I 3D-Printed Some Full-Sized Bookshelf Speakers-and They Sound Incredible!

[@johnyang799]

Unlike other 3d printed speaker videos, this one actually does something good. (also doesn't hide stuff from the viewers)

[@dopplepopoulis]

As someone who has been building speakers and following the progression of the DIY audio scene for 30 years, I do not say this lightly: You did this right. I have seen very few KZbinrs in the 3d printing space, or even the DIY audio space, that I can say that about. Most casual diyers will decide early on that the hardest, and as you correctly stated, most important part (measurements, modeling of XO, verification and adjustment of XO) is too complicated or can be skipped/shortcut, and focus all their energy on the parts they can get their heads around or enjoy, often obsessing over minutiae of bass alignment, box stuffing materials, exotic cabinet materials etc. You instead applied appropriate rigor and effort to that most important part, chose the best tool available to amateurs (vituixcad) and focused on the appropriate performance metrics. Major respect for learning enough to know all of this (and also avoid all the incorrect/outdated information in the space), avoiding the temptation to rush, skip or gloss over important parts when things don't go according to plan, and for being willing to put focus in your video on the crossover design; I know that is not exactly 'engaging' content for casual or excited DIYers.

[@Spaniard47]

Always stoked to see Dayton Audio's reference woofers. They are astonishingly good all through the range of sizes and materials. ALSO, absolutely unprecedented video quality considering it's your second video ever. I would genuinely not be surprised if you hit 100,000 subs in the next year.

[@OM-DIY-o]

Sangat menarik. Aku tunggu model berikutnya.

[@Toid]

Pretty Sweet Video!

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

Thanks, means a lot coming from on of the DIY Audio OGs!

[@real_kdbanman]

you nailed technical depth and pacing. very excited to see more like this.

[@lap87]

Criminally underrated channel, i will watch you grow from here :)

[@infn]

Good luck with your channel and website! Can't have enough DIY speaker channels on KZbin.

[@1980JPA]

Enjoying this. Glad you gave Dayton's reference drivers some love, they are great quality drivers that don't take saving up for a year to afford a set to build a speaker. Also loved to see that you actually took the time to create a good crossover. I've watched many vids that can build a great box and then use either an off the shelf X-over or just some general "guesswork" type X-over. I'm sure you found out why that's the case, lol. There are some more tricks to dampening printed boxes when you really get creative, but this was a great build.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

Thanks so much for the kind words! One of my main goals with this project is to make high-quality DIY audio more accessible. Whether you're using one of my designs or learning about speaker design through my videos, I want to make it easier for people to experience the joy of building and hearing their own speakers. On the topic of dampening 3D-printed enclosures, there are plenty of methods out there, like filling the walls with plaster of Paris or sand. But, to be honest, I don’t think it’s necessary. It adds a lot of complexity to the build without a significant benefit. This is something I’ll cover in more detail in future videos because there’s a common misconception that plastic needs extra damping since it’s "not as heavy as wood." But here’s the thing: birch ply has a density of 680 kg/m³, MDF is around 750 kg/m³, and PLA comes in at a hefty 1250 kg/m³. If you print a speaker with solid PLA, it’s significantly denser than a wooden speaker, so the need for additional damping isn’t as critical as people might think. I would rather just up the infill percentage than spend my day mixing, pouring and cleaning up POP.

[@jonahdodd567]

@@PrintYourSpeakersa comparison of all three you mentioned would make for an awesome video!

[@davidblewett5703]

​@@PrintYourSpeakersif the goal is a solid part, it would probably be better to use a high wall count and no infill.

[@ryanchappell5962]

I’m so glad I found this video. Your design work is really excellent. Thanks so much!

[@wolffpv535]

Would love to see a tutorial of your crossover software! And an explanation of why you use it!

[@emmet7208]

Dayton reference for the win!

[@1061shrink1061]

12db down at 40hz though, with the rolloff starting pretty steep from 70hz, what they're not is bass monsters. Its a tough compromise to create an easy load, sensible sensitivity and yet get deeper bass. I feel these would need a 3d printed sub ;)

[@MoAvW]

Would definitely like to learn more about designing and testing the crossover.

