# seeking suggestions for DIY home theater speakers



## al dog (May 2, 2014)

hello! i am seeking suggestions for DIY speakers.....something equivalent to these: http://www.polkaudio.com/products/rm85

these look nice: http://www.parts-express.com/projec...m1010X497171Xaca94ab7b7d6d763802fb141343b157e

any other suggestions? i want to keep the budget around $250 for 5 speakers.

i will be building a subwoofer in the future to go with them.

Thanks!!


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## fusseli (May 1, 2007)

Yeah you will be limited to the most budget-friendly options out there. Have you seen the BR-1 kit? If you make your own boxes that would be cheapest, but PE has knock downs that are .23cuft that would work well.


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## al dog (May 2, 2014)

the BR-1 looks nice. i see that the cabinets they have in the full kit are rear ported and the cabinet is too deep for my application (i want them on the wall on either side of the tv, no more than 8" deep). could i custom build a shallower cabinet and put the port on the front?


what kind of drivers do you think they use in those polk audio speakers that are only 2 1/2"? i looked at all the 2 1/2" drivers on parts express and they are all really low power handling.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

al dog said:


> hello! i am seeking suggestions for DIY speakers.....something equivalent to these: http://www.polkaudio.com/products/rm85
> 
> these look nice: http://www.parts-express.com/projec...m1010X497171Xaca94ab7b7d6d763802fb141343b157e
> 
> ...


After building several DIY speaker projects , I can tell you honestly that $250 is not enough to complete any speaker project worth having.... imo


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## al dog (May 2, 2014)

so you are saying that it would it be more cost effective to buy the polks that i linked to for 250 bucks?


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

If so yes it would be much more cost efficient to get that speaker package... 
The wood + paint on my latest project was $200...no speakers lddude:


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## al dog (May 2, 2014)

bummer.


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## fusseli (May 1, 2007)

al dog said:


> the BR-1 looks nice. i see that the cabinets they have in the full kit are rear ported and the cabinet is too deep for my application (i want them on the wall on either side of the tv, no more than 8" deep). could i custom build a shallower cabinet and put the port on the front?


Definitely. Just keep the width of the cabinet the same so the baffle width is unchanged, and adjust hieght to make up the volume of having a shallower cabinet.


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## GCG (Aug 22, 2013)

They don't the spec's for the dia. and length of the port. You'll need to call for them. That'll limit how shallow you can go with the cabinet unless you get creative.


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

al dog said:


> bummer.


I'd agree. DIY is usually better for getting BETTER results for the same price point at high prices... $250 satellite speaker sets aren't going to see much benefits since they are already at razor thin margins for the companies...

now if you were looking at trying to best Polk M75's or something then that's VERY doable.


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## corradizo (Jan 19, 2014)

3 pr pioneer bs22's. Can you diy bettrr than them for 250?

Pete


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

corradizo said:


> 3 pr pioneer bs22's. Can you diy bettrr than them for 250?
> 
> Pete


Not in my opinion. $250 per speaker. Than yes. $250 for all six. No


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

I could probably build something comparable for 250. I'd use full range drivers and build simple sealed boxes for them. 

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-rs100-4-4-reference-full-range-driver-4-ohm--295-378

You could get 5 of those and plywood, titebond, and even a decent finisher for around 250 and I'd bet they sounded better. This assumes you already own the tools to do so and don't consider your time valuable. Once you factor in labor and tools it's cheaper to buy. IMO speaker building is great for people who love woodworking. 

You can do some amazing things if you really invest time and money in the hobby. There is no speaker like the one you made. Just be advised it's not for most people.


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## al dog (May 2, 2014)

I have plenty of tools, wood, and time...and i enjoy building things  i am also pretty good electronics so i am not scared of building a crossover either.

i was at best buy last night listening to the bookshelf speakers on display. they had a set of klipsch, the polk t15, and the pioneer b22. i think i have determined that i am definatly not an "audiophile". the different speakers definitely sounded different to me, but they all sounded good. i couldn't really pick one that sounded better than the other.

that being said...i am now on a wall about if i should buy or build. i have decided to maybe up the budget a little bit. i was looking at the OWM3 and 5 speakers by polk. these would be perfect for my front main and rear speakers because they are only 4 inches thick and designed to be mounted on the wall. and then i would get a matching center channel like the CS10. this would of course would be a lot more than 250 bucks...but then it also brings up the question if it is really going to just sound the same to me as the 250 dollar polk package that i posted earlier.... :blink:


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

Try putting some raw speaker combos together on PartsExpress ...... warning once you get hooked - youll be beyond our control....

Building speakers is one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done with my time... and now Ive also made some money at it...:spend:

PS be sure to get the JASPER 240 circle jig for your router to cut circles - its a must have lddude:


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## al dog (May 2, 2014)

i have really been thinking that i should do that. the Dayton Audio RS100 that lsiberian posted looks like it might be a good starting point. i could use one each for mains and rears, and maybe 2 of them in a box for a center channel? the only thing i was worried about with those small speakers is the power handling though. is 30 watts going to be loud enough for home theater? my living room is roughly 11'x20' and one end is partially open to the kitchen.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

Not really for HT..The Polk package as well isnt going to play anything like "reference" level HT...It is what it is....


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## al dog (May 2, 2014)

i just found a project using the rs-100 http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?38222-My-A7-Project-an-almost-mini-RS100-4-and-ND20FA-6

it looks like they measured pretty good and would be about 50 bucks a speaker (just for parts).


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## al dog (May 2, 2014)

i guess i should have been more clear about what my expectations are...

i am upgrading from a panasonic 1000w dvd player home theater in a box. to my ears it sounded great but was just lacking bass.

so basically as long as whatever i end up is at least as good as that, i will be happy


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## perceval (Oct 17, 2012)

I second the full range build plus a sub for a first build. No crossover to deal with. Simple.

but....



al dog said:


> i guess i should have been more clear about what my expectations are...
> so basically as long as whatever i end up is at least as good as that, i will be happy


Trust me... you will be going down that rabbit hole faster than you think.

Just a little better... just a little better, ... then one day you will find that you may be spending over $250 per speaker and think it's ok!

I started small, then a sub, then bigger Front and Left speakers.... led me to ....

I just finished building small arrays of 16 drivers per speaker. Let me tell you that movies are just amazing now! The soundstage the arrays provide is incredible. It will be hard to go back to regular speakers.

The built wasn't expensive either. I found some local drivers on final sale that were about $4 each. Took me over a month to finish the 2 front mains. 

The best thing is that they have such a small footprint. An array fits inside an A4 paper.

Next, I will build the center and surrounds.

See them here:
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/diy-speakers/73208-line-array-ht-5.html#post735033


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

Any progress on your quest ?


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## louisdamani (Apr 21, 2009)

Have you looked at the speaker kits and waveguide speaker kits at Diy Sound Group?
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/waveguide-speaker-kits.html
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/speaker-kits.html
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/coaxial-speaker-kits.html
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/home-theater-speakers.html


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