Thanks... I did have a moment where I wondered how I would put together this video, knowing the build was basically a fail. My wife suggested just keeping it real, and it was good advice.
My dad has built speaker cabinets for years. In fact, every speaker and sub I own was made by him. He has built kits before but mostly designs the cabinets and crossovers himself using components from Parts Express, and back in the day, Radio Shack.
You're Dad's an awesome guy. Hopefully he prefers using SB Audience drivers for his speaker builds. (hint hint. lol) Better than 99% anything else out there. One of the few vertically integrated companies in the world. They do not outsource parts but make "everything" in house! Good stuff. And affordable. It's just they are not as big here in America as Europe, so there is only one distributor. Madisound. Thankfully they carry them at all I guess. If you are not familiar with the brand I highly recommend you check them out. They "build" the drivers for other major speaker makers (contract), plus have several lines of their own brand of speakers. Producing like a million speaker drivers a year. Just no "completed speakers". They are in Indonesia, not China too. Happy New Year. "Life without music would be a mistake!" (Parts Express luckily is about an hour away from where I live. They have just about ended up a monopoly. It's hard finding a distributor you can get all the parts you need for a speaker build other than Parts Express). Take care!
My first scratch build was way back in 1978. Speakers, amplifier, pre-amp (with eq), stands and all. It came out pretty well so I just kept on going. The one lesson I've learned from it all is to never do anything irreversible until you complete at least one rehersal of the assembly. Use tape instead of glue, make sure you understand how it all fits together... even test it. *Then* start building for keeps.
So I built these very same speakers in January, mine worked right away, look and sound top notch! I used a simple vinyl veneer from Amazon, stick it, trim it and forget it! I can only say I followed the crossover design very precise to the image in the manual, I even made sure the printed lettering/markings on the resistors/caps were laid out exactly the same, didn't want to be in your situation ;) When you play music through them and realize that these speakers sound like a pair of $1000+, you'll be extremely satisfied. These get down to 30 Hz easily, can even hear 25 Hz as well. It took me 2-3 weeks to build these with taking my time, get some clamps guys (Harbor freight has them for cheap) do the crossovers correctly, like in the pictures of the manual and measure out the distance you need of the included speaker wire to each terminal/speaker, included wire in my kit barely gave me enough to get them all right. Also, just buy a vinyl veneer you like from Amazon and just stick it to the speakers and trim it, looks just like wood, easy peasy ;) I too didn't bother with the included peace of veneer, seemed a bit cheap looking and difficult to put on. Amazon had these for $170 on Black Friday last year, deal lasted a month or so, just FYI guys!
I bought the CSS 1TDX speaker kit last holiday season. It was an awesome project and I’m super happy with how they turned out and even more with how they sound. Patience goes a long ways in projects like this. I had never used a router, soldered anything, or applied veneer.
Not only do you get to save a few bucks, but you end up with quality speakers as good as speakers that cost 3 times as much from the "retailers". Not to mention the sense of "accomplishment" you get building something. You should also check into some Amp and Receiver repairs. Simple stuff like if it goes into "protect" mode, or one of the "knobs" go bad. You'll find you don't need to be an electrical engineer, just need to learn a few tips and tricks because when amps go into protect mode 90% of the time it's a "hidden" fuse, or one of the output transistors (or just a transistor that blew from overheating). We're talking a couple dollar part, and people toss them into the landfill and go buy another one. How crazy. I've already fixed 2 amps people just have me for free because they said "they didn't work". One was an Onkyo, the other a Pioneer Elite. And I'm an accountant not an electrical engineer, so if I can do it, anyone can! I don't know about you, but I listen to usually 4 hours of music a day (also a musician) and I get attached to my equipment like you do your pets. LOL And I hate to get rid of them, especially because of a $5 part and some solder, if that. Well, that's it, it might ne a $1 resistor, but you have to buy 10 in an order. Still cheap. Just make sure you use "the exact" make and brand of part. That's very important, yes even the brand if you want you receiver to sound like it did before it went out on you. LOL Happy New Year and best of luck in 2024. (we're probably gonna need it. lol) (something else you can do, is find some higher end speakers that don't work and simply replace the drivers instead of building cabinets from scratch. Some companies make beautiful cabinets, and if they don't work you can usually get them for like $20 a pair at a garage sale etc.)
Really enjoyed seeing this and Frank's unique spin on handymanning-or lack of same thereof. These are projects my wife usually tackles while I stand around holding the directions and making statements like: "I don't think they gave us as many screws as they were supposed to" or "I can't make head or tail out of this diagram" or "I'm telling you, there is NO troublehooting section!" And my wife's all time favorite inquiry from me when she's been working on a project all day: "Are you sure you remembered to plug it in?"
I built a set of hivi swan 3.1 diy. Sounds amazing so i built a second set for my home theater. Couldnt be happier, sounds incredible for movies and music. Full dolby atmos with heights. Running the swan center to match. I highly recommend these diy kits if your a builder. Thanks for sharing!
I have built many speakers. Never have I built them from a kit before though. Recently ordered this kit so I am excited. The parts seem to be worth significantly more than the price of the kit.
