DIY Open Baffle Bass Array Speakers

I designed these with the help of a good friend and we both ended up with a pair. I still have a pair like this (three pair were made) that I have retrofitted with a BG NEO 8 PDR in the center position and two Beyma 10BR60v2 in a MTM configuration. It still has active 10" bass drivers in the top and bottom positions. I highly recommend the Beyma 10BR60v2 for an open baffle mid range driver.

[@tj-kv6vr]

I have had the pleasure of knowing this Gentleman for several decades. He is even a nicer person than he is a HIGH QUALITY woodworker.

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thanks TJ!

[@zencinema3245]

Two things I love the most speakers and woodworking

[@2098662]

It’s like watching a violin get born, Beautiful work!

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Wow, thank you so much for your compliment and good listening!

[@kennith.]

The woodwork on these are just beautiful.

[@billcarson7548]

These are literally the most stunning creations I have ever seen. This man could build (1) set per year and command virtually any price he asked, who has loudspeakers like this, no one! I'm sure he could pick a reasonable size design, with the drivers he is comfortable with, advertise when he had a pair ready to go and then BAM, gone, sold! Seeing these speakers in some ways is discourging, as there are so few woodworkers that can make a baffle so beautiful, the finishing is magnificent, like the finest furniture made.

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Bill Carson, Wow, thanks for your comments! My videos are meant to encourage not discourage. It's firstly about the sound and then I play around trying to make them visually pleasing as well. Good listening!

[@billcarson7548]

I am going to assume you have been a woodworker all your life, all I have to do is look at your shop, what do they say, you can't have too many clamps! I just want to ask you, are you also an engineer or have a good bit of education on acoustics, crossover networks, etc? How do you finalize your choice of woofers, where to position those specific woofers, how to design and implement your crossover network, what power plate to purchase, what speaker brand to purchase, etc, etc, etc. There is just so much knowledge necessary to do what you are obviously doing so very successfully, I think it would be great to hear what you have to say about how you came to the point where you can not only build the masterpieces, but design them as well. I know of only one other individual that has and implements the woodworking genius you do, and I'm sure you know his name, Ken Fritz!

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

@@billcarson7548 You assume correctly Bill, I was a furniture maker for 40 years and started building box speakers in 1985 and OB's around 2007. I had a speaker building mentor in the early days (before the internet) that taught me a lot of what I know and the rest I learned by trial and error. I also have friends that know a lot more about crossovers than I do that help me out. I have no formal engineering training, just what I learned on the way up in the furniture manufacturing business and through many years of experience. Thanks again for your kind words Bill.

[@sc0or]

⁠@@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863Even US government rates 10 years of experience as a diploma when they decide to give H1-B or not :) So, you have been graduated few times I guess, sir.

[@janpedersen8376]

Spectacular work, stunningly beautiful speakers!

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thank you for your compliment Jan, I appreciate it!

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Hello, No, I am retired now and don't build anymore. I post these videos of my past builds in hopes of motivating others to build their own OB speakers. And maybe share a little of what I have learned along the way.

[@kennith.]

A real pity, your work is beautiful.

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

@@kennith. Thank you very much Kennith. I was a furniture maker for nearly forty years and built speakers for 32 years starting around 1985. So I've had my time in the sun building things and now I like to spend my time out in the actual sun hiking, biking and relaxing. Of course I still enjoy listening to good music on nice OB speakers!

[@kennith.]

@@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863 No wonder you had such good wood working skills and equipment. Yes it is called the golden years so you can bask in the golden light of the sun :). Stay safe.

[@foreverendeavors6210]

I've built many enclosures over the years, never really thought much about open baffle, recently started a project building a set of subwoofers out of some 1974 pioneer loud speakers, they came out nice, considering open baffle for em, I wish someone near me in Florida had a system I could sit down and see what they are like, I guess I'll build some rough test panels and go from there..

