Home Theater Tower Speakers that go down to 20hz! The Uglies

#DIY #Bass #HomeTheater
Want some full-range tower speakers that will help fill in that bass all around you? That is exactly what these speakers were designed for. They can dig all the way down to 20hz and provide deep powerful bass along with crystal clear highs. And at 8 ohms, you can use your existing receiver to power these. It doesn't take long to start bumping Uglies. Take a look at how easy it is to upgrade your theater with some of these - The Uglies.
Plans: bit.ly/The_Uglies
Build Log: bit.ly/Uglies_...
Parts Used
Woofers: parts-express....
Tweeters: parts-express....
Spray Glue: amzn.to/2JUFnCI or amzn.to/2xkxR1f
Design your own using my files: toidsdiyaudio....
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Car Speakers/ Home Audio and electronics: howl.me/cg5oP9...
🏠Get Whole House Audio:
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🍿Theater Seating
Valencia Theater Seating: bit.ly/3Jbagjm
📄Speaker Plans: toidsdiyaudio....
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[@robbiedh02]

I finally got a chance to hear these. The amount of bass and clarity of these are unbelievable! Truly do sound like a high end set of towers. Great job Nick.

[@matilija]

I mean, there's like $500 worth of drivers alone in the build, I'm guessing cost to build around 1500 per speaker when factoring in wood, x-over and time...which if it were going to be mass produced would end up costing probably close to 5k per speaker at retail, a 10k pair better sound pretty good imho. Still, pretty cool design, and I love the fact that the uglies do in fact bump. 🤣

[@PatrickSmith-zg9xl]

I cannot get over the paint job on these.. it is giving me nightmares..but thankfully those nightmares are accompanied by some really good sounds due to the quality of the speakers!!!

[@Toid]

Haha, fantastic comment!

[@michaelz6870]

Right! I didn't realize exactly how bad until 1:27 - Cheese and crackers!

[@Glock_4717]

Really clean build man those drivers are impressive i also appreciated the internal bracing you used, well thought out design. Cheers

[@xanderguldie]

Up until the painting, these things looked good. With a little veneer, you can turn these things into beautiful speakers. Amazing build!

[@Toid]

Thanks man. I really wanted to make these look not the best. I do plan to refinish them later. I just want to make sure that people understand, that and DIY speaker building, the speaker doesn't have to be perfect. In the end, you can still have a great sounding speaker and still have fun doing it. Heck finish you can refinish anytime. 😁

[@marcosvictor4935]

Yeah, really even with bad painting, I don't think they're Ugly, they're fine really, would be ugly if they looked like any of the Emotivas Towers.

[@thomaszarbo9535]

Looks like a very capable design. It's nice, and kind of rare to see a speaker of modest proportions that can cover the entire frequency range....I mean the ENTIRE frequency range -- no exceptions. I also have an 'Ugly' speaker system in one of our bedrooms... unfinished low-grade plywood, not even totally straight... made them in between houses with little tools. Never did finish them, they remind me of those happy days and I will never 'complete' them! Cool channel Mr. Toid!

[@Toid]

Thanks Tom! Awesome to see you on here commenting. I am glad, I am not the only one with unfinished, partially finished or ugly speakers :)

[@telocity]

3:35 with a router and right size bit you can make 3/16th slots in the boards so the supports will be automatically straight and its a bit stronger.

[@marcopolo242]

Awesome clamp collection, I'm jealous! that paint job was just uncalled for however. lol

[@JamesEscobar]

Ha ha!!! Busted! Very nice speaker man!! You and your wife are hilarious 😂

[@MrBrymstond]

You will forever drive yourself nuts with crossovers because you perfected the idea and now you can't settle for less. This is why I'm calling on you to help me make a killer sounding monster portable stereo, not a boom box. I always had a thing for making grooves for all parts of the box, glue, clamped and screwed and I love Evercoat primer and filler, it doesn't shrink and easier to sand.

[@Toid]

Good to know. I have to look into that every coat. If you head over to the forum sometime, we can take a look at what that build might look like

[@onemandiy]

Great build Toids!!! That frequency graph looks solid! Some elbow grease and they won’t be ugly anymore! Finishing is always a a pita when you just want to listen! 😎

[@wastingtime9152]

Fun video. Happy to see you are still creating!

[@43one]

Love the way he was with his son!

[@dannysmith7723]

I'm in the middle of finishing my basement and have been looking into what I'm going to equip it with regarding audio and video. I'm blown away with the idea to make my own tower speakers and more. I'll watch more of your content to get more comfortable with it. something that would confuse me would be designing the component to crossover the sound. You might have content on how its done or where to go in buying a kit.

