# Cheap DIY Computer Speakers



## dcheming

Since my KRK's have way too much bass for late night listening in my apartment I built a small pair of computer speakers to replace them for the time being. I wanted to keep this project cheap, but still have good sonics of course. With that in mind I decided to simply go with some 4" wide-range drivers, something I've always wanted to try anyways. I went with the Tang Band W4-1052SA and I'm powering them with my modded T-amp. Overall I'm pretty impressed with their sonics. My only complaint is that the top end doesn't extend as far as I'd like, but I expected that based on the driver's frequency response chart. Still not bad for $25 each though. For my next pair I want to use the W4-1320SD drivers since they have much more top end extension as well as cast frames. 

 Since I live in an apartment 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 I couldn't build these out of MDF using power tools so I just used 1"x6" and 1"x8" pine boards to make it easy as possible to construct. They are built tall in order to get the center of the drivers up to ear height at my computer desk. I cut the cabinet pieces to length by hand using a hacksaw with an 18-TPI blade and the the braces were done using a coping saw. To supplement the two shelf braces I used 1" hard wood dowel in between them from bottom to top and 1/8" thick vinyl floor tile with adhesive backing from Home Depot provides a bit of dampening and mass loading to the low density pine wood. General purpose epoxy was used to bond the cabinet together. I still need to round over the front edges and sand things flat. The total project cost was about $100. Pics:


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## cotdt

you should try adding a tweeter and crossover (including baffle-step compensation). I like the Tangband Bamboo, but if i were to do a small minispeaker again, I'd go with an Dayton RS125-4 with a small tweeter.


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## Wodgy

That's really fantastic work for a limited selection of hand tools. You deserve to be proud of those.


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## gotchaforce

your studio monitors have too much bass for night listening? 

 Is your neighbor daredevil or something who the hell hears bass from little studio monitors


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## zer061zer0

Impressive stuff u have there, Derek.


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## Joshatdot

good work! I been thinking of making custom bookshelf/computer speakers too. I was thinking of these FE107E 4" SHIELDED FULL RANGE or these FE127E 4.5" SHIELDED FULL RANGE


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## Nebby

I've also been in the process of building up a bookshelf setup. My plan is to use the Tang Band W69-1436 6"x9" Neo Subwoofer, Eton 7-360 7" HEXACONE Bass/Midrange, and HiVi RT2H-A Planar Isodynamic Tweeter


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## cotdt

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Nebby* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I've also been in the process of building up a bookshelf setup. My plan is to use the Tang Band W69-1436 6"x9" Neo Subwoofer, Eton 7-360 7" HEXACONE Bass/Midrange, and HiVi RT2H-A Planar Isodynamic Tweeter_

 

i heard that hivi planar and it stinks. there's a new Eton 7" coming out, so you might want to wait for it:


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## Nebby

What didn't you like about the HiVi's? Do you know when the new 7" is coming out? My timeframe is actually pretty close, since I'm finishing up a sub right now and when that's done I'm going to start work on the bookshelves.


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## drizek

[noob] Can I buy a driver and put it into my Logitech 2.1s and improve the SQ? [/noob]


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## dcheming

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *cotdt* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_you should try adding a tweeter and crossover (including baffle-step compensation). I like the Tangband Bamboo, but if i were to do a small minispeaker again, I'd go with an Dayton RS125-4 with a small tweeter._

 

I just wanted to keep this project as simple as possible. I'm going to try the Bamboo drivers next due to their much better treble extension.


  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Wodgy* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_That's really fantastic work for a limited selection of hand tools. You deserve to be proud of those._

 

 Quote:


  Originally Posted by *zer061zer0* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Impressive stuff u have there, Derek._

 

Thanks guys.



  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *gotchaforce* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_your studio monitors have too much bass for night listening? 

 Is your neighbor daredevil or something who the hell hears bass from little studio monitors_

 

The inner walls in my apartment have no insulation in them and the elderly upstairs neighbor stays up late reading. In previous apartments I've had inconsiderate neighbors watching movies with their sub turned on keep me up late on work nights. I don't want to one of "those" guys.


  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Joshatdot* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_good work! I been thinking of making custom bookshelf/computer speakers too. I was thinking of these FE107E 4" SHIELDED FULL RANGE or these FE127E 4.5" SHIELDED FULL RANGE_

 

I've been looking at both of those drivers too. The FE 107E looks like it's more controlled in the treble range than the FE127E. I've been debating between the 107 and the Bamboo since they're around the same price. It's a shame places don't have loaner drivers to lend out to potential customers to see if they like the sound before buying. But at only $40 each I wouldn't mind getting a pair of both for comparison. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *drizek* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_[noob] Can I buy a driver and put it into my Logitech 2.1s and improve the SQ? [/noob]_

 

I assume the amp that powers the little cubes is in the subwoofer unit? If so then you'd probably be better off just building new cabinets for some new drivers and then using the amp in the sub to power them.