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thanks for your comment. That's the beauty of open baffles, it's easy to through together a test baffle and see if the drivers work in OB and if you like the sound. I encourage you to give it a try, there's nothing quite as natural sounding as OB to my ears. Good luck with your project and good listening!

[@peterdesmidt8742]

What a beautiful set of speakers!

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thank you Peter!

[@Canadian_Eh_I]

Those are really nice!!

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thank you!

[@JohnJohn-jb4tw]

Great work! I bet they sound great as well!

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thank you very much for the compliment and, yes, they do sound very good. Good listening!

[@markceci9896]

Phenomenal. Would be interesting with an assortment of center drivers for the main spectrum. Exemplary cabinet work!.

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thank you Mark. I have actually been playing with this idea with a pair of these I made out of wenge that I have in my house now. I made them in 2012 and ended up getting them back in trade last year. I tried a full-range driver (Lii Audio Fast 8) in the center position but they didn't play low enough to mate well with the woofers. So now I have a BG Neo 8 PDR planer in the center position with two Beyma 10BR60v2 mid woofers (above and below the center position) crossed over at 500 Hz. I really like this configuration, it sounds very balanced top to bottom. Much fuller, richer mid range, very nice highs and, with a single bass driver top and bottom, plenty of bass.

[@markceci9896]

@@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863 I have a single Lii Audio F15 fullrange. In a basic, but cool-looking baffle. I use a sub added on at 50 hz and down. I also.put a rear firing ribbon tweeter on HP.only at 2000, hz. I'm very impressed. Lii Aidio 15 is super smooth and goes pretty low in a 21x24 room.

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

@@markceci9896 That sounds like a great setup. The 15" Lii's have become quite popular thanks to Caintuck Audio, Decware and the driver's relatively low price. I like the look of Lii's new 15" woofers and thought two of those with a 15" full-range in the center would make a nice speaker. Good listening Mark!

[@markceci9896]

@@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863 Go to Madisound and look up 15 inch woofers. I may get 1 or 2 SB Audience drivers per channel. Less expensive than Lii and look super efficient. Good listening.

[@gee3883]

Stunning sir.

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thank you Sir!

[@bartvanransbeeck1341]

Wow , amazing job , which type of eminence are these? Subs specific for open baffle ? Looks top, congratz

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thanks for your comment and compliment. These were all Hawthorne Audio drivers that were made for them by Eminence and are no longer available. The compression driver on the coaxial was a Radian. Hawthorne Audio was one of the first companies to offer OB specific drivers and were instrumental in popularizing OB's IMO. Lots of OB specific drivers and designs available now that weren't back then. Happy New Year and good listening!

[@michaelweber5968]

I wish I had your skill I've never done open baffle speakers but I have two nice pieces of live edge ash 55" long each 14" wide I was thinking of boxing in two 10 inch woofers and using a air motion mid-range 800 -4000k and ribbon tweeters the amt and ribbon open baffle I'm not sure what woofers to use open baffle but anyway beautiful work congratulations I'm sure they sound wonderful

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thank you for your compliments Michael (my first name also). Those slabs sound perfect and eastern ash is one of my favorite woods. It's got a great grain pattern that looks good natural or painted black. I've done a few builds with it (both clear and painted black) that I will be making videos of. All those builds also use wide range AMT's like your build. If your boxing two 10" woofers those should be easy to find at PE, Dayton makes some good ones that are inexpensive, my preference being paper cone. For the boxed bass I would go up to 12" if you can make it work with your slabs. My favorite OB mid-range right now is the Beyma 10BR60 v2. I am using two in a MTM configuration with a BG NEO 10 PDR planer crossed over at 500 Hz. Here's a link to the Beyma: www.usspeaker.com/beyma%2010BR60v2-1.htm And here's a link to the Beyma's frequency response in an infinite baffle: www.loudspeakerdatabase.com/Beyma/10BR60_V2 Thanks for watching and good luck with your build!

