• The AnorexiArray II

Tom R.

If you are looking for a project in the first category and they aren't going to be your main speakers a quasi line array (woofer array with a single tweeter) can be a rewarding project, and the final product, even with $4 buyout drivers, will provide sensitivity, dynamics and a soundstage you can't get with most smaller two or three way point source speakers. But almost any speaker built around cheap drivers will display some serious compromises in its octave-to-octave tonal balance (there will be some clearly audible peaks and nulls) and detail resolution. They definitely will not be high end speakers.

If you are looking for a pair of speakers in the second category (serious, high end "keepers") a budget line array is not the best choice. My guideline minimum expenditure is $1,000 because that's about the least you will spend for 16 to 20 quality woofers, two ribbon tweeters, and all the other parts plus enclosure construction and finishing costs. If your budget is less than $1K I believe you will get much better sound from a conventional point source two or three way pair using good quality $30-$60 drivers like GR Reserach M130 woofers, Dayton Audio RS series drivers, and many others. Also, if you don't have testing equipment it's impossible to design and tweak a crossover that will provide the sound a good quality set of drivers is capable of achieving, and it's best to get a speaker "kit" from one of the non mainstream companies who offer them, like Selah Audio, GR Reserach, RAW Acoustics, Pi Speakers, etc. With their designs the drivers have been selected by knowledgable people and the crossovers have been competently designed and tested.

Tom R.

• Nearfield Line Array White Paper

I built a NSB/PT2 line array last summer. 49 cent midwoofers that
were modified, 16 per tower and 10 Dayton PT2 planars per tower
{$25 ea.)

While I consider this a budget line array, the plan was to make
'high end' sound and I think I achieved this as I auditioned high end store speakers and I wasn't too thrilled. The point is, while
the system is using 49 cent midwoofers and $25 tweeters, what really
gets you cost-wise is all the misc. costs that add up.

I itemized about 95% of the project on a spreadsheet counting every
screw, rags, gloves, nails, tools, glue, stain, magnets, plywood,
mdf, solid oak pieces, sandpaper, terminals, wire, solder,
chemicals, Acousta-stuf, poly batting, turntable, skidpads,
rope caulk, sanding sealer, liquid nails, bondo, etc., and the
project cost about $2k to make from scratch taking into account all
the stuff needed.

While DIY is cool, driver cost alone will not be a good judge on
project cost. Driver cost for this project was;

midwoofer = 32 * 49 cents {plus $1 shipping per driver} = $47.68
tweeter = 20 * ~$25 = $500

Driver cost = ~$547.58
Materials = ~ $1450

If I went 'cheap' on material costs, then the sound I get out of
the system would not be as good. 'Sum of all parts' is what makes it sound good including construction method and materials used.

Tom R