[@OMDF01]

Parts cost and how long (hrs) did you work on this loudspeakers project? They have a very flat frequency response! Aside from the paint job to be fixed, this is quite impressive. 👍

[@zachtripp5210]

Nice video and great build. It is nice to set a real build without fancy wood and the like. Those are some impressive drivers. Couple suggestions. I like to cut all my width parts at the same time so I know they are all the same width (top, bottom & all braces). No need to hammer to put braces in! Also, I have had good luck with those aerosol sprayers for glass jars if you want to step up your painting game a little. Final suggestion, if you go your hardware store, you can get a larger drywall knife ( 16" long if I recall) to help to really flatten that putty and scrap off the excess.

[@simonsalamon8178]

it is absolutely awesome, including the color ,

[@Thats_Awesome]

That was a cute intro! Lol heart warming!

[@MushmouthJoe]

I have watched this video 3 times. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@Islandpandemonium]

the paint job gives them a good disguise in case somebody breaks into your house they won't think they are nice speakers..

[@Stan_the_Belgian]

😅😅

[@larrygaines7462]

You should see mine,off white sides and matte black front.

[@HifiVega]

Those speakers really are beautiful! On the inside... 😂 Great video as always

[@Toid]

Haha, now that was the winning response right there!

[@RoCAvalOn]

Man you have a great channel keep that work, suscribed !

[@Toid]

Thanks man, I appreciate that!

[@Toid]

Plans: bit.ly/The_Uglies Build Log: bit.ly/Uglies_Build_Log

[@MrDenzo1]

Would these be good for playing music

[@shawnblackmur7887]

Could you find a woofer replacement, install it, test and repost this video with an update? I want a full range speaker for my theater build and these looked great until I got to the part that we can’t build them due to the woofer not being available.

[@goobisoft4873]

I build a speaker using single tymphany woofer 6.5 inch which has 3.5 mm xmax and hits about 31 hz which is crazy for that woofer

[@ericschulze5641]

A great durable finish is undercoating you just have to let it cure but once it does you can paint it any color & yes you can use bed liner spray

[@br31woodlands69]

Hi, amazing video. FYI, most of the links are inactive. Do you have new links for sketches, speakers, etc?

[@eccentric363]

I can't believe you dont need a midrange driver? the crossover looks so clean on the graph!

[@Toid]

It took a lot of work. BUt in the end, it really paid off

[@markcrazy9999]

Great video. Any update on a different model subwoofer. The one you listed is sold out. Thanks keep up the good work.

[@2wilbster]

Umm..That is sick! Those woofers move!

[@victorjohnson7512]

Why is your TV mounted so dang high up? Don't you get neck cramps looking up at it? My 65 inch is mounted so the center of the screen is at head height while sitting on the couch.

[@DivineAV]

Lol, I like the beginning. Good work. Those uglies look pretty sick. I may consider building some for our Channel :-)

[@Toid]

Awesome! Let me know if you do. And of course we could always talk about collaborating on a custom set of speakers

[@DivineAV]

@@Toid - that would be so much fun man. We can put them up against some of the products in our showroom

[@dvlarry]

It's beautiful inside.

[@herrtrigger7220]

Can you make one of these with the tweeter between the woofers for a center channel? Three of these would make a serious L-C-R for the front mains of a theater system

[@phenome4973]

Great builds been watching all of these. Have you got the speaker plans for these as they are showing out of stock in the link?

[@Toid]

I discontinued, the plans because you can’t get the drivers anymore. It really stinks, but peerless really isn’t catering to the DIY community anymore. And I’m not sure that you can get the Tang Band woofers either. But I did absolutely love this building. Still use these speakers.

[@phenome4973]

@@Toid Oh that is a shame..they look awesome! I love how they are simple on the outside

[@pablolopez-sr5cb]

Thank you for your videos 👍🏻

[@StickySli]

i really wish to buy a pair of W8's but i'll have to stick to the w6-1721 i currently own. Hope to get a table saw this summer and begin my uglies build :)

[@Toid]

I actually have some w6's that I'm going to make a center channel with to go along with these towers. Stay tumed

[@skyhr]

10:05 Forget the speakers! Please teach us your dancing skills~!! :))

[@666Tagada]

Great music!

[@hagengocht3891]

Saw the seen where the saw turns on a cut gets made. Hope the cut wasn’t being made on MDF without a mask on. That shit can kill your lungs...

