Bookshelf Speakers

And here's the good news: bookshelf speakers or 'satellite speakers' are extremely easy to build, too. If you're just starting out, you will be thrilled at how quickly you'll be hooking them up to your amplifier and listening to music. Like I said - you won't have to sacrifice sound quality in bookshelfs but they have pros and cons.

First of all, bookshelf speakers are almost always 2-way speakers. Depending on the loudspeaker kit, they usually combine a dome tweeter of 19 - 28mm in diameter with a midbass woofer with a diameter from 19 - 22cm. Domes are made of metals like neodymium or titanium or Mylar, or a fine cloth like silk. Some are made from a combination of materials. In very high-end kits you may also find ribbon tweeters which in my opinion are superior as far as resolution and clarity are concerned. Howewer, they cannot play very loud. So if you plan to use your new speakers in a home theater, you may need higher sound pressure levels and domes are better suited for this.

The midbass woofer in bookshelf speaker kits is usually assigned frequencies below 3kHz down to about 30Hz.

Kit Building Tips

Cabinets are either built as closed or bass-reflex constructions - it depends on your kit. You can buy wood already pre-cut in smaller sheets (even with veneer if you like). All that's left to do is punch in holes for the drivers, assemble the crossover (if not already pre-assembled), wire everything, add damping materials (follow instructions of your kit) and have fun!

If you're less skilled, get a pre-built cabinet or have a joiner build one for you. Anyway, don't try to do it all alone on the first attempt if you're not sure.

By the way...don't be surprised to find the same woofers and domes of your DIY bookshelf speaker in some very expensive commercial loudpspeakers. Commercial speaker manufacturers often (but not always) buy drivers just like you.

Even though they are called "bookshelf" speakers, you shouldn't attempt to squeeze them into your bookshelf. Place them on a solid stand instead and allow reasonable space to rear and side walls.

Advantages of Bookshelf Speakers:

	Easiest to build for beginners
	Easy to integrate into smaller rooms
	Fewer room acoustic problems due to size
	It's easy to add additional bookshelf speakers for multichannel audio or home theater applications
	A subwoofer can be added for deeper bass

Drawbacks of Bookshelf Speakers:

	Limited diaphragm area of midbass woofer is unable to produce the same rich, full sound of larger floorstanding speakers.
	Distortions in midrange increase at higher volumes as midbass woofers perform longer strokes.
	Due to smaller cabinet volumes, sound pressure levels at low frequencies (30-35Hz) is limited by the laws of physics (but you can always add a subwoofer for punchier, deep bass)

Conclusions

All of the above doesn't mean you cannot get a first-class loudspeaker with a bookshelf speaker. If you don't or can't listen at extremely high volumes and live in a smaller room, you'll be amazed how fantastic two-way loudspeakers can sound. For low-frequency 'earthquakes' add a subwoofer.