Small DIY Speaker with a "full" sound

[981CS]

I want to build a small set of speakers to match the decor of a certain room (oak with a certain stain for WAF). I need them to be small but I also want them to be able to play full range-ish. No subs. Blending into the decor is key here.

I've built the Carmody Sprite (4 ohm version) and was just thinking about doing the same only in two separate enclosures (8 ohm versions this time). Is there another build that'll sound as good and be as small as the ND90-8? It's quick, has a cheap/easy crossover and I think sounds very good given what they are. I can also lay them any way I want and not be restrained by a tweeter in an odd place. I don't keep up with the latest but this seems like a very viable solution and isn't all that hard on the pocketbook either. Seems out of the 3" - 4" PE speakers I can find the ND90 digs the deepest in a ported enclosure.

Could do something like the Overnight Sensation but that's pushing the size limits of what I want/can get away with.

[Wolf]

How about my Dragon Foals? 3 ltrs, vented to about 55Hz, 6 components in the filter. HiVi M3n drivers.

https://techtalk.parts-express.com/blogs/wolf/1193971-dragon-foals-writeup

Next step up would be a 2way, but you said you don't want that...
Wolf

[djg]

I built a pair of these for surrounds, nice sound.

http://zaphaudio.com/audio-speaker18.html

[djg]

This is a two way coax. No tweeter orientation problems.Sealed or ported. The sealed is quite small. I built a ported pair, very nice sound. 4 element XO. A "plop in the box" simple design.

https://techtalk.parts-express.com/forum/tech-talk-forum/1426474-cx120-8-easy-build

[a4eaudio]

...I need them to be small but I also want them to be able to play full range-ish. No subs...

After reading this far, I was thinking you wanted something small, like a 5" or 6" two-way.

... Is there another build that'll sound as good and be as small as the ND90-8? It's quick, has a cheap/easy crossover and I think sounds very good given what they are. I can also lay them any way I want and not be restrained by a tweeter in an odd place.

At this point, I'm not coming up with many suggestions. A 3 1/2" driver is NOT going to give you full-range-ish without a sub. But that is okay and I get what you are looking for. Overnight Sensations or Dayton 4 come to mind.

Could do something like the Overnight Sensation but that's pushing the size limits of what I want/can get away with.

Ha, we were kind of on the same page. One other speaker that comes to mind is the Helium. You could even build this in a bigger cabinet (but still smaller than the Overnight Sensations) to dig deeper and keep the original crossover.

[Wolf]

The Heliums were on my radar to mention, but he said he did not want a tweeter.
Full-rangish dictates about 50Hz at the least (60Hz at absolute highest), and a bump in the 90-200Hz range helps with perceived size and fullness when not very large.

Wolf

[djg]

Chris Roemer's Pico Neos?

[981CS]

I already know what the Sprite sounds like as I've built one. That will absolutely work for my needs (well, making them separate speakers). They are small but don't necessarily sound like it.

I guess I wanted to see if there was anything else out there in a similar driver and enclosure size that potentially sounds better. Money isn't necessarily an object but I do feel the ND90 gives a fantastic bang for the buck, so to speak.

I'm not against a tweeter/2-way but I do know that the goal of this speaker is to not really look like a speaker. A 2-enclosure Sprite could be a pair of fancy kleenex boxes at first glance to the unsuspecting onlooker, right? This is a system that'll play in the background but the DIY speaker guy in me wants to do it the best way I can.

I'll look over some of the options folks have posted too. I like the look of the HiVi 3" but IIRC that driver needs a huge box if you plan on porting. Sealed sounds good but lacks bass.

[Wolf]

3 ltrs is not huge. I suppose I don't know which 3" you mean for sure, M3n or B3s.

[Chris Roemer]

I did NOT build Dave Brown's "Dayton 4" (named for the $12 4" Dayton woofer it uses, I presume - which might be up to $15 now?), but I did my own design using the TCP115-4 woofer and a ($100, once) morel tweeter, using a box about 2/3rds the volume of the Pico Neo (about 0.10cf). I also used a series XO to help minimize parts count, and save space, and save money. That woofer in a small vented box sims to an F3 of 50Hz, but plays (on my desktop) a STRONG 50Hz tone, and a pretty dang strong 40.

I could not recommend DB's design more (than I am). The small (but mighty) woofer allows a higher Xpt, making a cheaper tweeter a worthy pairing. The small tweeter and woofer will be so close that I doubt you'll have any "placement issues". (I made my cabs rather tall (14") w/a small footprint (4-1/4" x 4-1/4") which takes up little desk space but/and lifts the tweeters up near ear level w/out stands. They're approx. the size of a pair of "Passive Aggressives" (or that Denovo box), stacked.)

[marvin]

Duane Brown. Dr. Jay and Craig K modded it with a larger enclosure for more extended bass. I built the modded version which was very well received at InDIYana and Iowa.

https://techtalk.parts-express.com/forum/tech-talk-forum/1423033-duane-brown-dayton-4-deluxe-version

[3rutu5]

Im sure ill get shot down for sayijng this, but the Tectonic 3.5's (TEBM65?) in a 0.18cuft enclosure got into the 50's pretty decently and really put up a good fight. Especially with Chris's recommendation around the BSC and all i ran them off was the DTA tripath amp chip from DA.