[@Toid]

Thanks for looking out

[@hagengocht3891]

my dad was a woodworker and died way to:early of lung cancer. Doctors said sawdust alone wouldn’t have got him but the glues and resins would. MDF is lousy with the stuff and has super fine particles that can get right down into your lungs and find a home... I happen to like your stuff, so you need to WEAR a respirator. Lol

[@dkerlee]

Everything in moderation

[@bigjay1970]

@@Toid He's not at all off base on this!🤔🤯 Wear a quality mask, that is if you can find one now!🤪🥴

[@craigengelman4534]

@@hagengocht3891 this is the reason i dont mess with mdf at all . .

[@didierleclerc66]

Interesting design. These things seem to go really low. I still prefer a larger driver though. Currently building a 10 incher with very narrow cabinets. Very happy so far

[@mackenziebullied4900]

I wanna make a 10 inch version of the towers in the video what do yours look like?

[@TuiCatNZ]

You might want to consider using something like Tuff Cab Pro MATT used in professional audio applications.

[@harshavardhanreddy2463]

Haha enjoyed that ,beauty only inside . inside room they sounds beautiful....

[@derekjarman1638]

Nice build Nick! What did you end up crossing them over at?

[@Toid]

I had to put a really aggressive crossover on both the tweeter and woofers for distortion and power handling. The crossover came in right around 1,200 Hertz.

[@SunsetWingman]

I always thought that having your midrange driver play sub bass added distortion. Would it be beneficial to have a separate sub and roll off the Mids up at 100 or something?

[@vincentcorpuz1622]

Looks great 👍!

[@Lamski3]

Now we need a matching Center Channel to complete the front soundstage...

[@Toid]

Coming soon

[@KnHawke]

@@Toid Oh GOODIE! That center could also be used for the surrounds as well! It's something I'm doing with my BiC Formula's right now with great results.

[@gregrichard9192]

Great job 👍

[@dkerlee]

Pretty cute family! I'm building a pair of Invictus speakers, real similar to these. I think I'm going to have similar conversations with my wife too 😉

[@PatrickSmith-zg9xl]

I read this quickly and read... "Pretty cute family.. I am building one real similar to it".. and was like.. man TMI!

[@dkerlee]

@@PatrickSmith-zg9xl ha, now I get it.

[@golias1979]

It's all about that bass!

[@Toid]

You know it! And Luke, I am not your father.

[@golias1979]

@@Toid thank god

[@homewrecker8591]

We need a center channel now!

[@ryanmichalski7420]

Have you ever experienced any trouble with vocals or voice audio not any being defined enough. Would a center channel benefit this set up, or where the two tower speakers just right.

[@allthingsaudio3840]

awesome vid! btw the woofer purchase link is broken...

[@TELO228]

And you can also add a midrange speaker, I think it will be even better, but what kind of music is playing ??

[@scotty362100]

I love your builds, but i wish you would do a tower like these with a 3-way! Building 2-ways is like cheaping out like the manufacturers do just to save a price point.

[@robertd6925]

Is there an alternative for the w8's? Their not in stock.

[@mfkhometheater7742]

Those aren't ugly, you should see my 2-ch system.

[@SteveWillsonKujur]

Take a free advice , next time you'll upload a video keep the background music little low

[@KnHawke]

I need these in my life ;) Ya got any thoughts on a HT setup to go along with these?

[@elpularajesh1295]

Pls make a video on making of cross over

[@wpienaar999]

I really liked the vid and was then disappointed when the end came and you did not share the actual engineering and design behind the build.

[@Toid]

I do sell the plans for anyone that is interested in the behind the scenes engineering and give away the plans to any of my patreons. They are always able to ask any questions they might have about the engineering involved as well. Plans: bit.ly/The_Uglies Build Log: bit.ly/Uglies_Build_Log

[@stevencorbo1220]

These are incredible so sad that the plans are gone

[@etyson9515]

Anyone else have problem buying stuff from this guy?

[@Toid]

What is the issue Tyson? I haven't heard anything from you.

[@brandengooch4101]

Do you sell the crossovers that you make? Or the plans/parts list at least?

[@ericschulze5641]

This is why these guys piss me off they rarely tell you the box volume rarely tell what exact speakers they used and I don't care what order crossover they build they NEVER tell you what crossover frequencies they used . They scare the people who want to get into this hobby away they should just say how many mh.the coils are & Uf caps screw the resistors just tell the new guys to use l pads till they learn more great video but no one can build it

[@hazembata]

Drivers can only be purchased in bulk from parts-express. Where did you get yours from? Thanks.

