Customer Reviews

The Audiophile Loudspeaker Anyone Can Build: Anyone Can Build

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The book claims to help you build good 2-way reflex speakers using 6.5" midwoofers and 8 ohm tweeters. Not having actually built said speakers, I can't say how good they really are. And by now (2010), there's a good chance the specified drivers are no longer available or the specs have changed.

One thing the book fails to point out is that crossovers need to be matched by more than just the nominal crossover point and slope, and that a "Zobel" network across the woofer is often necessary to help them perform correctly. Another flaw is the claim that the port described will work with almost all woofers. It may sort of work, but properly both the box volume and port tuning need to be calculated using the woofer's Thiele-Small parameters. And ideally those should be measured, since there are frequently discrepancies between published specs and what actually arrives in the box.

Very large illustrations. A cynic might think they're there to fill up space, like the very large print, and frequent blank pages.

While the idea of building a good to excellent speaker yourself from a kit is sound, more emphasis should be placed on the synergy of a woofer and tweeter married with a well-designed crossover. Bad crossovers can make the finest components fail to deliver their potential.

What would I suggest as an alternative? If you need a new hobby, and are prepared to put in time learning to use speaker design software and hardware, Vance Dickason's "Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" is the single best book. His other book, "Loudspeaker Recipes", offers practical examples of speaker designs. It may not be a useful source of plans, since after 16 years many of the drivers will be obsolete. David Weems' books are worth reading, and can often be found at public libraries.

If you want to build good speakers, go with a kit from a source like Madisound or Zalytron. You get a proven design, and the correct components which you'd have to source anyway. There's plenty of challenge left in constructing and finishing the cabinets, especially if you're going for a full surround system.