Step by Step Guide to Build Your Own Speakers | DIY Speaker Building

[@rickhockersmith2976]

I had some oak boxes I turned into speakers / end-tables. I bought an instruction book from Radio Shack on how to build them for the right drivers. It contained all of the formulations I needed. Then, I ordered my tweeters, mid-ranges, and bass drivers with the proper crossover along with the connectors. They both sounded great and looked better than any item you could buy. Plus rugged enough to be furniture or moved to another location.

[@Justmyopinionlol]

he has speakers on his earrs!!!!

[@jackwessely4342]

Oh wow someone found a funny👏👏👏 the lack of creativity rn is appalling

[@Theredstar2478]

@@jackwessely4342 someone’s cranky

[@dericklong6191]

Building a set of ear Guage speakers would be cool though

[@jeffgendron1959]

Nice introduction for the absolute basics. I think a lot of people will benefit from your information. And yes there is no right and wrong way if you have a method that works for you. I've run into that over the years with some people. I do want to add a couple of thoughts as I've been building DIY hifi speakers for 20 years: In the initial planning a major factor is the total Q of the woofer. To get the woofer to perform properly in the most basic sense there is one spec in the TS parameters most important to look at first. That is the QTS. For sealed enclosures, woofer QTS should be between 0.50 - 0.6. For ported and passive radiator between 0.25 - 0.45. The consequences to picking woofer with a QTS of lets say .3 for a sealed enclosure would be that the woofer will make no bass and have no weight to the bass sound. The consequences to picking woofer with a QTS of lets say .6 for a ported enclosure would be that the woofer will sound boomy and heavy, muddy and also have a bad resonance spike somewhere in the upper bass that would be nasty to listen too. After you have found an appropriate QTS then the FS and the VAS are the next most important TS parameters that can make or break how good a woofer can perform.My advice is to get a modeling program of some sort and try the woofer TS parameters in some different enclosure types and sizes and see what looks best. To know what looks best in a plotted frequency response is a whole other topic so people reading this need to learn that in a basic sense to know what to look for. A super basic program that works well is the Sub Tool box www.mfr-eng.com/toolbox.htm. This is a subwoofer program and a basic one at that, but I've used it many times over the years and it has never steered me wrong. However I know what I'm looking at with a plotted frequency response, and similar looking responses can sound drastically different when you get to the hifi level. With this program you are putting in all your own data manually and you can compare many woofer plots so you can get a visual sense of whats happening. The best I can say for beginners is if you look at the frequency response example shown in the link you want something like the red sealed curve. That would be a very natural hifi response in a room. The green ported example they show has two different parts to the curve which appear as a cliff. This would sound more like a heavier boomy sound in a room, similar to the big box store speakers. You always want one nice smooth looking curve for high quality sound and never anything drifting up above the 0db part of the graph unless you want some extra resonance over the rest of the speakers overall sound. But the great thing is that adjusting the box type and volume you could make a curve anywhere between the red and green one and that's when things get interesting. This means you can make exactly how you want the bass response to sound. Once you have that and the box type and size then its on to picking a tweeter and doing the crossover work.

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Wonderful information! Thanks so much for taking the time write this out. I think it'll be a big help to a lot of beginners. And welcome to the community!

[@tobiasbanz9236]

Great video! Never thought of building my own speaker. I'm probably gonna do a school project building one! Thanks for the tips mate, appreciate it!

[@ddbyrd2001]

Really liking this series Kirby. Thanks for putting in the effort. I'm a long time woodworker (probably old enough to be your dad 😀) and you've inspired me to build a Bluetooth speaker for my little shop. Your videos are easy to make it all the way through... the right balance of words and visual stimulation... you have a knack.

[@leuse5614]

this video was not only super helpful but just really inspiring. You can really see you're passionate about this and it's infectious :) Thanks and subbed

[@mikimendizale]

THIS IS AMAZING!!!! Congrats for the channel. This is the best guide for DIY speaker begginers. Thanks so much!!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

THANK YOU!!!!

[@Justwantahover]

Step #7 I don't think many beginners will be able to judge what to do with a crossover if they made it by computer or math, or even a pre built crossover. It takes experience to judge how to fix a crossover just by listening to it. I can do it cos I have been trying for decades. It takes time and curiosity. Now I have built a completely GUESSED crossover and it was GREAT the very first time. It happened yesterday for the very first time. My previous set of speaker crossovers took a year before I was happy (a particular challenging acoustic set-up in those speakers). But without experience you may have to go to your computer to tweak it. You have to know (approximately) all the frequencies in hz and khz (when you hear them). And you have to know (off hand) the ranges of the caps and inductors without looking it up, if you have any hope of doing it just by listening. I found out just by hearing different caps and inductors (over the years). No computer or math on paper (just in my head). And you have to know how caps and inductors behave in parallel and in series (way difference). And you have to watch the impedance with your resistors etc. I have some speakers that go down to 2 ohms above 10 khz. lol but I am actually aware of that and the speakers sound great so I don't care but I would NOT put those speakers on any hi end (expensive) amp. And I now have a different driver set-up design and so this is the only pair I made like that. The next ones only go down to 4 ohms in the highs. Ineficient but killer sound top end. And there is the (dreaded) woofer tweeter level that I think is very important cos it gives you a choice on bass content against treble content. Too much woofer can DROWN OUT the nice highs and visa versa. And that I find is about the most difficult crossover challenge. My "tweeters" are coaxial (inside med drivers) and the "tweeters" are completely DIPOLE. That's why they are ridiculously inefficient but killer best treble I heard.