I built an ACA Mini amplifier kit earlier this year and I friggin' *ADORE* it! Even with only 5W of power, the tiny Nelson-Pass-designed unit puts out some of the most three-dimensional sound I've ever heard. If any of y'all want to do a proper kit build that will definitely teach you solid soldering & circuit-biasing skills, look into the ACA Mini. It's complicated enough to be a proper DIY *journey* for the electronically uninitiated like me... I am so seriously proud of that thing! ❤⚡💪🏽
Awesome man, glad you took on the project and it turned out well for you. Definitely something to be proud of! I use to be into the car stereo/boat stereo install game when I was younger. And even though I'm an accountant, I'm getting back into it, and the thing is, hardly anything has changed. Seriously. My trick was to always use Marine grade products in my build because they are 3rd party "certified" and built to last. But what's also cool, is it goes hand in hand learning about a cars electrical system. And ya know what? There really isn't anything to a car's electrical system, except they are being "overengineered" today. Did you know car batteries "never" really wear out? You can "refurbish" your own car battery, and make it last like 15 years or more. Check on RUclips here on how to refurbish your own car battery if you want to save some $$. But 12V is nothing, and you will relaize with a little research how to learn how to bypass certain components and help your car run better, and last longer. Car engines are usually around 25% efficient, and they can be made to be so much more efficient, and if were made that way would pollute a great deal less as well. (Life's too short to drive cheap cars. lol) We really are not getting the best tech for cars these days is what I have realized installing car stereos. And why car manufacturers do things like have the wiring for the windshield wipers go through the stereo. Just stupid stuff like that all day long by every manufacturer!. So if your stereo breaks down you lose your windshield wipers too. crazy. Hey, have you seen someone with an EV truck, have a generator in the bed, it's running and plugged into the truck so it always stayed charged? I think it is hilarious, and damn smart of people. Though, kinda defeats the purpose I think too, but people will always find ways to get the tools that they need, and in a much easier way than "expected". What kills me about electric cars (and nothing against them except one thing) they're silent. There's nothing like a properly tuned V-8 with some good headers and exhaust on it! Music to the ears! LOL take care and congrats on the amp build! That's cool shit!
Well, this would be a PASS for me. Yes, definitely don't have the patience for this type of project, but hey, it was fun watching you give it a try, Frank 😊
Have made record & CD shelves from solid oak, built in the closet of the spare bed-room/listening room. Also made equipment risers on the wood lathe. Speaker cables, sound absorber panels, base trap, headphone tree. But nothing with electronics in it.
I built the same set back during COVID. I too gave up on the crappy vinyl and went with a PSA walnut veneer. The PSA doesn't require contact cement. I liked the finish so much I have used the same veneer on multiple speaker projects. The 2.1 kit is an amazing value and sound fantastic. I liked them so much in fact that I also bought the 3.1 set as well. The 3.1's sound very good as well although a bit forward but I am very happy with them.
I watched Steph at Skunkie Designs build a pair of these speakers and she loved them. She had really good step by step instructions. I have these saved on Amazon for a future project.
Great video Frank!! Many years ago I made my own colour organ (a cabinet with multi coloured lights that when hooked up to your amp turned on and off with the music). It required much of the same skills and tools that you used. It turned out awesome and I used it for many years. Keep on spinning Frank! 👍
Music related DIY project that I did was a Nitty Gritty Record Cleaner rebuild. I had wanted a NGRC for a while but I didn’t want to spend the $$ on, because they were ridiculously expensive in my opinion. So I kept looking for used units on EBay and finally came across one that needed some TLC as the listing said. It was a mess when I got it and I decided to rebuild it. I made a new cabinet, replaced some of the inner workings and for about 1/4 the price I had a working unit that I still use today.
👏👏👏👏👏👍🏻 good effort. I have been a woodworker for 60yrs and have a lot of experience with soldering so this looks like something I would love to take on. I agree get some veneer wood and cover it with it that vinyl look pretty shoddy
Go for it! The cabinets are the hardest part. You'll have no problem. Just take your time and be methodical with the electronic part. As a woodworker you don't have to confine yourself to kits that include cabinets. There are lots of great designs and kits that supply just the electrical components and have plans for the cabinets.
I have built many speaker cabs in my life. From car audio sub boxes to building clones of the JBL 4520 Rear Loaded Horn for my live sound rig. Lots of work and planning. But if you do it right it is enjoyable to do, and can save yourself a ton of money as well.
Hey Frank, I like your pruning shear wire cutter. Yes, sometimes you just have to work with the tools you have. All kidding aside, I am an amateur woodworker and I made a pair of transmission line speakers from plans by a RUclipsr, SoundBlab. The plans included included parts to be sourced from Parts Express and a complete cut list. This was my first soldering project and I got lucky - the speakers worked! I did have to buy a soldering iron and a metric tape measure. It was a fun project and very rewarding.
Years ago, like 30?, I took apart an old wornout sterio console, and was going to use the speakers in cabinets I made. Problem was, the speakers were oval shaped and not owning a router, I had no idea how to cut the shapes in the panels. I didn't figure my jigsaw would work well. So I still have the cabinets and the speakers stashed. Now I need to buy a router and try my luck.