[@attainableaudio4533]

Would get some good books on the subject to kinda get a handle on the theory and the practical workings of what component does what, In it's basics it seems simple and sometimes it can be, but will take years to get a handle on it

[@DIYhyfy]

Really cool video. Nice work! Glad I found you. Keep them coming please!

[@GrulbGL]

i have a bunch of speakers that i build my self with mdf, plywood and laminated. and was thinking about the next ones being 3d printed. that content is what i needed! Wish great succes m8, really nice work!

[@Dia1Up]

I'm very excited for future content. I will say though, I'm actually looking for a very small set for my office at work. There's a million 4" driver based builds. But I would love a 2.5 based 2-way

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

Do you have a secret camera in my workshop? I might have just started working on something you may be interested in.

[@Dia1Up]

@PrintYourSpeakers haha perfect! I just bought the supersonic plans..... But I may have to wait to build them if you have something coming soon that will suite my needs better!

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

@@Dia1Up Ahaha if you are happy to wait, it will be not next video but the one after.

[@tommyshoe-star1426]

nice work man, I almost fell off my chair as I saw the tweeter you are using because I already have it here for my own project which is paused actually

[@GeckoDeLimon]

Pro tip: Wago lever nuts for prototyping crossovers. It's crazy how much series resistance can sneak into your prototype when using alligator test leads.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I hadn't heard of these before your comment, i might just have to give them a try. If you see them in a future video, you will know you're the guy.

[@EPeltzer]

Have you considered filling the infill spaces with epoxy resin, or even casting plaster or Portland cement type material? Resin filling is a technique that can be employed to greatly increase the strength of FDM parts that are weak due to poor layer adhesion and heat sensitive due to the filament properties. However it seems it would be very good for increasing the density of a speaker enclosure and probably more massive, less expensive and faster than just printing denser infill. You could even get away with only a couple outside walls and nearly no infill.

[@DonRaynor]

Also, plaster of paris, mixed with plastic glue works wonders, (glue to remove ringiness)

[@attainableaudio4533]

I'm just in the process of doing this now. I have done silicone and urethane molds in the past and made cast enclosures, but going to make the shells on my printer and fill them with various materials to see the results.

[@GreySectoid]

Reminds me of my Yamaha HS7

[@davidblewett5703]

Really enjoyed this. I would love instructions for building a high quality speaker to be used as the center channel in a surround sound setup.

[@tessa7468]

amazing video! wanting to print my own some time

[@Roobotics]

3:10 2 possible things, the filament droops down wherever there is an overhang for the recess, even though you are making a 'lip' region that is shallow, anything more than ~1/2 a line width, you should consider adding chamfers past that. Sometimes however it can also be XY shrinkage, PLA is about 99.7% *at best* so a precise 200mm fit will almost immediately be 199.4mm post-cooling if you have no XY compensation in your filament profiles. A full half a mm too small, is quite a lot.

[@Rusty_Harsh]

i dont know anything about these things and didnt understand most of the things. can you tell us the wiring and also can i make a pair that work together for a theater kind of vibe. is it possible for you to make a detailed tutorial like how the electronics work and the software work you did. i would love that. this would be a great winter break project to tackle.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I'm still pretty early in my KZbin journey, but I’ve got heaps of projects lined up! It’s definitely a challenge to pack technical information into a video while keeping it engaging and easy to follow. Right now, my plan is to focus on one or two technical topics per video so viewers can gradually build a clear and digestible understanding of speaker design over the series. That said, I might also create some tutorial-style videos in the future.

[@dusturbator]

Would be great to see a speaker with double walls where i can infill a insulation material. Also i would like to see a setup guide! This would really help me and many people so much! Looking forward to printing my own speakers soon, hopefully

[@Einzbrn]

Subscribed for more speaker design!

[@l3d-3dmaker58]

this is so freaking cool

[@aheadachewithpictures]

Is that an MX5 I see? Really well made video and speakers look great!

[@LocoRocoNL]

MIATA IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER

[@gabriel3437gfcxg]

awesome stuff. inspired me to have a look at designing my own (im broke). also for a second video this is a banger, looking forward to seeing more :)

[@CueBall909]

Given the issue you had with the case splitting, why not move that seam to in between the two drivers, to make it more robust?

