinking of using MDF for the entire enclosure beside the front, which I was planning to use hard maple. This way I could have a nice shinny black finish on the MDF and a nice stained for the front of the speaker. TIA
What speakers should i use for DIY Floor standing? Like JBL FOCAl Car component and midranges will do ? Can you help me with sizes of chambers and design please. Thanks
How do know how big your bass port should be and how deep the pipe behind it?
Hi, I have some "plastic" PA speaker, they can flex a bit. How much will I gain by building it into a wooden (speaker)box ? it is an active speaker.
+Kirby Meets Audio what wood would you recommend for boombox style speaker build with three 5.25" speakers
owen waite any speaker smaller than 6.5, use 1/4 MDF
thank you :)
Hey Kirby,
I was wanting to know if you have any knowledge of a googlecast or chromecast amp that i can build a speaker with? Same concept of bluetooth speaker but the ability to cast over wifi.
Thanks :-)
You didn't mention veneered plywood with pre applied oak , cherry , or other .Is this type of plywood not used for speakers ? Also if you double up two sheets of 3/4" to 1 1/2" ply wouldn't it be more ridged then 3/4" of MDF for about the same Weight ? Where do you guys buy your speakers from ?
Hello, I am building a speaker and I saw your "Elder Speaker" video and took some ideias from it. I was thinking of using pinewood for the enclosure and plywood for the front and back side (where the ports and drivers will go). Do you think this is a good ideia? And how do I paint them like you do? With dark oak oil or varnish? Thank you
Sound like an awesome project! Yes, that would great. The front and back of the speaker is called a front baffle and back baffle. It's important in designing your speaker to have a rigid front baffle to handle the vibrations of the driver, plywood is great for that. The finish I'm using in that video is Ebony wood stain by Minwax. You can find it here: amzn.to/2jcQ9YW Thanks for watching!
Kirby Meets Audio thank you for replying. Really like your channel :)
poplar plywood/multiplex, soft but the best for hifi!
May I please ask you, what if I want to build tweeter and mid tone into an open baffle, what wood would you recommend there?
heyy Kirby I am very interested in a backpack speaker, is that a great idea and if it is how can I do it?
What about making a build video or diy about surround sound systems? Some sweet custom built surround speakers could really tie a room together :p I'm starting to rip out my bedroom this weekend. Wanting to do everything diy, well as much as I can anyway lol
What are your thoughts on covering a MDF cabinet with a thin layer of nice plywood for the looks? I don't see any downsides to that.
+Lukas Tonneman None at all! That's called veneering.
I want to build 2 18 inch tapped horn subwoofers, the design is made for 18mm birch plywood but the total weight would be huge, i wonder if i can use an lighter plywood like poplar or okoume (of course with some extra bracing), or would that affect the sound (and spl) a lot?
Thanks.
If you add some extra internal bracing it should help to increase the stiffness. I gotta warn you poplar plywood is like working with crispbread...
@@hakont.4960 thanks, but if the stifness is a little less, what effect would that have in a horn?
I some times prefer to use particle board. There's some upsides and downsides, but otherwise its a really good material to use.
Here are the downsides first:
Downsides:
-Heavy
-Not very easy to work with as its a really hard material. I broke a hole saw bit i was using cause the board was so hard.
-Not easy to finish cause the edges aren't like the top and doesn't really have any grain.
-Its not as forgiving as some other stuff, because If you put a screw too close to an edge it'll crack the edge of the board
-Can be costly
Now for the upsides:
Upsides:
-It is a very strong material
-It has good sound reverb even if its thin
-It is really sturdy so if your making a speaker thats gonna possibly get bounced around a lot, its good for that.
-It can be made water proof if u seal it with wax or a clear coat
Hi - I have a Tannoy silver 15 dual concentric driver with crossover, and would like to ask if ANYBODY could suggest a suitable size enclosure for this type of driver? I am thinking from 150-200 litres and up? Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated, cheers.
Al Scott they are nice speakers. There are tons of enclosure plans on the internet, why don’t you just pick one from it.
Hey, good quality video as always. I have a question about the elder speaker. I bought the plan, but I don't understand how to connect the tweeter when you have two woofers? Thanks in advance!
Would Plastic be at all viable for a 3D-Printed speaker setup?
...and then there are veneers. Good way to make real wooden and even look over cheap and not so good looking base material (e.g. spruce plywood used in construction sites). Not all of the veneers are expensive, but it might be bit difficult to find suppliers that are glad to serve also customers with small quantity needs. But luckily there are those also! Okay, veneering does need more work (defining assembly sequence and which parts are veneered before drilling/milling of holes and assembly of enclosure and which not, gluing with even pressure and trimming) and tools (especially clamps), but once you get used to it, it is not that difficult to work with.