[@michaelweber5968]

Thank you for your response. I'm just a novice at building speakers and this will be my first set of open baffle speakers and I do appreciate your advice and will look into those woofers they look great. I'm not 100% sure if 12" will fit on my slabs they are up in the attic staying dry and haven't brought them down yet to go through my design yet I'm still in the thinking stage lol because I seem to change my mind at least 100 times before I'm set on things But thank u again I look forward to anymore videos you may post

[@MichelLinschoten]

All nice , but how do these measure ..making a open baffle speakers is ridiculously easy. With some basic tools you can get it done. But how do they measure and perform is what I am more interested in

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Quite true, making just about any speaker is ridiculously easy. Slam together a box, throw in a driver or two and you're off to the races. As to how they measure, that's only important if it's important to you. There's two camps; the sounds good camp (my camp) and the measures good camp (maybe your camp?). Think tubes vs. SS or full-range, single driver speakers vs. multiway speakers with complex crossovers. Sometimes those camps intersect sometimes they don't. And how do they measure where? My room, your room, out in the middle of a field? And when you are talking about measurements which ones are important to you? A ruler flat frequency response and a flat impedance curve? I'm not a big fan of elaborate, high count crossovers that force drivers into a super flat frequency response, require high power amplifiers to drive them and only come to life at high SPL's. Performance is too vague a parameter for me to really respond to, maybe you can clarify? Do they sound good? Again, a subjective thing but I think they do as to lots of long time audiophiles many of which own my builds. Good listening (and measuring)!

[@MichelLinschoten]

@@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863 okay fair enough but you need measurements to be coherent with what you want to come out of that Speaker. You use your ears and that's fair , but did it maybe occur to you . If you actually measured them and tinker a bit with crossover design. That you might even gain even more performance? And no I am not all about measuring , feel free to check my channel (nothing big) but gives you a idea of what I play with too. Hardly perfectionism.. And yes open baffle is the most simplistic way of making a speaker . So don't take that as a personal attack it's factual. And you did a amazing job on tbe wood and beveling. Doesn't take away anything from you .. just to clarify that I hope you watch gsr research on youtube too. Always super interesting info on open baffle

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

​@@MichelLinschoten I agree on all counts. OB's are really easy to build (some easier than others ;)) which is one reason they are so popular now I think. I'm also not against measurements and also pay attention to TS parameters when choosing drivers for any build. When I started building in 1985 things were a little different; not so many options or technologies. Now there is DSP and lots of great options for measuring, optimizing and creating active setups. But I'm a older now and interested in different pastimes so ill inclined to take advantage of all the new toys. Anyway, I like your setup, it looks well thought out and your room well treated (really important in my book). Plus you are a dog lover so we definitely have that in common!

[@codeblu7738]

Been looking these videos you've made as motivation to make my own OB. Really lovely stuff. Great designs from a woodworking point of view. A lot of DIY OB projects seemingly ignore the woodworking details. That, or they don't have the woodworking skills/tools/etc to make speakers beautiful. Yours are though. Was curious about some of the details about your designs. The chamfer on the speaker hole is a beautiful feature. Was this a decision based on better acoustics, or looks, or both? Did you find it have any difference between, say, using a rabbit and mounting the speaker from the front so its flush with the baffle with no chamfer. I prefer the chamfer look myself. Also, I imagine the chamfer detail allows you to mount the speaker from the rear using your plywood mounting brackets, hence allowing an additional degree of acoustic separation from the baffle. Was that part of the thought process? Did you ever experiment with baffle shape? I am loving the slight curve you've added to the overall height. Works with the chamfer. Works with the rounded over edges, and slight curve to the top. Does this baffle shape cause any issues over the boring, square baffles you see everywhere else? Did you take that into consideration, or just want to make a speaker that looked better, which is still very important obviously. Great stuff. Would love to learn more