[@HPMIKE55]

@123Toid great job bro & how much would it be if you made it for me? I want the box white?

[@hoodafukisalice]

@Toid, do you sell finished sets? I'd be interested in buying.

[@nesnakomec]

Would you share a diagram for a crossover? That's the only thing I couldn't find in the description. Thank you Tom

[@jimtincher7357]

Why didn't you use dado's for the panels between the woofers?

[@mauserkk98]

Nice build but you need a better paint brush, seems a shame not to put a bit more effort it the finish after all the effort to build them .

[@ruca568]

Hi 123toid. Will you design a full set to home theatre? The uglies and the surround and the height speakers? Thanks from Portugal for your great job.

[@goat165]

So when I go to the website, it says the build plans are no longer in stock. Any chance of having them in stock anytime soon? For 20 bucks I’d love to take a look at them.

[@MushmouthJoe]

I don't know why I'm just now discovering this channel.

[@roygriend5143]

Hi toid, those are really big woofers but capable of 2 way use. My question is, when do you deside to put a small midrange for better mids, so a 3 way. You would say that a 3 way with a lightweight cone midrange should sound better!?

[@jean-pierreserret301]

do you happen to have any video's that detail how to build the right cross over for beginners?

[@garlicbad]

It is the color that matters. Pink would be nice. Do repaint!

[@Toid]

Haha, I'll keep that in mind. Seriously, I do plan on repainting these

[@justins.1283]

@@Toid that's about what I do, get inpatient, assemble it while only filled and partially sanded. Listen then fiddle and change things. Then later pull it apart and finish it.

[@rOckstAr-t7z]

Is it 2 woofer? And 1 tweeter per box?

[@rolisaenz]

what alternate drivers we can use ? parts express as of today want you to order 50pcs or more and it will take 3 to 4 months to deliver.... go figure!!

[@jked7463]

The best part of the video is you all dancing.

[@uncola6028]

I didn't know toid was a dramatist and actor in addition to a speaker designer ;)

[@Toid]

Haha, this is the greatest comment! Love it!

[@ericschulze5641]

Heyy Heyy.. . . I know I have criticized you in the past but your great however what's the box volume what exact speakers are you using what exact crossover frequencies are you using this is why people get mad or give up or don't even try you scare away more people than you bring in your video was primarily about box construction nice tips but no one can build these speakers without that info

[@Toid]

I used to sell the plans for these, so others could build them. And quite a few people did and really enjoy them. The reason why these plans are no longer for sale, are you can no longer buy the woofers. If they ever come back in stock, I'll be happy to offer them for sale again.

[@Toid]

P.S. if you read the description, there's links to the major components as well as the build plans.

[@wallalo]

nice the y axis with the db that is not read

[@coldfinger459sub0]

Do a build on The X-Statik Kit from GR Research by Danny Richie. For the price cannot be beat at $399. You get 10 drivers plus the crossovers enough for two speaker cabinets. You just provide the wood and the woodworking. Would make a great video plus review how to build The X-Statik Kit

[@Luke-qs2cg]

Built them. Be warned, they are not all they are cracked up to be. At least not for my tastes.

[@coldfinger459sub0]

@@Luke-qs2cg That’s what I’ll be finding out. I know because they’re open baffle they have to be several feet away from the back wall from What I read about open baffle. It’ll be a experiment like my BK-20 Full range horn loaded cabinet with the Fostex 8 inch speaker Full range. That I made for the amp camp amp I built. I wanted to hear what open baffle speaker sound like in my system before investing or some thing like those big mammoth towers NX Extreme open baffle from GR research

[@jerichotm2122]

Please, can you tell me how to calculate the distance between woofers on the same baffle? Its easy between woofer and tweeter, but between woofers? Thank you!

[@talhajhon8077]

Any idea about how to assemble crossover

[@juststuff5216]

Great Stuff! Sell the plans to Wilson Audio. You'll make thousands, and they'll sell them on for about $70,000 a pair or something in that ballpark, and they'll make millions! :)

[@Toid]

So true

[@DonMenico92]

Imagine you have guests and they pretend complementing your speakers but you would say: "No problem, i know they are ugly as f**** but they sound amazing" Ugly and rusty cars with a high power engine called "sleeper cars" - your speakers are "sleeper speaker" :-D

[@donalddluckerii3147]

Who mounted that tv? Holy balls that's high. And you can build those well thought out, serious speakers, but then have a cable running down the wall?

[@Toid]

Yeah. The TV is temporary. We're going to start renovating that room soon. We just bought the house

[@donalddluckerii3147]

@@Toid Gotcha, no sense in retroing a bunch of cables if you're just gonna tear it apart soon. What model woofer are those? I missed it in the video.