[@anthonyortiz4254]

Hi, what was the fillet radius you used to help with the corner lift?

[@funnyname952]

nice one

[@alidaf-YT]

I printed mine front-to-back but with a single Mark Audio CHN-50 driver. I run Linux/MacOS so can't find any suitable design software to help with crossovers, let alone box volume and response calculations. I filled the walls with PoP mixed with PVA and printed the front on a textured bed to give a nice patination. They sound amazing apart from a slight drop in the low-mids due to me not accounting for the volume taken up by the reflex port. I designed grooves on the insides of the front and back to break up the deformation modes and stiffen them. The outstanding issue for me was which material to use for lining the internal walls. I tried wool felt, which was atrocious and eventually settled on some microfibre cloth, which is fine but I could still do with some wool for stuffing in to the cavity. I am currently re-designing them to be partially modular but with a similar plan profile like yours, which look fab.

[@HiFiGardener]

Great video on speaker building. It would have been groovy to hear some royalty free music played on them at the end of the video.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I wanted to do this but at the time of filming, I only had a large diaphragm condenser, measurement mics and a terrible lav mic. I have just ordered an MKE 600 for dialogue so I will see how that sounds recording a speaker.

[@Luke-qs2cg]

I use 3d printing to design the complicated interior structures inside my speakers. I like to finish in maple or wenge with dye colors and thick clear.

[@ryanraspotnik3962]

This is awesome! I’m building out a home theater these will work great, want to design me a center channel now? Lol 😝

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

A centre channel is in the works!

[@ryanraspotnik3962]

@@PrintYourSpeakersyes!!!

[@limeshow4488]

Как называется программа эмуляции кроссовера?

[@woldemortxyz7996]

Nice project. I'll also be 3D printing some speakers in the future. One thing to try, in order to increase the enclosure mass and rigidness, but also decrease printing time and material, is to print with very little gyroid infill and fill the enclosure walls with resin.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

Cool, I would love to see more people giving 3d printed audio a go! As I mentioned in another comment, I don't have an issue with enclosure mass or rigidity. PLA is about twice as heavy (dense) as birch ply and this speaker has quite a bit of internal bracing. Per kg, epoxy resin is quite a bit more expensive than PLA and has a similar density. I would rather just wait a bit longer for my print than deal with the mess of resin.

[@BroomAtoom]

@@PrintYourSpeakers When you look at the most recent video of DIY perks, he fills it with some sort of concrete like filling. Maybe that could be something worth checking out!

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

@@BroomAtoom, I saw that. He also has another 3D-printed speaker video in which, from memory, he fills the walls with POP mixed with PVA glue. I have a lot of videos planned, but I think I will have to do a video comparing the acoustic performance of different wall fillings. I also want to test infill density, infill pattern, and printer material.

[@misterinfinity4076]

When i clicked the video i didn't expect to see someone using actual design methodology and measurements to design them. How do you manage to get 4ms resolution in your gated measurements in a room with so many walls/ items around?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

The speed of sound is approximately 343 m/s. A travel time of 4 milliseconds corresponds to about 1.37 metres. Since the sound must travel to the reflecting object and then back to the microphone, the object needs to be within roughly 0.7 metres for its reflection to appear in the measurement. You can see this first reflection in the impulse response and use it to determine your measurement window. By extending the window to include this initial reflection, you can also observe how the frequency response changes.

[@briannguyen2545]

do you think that the amount of time fiddling was due to the recording enviorment or some other factor?

[@TantrumAudio]

Love the colour ;)

[@JohnSmith-qm5xu]

4:58 it’s a prototype, wouldn’t it have been more efficient to heat the screws before driving them? Should prevent cracking.

