# What to do with old DIY speakers?



## Anthony (Oct 5, 2006)

With my next build, I will officially have more speakers than I have rooms to put them. The wife asked a question, to which I had no answer: what am I going to do with the speakers I don't listen to anymore?

I built them, so I don't want to just throw them out. They aren't really "sale" worthy, as I didn't put a professional finish on them.

It's not too big an issue right now, since I'm only up one extra set. But I do see myself trying some new designs in the future and this issue will pop up again.

What do you guys do?


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## Wardsweb (Apr 2, 2010)

Sometimes I repurpose the cabs or toss them and use the drivers in new projects. Sometimes I sell to friends for the cost of the parts. Sometimes I give them away. All depends on how much work went into them and how I feel on that particular day.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Garage speakers? But you've probly got that room covered as well, Umm..... Send them to me and i'll take good care of them for you. LOL! Best bet and what I usually do is what was mentioned above. Now that I think about it I've burned a lot of wood in my day:whistling:


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## Mike P. (Apr 6, 2007)

Yes, at some point excessive equipment needs to be dealt with. I usually give my older electronic stuff away, or sell it cheap if it has any real value. If nobody wants it then it goes in the recycle bin.


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## fusseli (May 1, 2007)

Disassmble the old project and save the parts as "spares." Crossover components can be re-used depending on how you built them, and drivers can be later re-used and/or sold.

I have a decent inventory of xover parts


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## Jstslamd (Nov 30, 2010)

All of you folks make me jealous. I barely have two sets of speakers and your guys are talking about too many sets and spare parts to build new ones.


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## PassingInterest (Mar 29, 2009)

I like the _idea _of donating them to charity, but I haven't figured that one out yet.


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## Jstslamd (Nov 30, 2010)

Ill be a charity case haha jk.


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## FlashJim (May 6, 2006)

Veneer the cabinets and give them as a Christmas present.


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

I recommend "gifting them". Maybe HTS will work with you to set up a drawing giveaway. :dontknow:


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## djnagle (Dec 12, 2012)

I've given 5 sets of DIY speakers away over the years. Always to college students.


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## vann_d (Apr 7, 2009)

I gave away a 10-inch DIY sub with plate amp to my brother-in-law after we used it for a house party of his. Everyone thought it was pretty bangin' and I didn't have a 75-lb piece of monstrosity in my garage anymore! He uses it in his living room to this day...


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## Churlish (Aug 31, 2012)

vann_d said:


> I gave away a 10-inch DIY sub with plate amp to my brother-in-law...


Family and friends are always good candidates for gifting. I have a nephew and a brother who have projects of mine, and typically they are grateful. The Pioneer speaker cabinets I had modified and updated that I gave to my brother were out of his budget range and he liked that old 70's 'slam'. It was a good fit.

I have a bookshelf speaker pair I'm stripping parts out now and gifting the boxes to a neighbor who will use them for a gift to his college bound daughter. I'm sure those will have found a good home. 

The emotional attachment is the tough part. I think I read over on avsforum, someone saying that the value we place on these DIY projects were simply not the same to other people. It's a truth.

You see the kit's in the classifieds all the time. People trying to recover their costs of the project 2-3 years after the drivers and cross-overs have been replaced with newer models…the real market price is never as high as we would value our time and labor. Best to view it as therapy… gift it, and go on to the next project.


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## Odougbo (Oct 16, 2011)

Just have to give them away - or break them down into components.
If you do a really nice job building them, you can sell them and get a little $$ back for more drivers!


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## JimP (May 18, 2006)

I totally agree with Odougho.

At some point it becomes borderline hoarding and you've just got to get rid of this stuff.

You might want to consider giving it to a church that does mission fund raisers. At least it'll go to a good cause.


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## djnagle (Dec 12, 2012)

I unloaded a gob of good gear that I would never use and spend the money on a very good tube CD player. SO you can look at all your left over gear as your audio/HT slush fund:bigsmile:


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