Cheap Speakers

Why would you want to build speakers cheaply? Well, it could be that you're just starting out in building loudspeakers and you want to get your feet wet. Or you love stereo sound but have a limited budget, maybe you even fancy with upgrading your computer speakers...or you, like many of us, have fallen for a home-theater experience but were scared off by the hefty price-tag of high-end systems.

Especially home-theater applications or 5.1 surround sound can be a drain on your budget since you're going to need at least 4 speakers (front and rear channels) to make this work.

So how do you satisfy your 'champagne-taste' on a 'beer-budget'?

Simply by making prudent decisions and concentrating on thethings that matter for sound. With a dash of creativity you'll beable to build a nice enclosure on the cheap, too.

If I were to build a loudspeaker on a small budget, here's what I'd watch out for:

Smart Building Tips

• Less is more. Avoid impressive looking low-budget cheap speaker kits using 3 or more drivers (3-way systems). On the surface their appearance might suggest more bass and thus great "value for money". Some manufacturers even try to mimic more expensive loudspeakers. However, don't fall for these cheap speaker kits. I found that almost always lower-quality drivers are used resulting in poor sound quality or boomy bass. Stick with a simple yet higher-quality kit. Rather split your budget between two quality drivers instead. Better drivers result in lower distortions and higher sound fidelity. Plus it helps to keep the crossover construction simple, making your cheap speakers easier to drive for an amplifier and so on.
  
  
• Cheap and easy cabinet construction. A robust loudspeaker enclosure will cost you a minimum of $70 or more depending on the materials you're going to use. Fancy designs are even more expensive if you need advanced tools to make them. Simply stick to 'classical' looks. I suggest using 19-22mm MDF wood for front, side or rear panels (follow instructions of the kit) in appropriate dimensions which is easily available in wood-shops or home improvement stores. Look for completely finished hardwood sheets saving you costs for veneer. Another cheap way to make stiff baffles is to simply use two sheets of wood glued and combined to a single sheet - one half for the speaker while the outer part would serve as eye-candy pleasing your loved one. There are probably a dozen ways to do it - just look around you what is available at reasonable prices. True bargains are waiting. I found that many stores are happy to cut wood sheets precisely to your specifications for free. Ultimately, you want to build your loudspeaker cabinets so that it doesn't allow resonances which might creep in your drivers. Stick tar damping sheets to side or rear walls prone to resonances or even cheaper - use washing machine rubber damping mats! These can be had for less than 10 bucks and work just as good as more exotic voodoo stuff. Try Ikea pillows as loudspeaker damping material. It's an el-cheapo replacement for polyester wool.
  
  
• Cheap accessories. Seemingly small things like speaker binding posts, wires, spikes or loudspeaker stands can eat away from your budget. I love to be a cheapskate here...For instance, you could use Hilti drill bits instead of expensive 'audiophile' spikes. Your friendly local electronics store probably stocks binding posts and wires, too. Don't waste money on expensive cables but don't buy too thin ones either. Reasonably thick copper loudspeaker cable will do the internal wiring job just fine. Remember that even some very expensive commercial products use standard hookup wires, too.
  
  
• Buy complete kits. Almost all loudspeaker kit vendors are mail-order businesses. With regard to your budget, you want to keep shipping costs low. If small accessories like binding posts or damping material are not included in the kit price but available for a little bit extra cash through your vendor, go for it! You could potentially save money getting all parts from a single source rather than purchasing from multiple retailers.

Cheap Speaker Kit Recommendations

Zoller Imagination One (from $300/pair with cabinet)These loudspeakers engineered by legendary Manfred Zoller arestill an insiders' tip for budget audiophiles and are IMHO hard to beat for the price. Listeners have compared these cheap speakers with commercial speakers costing 5 times their price. I'm a huge fan of these cheap speakers. As a slightly scaled-downversion of the Imagination Two, they offer about 75% of its performance. The speaker kit employ a combination of one 7" cellulose/kevlar driver and a quality silk dome tweeter. You can build them either as a bookshelf, fullrange stereo floorstandingor transmissionline speakers - it's your choice.

Ed Frias AudioReview Kit (from $185/pair without cabinet)I would rank this bass reflex bookshelf cheap speaker kit developed by AudioReview and engineer Ed Frias among the best bargains for cheap speakers. A 1" ferro-fluid cooled dome tweeter (812687) and a 6.5" polyproylene mid-woofer (850122), both from Peerless, produce sound qualities absolutely unheard of in this price range. Some reviewers state that these mini-monitors sound reminiscent of speakers like B&W's 805. I like the fact that it's a very complete kit including almost everything to get started. Plus pre-fabricated cabinets are available from Madisound which makes them suitable for beginners. A complete kit with enclosures will cost you $350 per pair but you can easily make your own for less money.

CSS FR125S - Fullrange Drivers (from $200/pair without cabinet) If you want to build a cheap fullrange speaker that eliminates the need for a crossover, I suggest simply buying two of these quality drivers. Add an enclosure and you're done.

Tangband W3-871S Fullrange Drivers (from $60/pair without cabinet) An even cheaper way to get a working fullrange speaker would be the Tangbands. While you shouldn't expect them to sound like reference loudspeakers, they are a great project for beginners. For a small home-theater, casual listening or a computer speaker, they do a wonderful job and need very little power from your amplifier.