[@Karaon]

cool, cool. As someone building not just home speakers but whole PA soundsystems I will stay with plywood tho BUT I do own a 3d printer and WILL use it for custom bass reflexes for example. Also I like the idea of custom grills etc. Keep makin stuff, cheers

[@TheJohdu]

very good and comprehensive video. i would have some questions about low level merging in REW if you dont mind. other than that i would argue that crossing over a 7inch woofer around 4k is the way to go if you use a suitable woofer with no break up (see a lot of british speakers) ;)

[@airsofteer]

This is a very cool project but I don't think I can do it as-is with my 220x220 print bed. Do you think the design could be further segmented to allow for smaller print volumes, or would that introduce issues bonding etc? Also, a recent DIY Perks video shows the use of plaster of paris for filling speaker walls (about 1.1 g/cm3 denser than PLA) - do you think that denser and solid walls would improve a speaker like this, or not worth the hassle?

[@attainableaudio4533]

Would be worth experimenting, the enclosure stiffness and vibration control is just as important as everything else

[@DaKerim58]

I would filler them and paint them I bet it looks incredible

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I have been thinking about printing some large horn floor standers and taking them to a car body shop to get filled and painted. If I do, you will see it here!

[@pengkurohandal248]

Thanks, i hope i can join with your jurney

[@nhan.flatbread]

Are the filter parameters coming with the purchase? I like to use a dsp!

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

This speaker is only available for passive crossovers, you would have to design your own DSP filter. Thre will be some active DSP speakers at some point.

[@earlfenwick]

Hey I really enjoyed this. I'd love to see more and I have subbed! I tried to sub to all DIY speaker channels. Even the Japanese ones.

[@dantheman1998]

I always wondered what printed material dampens the best. Maybe you can test?

[@estebanbaltierrez4549]

Is it ok to use it on ceilings?

[@musiikkimajuri]

Nice video and project! How much filament does one speaker approximately use with your wall count and infill rate?

[@impuls60]

A very sweet design! I wonder if they'd measure even better with a radius above the tweeter too? Try even larger radiuses next time. From what I read on diy audio larger radiuses helps clean up the ripples a lot. Making curves in wood takes forever vs 3d printing where you can make them without any effort at all.

[@jmdrstv]

I’m old, been building things my whole life the analog way, but 3D curious. This looks like such a cool project. Your directions and sourcing on your website is also super organized. What equipment do you need (recommend) for doing this for a beginner that will likely become obsessed?

[@tobiasjennerjahn8659]

I'm considering buying the plans for this, but on your website I also saw the Glow 4 speakers. Those use a considerably cheaper woofer and tweeter. Are they still worth considering now that you've designed these new ones? I'm sure the Illuminate speakers sound better, but it's tough to know how noticeable those differences are to someone who's just starting out with their home theater setup and has a mostly untrained ear. I have some experience with headphones, but basically none with loudspeakers. Any guidance would be appreciated. Also, absolutely banger video, especially considering this is just your second upload. Immediately subscribed!

[@gurratell7326]

Nice build! Would be interesting to see more how you think about the walls and resonances in them? I see you have relatively high infill and some bracing inside them, but is it enough you think?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I went into more detail in another comment but this is something I will cover in my next video

[@melkileo]

What kind of filament did you use in the final product?

[@dominikcz2266]

Are you going to make a video about smaller version - Glow 4? It also looks awesome and I would like to build it but I’m not sure if I will be able to fit it on my 3D printer. I have Bambu A1 mini which build plate size is 180x180x180 mm. Due to speaker dimensions I thought it would fit perfectly but then I found that files are prepared to print on 45 angle. Could you check it and maybe add this info on your site? Or maybe it is safe enough to print it in regular position like you did with this bigger version?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

Hi Dominik, I dont have any specific plans to make a video about the Glow 4, but I have received user feedback from a couple of people that the 45-degree angle makes it difficult to fit on a number of printers. I have an upcoming video about the matching centre channel, I may release an update for the glow 4 that enables it to be printed flat at around the same time.

[@carolynhudson6858]

My printer can print multiple materials even if they are very different sometimes. I’ve been really enjoying using break away filament at zero distance from the part and zero distance spacing on those layers usually 3-5 layers worth. On a Bambu with a changer I would be worried about purge waste on a big print but if you keep it to just the interface with minimal overhangs it shouldn’t be too bad. I designed tiny 3 inch single driver speakers for an electronics project and used one of those metal filled pla filaments with a friction fit tpu foot and somehow despite being completely ignorant about speaker design they sound better than any 3” speaker from Amazon driven by a 3 watt class d stereo amp connected to a raspberry pi zero should. I just wish that metal filled filament was cheaper it has this satisfying feel with a vaguely ceramic look and the density on a soft foot doesn’t hurt for killing secondary vibrations.