I really need better speakers lol. Enjoyed your video and have been a subscriber for a few months now. Wanted to share with you my record experience my first record I bought was September 9th 2022, the release date of Ozzy's Patient Number 9 album. I love it. Anything 2007 and on of ozzy I love and the story of how headlines were saying he had a 1% chance of surviving a surgery and when he got out he replied with the album cover and announcement with the caption "I'm not dead yet!" And it sat on display that was all I intended for and a few months back I got a record player and started getting records and I'm really enjoying the hobby. I spoil myself every month with a record buy and when I can't get to a shop I do buy online. I ordered Alice Cooper's new album i hope you get to check it out as well even if it doesn't get mentioned in a video. Sending greetings from Saskatchewan 👋
I thought the same thing, any markings/model/branding on the back of the drivers did say HiVi Swans on my very same kit. They sound great, get down to 30 Hz easily, can even hear 25 Hz ;)
I've seen these and wondered if it was a project I would be able to complete and I think I would have an identical experience, which is to say I might have to give it a shot despite my inexperience with project such as this.
Good clamps are necessary for quality speaker construction. If these are CNC'd as well as you say, then mayyybe one can get away with tape... but since vibration resistance & proper airflow are both major components of a hi-fi speaker, clamps are almost as needed as the glue.
Never tried that, but I did think about it in the past as possibly a way to have high-end speakers for cheaper. After looking at the videos, I dropped the idea altogether 😅
When you finally get them together and you realize you have a set of speakers that would cost 3x as much. My first try was with a set of C-Note speakers from Parts Express. Currently building a set of 3 Titan 818's from diysg. I can't wait to listen to them
So beneath his placid *veneer* Frank may have suffered the heartbreak of cold solder joints! A land to which i myself have voyaged. (I finally learned to heat the wire, not the solder.) But, yes, in a world where we often stare at screens, it's good to work with ones hands.
Good tip! I will open the one speaker up in the coming weeks and see what's going on (just need a break from it right now...). I figure I should get bonus points for trying something new in front of an audience, haha.
It sounds like a "+" crossed a "-" lead somewhere if your sound went out. Make sure there is no cross talking at all solder points. I have built several pairs of speakers. The Swan 3.1 are very popular and are supposed to be excellent speakers. There is even a crossover mod for the 3.1 that is supposed to improve the sound.
Question?? I’m fairly new to vinyl collecting and just ordered The River by Bruce Springsteen, it comes with two specially made inner sleeves with pictures on them, made with thicker paper (if you look it up on google you should see what I’m talking about), anyway it also comes with the standard thin paper sleeves as well. How should I store this? Should I put the record in the thin sleeves and then that inside the thick sleeves or just throw away the thin paper sleeves and just put the record in the thick custom sleeves?
I think DIY speaker-building should be part of any elementary or secondary school shop class. Add DIY electric guitar-making too to make those classes a lot more fun and interesting. :)
I royally messed up a guitar build a few years ago as well... and of course had to do a video about it :) Those would definitely be fun shops classes though!
As a woodworker. Something that was always annoying and waste time was when ya hand off a project to someone without any codes. Something i noticed these not having are some sort of legend to what is what. F and B for front and back, then L and R for left and right. Then TP and BT for top and bottom. I have always found that knowing these is so much easier when it comes to something like this. Mostly because you ain't gonna see the insides anyways. So why not make it easier. Especially when ya end up with bottoms on tops. Even matching marks that line up. I forget what it was we built. But matching edges had the same mark. 1 goes with that. The edge with 2 marks go together. 3, and 4. One of those work smarter, not harder things. So with markings like this. Anyone should be able to put it together correctly everytime. Something i learned about speaker box building when i was a teenager was to not have all the pieces the same size. I don't have them anymore. But it ended up looking like a small table that could be at the side of a lawn chair. Can't believe i hacked down a massive 3x3 tic tac toe record cabinet for 2 lousy speakers. Should've kept the cabinet. Must've held 400-500 albums in it.
This looks fun. Definitely have the patience and skills, but at $250, I'd probably just buy some Klipsch's or whatever. I've restored a couple vintage guitar tube amps and whatnot, both electrically and cosmetically, which came out great. Always wanted to try to build my own speaker cabs though.. One of these days I'll get around to it! Just need a router.
Great effort Frank I too fall into the rush rush rush only read the instructions if someone puts a gun to my head category. I’ve just bought an old boom box and ripped the guts out, I’m planning to build it into a Bluetooth speaker with rechargeable battery. I would say watch this space but I doubt as a species we will exist long enough to see a working result 🙄🙄🙄
is it still worth doing this today? I built 5ft tall pyramid shaped speakers in the mid to late 80es, when you could save about 50% on a set by doing it yourself. Mine were designed by speaker geeks that ran a little store, they gave me the plans for the wood and also built all the electronics - hot glued on a piece of particle board - and built for the amp I bought. Fun process, quite some mistakes too, but they worked great. I had real wood veneer that was iron on, which was super easy and still only shows a couple bubbles. The speakers are now in the garage, too big for any room but the living room and I have a surround sound system there now, but I can't bring myself to throw them away, leave that chore to the kids - or they can use them. But can't you get a similar quality ready made set for 250 nowadays? I get the fun of DYI, are these better than comparable price ones you can buy? I'd be tempted just for fun and to replace the 20 year old computer speakers I use on my desk, if the work is worth it. Fit seems fantastic, I had to use quite some wood tools to make mine go together, spent long nights in the basement instead of behind my school books, LOL.
Fair play Frank for having a go !! I wouldn't have the patience or confidence to do that. Bit heavy on the glue my friend and I dont think sheri would want to see them in the cinema room.... but it was a great video to watch. Keep on spinnin !!