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Hello CodeBlu, Thanks again for your compliments. I was a furniture maker for 40 years so have perhaps more of a skill set and machinery selection at my disposal than most DIY'ers. I've also been building box speakers since around 1985 and OB's since around 2007 so have learned a lot through trial and error. And aesthetics are important to me so a try to balance form with function whenever possible. The primary reason for mounting the driver from behind is to isolate it from the baffle using foam rubber between the mounting plate and the baffle. I credit Darrel Hawthorne of Hawthorne Audio (an early OB innovator) with coming up with that idea. It also allows flexibility if you decide to try different drivers. And I think it looks a lot cleaner from the front. The 45 degree bevel allows the sound waves a less abrupt segue to the front of the baffle. A round over can also be used but that leaves more material and isn't as visually appealing to me. There are lots of theories regarding baffle shape but my rule of thumb is wider baffles give better bass reinforcement and narrower baffles give better imaging. Some people like no baffles (OK with DSP I guess) some people like really wide baffles with a wing or wings and of course there is the currently popular barrel shape which is not at all visually pleasing to me. Lots of ways to go about it as I'm sure you've seen in your research. Since I generally use OB specific drivers (reasonably high Qts) I can get away with a narrow baffle. But you'll also notice I like to use multiple woofers so that I get good bass output. Anyway I hope this helps you a little and again, good luck with your build!

[@codeblu7738]

@@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863 Thanks for the response. Lovely stuff. I did indeed notice your cabinets look very similar to Hawthorne Audio stuff. But hey, nothing wrong emulating a fantastic speaker designer. Very thoughtful layout and the final results speak for themselves. Cheers!

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

@@codeblu7738 All my builds are my designs. I also designed and built the Hawthorne Audio "Reference Series" baffles and accompanying steel support structures as well as final assembling, testing, crating and shipping of the finished speakers. HA specified and supplied the drivers and crossovers.

[@cruise2023]

If I were to build these and certainly interested in doing so, I would need to have the crossover design and parts used, are you able to supply these ? This would also include what bass amp that you used and whether the crossover would need to be altered due to the new or different drivers that you ended up changing eg: the neo 8 and the Beyma 10BR60v2. I am half way building the Troels Gravesen Discovery 861 DIY kit as a started project but will be deffinately go with OB when the time comes and these I do like very much...thank you.

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Hello Alain, Of course when I went from using a coaxial driver to a MTM using a BG NEO 8 PDR I had to change the crossover. There are many online crossover calculators that can be used as a starting point for crossover design. I used a simple, second order Linkwitz -Riley calculation at a 500 Hz crossover point. BG also recommends a notch filter with this driver and that data can be found on the NEO 8 PDR data sheet. I am not currently using that. I also read a bit about MTM crossovers; specifically about crossover points based on driver spacing as I was using an existing platform so my driver spacing was predetermined. Having followed Troels for many years and built Troels' PMS I know that he has a completely different crossover design philosophy than mine. He is also an expert at x-over design and I am a novice at best. His crossovers are very complex with a high parts count which I find requires high powered amps to sound their best. IMO x-overs like that also require listening at higher volumes before the speakers come alive. Not knocking Troels at all, there are just a lot of different ways to go about this. As to the plate amps, any good plate amp will work. On this build I used the now discontinued Apex Senior plate amps. They are a 250 watt Class AB amp that works well. Parts Express has several good Class AB and Class D plate amps that are inexpensive and also work well. Have fun completing your Discovery 861's, I'm sure they will sound fantastic.

[@cruise2023]

@@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863 Hi! Many thanks for your informative comments, i look forward to or maybe not in making that decision re OB's and ploughing into the project and yes the crossover will be the headache that I will need to tackle. Interesting you note that Troels crossover designs are complex and yes the Discovery 861 has a high parts list also quality included. I will also take note of the amplification area with the 861's to see whether as you say sound their best with higher powered amps. My current Int amp is the Peachtree Nova150, I think it will suit it well. On hand I have a smaller 80 wt amd and the Bel Canto Evo 200.1 120wts power amp, so will see. I have just finished the cabinets today and will set about now to do the wiring, acoustic felt, drivers etc..next week we will see. Yes Hypex makes some amp plates that i have been looking at that Troels also recomends in some of his designs. Much appreciate your communications. Alain

[@burgie4241]

How did you develop the crossover networks? Did you use a computer based modeling program? Did you use any semi-anechoic measurements for FR?