[@Kirko_bangz]

Now do an MTM center channel!!

[@chrishansen1236]

what software do you use for crossover?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I use VituixCAD, I really like the detailed information it gives; and if I input good data, the simulations match the measurements of the final crossover very closely. I strongly recommend it over designing crossovers using formula or 'ears'

[@HVDynamo]

I have a question about when you take your measurements for building the crossover. How do you have the woofer and tweeter wired during the sweeps? Are they just in parallel with the full range going to both speakers? I'm asking because I was under the impression that low frequencies could damage tweeters, but not sure the best way to manage that before you have the crossover set and are just trying to capture the data.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

You are right that running a tweeter without a high pass filter can damage it in normal use, this is due to over-excursion. When I take my measurements for crossover design, I am running them at very low power (

[@UnstableAgenda]

Awesome Video! got a new Sub! should design a center speaker and make a HT set up!

[@froooch]

Just so you know when i clicked on your channel the home page says you have no content. My channel did the same thing for some reason until i went in and edited it. Just wanted to let you know. Love the content! Here's to massive growth!

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

Thank you for the heads up! Something I will fix when I get a second.

[@felixwhise4165]

what kind of shelf is that?

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

Other videos I've seen printing speakers have filled the walls with plaster or concrete. Is that pointless then?

[@jhoff80]

I see you mention in the parts list on your website using epoxy to bond the halves together, but you may want to try 3D gloop's PLA gloop. Not affiliated with them in any way but it's supposed to chemical weld two PLA parts together. Never used it on such a large scale print but it's worked well on the small prints I've used it with.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I haven’t used PLA Gloop, but the main reason I suggest epoxy is that it’s cheap, strong (until you lever the enclosure apart using a power drill), works well with most plastics, and is readily available all over the world.

[@blackhand9581]

I like small speakers. They're compact, sound great, and the bass for it shouldn't be possible. The one I have are the iloud Micro Monitors and Genelec 8010Aand I use them to do professional audio work. But I've been wanting to 3d print something that's similar in size for the heck of it. That being said, what are the drivers you used for your small speaker? I'd like to print that one instead.

[@Luisdiug]

Thanks for sharing! I was looking for this on your site but dind't find it. How much bed size is needed to print this?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I might add this to the product page in the future but its in the build guide, for this speaker its: H215xD250xW235mm

[@jessicaembers924]

Bigger IS Better! My speakers are 53" high 41" wide, and 24" deep. They fucking ROCK Man!

[@raonipr]

For me 2.1 is the way, period. Since i'm brazilian i use mainly amps/dacs and fullrange speakers from aliexpress and fell in love with the small BMRs and their really detailed midrange and surprising highs. tuning them to 120hz and crossing to 6-8 inch woofer (these we have in brazil in spades) trounces any 2 way especially on nearfield use, since the crossover isn't smack dab in the middle of the midrange. The other big thing is these amps with integrated dsp that have popped off in ali, the eifellton brand is excellent for this job.

[@msalonen02]

Amazing video! Are you planning to make a viedo on the Glow 4 soon? I'm thinking about buying the instruction for those but would love to see a simliar video on them first.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I would love to but I designed it before I even considered making KZbin videos :( I do plan to make a matching centre channel for the Glow series and there will definitely be a video.

[@msalonen02]

@PrintYourSpeakers Okay, thanks. How would the Glow 4 sound quality compare to these? Are they worth the hassle or should one just build the bigger ones?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

​@@msalonen02 They are a very different speaker, the Glow 4 is about getting a big sound out of a small speaker, and the Illuminate 7 is focused on low distortion, good directivity, and dynamic performance. The Glow 4 makes a great first project because it's quite cheap and easy to build, has impressive bass authority and an enjoyable mid and high frequency sound. I think the Glow 4 is defiantly worth your time.