The fun in making DIY speakers is when you go the next step and learn how to influence the sound. You do this by tweaking the crossover and/or play with the damping. Unfortunately this is a rabbithole. You wil never be satisfied and end up with hundreds of dollars in spare parts and measuring equipment. Luckily the rabbithole is a very cosy place.
Don't worry if your speakers don't come out "pretty" as long as they "sound good"! lol Yeah don't worry about the looks of your speakers because most high end "audiophile" speakers generally look horrendous! Have you seen a Wilson Audio speaker? They look like a half built droid from Star Wars. All for $50K a pair. Painted Purple no less.
Read the instructions before assembling the speakers. Do not use them as a step by step guide. The crossovers should have been the first part understood and worked on. Bench test the electronics for errors and corrections, before mounting them to the wooden cabinets. My father was a TV repairman, I learned from his techniques as well as from his mistakes.
That sounds like a great advice - to bench test everything prior! I did however follow the instructions for these very same speakers, finished them with an Amzon vinyl veneer, soldered and put all the speaker drivers in, placed them on stands, hooked them up and all worked perfectly great. ;) It did take 2-3 weeks to complete it. I'll follow your advice next time, don't want to be unscrewing and resolder anything after. ))
This was a pain in the a** to build. The boxes anyway. The rest was a breeze. Took long for the paint to dry and did lots of sanding. I always check three times then proceed to my next step.
Nope. Nada. Ain't happenin'. It would be one of those Kirk and McCoy moments, eh? "Dammit Jim, I'm a technician not a carpenter!" Got to know yer limitations, and woodworking has never been a remote possibility, lol. Maybe with the right tools, but hey, yer doing pretty good, better than I would do. Cheers.
Yeah... No. I've studied some electronics in high school and I'm a pretty handy guy when it comes to building stuff, but even though those speakers look pretty straight forward to build, I'll pass. I've refoamed a speaker once and it took forever to clean the glue off the old woofer, that i never did the other one 😂 not to mention replacing 8 bulbs each on two McIntosh amps (soldering all on a circuit) which resulted in one amp still working like a champ 5 years later and all the lights on the other one have burnt again.
I am ok at building big stuff... I built that whole bar area where the vid was shot (it used to be a roughed in bathroom, which we used as a storage room). I guess I just need more patience for the small stuff. You are right though, my day job does not involve working with my hands... I work in communications and media relations.
Yeah that all is too much money for me to waste just to try my hand at building a speaker when I never had before nor had anyone show me how. But I "was" qurious.
The problem of do it yourself is simple. A mistake is made, you can’t call Ghostbusters! You look in the mirror and say, I am incapable of diy, projects. Be a man buck up and then if something happens you can yell to customer service! You will feel better!
$249 bucks and assemble yourself....what?That's like going to grocery store and having to check yourself out.....Go to a grocery store, pay them then I have to do their job for FREE...Screw that!
You don't understand, if you've watched GR Research channel where he explains that by DIY you are saving about 4-5 times the value. Meaning this $250 kit is as good as the speakers you buy already built and finished for over $1000. That's what $1000 finished speakers cost in parts - just $200! The rest is labor and retail markups at dealers or online stores. When you play music through these speakers and realize that these speakers sound like a pair of $1000+, you'll be extremely satisfied. These get down to 30 Hz easily, can even hear 25 Hz as well. I built these very same speakers in January, took 2-3 weeks taking my time. Also Amazon had them for $170 on black friday last year, the deal lasted about a month, just FYI ;)
@@HiFiMods I get it,still not worth it. You screw up game over. I bought a Korg MS-20 desktop that saved me around $1000.00 and assembled it myself....came close screwing it up too.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
That's why I never tried to make them, felt like i was watching myself. You were being real and thanks for this show.
Thanks... I did have a moment where I wondered how I would put together this video, knowing the build was basically a fail. My wife suggested just keeping it real, and it was good advice.
@@Channel33RPM Remarry her!
True. I would be devastated. I did build these tho. And they sound and look amazing. I can’t believe how good they sound.
My dad has built speaker cabinets for years. In fact, every speaker and sub I own was made by him. He has built kits before but mostly designs the cabinets and crossovers himself using components from Parts Express, and back in the day, Radio Shack.
Radio shack Madisound, Parts Express etc...
I have even bought parts from eBay and bulot with that.
You're Dad's an awesome guy. Hopefully he prefers using SB Audience drivers for his speaker builds. (hint hint. lol) Better than 99% anything else out there. One of the few vertically integrated companies in the world. They do not outsource parts but make "everything" in house! Good stuff. And affordable. It's just they are not as big here in America as Europe, so there is only one distributor. Madisound. Thankfully they carry them at all I guess. If you are not familiar with the brand I highly recommend you check them out. They "build" the drivers for other major speaker makers (contract), plus have several lines of their own brand of speakers. Producing like a million speaker drivers a year. Just no "completed speakers". They are in Indonesia, not China too. Happy New Year. "Life without music would be a mistake!" (Parts Express luckily is about an hour away from where I live. They have just about ended up a monopoly. It's hard finding a distributor you can get all the parts you need for a speaker build other than Parts Express). Take care!
My first scratch build was way back in 1978. Speakers, amplifier, pre-amp (with eq), stands and all. It came out pretty well so I just kept on going.
The one lesson I've learned from it all is to never do anything irreversible until you complete at least one rehersal of the assembly. Use tape instead of glue, make sure you understand how it all fits together... even test it. *Then* start building for keeps.
