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Do you feel excited having tall DIY speakers than commercially made ones? [message #99708]

Tue, 18 August 2026 23:10

Hank
Messages: 60
Registered: December 2025

Viscount

I don't know if we are many, but I always get genuinely excited by tall DIY speakers. In fact, I will pay for such speakers without hesitation than going for the shiny company made speakers. I don't enjoy having short speaker, earbuds and all of those tiny sound gears... I go for the tall ones.

One of the reasons that I like those DIY tall speakers is that it feel personal since people who make it at their shops must be passionate audiophile who know what a good speaker should look like.

Have you had the experience of having a pair of tall DIY speakers that made you believe they are better than the commercial ones? What was unique about that made it fall in love with the pairs? Or do you always buy commercially made ones?

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Re: Do you feel excited having tall DIY speakers than commercially made ones? [message #99709 is a reply to message #99708]

Wed, 19 August 2026 16:53

Rusty
Messages: 1460
Registered: May 2018
Location: Kansas City Missouri

Illuminati (3rd Degree)

I helped a friend build a pair of 2Pi Towers a couple of years back. They're tower speakers, with high sensitivity drivers. The build is a rectangular box and a rear port without a tube. Just the thickness of the mdf used for their construction. A very simple crossover. And they sound dynamite. My friend had been using a pair of Technics 2 way budget bookshelf speakers he'd had since a teenager. The transition to these was staggering.
I'd built a pair of Pi horn loaded bass reflex speakers years before that are BIG and sound BIG. I use tube and solid state amps with it. High sensitivity speakers have quenched my desire for fidelity.

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Re: Do you feel excited having tall DIY speakers than commercially made ones? [message #99710 is a reply to message #99709]

Wed, 19 August 2026 17:18

Barryso
Messages: 223
Registered: May 2009

Master

Those are two fantastic looking sets of speakers!

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Re: Do you feel excited having tall DIY speakers than commercially made ones? [message #99711 is a reply to message #99710]

Thu, 20 August 2026 08:50

Wayne Parham
Messages: 19083
Registered: January 2001

Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Totally droolworthy!

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Re: Do you feel excited having tall DIY speakers than commercially made ones? [message #99712 is a reply to message #99709]

Thu, 20 August 2026 12:44

Hank
Messages: 60
Registered: December 2025

Viscount

Rusty wrote on Wed, 19 August 2026 16:53

I helped a friend build a pair of 2Pi Towers a couple of years back. They're tower speakers, with high sensitivity drivers. The build is a rectangular box and a rear port without a tube. Just the thickness of the mdf used for their construction. A very simple crossover. And they sound dynamite. My friend had been using a pair of Technics 2 way budget bookshelf speakers he'd had since a teenager. The transition to these was staggering.
I'd built a pair of Pi horn loaded bass reflex speakers years before that are BIG and sound BIG. I use tube and solid state amps with it. High sensitivity speakers have quenched my desire for fidelity.

They look stunning. Perfectly positioned and matches the wall color.

How much did you spend in total in assembling everything when you did a few years ago? Can you remember?

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Re: Do you feel excited having tall DIY speakers than commercially made ones? [message #99713 is a reply to message #99712]

Thu, 20 August 2026 18:41

Rusty
Messages: 1460
Registered: May 2018
Location: Kansas City Missouri

Illuminati (3rd Degree)

Well I do know it would be more expensive now. But I seem to remember maybe 4 or 5 hundred for parts and material. It's probably been close to 20 years or so. Wayne discontinued the Theater 4 Pi's some time ago. It uses an Eminence Delta 15" woofer and Eminence compression tweeter and horn. Smooth and dynamic. Just what I crave. I used to blow the grills off the woofers from enthusiastic levels. They're just press fit in the recess. I don't indulge that so much these days.

The tower 2 Pi's might have been around 3 hundred or so for parts and materials. Really a bargain I'd imagine to many commercial speakers that would cost several times more. We used solid Ash wood stock over the MDF 1/4 top, sides and part of the baffle. WIth some 3/8 and 1/2 to create my version of an Art Deco style.

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Re: Do you feel excited having tall DIY speakers than commercially made ones? [message #99720 is a reply to message #99708]

Sat, 22 August 2026 02:00

Bercle
Messages: 63
Registered: December 2025

Viscount

I have a friend who also likes DIY speakers, and his reason is that he feels at home knowing that the speakers was done by someone he knows using the components that he believes is the best, but I have always liked using the commercially built ones.

I've got the KEF LS50 metas and Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 floorstanders at home, and the honest truth is that I've gotten value for money since I got them irrespective of the fact that they are not popular models.

In the past, I've tried DIY speakers, but my concern then how some of the parts wear out faster plus the stress that comes with trying to fix them myself. That's why I've gone with commercial ones because I think they were properly tested before being sold, and the majority comes with warranties, which we rarely get with DIY spekaers.

My friend has been lucky with his DIY speakers and found a way to always solve any matters that arise, but I don't have time for such at the moment. So, I go for the commercially made ones.

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Re: Do you feel excited having tall DIY speakers than commercially made ones? [message #99724 is a reply to message #99720]

Sat, 22 August 2026 10:46

Rusty
Messages: 1460
Registered: May 2018
Location: Kansas City Missouri

Illuminati (3rd Degree)

I'm kinda puzzled with what "parts" wear out with DIY speakers, anymore than commercial speakers. Capacitors, coils, resistors or speaker drivers? Many DIY speakers I've been familiar with usually use very good speaker drivers as well as the crossover components. And DIYr's tend to overbuild their cabinets to the commercial ones. About the only thing I can assume is that many people aren't DIY oriented is from cabinet construction and I guess sweat equity that goes into building DIY speakers.

But for me, that was the compelling challenge. That and the cost to performance ratio. It's all good though in enjoying what the audio pursuit is.

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Re: Do you feel excited having tall DIY speakers than commercially made ones? [message #99727 is a reply to message #99724]

Sat, 22 August 2026 20:40

gofar99
Messages: 2043
Registered: May 2010
Location: Southern Arizona

Illuminati (5th Degree)

I like both diy and commercial speakers. For commercial I use Martin Logan ESLs. Five tall and if you like the type of sound they produce hard to beat. To boot they are sensitive as well not like some other un-named ones). 15 watts is really loud. For Diy -sort of- I refurbished a set of Altec Lansing VOTs (home type) that had no drivers. I used a new manufacture 30 cm woofer that was mode by Great Plains Audio that is identical to the originals. I upgraded the tweeter midrange horn with a Radian 475 PB driveer on a Seos horn. I used a self designed crossover. Sensitivity is huge so are the cabinets. I use only tube amps a preamps. /forum/index.php?t=getfile&id=3611&private=0