[@msalonen02]

@@PrintYourSpeakers Can the Glow 4 compete with similar sized speakers like Yamaha HS4/HS3 for example as desktop speakers in sound quality?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

@@msalonen02 I haven't heard the smaller Yamahas but I suspect you will not be disappointed. Just keep in mind that the yamahas include plate amplifiers, you will need a separate 2 channel amplifier for the Glow 4.

[@b29]

I see your friend Jack have yamaha hs7 speakers. Can he compare it to your printed?

[@luciegiles5630]

Hi Hugh, great video and really interesting idea. I’ve had a look at some of your products and build guides. I note you specifically say you can choose whatever filament you like but is there any type (PLA, PETG etc) that you particularly recommend? Edit: have delved a bit deeper and see you spec PLA for body and TPU for feet in the shopping guide. Had any issues with PLA or tried any other types of filament?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

Hi Lucie, for now, I have been using PLA because it's easy to print, quite rigid, and much less prone to warping than many other materials. I have a video planned where I will compare a lot of different materials. I am very curious to see how each of them performs.

[@Guysguitars864]

Never thought of 3d printed speakers. I noticed you compared them to a set of studio monitors. Could they do the job of studio monitors?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

You would probably want to use a sub with these if you wanted to use them as studio monitors. I do plan to design a pair of dedicated studio monitors at some point.

[@moocowgobark22]

if something doesn't fit, you need a manual CNC machine; a dremel.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I have tried this before, PLA has a very low melting temp so grinding it with a Dremel is very tricky :( It just turns to goo

[@TimShelnut]

Curious about the weight of these each? Definitely would make a nice set for my portable system running 5 channel amp clarion EQ lol. Would need 4 of these 😊

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

They weigh about 6kg each

[@TimShelnut]

@PrintYourSpeakers thank you sir! Much respect for all the effort you have invested into this and share. I possibly will purchase if I can line up someone on the print.

[@IlanDavid]

I'm so glad I've discovered your channel. I'd love to 3d print some speakers and I'm definitely going to try. What kind of filament did you use?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I am glad you found it too! I used Siddament PLA, I use a lot of it when prototyping because its cheap and prints well, the catch is its only available in Australia. My favourite filaments at the moment though are the 'Marble' filaments from brands like Esun and Bambu. The texture looks really nice and covers up the layerlines.

[@ThylineTheGay]

4:45 what's with people who 3d print not modifying the existing part, and just reprinting

[@ThylineTheGay]

i get it, it's easy, but it's wasteful AF

[@nathanblanchard8897]

I think it’s a combination of things. As said in the video earlier, it’s expensive! Not only in filament, but machine time and less so, electricity. In this case, it’s soooo close to working, that I’d try to make it work too. But I always want to leave a project in a finished state, so I’d probably adjust the design to match the physical changes. Obviously this isn’t the case here, but I think a lot of people don’t have access to CAD, or feel more comfortable with physical tools than digital ones. I see this more in the woodworking space with CNC work (using the machine to create a template, and a hand router to do the actual cut for example), but I think it’s a valid perspective. Different skills, different approaches!

[@Duraltia]

I'm a strong believer in when you cannot hide a seam between two parts ( or cannot be bothered fixing it ) then you should perhaps make it a design feature that will make it look less like _"Meh... Good enough!"_ and instead turn it into a _"Ohh... Nice one!"_

[@NegativoSiempre]

I think i’ll want to build this, are this compatible with any device? As in can i just plug this in to a mac and it’ll work? I know nothing about speaker design i just a printer and loved your project

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

These are passive speakers, so you will need an external amplifier to make them work.

[@joutilas]

Tempted to make one and then veneer it... need to test how contact cement reacts with PLA.

[@isakjetbean]

While not the most elegant solution, a 3D pen probably would've sufficed in place of reprinting the prototype, simple to stick it back together and close the gap.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

This is actually a great idea, I need to get my hands on one and have a play with it.