So I built these very same speakers in January, mine worked right away, look and sound top notch! I used a simple vinyl veneer from Amazon, stick it, trim it and forget it! I can only say I followed the crossover design very precise to the image in the manual, I even made sure the printed lettering/markings on the resistors/caps were laid out exactly the same, didn't want to be in your situation ;) When you play music through them and realize that these speakers sound like a pair of $1000+, you'll be extremely satisfied. These get down to 30 Hz easily, can even hear 25 Hz as well.
It took me 2-3 weeks to build these with taking my time, get some clamps guys (Harbor freight has them for cheap) do the crossovers correctly, like in the pictures of the manual and measure out the distance you need of the included speaker wire to each terminal/speaker, included wire in my kit barely gave me enough to get them all right. Also, just buy a vinyl veneer you like from Amazon and just stick it to the speakers and trim it, looks just like wood, easy peasy ;) I too didn't bother with the included peace of veneer, seemed a bit cheap looking and difficult to put on. Amazon had these for $170 on Black Friday last year, deal lasted a month or so, just FYI guys!
Good info, thanks.
I bought the CSS 1TDX speaker kit last holiday season. It was an awesome project and I’m super happy with how they turned out and even more with how they sound. Patience goes a long ways in projects like this. I had never used a router, soldered anything, or applied veneer.
I am building these now!
Not only do you get to save a few bucks, but you end up with quality speakers as good as speakers that cost 3 times as much from the "retailers". Not to mention the sense of "accomplishment" you get building something. You should also check into some Amp and Receiver repairs. Simple stuff like if it goes into "protect" mode, or one of the "knobs" go bad. You'll find you don't need to be an electrical engineer, just need to learn a few tips and tricks because when amps go into protect mode 90% of the time it's a "hidden" fuse, or one of the output transistors (or just a transistor that blew from overheating). We're talking a couple dollar part, and people toss them into the landfill and go buy another one. How crazy. I've already fixed 2 amps people just have me for free because they said "they didn't work". One was an Onkyo, the other a Pioneer Elite. And I'm an accountant not an electrical engineer, so if I can do it, anyone can! I don't know about you, but I listen to usually 4 hours of music a day (also a musician) and I get attached to my equipment like you do your pets. LOL And I hate to get rid of them, especially because of a $5 part and some solder, if that. Well, that's it, it might ne a $1 resistor, but you have to buy 10 in an order. Still cheap. Just make sure you use "the exact" make and brand of part. That's very important, yes even the brand if you want you receiver to sound like it did before it went out on you. LOL Happy New Year and best of luck in 2024. (we're probably gonna need it. lol) (something else you can do, is find some higher end speakers that don't work and simply replace the drivers instead of building cabinets from scratch. Some companies make beautiful cabinets, and if they don't work you can usually get them for like $20 a pair at a garage sale etc.)
Really enjoyed seeing this and Frank's unique spin on handymanning-or lack of same thereof. These are projects my wife usually tackles while I stand around holding the directions and making statements like: "I don't think they gave us as many screws as they were supposed to" or "I can't make head or tail out of this diagram" or "I'm telling you, there is NO troublehooting section!" And my wife's all time favorite inquiry from me when she's been working on a project all day: "Are you sure you remembered to plug it in?"
Why was number 3 so relatable for any building project I take on 😅
I built a set of hivi swan 3.1 diy. Sounds amazing so i built a second set for my home theater. Couldnt be happier, sounds incredible for movies and music. Full dolby atmos with heights. Running the swan center to match. I highly recommend these diy kits if your a builder. Thanks for sharing!
I have built many speakers.
Never have I built them from a kit before though.
Recently ordered this kit so I am excited.
The parts seem to be worth significantly more than the price of the kit.
Yeah, I have zero patience. Never tried, never will. Frank, you're a man of great patience.
I used to work in a factory that builds speaker cabinets so this brought back memories.
I built an ACA Mini amplifier kit earlier this year and I friggin' *ADORE* it! Even with only 5W of power, the tiny Nelson-Pass-designed unit puts out some of the most three-dimensional sound I've ever heard. If any of y'all want to do a proper kit build that will definitely teach you solid soldering & circuit-biasing skills, look into the ACA Mini. It's complicated enough to be a proper DIY *journey* for the electronically uninitiated like me... I am so seriously proud of that thing!
❤⚡💪🏽
Awesome man, glad you took on the project and it turned out well for you. Definitely something to be proud of! I use to be into the car stereo/boat stereo install game when I was younger. And even though I'm an accountant, I'm getting back into it, and the thing is, hardly anything has changed. Seriously. My trick was to always use Marine grade products in my build because they are 3rd party "certified" and built to last. But what's also cool, is it goes hand in hand learning about a cars electrical system. And ya know what? There really isn't anything to a car's electrical system, except they are being "overengineered" today. Did you know car batteries "never" really wear out? You can "refurbish" your own car battery, and make it last like 15 years or more. Check on RUclips here on how to refurbish your own car battery if you want to save some $$. But 12V is nothing, and you will relaize with a little research how to learn how to bypass certain components and help your car run better, and last longer. Car engines are usually around 25% efficient, and they can be made to be so much more efficient, and if were made that way would pollute a great deal less as well. (Life's too short to drive cheap cars. lol) We really are not getting the best tech for cars these days is what I have realized installing car stereos. And why car manufacturers do things like have the wiring for the windshield wipers go through the stereo. Just stupid stuff like that all day long by every manufacturer!. So if your stereo breaks down you lose your windshield wipers too. crazy. Hey, have you seen someone with an EV truck, have a generator in the bed, it's running and plugged into the truck so it always stayed charged? I think it is hilarious, and damn smart of people. Though, kinda defeats the purpose I think too, but people will always find ways to get the tools that they need, and in a much easier way than "expected". What kills me about electric cars (and nothing against them except one thing) they're silent. There's nothing like a properly tuned V-8 with some good headers and exhaust on it! Music to the ears! LOL take care and congrats on the amp build! That's cool shit!