[@Toid]

@@donalddluckerii3147 exactly. It's been bothering me too. I hate having them there. Here is the woofer. bit.ly/w8-2096

[@shawnwade4062]

I recently saw a video about magnets LCR ultra thx and I think I like the thought of having a LCRS setup. Do you think the 6” woofers you used for the cinema 6 and tweeter you used on this build would work together?

[@kejar31]

That TV height though!! Lower that @&&@

[@Toid]

Haha. We might have gotten a little overzealous when we hung it. but this is all just temporary. I'm actually getting ready to redo the entire downstairs sometime next month. Then that is definitely on the to do list

[@limitless462]

Hi. Can i use this as a subwoofer for my car using a class d mono amplifier?

[@sabiondocolors325]

Woofers link r broken 💔 no bueno !! Please can you fix it . Thank you for your time and video 📸

[@Toid]

It's actually Parts Express website. They're having issues right now, and I can't resolve it. But the woofers are the Tang band w8-2096

[@sabiondocolors325]

@@Toid thank you !! Blessings

[@SawekWyup]

You claim to have them play low bass so they could supplement the subwoofer. So how do you cross them over with a sub? What about phase issues? As I understand that, the sub should be crossed very low to avoid problems with both the towers and the subs eliminating each other

[@rajeshselvaraj3654]

Awesome build for pleasant sound. Keep it up. Can u share crossover schematic diagram for this. Is it ported enclosure?

[@Toid]

I sell the plans if you want to make your own, which includes the crossover schematic: Plans: bit.ly/The_Uglies THere is also the build log on my site Build Log: bit.ly/Uglies_Build_Log

[@rajeshselvaraj3654]

@@Toid sry was very busy with Covid situation hence saw ur reply bit late. I wish to buy the plan and cross schematic but the plan is out of stock in ur site..can u help me with the active link to buy it.

[@Toid]

@@rajeshselvaraj3654 the reason the plan is out of stock is that the woofers were nowhere to be found. And I don't believe they've come back in stock yet.

[@mustangfred2006]

What was your cost on building these? Not counting your hours and hours of labor of course. Please excuse if you already said in the video. I don't have the confidence to attempt a project like this as at the end of it, they might sound like shit.

[@davidkalil5698]

These look great, but I think the drivers aren't available any longer.

[@Toid]

Unfortunately you're correct. I'm in the process of designing a newer version using the new Dayton epique drivers. But it'll probably be 2 months before that videos out.

[@davidkalil5698]

@@Toid thanks Nick! Looking forward to checking out the new version

[@motorax.service.motociclete]

hi, what woofers did you used? the link is not working anymore

[@tetu024]

Hello, It seems that the w8-2096 aren't available to purchase any longer. What other diver do you suggest as an alternative ?

[@Simjedi]

I'd have some patience. That same bulk ordering message appeared on the TB W6-1139SI page not too long ago and now are available for normal ordering.

[@tiberiuskirk2052]

The 4 woofers and 2 tweeters comes out to about $600 in parts. Not an inexpensive build. How do these compare to something like Jim Holtz's very well regarded Mini Statements? I'm not trying to throw shade on your design, which seem to meet the goal of having a really solid low end. Just want to know how it compares for about the same $$$.

[@Toid]

I really couldn't say. I haven't personally hear the Mini Statements. I am sure they are good, but I couldn't do a direct comparison. What I do like about the Uglies, is the amount of bass you can get (not just how low they go). These are 8" woofers with 8.5mm of xmax each. Which is pretty impressive.

[@jdrissel]

Be careful not to use mattress padding or packing foam for acoustical treatment on walls. The stuff that's for acoustical treatment is a whole lot less flammable...

[@rony6482]

The page for the woofer does not exist. I would love to know if there is a similar woofer for speaker boxes

[@Toid]

Yeah, it stinks this can't be found anymore. However, there is a cheaper (although 7" instead of 8") alternative that is pretty amazing. You can find it here: parts-express.sjv.io/4e7QMM

[@johnattend8987]

Sorry for my english... What about impedance and yield ? Do they need a strong amp ? Are boomers plugged in parallel or serial (4 ohms each) ? Very interesting concept !

[@Toid]

Thank you This is a nominal 8ohm speaker. They're very easy to drive. I've been using just the normal surround sound receiver. I mentioned that in the video somewhere.

[@johnattend8987]

@@Toid Thank you for answering. It's easier for me to understand when written than spoken !