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

The crossovers are a simple second order developed using the driver's parameters and then tuned by ear. I am less of a measurement camp guy and more of trust your ears kind of guy. But I can definitely see the benefits of measurements, particularly in a commercially marketed speaker.

[@bionicbob1285]

Very nice set of OB speakers. I was planning on using a pair or 12" or 15" Eminence woofers with a Dayton 8 full range driver to keep things easier (fingers crossed) but seeing your design may have changed my mind. Did you build a crossover or use DSP? Can you DM the approx dimension and XO or DSP settings. I'll post my build on your page when finished.

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thanks Bionic Bob. The 8 woofers in this build have their own plate amps which control crossover point, volume and phase. These settings are largely room and personal sound preference dependent. The coaxial uses a simple two way, second order passive crossover which was designed by the manufacturer. Most coaxial drivers have passive crossovers available from the manufacturer. The mid-range of the coaxial rolls off naturally at the bottom end and the plate amp's crossover point is adjusted up to meet it (in this case + or - 70 Hz) . The crossover point between the coaxial compression driver and mid-range is around 1800 Hz as I recall. If you use the Dayton full range driver you could probably get away with a simple low pass to the woofers letting the full-range naturally roll off at the bottom end (assuming you don't want have active bass). But matching sensitivity between the full-range driver and the woofers gets a little tricky with most OB suitable woofers. Adding multiple woofers helps this to some degree but there is usually a big difference the sensitivity of a full-range driver and OB woofers particularly the OB woofers that have some visceral slam. Good luck with your project and I look forward to seeing the you come up with.

[@kimvengnielsen7887]

I cannot recognise the eminence speakers in their current programme? Can you tell which ones used - thanks

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Hello, These were made by Eminence to Hawthorne Audio's specs. Unfortunately HA is no longer in business. You might reach out to Eminence directly to see which one of their current drivers comes the closest. I like to use usspeaker.com as my go to place to compare Eminence with all the other great pro driver manufacturers like Beyma, Faital Pro, Ciare, etc.. The owner, Al, is a great guy and is very patient in answering questions and gives great service. This is a really cool website where you can see the response of the drivers you might be considering in an infinite baffle: www.loudspeakerdatabase.com/ Good luck with your build!

[@jojofortune6158]

Can you please send a sound clip. They are a work of art

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

@Jojo Fortune Thank you for your compliment. I resist adding sound clips because they don't accurately represent what the speakers actually sound like. Even played back on the same system being recorded. But I have a pair I'm reconfiguring in my house now so I may play around with recording them and will post something if the recording doesn't sound too horrible.

[@LIFEINSPEED]

Awesome build bro! Where you located? I will order one you build for me one

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thank you very much for your compliment. I'm sorry but I have retired and don't take any more commissions. But I will continue to post videos of past projects in hopes of inspiring others to get out there and build their own OB speakers so they can experience the magic of open baffle speakers. BTW, I retired to the central coast of California near Pismo Beach.

[@CobraChamp]

Beautiful cabinet work! Do you take on other specialty projects?

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Thank you for your compliments. Not sure what you mean by other specialty projects but I am pretty much retired now and don't take any more commissions. Thanks for asking though and good listening!

[@stevemouton7531]

Hello, do you take orders for open baffle wood kits?

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

Hello Steve, I'm sorry that I somehow missed your post. I am retired now and do not sell kits or take commissions, sorry.

[@stevemouton7531]

@@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863 no worries, thank you for getting back to me. I've taken an interest in making my own.

[@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863]

@@stevemouton7531 That's great Steve, good luck with your build and have fun!

[@stevemouton7531]

@@openbafflespeakerbuilder9863 thanks.