Well, this would be a PASS for me. Yes, definitely don't have the patience for this type of project, but hey, it was fun watching you give it a try, Frank 😊
Have made record & CD shelves from solid oak, built in the closet of the spare bed-room/listening room. Also made equipment risers on the wood lathe. Speaker cables, sound absorber panels, base trap, headphone tree. But nothing with electronics in it.
I built the same set back during COVID. I too gave up on the crappy vinyl and went with a PSA walnut veneer. The PSA doesn't require contact cement. I liked the finish so much I have used the same veneer on multiple speaker projects. The 2.1 kit is an amazing value and sound fantastic. I liked them so much in fact that I also bought the 3.1 set as well. The 3.1's sound very good as well although a bit forward but I am very happy with them.
I look forward to finishing these... I'm hoping for positive ending to the story. Glad they worked out well for you.
Hope you get them going Frank,Swans are absolutely amazing sounding speakers! Keep on spinning!
Fantastic video! Love hearing about DIY projects from an honest perspective.
Glad you enjoyed it!
You’re more adventurous than I am! I am not handy and wouldn’t try this project by myself. Good on you!
I watched Steph at Skunkie Designs build a pair of these speakers and she loved them. She had really good step by step instructions. I have these saved on Amazon for a future project.
Great video Frank! Is one of my projects next winter. Putting a speaker together with a kit like that.
Great video Frank!!
Many years ago I made my own colour organ (a cabinet with multi coloured lights that when hooked up to your amp turned on and off with the music). It required much of the same skills and tools that you used. It turned out awesome and I used it for many years.
Keep on spinning Frank! 👍
I built these speakers and they do turn out great. I used mahogany veneer (from Lee Valley Tools) and it turned out looking great.
Frank, you are human! That was a very honest build project. 👍
Love your channel. Take care.
Thanks 👍
I recently bought an Edifier, R1700BT Wood. I frequently use them with my audiotechnica 120xusb and my cd player. Looks good for my needs.
Music related DIY project that I did was a Nitty Gritty Record Cleaner rebuild.
I had wanted a NGRC for a while but I didn’t want to spend the $$ on, because they were ridiculously expensive in my opinion. So I kept looking for used units on EBay and finally came across one that needed some TLC as the listing said.
It was a mess when I got it and I decided to rebuild it. I made a new cabinet, replaced some of the inner workings and for about 1/4 the price I had a working unit that I still use today.
At least you had some great top shelf beverages to get thru the process of assembling the speakers
Haha, indeed!
👏👏👏👏👏👍🏻 good effort. I have been a woodworker for 60yrs and have a lot of experience with soldering so this looks like something I would love to take on. I agree get some veneer wood and cover it with it that vinyl look pretty shoddy
Go for it! The cabinets are the hardest part. You'll have no problem. Just take your time and be methodical with the electronic part.
As a woodworker you don't have to confine yourself to kits that include cabinets. There are lots of great designs and kits that supply just the electrical components and have plans for the cabinets.
@@thatguy6054 I can build my own cabinets just not sure where to look for plans and crossovers/speakers.
I have built many speaker cabs in my life. From car audio sub boxes to building clones of the JBL 4520 Rear Loaded Horn for my live sound rig. Lots of work and planning. But if you do it right it is enjoyable to do, and can save yourself a ton of money as well.
Hey Frank, I like your pruning shear wire cutter. Yes, sometimes you just have to work with the tools you have. All kidding aside, I am an amateur woodworker and I made a pair of transmission line speakers from plans by a RUclipsr, SoundBlab. The plans included included parts to be sourced from Parts Express and a complete cut list. This was my first soldering project and I got lucky - the speakers worked! I did have to buy a soldering iron and a metric tape measure. It was a fun project and very rewarding.
👍
Years ago, like 30?, I took apart an old wornout sterio console, and was going to use the speakers in cabinets I made. Problem was, the speakers were oval shaped and not owning a router, I had no idea how to cut the shapes in the panels. I didn't figure my jigsaw would work well. So I still have the cabinets and the speakers stashed. Now I need to buy a router and try my luck.
hi Frank! Good Job!👍
I really need better speakers lol. Enjoyed your video and have been a subscriber for a few months now. Wanted to share with you my record experience my first record I bought was September 9th 2022, the release date of Ozzy's Patient Number 9 album. I love it. Anything 2007 and on of ozzy I love and the story of how headlines were saying he had a 1% chance of surviving a surgery and when he got out he replied with the album cover and announcement with the caption "I'm not dead yet!" And it sat on display that was all I intended for and a few months back I got a record player and started getting records and I'm really enjoying the hobby. I spoil myself every month with a record buy and when I can't get to a shop I do buy online. I ordered Alice Cooper's new album i hope you get to check it out as well even if it doesn't get mentioned in a video. Sending greetings from Saskatchewan 👋
The drivers look a lot like Dynaudio drivers. Those are really nice and sound good.
