I have been a long time lurker on many diy speaker forums, but have yet to take the plunge. Due to mostly $$ constraints I have been hesitent to jump in, I could only probably afford to do this once or twice.
I am after advice with regard to a few well documented diy speakers, I am not going to try to create something new.
My requirements are as follws:
- Bookshelf speakers that will actually sit on a shelf, and therefore be quite close the wall. Shelf will be no more than 45cm (17inches) deep.
- Amp is a Cambridge Audio 340R.
- Room size 4m (13 feet) x 6m (19 feet).
- Music styles: quite broad, a lot of new soul and jazz (4Hero, Hiatus Kaiyote), techno (Jeff Mills, Derrick May), electronic music (Massive Attack) and occasional foray into nineties nostalgia and pop.
- Movies: not a priority.
- Budget: no more than US$400 for parts (excluding cabinets).
- Speaker Quality: I don't think I am an audiophile, but I have been improving my system every few years and therefore don't want to go backwards, my current setup are Wharfedale 8.4 (2 1/2 Way).
My concerns are mostly about:
- Placement close to the wall
- Listening position, I don't have a listening room with a chair is the optiomal position, so I suppose I don't want a speaker with a narrow ideal listening postion.
The contenders:
Continuums (Jeff Bagby):
Pros: I have read has a wide soundstage and is sealed and therefore will have less issues with near wall placement (don't be too harsh if I am way off on this thought).
Cons: Will not pack much of a punch in the lower frequencys and I will not be able to supplement with a sub in the short term due to limited $$ (this may do my head in).
Denham (Jeff Bagby)
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/speaker...enham-kit.html an updated version of this http://techtalk.parts-express.com/sh...180-MTM-Design
Pros: will go a little deeper.
Cons: may not play well with near wall (I understand that I can put foam in the rear port, but I believe this reduces the bass).
Could the Denham be modified to have a front port (or even a front slot port), would this help with near wall placement?
If I had the $$ I would get the Statement Monitors (http://speakerdesignworks.com/Statements_Monitor.html) or Finalists (http://speakerdesignworks.com/Finalists_1.html) as I believe they have near wall options with a slightly modified crossover schematic. I was quite impressed with the full size statements II from this http://youtu.be/_PIK-htho-8
All advice is welcome, I understand there are no perfect solutions, but just want reassurance that I am not throwing $$ down the drain. If other options spring to mind, please don't hesitate to throw them into the ring.
Thanks in advance
Ian.
I am after advice with regard to a few well documented diy speakers, I am not going to try to create something new.
My requirements are as follws:
- Bookshelf speakers that will actually sit on a shelf, and therefore be quite close the wall. Shelf will be no more than 45cm (17inches) deep.
- Amp is a Cambridge Audio 340R.
- Room size 4m (13 feet) x 6m (19 feet).
- Music styles: quite broad, a lot of new soul and jazz (4Hero, Hiatus Kaiyote), techno (Jeff Mills, Derrick May), electronic music (Massive Attack) and occasional foray into nineties nostalgia and pop.
- Movies: not a priority.
- Budget: no more than US$400 for parts (excluding cabinets).
- Speaker Quality: I don't think I am an audiophile, but I have been improving my system every few years and therefore don't want to go backwards, my current setup are Wharfedale 8.4 (2 1/2 Way).
My concerns are mostly about:
- Placement close to the wall
- Listening position, I don't have a listening room with a chair is the optiomal position, so I suppose I don't want a speaker with a narrow ideal listening postion.
The contenders:
Continuums (Jeff Bagby):
Pros: I have read has a wide soundstage and is sealed and therefore will have less issues with near wall placement (don't be too harsh if I am way off on this thought).
Cons: Will not pack much of a punch in the lower frequencys and I will not be able to supplement with a sub in the short term due to limited $$ (this may do my head in).
Denham (Jeff Bagby)
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/speaker...enham-kit.html an updated version of this http://techtalk.parts-express.com/sh...180-MTM-Design
Pros: will go a little deeper.
Cons: may not play well with near wall (I understand that I can put foam in the rear port, but I believe this reduces the bass).
Could the Denham be modified to have a front port (or even a front slot port), would this help with near wall placement?
If I had the $$ I would get the Statement Monitors (http://speakerdesignworks.com/Statements_Monitor.html) or Finalists (http://speakerdesignworks.com/Finalists_1.html) as I believe they have near wall options with a slightly modified crossover schematic. I was quite impressed with the full size statements II from this http://youtu.be/_PIK-htho-8
All advice is welcome, I understand there are no perfect solutions, but just want reassurance that I am not throwing $$ down the drain. If other options spring to mind, please don't hesitate to throw them into the ring.
Thanks in advance

Ian.
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