I tried my first speaker building project about two years ago. It was a simple speaker that used a Dayton Audio speaker kit from Parts Express. The speaker was fairly easy to put together. I think the most difficult part was cutting the hole for the speaker drivers. It used the passive crossover components that came with the kit. All in all, I was very happy with these speakers. I still own them in fact.
The most recent diy speaker building project I tried was an active speaker using the Behringer DCX2496 Ultradrive Pro Digital Crossover. I got both the Behringer unit and the speaker boxes from the same place as the first set (PE). The speaker box model number is Dayton TWC-0.38BK 2-Way Curved Cabinet. These speaker cabinets are okay but I added a few additional braces to the inside to make them less resonant. The added rigidity could easily be heard with a knuckle rap test.
The drivers were the Usher Audio 8945A midrange driver and the Vifa NE25VTC-04 1". Crossover point was 3200Hz from midrange to tweeter and 80Hz to the subwoofer.
To provide power to the speakers I used an old Yamaha receiver with multi-channel analog inputs and outputs. Because my speakers are two ways - I used 4 of the 6 output channels. Bass was handled by my subwoofer.
I have to admit that I was very surprised by the musical performance from this speaker system. I can not imagine a speaker system for less than double what I spent on them coming anywhere near their performance. I certainly have not heard their match at less than four times the price.
I think DIY is the only way to get a really great speaker at a reasonable price. There is simply too much markup on retail speaker systems to be competitive with DIY. Plus, I love the fact that I can upgrade components with much greater net gains compared to buying what the speaker manufacturer wants to build.
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Customer Testimonials:
"Peter, I just wanted to drop you a quick note and say how impressed I am with these speakers. They are EXACTLY what I was looking for..very very small with big sound.
My wife loves them as well. They look great, and you hardly notice them at all sitting on the shelf. They integrate perfectly as surrounds. I have them crossed over at 150 as you recommended...simply fantastic. I only have about 15 hours on them so far, so I know they will only get better. You really have something here. Kelly ~ Montana USA
"I found these speakers by accident and after reading all the available info and after several emails back and forth with the company owner I decided I had nothing to lose, so I ordered a set of 5 mini cube speakers.
Peter was very helpful and patient and always responded to my emails within hours.
I have had the speakers set up for a couple of days and they sound great; they are everything described on the web site.
The sound from these small speakers truly is awesome.
I replaced a set of very high quality but also very large speakers and have not been disappointed... and the wife loves not having four large speakers in the living room.
The sound from these speakers really does fill the entire house, I was concerned about the small size of the speakers due to the fact I like to listen to music and movies at volumes most would consider loud.
These speakers are more than capable of playing at volume levels louder than I ever need while also maintaining very high quality sound. ~by; William (Corinth,TX)
"I ordered these speakers in the hope of bringing some life to my entertainment system... I didn’t think it would bring room filling sound to my entire house. These speakers not only fill my den with crystal clear sound, but radiate great sound throughout the house. Thanks for such a great product!" Celia ~Malasia IP#110.159.58.99
"these speakers breathed new life back into my music, I had no idea such small surround sound speakers could perform so well." John from US IP# 24.177.193.45
"how you got so much performance out of these speakers I have no idea -Great product!" Andrew from Denmark IP# 130.225.22.254
"nice speakers, nice finish, blended in with my room well and the wife is happy too. Great sound presentation! Now I just wish you guys made a subwoofer." Kyle from US IP# 98.233.53.244
"These surround sound speakers are amazing! After running them in for a couple days, I decided to play some tunes, and they never once sounded distorted or strained...
While I know they should be paired with a good sub-woofer bass system, I think they sound good enough that I can wait until I have the money to buy a really nice sub." Fred US IP#76.208.13.182
"Wow, what a great set of speakers. I really understand what you mean by a large sound-stage." Sandy from US IP# 137.100.121.30
"Recently I came to realize that my HDTV was better than my sound system... So, I decided to piece together a better sound system. Running across your site (and these speakers) was the best thing that has happened to my home theater.
My current system is; an older receiver, a home theater PC with a blue-ray player drive, and one pair of your Mini-Cubes. (for now; I plan to buy 3 more speakers soon)" Kevin US IP#98.179.199.26
"Purchasing a new set of surround sound speakers was a must for me. My old system looked awful and sounded even worse. The quality and look of your Mini-Cube speaker were a perfect fit.
Once I reviewed the ratings and tests I knew they would be perfect. I will be sure to look for more information and products from you. I can't believe the performance of these surround sound speakers for the modest price. I would recommend these speakers to anyone!" Mike US IP#172.16.2.142
"The overall quality and dynamic capacity of these speakers really took me by surprise. Their imaging is distinct, tonality is crystal clear, and oh yeah... they pump out some serious volume!
I feel like I have stolen speakersthat I can't afford. People that spend more are Suckers!!" Micah US #Ohio