I thought the same thing, any markings/model/branding on the back of the drivers did say HiVi Swans on my very same kit. They sound great, get down to 30 Hz easily, can even hear 25 Hz ;)
I've seen these and wondered if it was a project I would be able to complete and I think I would have an identical experience, which is to say I might have to give it a shot despite my inexperience with project such as this.
Good clamps are necessary for quality speaker construction. If these are CNC'd as well as you say, then mayyybe one can get away with tape... but since vibration resistance & proper airflow are both major components of a hi-fi speaker, clamps are almost as needed as the glue.
Never tried that, but I did think about it in the past as possibly a way to have high-end speakers for cheaper. After looking at the videos, I dropped the idea altogether 😅
When you finally get them together and you realize you have a set of speakers that would cost 3x as much. My first try was with a set of C-Note speakers from Parts Express. Currently building a set of 3 Titan 818's from diysg. I can't wait to listen to them
pressboard and basic speakers . no. these have the supplier laughing all the way to the bank!
So beneath his placid *veneer* Frank may have suffered the heartbreak of cold solder joints! A land to which i myself have voyaged. (I finally learned to heat the wire, not the solder.) But, yes, in a world where we often stare at screens, it's good to work with ones hands.
Good tip! I will open the one speaker up in the coming weeks and see what's going on (just need a break from it right now...). I figure I should get bonus points for trying something new in front of an audience, haha.
Awesome video bro
Appreciate it
It sounds like a "+" crossed a "-" lead somewhere if your sound went out. Make sure there is no cross talking at all solder points. I have built several pairs of speakers. The Swan 3.1 are very popular and are supposed to be excellent speakers. There is even a crossover mod for the 3.1 that is supposed to improve the sound.
I am going to go back and check. Thanks for the info.
Good info. Thanks
Question?? I’m fairly new to vinyl collecting and just ordered The River by Bruce Springsteen, it comes with two specially made inner sleeves with pictures on them, made with thicker paper (if you look it up on google you should see what I’m talking about), anyway it also comes with the standard thin paper sleeves as well. How should I store this? Should I put the record in the thin sleeves and then that inside the thick sleeves or just throw away the thin paper sleeves and just put the record in the thick custom sleeves?
I think DIY speaker-building should be part of any elementary or secondary school shop class. Add DIY electric guitar-making too to make those classes a lot more fun and interesting. :)
I royally messed up a guitar build a few years ago as well... and of course had to do a video about it :)
Those would definitely be fun shops classes though!
As a woodworker. Something that was always annoying and waste time was when ya hand off a project to someone without any codes. Something i noticed these not having are some sort of legend to what is what. F and B for front and back, then L and R for left and right. Then TP and BT for top and bottom. I have always found that knowing these is so much easier when it comes to something like this. Mostly because you ain't gonna see the insides anyways. So why not make it easier. Especially when ya end up with bottoms on tops. Even matching marks that line up. I forget what it was we built. But matching edges had the same mark. 1 goes with that. The edge with 2 marks go together. 3, and 4. One of those work smarter, not harder things. So with markings like this. Anyone should be able to put it together correctly everytime.
Something i learned about speaker box building when i was a teenager was to not have all the pieces the same size. I don't have them anymore. But it ended up looking like a small table that could be at the side of a lawn chair. Can't believe i hacked down a massive 3x3 tic tac toe record cabinet for 2 lousy speakers. Should've kept the cabinet. Must've held 400-500 albums in it.
This looks fun. Definitely have the patience and skills, but at $250, I'd probably just buy some Klipsch's or whatever.
I've restored a couple vintage guitar tube amps and whatnot, both electrically and cosmetically, which came out great. Always wanted to try to build my own speaker cabs though.. One of these days I'll get around to it! Just need a router.
Nice Try Bro Looking forward to hearing the finished Project Man 👍✌️🖖
Thanks 👍
Great effort Frank I too fall into the rush rush rush only read the instructions if someone puts a gun to my head category. I’ve just bought an old boom box and ripped the guts out, I’m planning to build it into a Bluetooth speaker with rechargeable battery. I would say watch this space but I doubt as a species we will exist long enough to see a working result 🙄🙄🙄
is it still worth doing this today? I built 5ft tall pyramid shaped speakers in the mid to late 80es, when you could save about 50% on a set by doing it yourself. Mine were designed by speaker geeks that ran a little store, they gave me the plans for the wood and also built all the electronics - hot glued on a piece of particle board - and built for the amp I bought. Fun process, quite some mistakes too, but they worked great. I had real wood veneer that was iron on, which was super easy and still only shows a couple bubbles. The speakers are now in the garage, too big for any room but the living room and I have a surround sound system there now, but I can't bring myself to throw them away, leave that chore to the kids - or they can use them.
But can't you get a similar quality ready made set for 250 nowadays? I get the fun of DYI, are these better than comparable price ones you can buy? I'd be tempted just for fun and to replace the 20 year old computer speakers I use on my desk, if the work is worth it. Fit seems fantastic, I had to use quite some wood tools to make mine go together, spent long nights in the basement instead of behind my school books, LOL.
Fair play Frank for having a go !! I wouldn't have the patience or confidence to do that. Bit heavy on the glue my friend and I dont think sheri would want to see them in the cinema room.... but it was a great video to watch. Keep on spinnin !!