[@cjgogreen]

Are you familiar with @diyperks content? I’d love to hear your opinion/review of his speaker builds. The most recent one is wireless (using optical out as a fun way to send audio signals using mirrors) but older build are also interesting (using plaster as a sound dampener, for example). Maybe you could do a video on his content? Or improve upon it?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I watched his video as soon as it came out! I love his innovative approach. I view his videos more as interesting experiments than serious attempts at Hi-Fi. Using a laser diode to transmit Toslink is very clever, and I’m amazed at how simple it was to get it working. However, I’m not sure it’s worth all that effort to replace a speaker cable with a power cable running to each speaker. I mentioned in replies to other comments that I’m not convinced we need to fill the walls of 3D prints with plaster, resin, sand, or other materials. PLA is almost twice as dense as birch ply. Having said that, I’m not aware of anyone who has done an in-depth comparison of different infill densities versus filling the walls. This is something on my list, and hopefully I’ll get a chance in 2025. About the actual sound of the speaker, I haven’t heard it, so I can’t comment directly, but there are some things I would do differently: -He is going from HDMI > RCA > Toslink > RCA > DSP > analogue > amplifier > speaker drivers. He is switching between analogue and digital five times. Each time this happens, there is a loss in audio quality. The jitter would be off the charts! Using cheap components from AliExpress wouldn’t help. -He mentions not wanting to use an MTM centre channel due to comb filtering compromising the sound off-axis, then uses vertically oriented MTM surrounds, elevated well above the listening position. This puts him way off-axis to them. -In the home theatre world, people typically use an AV receiver and a measurement mic to automatically set delays and basic EQ, and in more advanced setups, DIRAC Live. Even with DSP in each speaker, using active speakers makes this more complicated to set up. Overall, though, I think his channel captures the essence of DIY. It’s about having a cool idea, actually building it, enjoying the process, and learning along the way. Even if I would do some things differently, I really respect what he does… after all, there’s no way I could design a better submarine than him.

[@ShaneCranor]

Why not use a digital crossover with a biamp?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

A digital crossover with bi-amp can be great, I would love to make some studio monitors at some point, maybe with Hypex FA122 and some Purifi drivers. For this project, I couldn't achieve my design goals with a bi-amp setup for a few different reasons. 1. Home theatre with bi-amp speakers is a nightmare 2. Cheap digital crossovers don't sound great, especially with clean-sounding speakers. Good-quality DSPs like the miniDSP Flex are quite pricey. 3. DSP settings don't translate well between different makes and models of DSP. I wanted viewers to be able to easily build this speaker and get the same good results I did without much difficulty or background knowledge. If I left it up to the builder to pick a DSP, they would have to program the DSP themselves, which adds a lot of complexity and potentially inconsistent results.

[@ShaneCranor]

@@PrintYourSpeakers would be interesting to check out the Dayton Audio DSPB-K DSP boards, looks like it solves most of your problems. It seems like they have the same chip as the miniDSP 2x4 which has decent quality iirc. With a digital crossover I would argue it is easier to ensure that builders have the same DSP because you can use the exact same file. And home theatre with biamp setups is just using the RCA out instead of the speaker out (although it is true that not all receivers have this functionality)

[@troublemarked]

excellent video mate. would you be able to suggest some amplifiers or ways to control the speakers, i dont know so much so i would like to know how to power my speakers :)

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

Thanks for the kind words! If you are new to the hobby, I would start with something pretty modest. In the last 10 years, cheap, compact class D amplifiers from brands like Topping, Fosi and S.M.S.L have come a long way. You just need to connect the amplifier to the speakers with some speaker wire and send the amplifier a signal from a music streamer, DAC or some other device. If you want Bluetooth, make sure the amplifier supports it. If you want something to get started with, that supports Bluetooth and can power these speakers maybe consider something like the Fosi Audio MC101, which you can find at Amazon or Parts Express.

[@troublemarked]

@@PrintYourSpeakers thank you very much for taking the time to make a response. I will do some more research and it seems there are alot of resources on youtube and the internet regarding powering passive speakers. would be great to see some content from you talking about matching your speakers with other important accessories :) just an idea

[@ovDarkness]

I have sone 400-500mm build dimension printers, so I could print even floor speakers with relative ease. But I don't trust thermoplastic asca build material in this application. Wouldn't it be better to just use MDF? BTW: why Dayton and not Seas or ScanSpeak? I have wonderful D'appolito monitors based on Seas and I'd love to build 3 way TL with their 8" woofers one day.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

The main reason for Dayton is they have a good price-to-performance ratio and are available worldwide. There are a lot of great drivers, and I plan to use a variety of different manufacturers for projects on this channel.