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## 1nf1n1ty

Wow....DIY speakers have really inspired me....I'm going to do some more research and find out whats a good combo for me...

 Ill probally post a thread when I wake up...but these look really nice...just clean up the edges, and throw on a coat of finish?


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## heatmizer

Built these a couple of years ago:
http://www.speakerbuilder.net/web_fi...D3/dayton3.htm


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## 1nf1n1ty

Where....do you find stuff like this...to learn?...is there a forum?


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## heatmizer

diyaudio and parts express have a decent speaker building forum


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## PeterP

If you are thinking about using the Fostex FE107E take a look at:

http://www.zillaspeak.com/ZillaSpeak...103-RS1197.asp

 That’s where I started and ended up with my version







http://www.geocities.com/remlapretep/104_0452.JPG 
http://www.geocities.com/remlapretep/104_0455.JPG

 I think it's a great little speaker. You won't rock the paint off the walls but, for a small speaker, it really does the job. Add a sub and you have a system that can rock with the best of them.

 Have fun,

 Pete.


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## Lpe_91

All speakers pictured in this thread look awesome!


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## dcheming

I've been meaning to post this for a while now, but a while back I built an alternate box for one of my TB drivers. I decided to use 4" PVC to make it easy and quick to make changes in volume and configurations. The volume is close to that of the wood enclosure so they have similar frequency responses but there are definitely differences in the sound presentation. I imagine this is due to a number of things such as plastic vs wood, different internal standing waves and reflections, different dispersion properties, etc.










 Recently I tried something that I've been thinking about for a while now. I love the tight bass of sealed boxes but I also love the deep extension of ported designs, so I've been pondering possible ways of getting more efficient bass coupling from a sealed design. Basically I'm using a thin plastic membrane (currently saran wrap) to keep the internal volume sealed but also allowing the bass energy inside a low resistance path outside. So far it's been pretty successful, the bass from this speaker is more pronounced and a bit deeper than from the other box. If you get close to the membrane you here very deep and tight bass. Now I'm thinking about ways to improve the coupling to the room, without using a massive horn, to get that same level of deep bass at the listening position. Anyways, I just wanted to share this ongoing experiment.


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## zer061zer0

From the XS to the Sonic amps and thiese, u are amazing dude..


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## dcheming

I know I said I didn't want to add a tweeter to keep it simple, but I've been experimenting with with one for a few weeks now and there's no way I can go back. I'm using my BG Neo3-PDR planar tweeter from another project crossed in with a simple single film cap and I've been trying out various different crossover frequencies, tuning it by ear. These tweeters go up 28kHz and it's painfully obvious how limited the top end of the W4-1052 is when I disconnect them.

 Since I'm pretty satisfied with this combo I'm going to build some new enclosures to make them look nicer.


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## dcheming

This is the next evolution of the acoustic membrane(Saran Wrap) idea from above. I've been wanting to go all out with this idea and build a significant portion of the sealed enclosure using tightly stretched plastic sheet. In a sense it's now a semi-sealed, open-baffle speaker or quasi-open-baffle (QOB):













 There's not as much deep bass as the old sealed box, but the tone of it improved. However, compared to the straight open-baffle tests I did these the QOB's do have more bass due to the slight air spring of the enclosure. Since the vast majority of the acoustic energy coming off the back of the cone is escaping out of the box the presentation is much more open-baffle like now. The soundstage is more focused and a bit deeper.

 Lately I've been playing around with some Decware DM944's so I haven't really done much more with these computer speakers since then. I do plan on doing more experimenting soon though. Either way I just wanted to share. BTW the DM944's share the same design philosophy: a woofer run full-range and a magnetostatic tweeter crossed in with a single cap. They're 94dB sensitivity too, which is nice and they sound pretty dam good IMO.


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## zer061zer0

haven' been around for quite a while and you are still as amazing.

 any idea where i can get more info about the mentioned DM944?


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## ltmon

I'm just about to finish up on a pair of TABAQ (quarter wave speakers: http://coolcat.dk/bjoern/TABAQ_TL_for_TB.pdf) using the 1052-SD, so I'll see how that enclosure suits them. Just paint and some other little trimmings to go now.

 After I've broken them in, I'll probably also experiment with an enclosed tweeter sitting on top to see how that sounds as well.

 What are the physical mods you've done to the TB driver? The little blue lines. Did you find it helped in any way?

 Cheers,

 L.


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## rds

*dcheming*

 That's really inspiring stuff.
 I'd love to make some small close range speakers when I have time to look into enclosure design, woofers, and tweeters (...and build a complementary amp).

 btw, Flight of the Navigator was my favorite movie as a kid.