The fun in making DIY speakers is when you go the next step and learn how to influence the sound. You do this by tweaking the crossover and/or play with the damping. Unfortunately this is a rabbithole. You wil never be satisfied and end up with hundreds of dollars in spare parts and measuring equipment. Luckily the rabbithole is a very cosy place.
Don't worry if your speakers don't come out "pretty" as long as they "sound good"! lol Yeah don't worry about the looks of your speakers because most high end "audiophile" speakers generally look horrendous! Have you seen a Wilson Audio speaker? They look like a half built droid from Star Wars. All for $50K a pair. Painted Purple no less.
Better than I could do...
My friend used to make boxes for cars. Not always pretty but they worked. I tried once, but it was not good. Not good.
How did they sound in the end??
I got frustrated... they are still sitting unfinished.
Don’t like that feeling when you put everything together and something doesn’t work :)))
Me neither... I will fix it at some point.
Read the instructions before assembling the speakers. Do not use them as a step by step guide. The crossovers should have been the first part understood and worked on. Bench test the electronics for errors and corrections, before mounting them to the wooden cabinets.
My father was a TV repairman, I learned from his techniques as well as from his mistakes.
That sounds like a great advice - to bench test everything prior! I did however follow the instructions for these very same speakers, finished them with an Amzon vinyl veneer, soldered and put all the speaker drivers in, placed them on stands, hooked them up and all worked perfectly great. ;) It did take 2-3 weeks to complete it. I'll follow your advice next time, don't want to be unscrewing and resolder anything after. ))
Reading the instructions is sometimes useful, but if caught might get your man card suspended. 😂
Haha, indeed!
This was a pain in the a** to build. The boxes anyway. The rest was a breeze. Took long for the paint to dry and did lots of sanding. I always check three times then proceed to my next step.
It gets easier after you build 20 or 30 of them.😁
Way too much glue Frank. Also use a small brush to spread it on evenly and wipe off any that squeezes out right away with a damp cloth.
Somewhat pricey for something you have to assemble yourself. Those woofers do remind me of Dynaudio ones, with their distinctive dust caps.
I get how someone might like to do build a speaker kit....but for 250 it would be easier just to buy speakers......ot maybe i just might be lazy.
You can buy your own speakers for that price but building the yourself you can put whatever driver and tweeter in to make them sound how you want
This is exactly why I leave the speaker cabinet building to the experts (manufacturer).
There's no glue shortage at your house.
:)
Nope. Nada. Ain't happenin'. It would be one of those Kirk and McCoy moments, eh? "Dammit Jim, I'm a technician not a carpenter!" Got to know yer limitations, and woodworking has never been a remote possibility, lol. Maybe with the right tools, but hey, yer doing pretty good, better than I would do. Cheers.
I don't know... I think I proved I can mess up a speaker build, haha. Hopefully, this will have a happy ending at some point. Cheers man!
Yeah... No. I've studied some electronics in high school and I'm a pretty handy guy when it comes to building stuff, but even though those speakers look pretty straight forward to build, I'll pass. I've refoamed a speaker once and it took forever to clean the glue off the old woofer, that i never did the other one 😂 not to mention replacing 8 bulbs each on two McIntosh amps (soldering all on a circuit) which resulted in one amp still working like a champ 5 years later and all the lights on the other one have burnt again.
Yikes that was painful 😂 I'm assuming your day job is not using your hands? Not sure I would have done any better mind you.
I am ok at building big stuff... I built that whole bar area where the vid was shot (it used to be a roughed in bathroom, which we used as a storage room). I guess I just need more patience for the small stuff. You are right though, my day job does not involve working with my hands... I work in communications and media relations.
One if the most simple things humans have ever created was a wood box!? Are audiophiles just terrible with their hands?
Um, nope. I wouldn't attempt that for free speakers. You couldn't even pay me to attempt that. 😂
It's a enjoyable hobby...it's a good thing you have all that booze...
This was hard to watch. 🤢
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
$250 and ya got to build it yourself!?! Rippppoff
Well... I'm not sure yet. Some folks are saying they sound like much more expensive speakers. I will report back when I eventually finish this.
Yeah that all is too much money for me to waste just to try my hand at building a speaker when I never had before nor had anyone show me how. But I "was" qurious.
The problem of do it yourself is simple. A mistake is made, you can’t call Ghostbusters! You look in the mirror and say, I am incapable of diy, projects. Be a man buck up and then if something happens you can yell to customer service! You will feel better!
No thank you 😂
$249 bucks and assemble yourself....what?That's like going to grocery store and having to check yourself out.....Go to a grocery store, pay them then I have to do their job for FREE...Screw that!
You don't understand, if you've watched GR Research channel where he explains that by DIY you are saving about 4-5 times the value. Meaning this $250 kit is as good as the speakers you buy already built and finished for over $1000. That's what $1000 finished speakers cost in parts - just $200! The rest is labor and retail markups at dealers or online stores. When you play music through these speakers and realize that these speakers sound like a pair of $1000+, you'll be extremely satisfied. These get down to 30 Hz easily, can even hear 25 Hz as well. I built these very same speakers in January, took 2-3 weeks taking my time. Also Amazon had them for $170 on black friday last year, the deal lasted about a month, just FYI ;)
@@HiFiMods I get it,still not worth it.
You screw up game over.
I bought a Korg MS-20 desktop that saved me around $1000.00 and assembled it myself....came close screwing it up too.