[@colinfindlay4790]

Been wanting to build some speakers for a while - but I find shipping costs to New Zealand are insane. Is there someone you order from in AU, or do you just eat the cost?

[@Rallade]

btw, there's a loud hiss on your voiceover around 18kHz on both your videos, super distracting for me, but the video is still great!

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

Very supprised no one else has complained about this yet, audio has been pretty bad, I have bought a new mic and may start using an external recorder, hopefully it's fixed for the next video.

[@therealblujuice]

I need a bigger 3d printer

[@Max-wl5ll]

Hey, total newbie here. How much do 3d printed speakers cost on average?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

It's hard to give an average. The Print Your Speakers website has the component breakdowns for each speaker and links to store pages so you can price them up. A value speaker like the Supersonic costs ~$75 USD per speaker, the speaker in this video is a bit more.

[@Max-wl5ll]

@@PrintYourSpeakers Wow that's really good, thanks for the help!

[@477BravoJuliet]

I wish someone would create a thorough and detailed tutorial on how to use VituixCAD for x-over design in plain English. I'd pay very well for that tutorial. Everything I've seen on the web so far is terrible. Mostly because the person writing the tutorial has English as a second language. This software really needs a proper and well written tutorial. At the moment I'm using Holmimpulse to measure and X-sim to design. I'd like to use Vituix, but I can't understand a word of the VERY confusing tutorials on how to use it.

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

If you google 'quasi anechoic audio science review' there is a great post on how to take measurements and get them in to Vituix cad, once you have done that you are 90% of the way there, you just need to add and adjust components until you get the response you want. I would like to make a tutorial but I will wait until I'm a bit more confident in my video production skills

[@marvinwilliams4223]

Why not just print a sound deadening pattern inside and outside of the speaker box so that you don't have to make a crossover

[@pixelreflectorpro]

? A crossover is needed even if you do that

[@marvinwilliams4223]

@pixelreflectorpro maybe a less advanced one is needed..

[@3d_print_audio138]

Here is mine 3d printed BLH speaker. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZ-bn5aqrKaGZ6csi=_IGOACsTMlcRPRl6. This is a Fostex FF85WK 3 inch full range. They took a long time to print. This guy is correct, about printing large prints. If it goes bad after a most of it is done, you just wasted a lot of time and filament and have to start over. I printed this back loaded horn in two pieces and the one of the bottom piece I had to trash because of power interruptions, and shifting on the bed plate. I finally finish it and sounded pretty good, still need to finish it. One thing is you can print geometry that would normally be difficult to make with would.

[@amgtrnd2245]

Why didn't you just print a spacer for the first prototype?

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

I’m not entirely sure if you meant adding a spacer around the driver itself or filling the gap between the two enclosure halves. A spacer around the driver wouldn’t help with the fitment issue and placing a spacer behind it would make the driver’s frame sit proud and cause diffraction issues. Adding a spacer between the enclosure halves might make it workable as a one-off solution, but the main purpose of 3D-printing these prototypes in cheap material is to achieve a perfect fit before moving on to the final “hero” speakers. Since I intend to share these plans, I need the design to be as sound and well-fitted as possible. For this reason, I was planning to print another prototype anyway. I didn’t see the point in spending more time on the first one once I realised it needed adjustments.

[@cursedvoid]

As someone who prints all the time and who has done a speaker project in the past using my K1 i can for sure say that if people want to print a speaker for the first time while this is good you really should have set it in 2 pieces like DMS did with his D-rectiva project. Another note is that all holes in your project should be having a slight tear drop shape at the top as it helps reduce sagging and helps a bit with other clearance problems

[@benclark5955]

I'm getting triggered by the speaker colors being inverted from standard Stereo. Red on Right, blue on left!

[@PrintYourSpeakers]

Ahahahah I didn't think of that, now I will never unsee it

[@OMBEWSSS]

Im subscribe please make 1000 more 🎉

[@hmartinlb]

I would have just shaved off the material on the prototype. Sharp woodworking tools do wonders to plastic. If you go through the wall in the process just cover it up with epoxy. It's a prototype. Not worth putting more money into it.