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## Spasticteapot

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Nebby* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I've also been in the process of building up a bookshelf setup. My plan is to use the Tang Band W69-1436 6"x9" Neo Subwoofer, Eton 7-360 7" HEXACONE Bass/Midrange, and HiVi RT2H-A Planar Isodynamic Tweeter_

 

 Unless you want to get a pre-amp, a calibrated RTA mic, and a bottle of motrin to deal with the headaches you'll incur learning speaker design, you might want to try someone else's design - say, Lou C's Cryolites. 
  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *cotdt* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_i heard that hivi planar and it stinks. there's a new Eton 7" coming out, so you might want to wait for it:_

 

Hi-Vi stuff usually measures pretty well - perhaps the crossover was built improperly? I've seen some commercial speakers that use that tweeter (or a modified-spec version therof) and sell for large sums of money. 

  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Joshatdot* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_good work! I been thinking of making custom bookshelf/computer speakers too. I was thinking of these FE107E 4" SHIELDED FULL RANGE or these FE127E 4.5" SHIELDED FULL RANGE_

 

The Tang-Band W4-1337 measures better than any of them. Of course, it's also a bit more expensive, and really requires a passive filter to sound its' best. 

  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *cotdt* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_you should try adding a tweeter and crossover (including baffle-step compensation). I like the Tangband Bamboo, but if i were to do a small minispeaker again, I'd go with an Dayton RS125-4 with a small tweeter._

 

I'm building a design that uses a pair of RS125s as mids and the Vifa XT25 as a tweeter. That said, the XT25 is tricky - you need to cross it over much, much, much higher than the tweeter data suggests, or it will sound like crap. 


  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *dcheming* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_The inner walls in my apartment have no insulation in them and the elderly upstairs neighbor stays up late reading. In previous apartments I've had inconsiderate neighbors watching movies with their sub turned on keep me up late on work nights. I don't want to one of "those" guys._

 

Maybe you could try some dipoles? Off-axis radiation from those is nearly nonexistent - bass will mostly be cancelled out. 

 Alternately, adding acoustic panels is strongly recommended. You can build your own out of rock-wool or fiberglass board which will both do wonders for room acoustics and keep your neighbors from being annoyed.

 Also, consider trying to isolate the speakers. A lot of bass is transmitted through the floor; putting the speaker up on something that will absorb it - say, ping-pong balls cut in half - couldn't hurt. 

  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *dcheming* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I've been looking at both of those drivers too. The FE 107E looks like it's more controlled in the treble range than the FE127E. I've been debating between the 107 and the Bamboo since they're around the same price. It's a shame places don't have loaner drivers to lend out to potential customers to see if they like the sound before buying. But at only $40 each I wouldn't mind getting a pair of both for comparison. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 

If you want traditional Fostex-style drivers, I have some DCA 4" fullrange drivers that I could sell you. These are similar to the Fostex drivers but, IMO, better. They've only been used for a few minutes, and are basically brand new; I'm asking $60 for the pair, which is what they sell for these days.


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## -=Germania=-

Oddly enough I found that my speakers sound better being held up by "Red Cups" like the ones used for parties than they did on bricks. It resonates and while the bass isn't as present, it is a much airier presentation and the are on my desk being used and powered by my CA-600 never using more than 10W of power.


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## dcheming

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *zer061zer0* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_haven' been around for quite a while and you are still as amazing.

 any idea where i can get more info about the mentioned DM944?_

 

It has been a while and thanks. How's your 708B treating you? Since I've moved into a house I really haven't been using my headphones much at all so my 708B barely gets used these days. Even so, I'm thinking about going with LED biasing just for the hell of it. I do still use it as a preamp in my main system from time to time and it does a pretty good job.

 The only source I know of for info on the DM944 speakers is the manufacturers site: Decware. Not many people have bought or even heard these speakers so there's not much out there. I want to build another pair of these and I'll probably play around with the quasi-open-baffle style. It should have much more usable bass due to the 8" vs 4" woofer.


  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *ltmon* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_What are the physical mods you've done to the TB driver? The little blue lines. Did you find it helped in any way?

 Cheers,

 L._

 

The blue lines are rolled up Blu-Tack. I read somewhere about a mod for this driver that entailed painting a thin ring of rubber cement type glue around the cone about 1/4" in from the surround. It was supposed to mellow the cone breakup and mellow out some of the harshness in the upper range. I didn't have any suitable glue so I just went with what I had on hand, Blu-Tack, and I do feel that it helped smooth the response a bit. Of course it's very easy and cheap to do as an experiment so give it a try. It might be worthwhile to also put some on the frame of the driver since it's merely stamped steel.

  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *rds* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_*dcheming*

 That's really inspiring stuff.
 I'd love to make some small close range speakers when I have time to look into enclosure design, woofers, and tweeters (...and build a complementary amp).

 btw, Flight of the Navigator was my favorite movie as a kid._

 

Thanks. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'm into audio as a hobby mainly due to the power of good music, but also for the chance to get to handcraft things that bring so much joy. It's a win-win for me. I started thinking about the quasi-open-baffle idea after reading about this: http://www.audiophiletalk.com/cgi-bi...num=1175743401. When I build my own version of the DM944 I want to combine his box with a plastic membrane to try to get better bass coupling into the box.


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