You can finish MDF to look like real wood with grain with EASY techniques with a brush and like this
Love you and your videos man! keep at it. And love the way you think about everything in general. Also, you make me think of a younger Jeffrey Donovan :P
Side note. Painting MDF is not as simple as it might seem. It soaks in the paint. So some preparation will be needed.
hobbyhands i would just wrap it in tolex😁
hi kirby meets audio its AKI BASS here and i was just wondering which is the best material to make a boombox so that the i can get the most sound quality and bass.thank you have a nice day
im thinking about bluetooth speaker w/ 4 drivers an 1 sub from old computer sound system and i dont want it to be heavy. Box should be 25x25x25cm. Autodesk inventor shows me that mdf enclosure will weight 2.5kg w/ 1cm wall. Any alternative materials?
That "Mursi tribe girl" earlobe deal is a good look for you dude...
7:16 You seem pretty disappointed in yourself haha, also, great vid
Physics is awesome!!
plywood you can also burn the top layer and again then clean then varnish it looks amazing
What software do you use for designing speaker box? thanks
Which material will be the lightest in weight?
great, love your videos, but I must ask, what is that tool swinging behind the disk/ circular sander and why won't it stop? 4:00
Thats a glue scrapper! You can see me using it in the soundbar build video. Thanks for watching!
Funny thing, look at how Harbeth design their speakers, they are build to flex, using thin materials, just an interesting observation.. Thanks for all the good videos :)
Do the walls of the enclosure need to be one solid piece? Or can I get away with gluing strips together?
As long as the material is thick enough, gluing strips together should be totally fine. Thanks for watching!
One quetion tho, you havent said anything about weight. If the weight is the problem for example portable blouetooh speaker, what is the best compromise between weight and quality. For example is it better to use 1cm MDF od 2cm solid light wood. Btw, great videos! Keep up the good work! ☺
Is mdf have good bass than others?
So, that's why my cardboard prototype sounds like crap. :) Going to use baltic birch 23/32"
+legion2k That's some top notch stuff! Thanks for watching!
which bord is best for 8 inch subwoofer???
Probably gonna get at home depot. "1 in. x 12 in. x 8 ft. Premium Kiln-Dried Square Edge Whitewood Common Board" 1 inch is thick enough and its a solid piece, Whitewood is pretty hard, yeah you can spend time finding a better wood at a specialty wood shop if you'd like.
HEy can u sir please give an adivice.. for 100w per satelite.. for 2.1 sistem ? pls ?
What aboat making everything out of MDF and the baffle out of oak?
fine
Hi Kirby,
Nice video again & 70k subscriptions, this is going fast!
In this latest video you said, if you have any question, please ask them.
Well, here I go:
Its probably basic knowledge in speaker building but why do YOU use filters in your builds when you use a full-range driver?
you don't have to be to detailed when you answer, a nice link to some documents will be fine.
(I found "extremely" different results when trying to find the best way to build them)
Thanks in advances a& keep up the good work mate :)
Thanks so much for watching! You'll find opinions on the extreme end of any conversation around speaker building. Everyone has the "correct" way of doing it. Although there are some solid ways of building speakers, most rules are just opinions. Everyone has has to use their own ears to hear the audio, so testing and seeing what works best for you is the way to go. As for your question, you don't technically need to filter a full range driver and I've made lots of speakers that only had filters on the tweeter. BUT if you don't filter the upper frequencies of a full range woofer and you add a tweeter, you're essentially doubling the volume of the high frequencies. This can be fine if thats the sound thats pleasing to you, but if you want a nice flat frequency response, you should probably add a filter the the woofer. Thanks again!
Thanks Kirby,
You just confirmed my thoughts on this topic.
I was hesitating to much, Its nice to hear from someone with experience that I am taking the right approach.
Thumbs up!
Sir i want to make 5.1 home theater with good base.please can u tell me all spare part which are required like woofer ,speakers,tweeters,board.i want to use like home theater.directly connect to plug board in home.if u tell me i will go to electrician to connect them.please tell me sir.please sir
I have to 6x9 speakers that i will build in two separate boxes but, i don't know if they should be ported or sealed. Can you help me?
By the way they are 2x80w rms power
It depends on the thiele small parameters although as a general catch all case I would go about 1 cubic foot and 50 Hz port per speaker unless you are using subwoofer then you can go with a smaller sealed box or a 80/90 Hz port tune. With subs I would rather use 6.5" pa mid bass like a faital pro 6fe200 and separate tweeter
When did Indy get plugs?
I made a speaker enclosure out of desk wood which had a pretty good oak look on it.
Plywood is stiffer than MDF per unit weight so cabinets made from plywood are easier to maneuver.
I love you kirby you are the best 😘😘😘😘😘
+erick cervantes Oh boy ☺️
can I use a car audio subwoofer in place of a pro subwoofer if I'm building a PA box for 2x15s ?
no
spl will not same
is it only bass cabinet or full range 2way
i dont think that MDF can take screws near the sides ( like where the screws go to hold a speaker) i just doesnt look rigid enough
I also heard that porous and/or fibrous materials improve sound quality.
