Best way to learn the craft?

[stephenmarklay]

I am having fun getting back to audio. I dabbled in and read up on how to build speakers years ago and only vaguely remember what I once new (not a lot.) What would be a path of least resistance to start learning about the design parameters, drivers, crossovers (and all the other things they accomplish.) I do have the LSDCB but it is not a sit down and read book (for me) as much as a handy go to.

Thoughts?

[maynardg]

LSDCB is not the best path. Go to the Speaker Building Bible sticky. Start there.

[scottvalentin]

Paul Carmody's site https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/diy has some excellent material on the right hand side bar. I think it is in the sticky mentioned by Maynard above. He also outlines a process to take manufacturer data and be able to get it into PCD or WinPCD to start doing some crossover simulations. He takes you through box sims and diffraction and baffle step, so pretty good coverage of topics that form the basis of a good simulation. Good luck!

[DanP]

Looks like you're already on the right track. Keep asking questions, reading and building. If there's a topic you need more clarity on, you can contact a knowledgable member directly. Most guys on PETT are happy to share what they've learned. And while I've heard that the LDCB was not right for a lot of people starting out, it was a great place for me to start to give me a theoretical baseline for the empirical data I was about to explore.

Dan

[johnnyrichards]

Build, build, build. Like any other craft, it takes experience to really make progress. Keep a skeptical mind when reading advice - there are really no secrets beyond putting in the hours and exposing yourself to as wide a variety of designs as possible.

[johnnyrichards]

To expand - if you listen to a certain pair and find something you dislike, ask the designer for as many details as possible with regards to driver selection, crossover topology, cabinet construction including bass tuning. Most of us are happy to discuss these, and a well documented design will already have most of these decisions made public. Do not be afraid of failure - it is part of the process. Remember, this day and age it only takes ambition and trained ears to build a great pair of speakers. Modern computer based tools has eliminated the "magic" (read that in relation to a famous quote by Asimov), so dive in and have fun. Pay no attention to those who claim golden ears, and develop some thick skin as there are critics within our midst who will shred your attempts. Reverse the polarity on a driver and listen. Plug ports and listen.

When not actively building, listen. Listen. Listen. Do A/B comparisons. Attend DIY shows. Attend commercial audio shows. Attend live music events - whether they are orchestral or corner bar rock shows. Play with the equalizer in your system - it can help to learn to pinpoint octave ranges that are problematic.

This can be quite a fun hobby, if your goal is to start a company you are better off attending some business management classes and some marketing classes at a local college - a good product is the easy part of starting a company.

[stephenmarklay]

To expand - if you listen to a certain pair and find something you dislike, ask the designer for as many details as possible with regards to driver selection, crossover topology, cabinet construction including bass tuning. Most of us are happy to discuss these, and a well documented design will already have most of these decisions made public. Do not be afraid of failure - it is part of the process. Remember, this day and age it only takes ambition and trained ears to build a great pair of speakers. Modern computer based tools has eliminated the "magic" (read that in relation to a famous quote by Asimov), so dive in and have fun. Pay no attention to those who claim golden ears, and develop some thick skin as there are critics within our midst who will shred your attempts. Reverse the polarity on a driver and listen. Plug ports and listen.

When not actively building, listen. Listen. Listen. Do A/B comparisons. Attend DIY shows. Attend commercial audio shows. Attend live music events - whether they are orchestral or corner bar rock shows. Play with the equalizer in your system - it can help to learn to pinpoint octave ranges that are problematic.

This can be quite a fun hobby, if your goal is to start a company you are better off attending some business management classes and some marketing classes at a local college - a good product is the easy part of starting a company.

Thanks so much. Oh no I am certainly not looking at making it a business of any sort. I have always enjoyed audio. I was not at all involved after my second child was born. Now I have a bit more time and I can even listen bit. I resorted to headphones for years since that was the only way I could enjoy music without a ton of background noise in the house.

Anyway, thank you.

[JRT]

I am having fun getting back to audio. I dabbled in and read up on how to build speakers years ago and only vaguely remember what I once new (not a lot.) What would be a path of least resistance to start learning about the design parameters, drivers, crossovers (and all the other things they accomplish.)

Start with the sticky thread titled "The Speaker Building Bible" (not to be confused with the similarly titled book) which can be found at the top of this forum.

[Ranis]

I am in the same boat as you. I felt I have read lots of info on how to generally build a pair but there is still so much I don't know. I just decided to jump in the deep end and bought a pair of usher woofers and morel tweeters. I am probably not going to do these justice but I am going to try my best and honestly the people on here are very helpful. In my recent move I actually lost my mini dsp and now I am going to have to do the xover differently which means I will now need measurements which I don't currently have but I will find a way. Plus I think I will learn more from making the many mistakes I am about to make.

[skatz]

Nobody has mentioned it yet in this thread, so I will. Ray Alden's Speaker Building 201 is a good introductory book, less obtuse than the LSDCB.

[Sydney]

Related

[PWR RYD]

Nobody has mentioned it yet in this thread, so I will. Ray Alden's Speaker Building 201 is a good introductory book, less obtuse than the LSDCB.

We were just waiting for Roemer to copy/paste his regular response about it and WinISD

[philthien]

Consider golf.

Maybe less frustrating.

And that is saying something.

[skatz]

We were just waiting for Roemer to copy/paste his regular response about it and WinISD

Didn't know I was interfering with your plot!!

[Geoff Millar]

Related

Thanks, that's a good read and reasonably digestible, even for a newbie like me!

In response to the OP, I got into DIY by being dis-satisfied with commercial offerings' quality and price.

As many will tell you, the best way to start is to build an established and well reviewed design which suits your needs: the designer's done all the hard work for you and you can get an understanding of how they sound from other builders. That said, you really couldn't go wrong with any speakers from well known and established designers such as Curt Campbell and Paul Carmody.

I specifically mention Curt and Paul as I've built their designs (Slapshot, Tritrix and Classix II) and am delighted with the sound, quality and value, but there are many other designers who will be happy to share their designs and answer your questions. I also have a 'to do' list including Ron E's "C-notes" (not the PE kit) and Paul's Classix 2.5.

Having greatly enjoyed the journey so far, I thought I'd try designing a speaker, albeit one which used an existing cabinet and driver combination. With a lot of help from PETT members (particular thankyou's to Chiris Roemer, Don Radick and Kornbread) , I used XSim to design a crossover and this speaker's on my list as well.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the learning and building process, the incredible help provided by PETT members and designers; and of course, the end product of all this is that our music collection sounds better than ever.

Good luck

Geoff