I make my own boards out of pressed 1&1/2" strips of iron wood baby! :-)
His ears are ported
😂😂😂
His inner ear is a backloaded horn though
COOL VIDE, very helpful - BUT ... maybe you or somebody could steer me in the right directuion here ........... Im gonna build a 2x12 Speaker enclosure for my new Amp I just got. ........ 2watts but Im gonna use Eminence Swampthing 12s, which, for guitar speakers have some tight punchy bass. My idea was 1/2 Plywood and braced inside. .... Now youre video has me thinking maybe 3/4 Pine or even 3/4 MdF ?
I've built some out of all three options and you'll definitely want to go with 3/4" plywood, ideally 13ply baltic birch. Mdf kills transients and turns the bass into mud, pine works well but is very resonant, it's better for lower volumes and clean tones.
@@redredredredhair3 cant really afford Birch now. camnt really afford to build the cabinet at all, but im gonna do it. ..... I was thinking ....... add a 1x2 brace joining the front panel to the rear panel inside glued & screwed so theres no flexing or vibration there.
@@97warlock 2x2 pine purfling is pretty cheap and would work well for bracing on each of the corners as well as the baffle to the back.
Sir plz tell me speaker cabinet joint glue??
What brand of shirt is that? Also, great stuff!!!
I'm making a speaker that is very small, so the walls cannot be very thick. It will be painted so looks do not come into factor, and it needs to be fairly light. Any suggestions??
You can get 1/2 inch mdf. I wouldn't suggest going smaller than 1/2in unless they are like 2in speakers.
adam courtney the speakers are only 3 inches and the enclosure is kinda made around them...
well you will want to make the boxes proper size to the speaker so that the hz/freq will be correct. Lots of "out of the box" speakers use 1/2in partical board + 1/4 cardboard rear so full 1/2in mdf would be much better.
You could also try 1/4in acrylic or ABS plastic. little hard to work with but good stuff. A majority of small portable speakers are injection molded so you gotta make due with what you got in the DIY sector
adam courtney Thank you very much for the help/advice
your cool
Lazy man's speaker building... take a pair of already finished speakers (that have nice "boxes"), and just upgrade the drivers (and maybe the crossover too). Optionally you can restain them or just leave them as is. Remember the simpler something is, the quicker it can usually be done. Also, by upgrading, I don't always mean replacing. Doping (coating) a paper woofer with silicone sealer on the front side only may make it sound better to your ears. If there is room in a 3 way speaker box, perhaps add a passive radiator on the rear. These are fun tweaks and they don't cost much and you wont need any carpentry skills or make any sawdust.
Kirby, where did you get that shirt?
+Elliott Chenoweth Umm, Kmart. I think. Thanks for watching!
I used a 5 gallon water jug cut the bottom and put a 10" subwoofer in it. And put it in my closet with no door. It was LOUD lol i was 14 years old
can you make a diy speaker that fit in your ear rings LOL
what technically Hardware do I need for building a speaker?
Drivers, speaker wires, crossovers if you need any, speaker terminals if you don't want a permanently attached cable, wood glue and the cabinet material.
For tools you can get away with a drill and a jigsaw but this is by far the hardest to work with because you want precise straight cuts and you can't match circular saws in that regard. I've used a jigsaw for a large standing cabinet before and that build involved an ungodly amount of sanding to align the sides. Now I have a handheld circular saw and only use the jigsaw for the round speaker cutouts which don't have to be quite as precise. A router is the best option for this part but totally unnecessary if you don't build cabinets often. Other than that you just need something to hold the pieces together while glue sets, clamps and brad nails or wood screws are commonly used.
if I don't care about the looks or money, what material is the best for sound quality?
mdf 1inch thick
jbls 40 laks worth speakers the synthesis series are all mdf built they are very expensive
@@risuhu8590 HDF 1 inch .....
Nobody ever mentions screwing subs to the box. What works best , where they at and so forth.
I like to use threaded inserts, you basically just drill, countersink, put glue on the threads and screw them in. Works really well if you’re ever gonna take the speaker out.
Why nobody talks about hdf for speaker building. Is hdf a bad material for speakers?
muy buenos videos, soy de Argentina. Podrías ponerle subtítulos al vídeo así es más cómodo para entender?
Saludos!
Be careful with the waving of your hand, if a finger gets stuck in the earring you tear it out.
µ
The only point I think needs to be raised is the safety aspect of using MDF. you've got to take dust management seriously when working it
+TheBigO K Truth! I hope no one uses this one video as their only means of research.
no joke . But that is true for many types of wood and plywood as well.
Watching this is difficult when it looks like you're having a seizure, or a baby throwing a tantrum.. Turn off the sound and watch this, It's even funnier!