[@Sules2008]

Finally, this step by step guide is what I've been looking for. Great Videos.

[@Justwantahover]

Check out the Jaycar home speaker 10" woofer (Response brand). It's the 10" paper cone variant and cost about $65 (Australian) each. I got some and I run them with a 4" FR driver. The woofers are in sealed enclosures just with a single 5.6mh inductor on them. The best bass I ever heard! Even if someone offered me a woofer worth a mill, I would still have a real hard time giving up my Jaycar woofers. That's how good I think they are. Maybe it's not the "extension" below 60 hz, it's more the sharp attack of the bass notes and the wonderful kick drum sound. Like you can hear the actual skin on the kick drum being kicked. It's so sharp it's almost like a "tick", but with that deep thud that isn't too overpowered or "muddy" but with that deepness that makes a natural deep "rrrr" but not "boomy" just wicked balanced undertones. Sick! Check them out please, you won't be disappointed. Needs to be with either a med&tweeter or FR driver. They only go to like 1 khz. I can give you more details if you like. Every time I listen to them I wallow in the amazing bass sound like I'm being pampered in luxury. House is amazing with those sick undertones and snappy kick. Fuck I hope you try them (and I suggest you try them in a sealed enclosure, and start off with just a 5.6 mh inductor). I tried it first off with just the 5.6 and it sounded so good that I won't even consider anything else. Also my boxes have a slanted front so the box isn't all straight (and maybe that helps). My speakers are keeping me up all night cos I can't stop listening to the music.

[@pas0003]

Really cool! Thanks!

[@arthurwatts1680]

Kirby, you're definitely my favorite hipster (not a lot of competition, admittedly) and I like your enthusiasm for your content.

[@WontonDestruction]

The most hipster thing to do is rip on hipsters. Congratulations, you played yourself.

[@halrichard1969]

Kirby moved on. We all do. Thanks for everything Kirby, you gave alot.

[@Moto_Mania__23]

I’m 15 and I started out buying a $25 Logitech surround sound system at savers (witch was acually ok) to now wanting a set of $800 Sony speakers (I don’t have 800 to spend on speaker) so I think this might be the way 😂 I’m really good with electronics woodworking really a lot so I don’t think it will be a problem

[@thesurgepartybandnj5426]

Thanks for your video. What’s the best way to tune your speaker for a flat response after your done?

[@Henkecool15]

WHY DO YOU NOT HAVE MILLIONS OF SUBSCRIBERS, THIS IS AMAZING!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Haha I DON'T KNOW! Maybe someday! Thanks for watching!

[@dennismikha7541]

@@KirbyMeetsAudio coz the face is the only thing you can see on this (suppose to be) tech-related channel. IMHO - need more precise details, photos, examples with how a speaker resonates, etc

[@ezraboren2069]

@@KirbyMeetsAudio you're at 200k, where you at tho haven't posted in a year

[@ryannutter4669]

Hey man! Just subscribed to your channel a few days ago, and I just wanted to say you have some great vids! I'm a former DIY speaker builder/designer myself (used to frequent the P.E. Tech Talk forum for years). I wish there were more people in the hobby that could dedicate a channel to the craft. You've done definitely done that in spades. I traded my speaker building in for a small woodworking business these days, but watching your vids makes me want to break out my measurement gear and stock back up on my crossover parts. Lol. Congrats on starting your own business too!

[@rohanvartak7183]

Waiting for step 4,5,6,7&8!!! Make videos about them soon!

[@keixsy]

I'm so glad this video has subtitles as I have no speakers in my Wacom lol

[@jim73challenger]

Awesome DYI video! 11 minutes of watching you talk, congratulations!

[@sebmejia]

Awesome! Thanks man. Great content :)

[@kabir4152]

Just seen a few of your vids, subscribed immediately!. Great work, cant wait to see your future builds

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Thanks so much!

[@jayfoster5756]

First off, I love the videos and you have inspired me to build my own speakers. You state that quality plywood, MDF and dense hardwoods sound better than softer, less dense woods. But then right after that you mention Pine as a being a great choice, but pine is a low density softwood?? It appears some of your videos you have used clear pine. I was planning on using a nice figured maple for my enclosure.

[@christianjulian4800]

Awesome!Awesome! video man very educational thanks for the help!📻

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

No problem, Christian! Thanks for watching.

[@Awsomeize1]

Way to go bro !! U r soon gonna hit a million subs without you noticing it !!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Haha, I wish! Thanks, Saif!

[@darrenbrown393]

excellent video, just wonder where the rest of the videos in the step by step series were. The only suggestion I would have, would be to demo exactly what you are talking about because some people are visual learners and can't connect the theory until they see the practical

[@MajidAlQassimi]

Bro, awesome vid and blown away how much you put into this. Helped loads and enough for me to really consider making speakers and perhaps as gifts. Salute you!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Thank you! You can totally do it.

[@MortenHelmert]

How come you only have about 6k subs. With that kinda content you should have 100k subs, at least. Definitely gonna stay tuned on this channel!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Thank you, Morten! Hopefully someday! I really only started putting out regular content about 3 months ago, so I'm only getting started!

[@iamnode2088]

now he has more than 200k

[@gEEkyxgAmEr67]

Love the channel, id love to see how you wire up your speakers and in the future if you were to try something else, i think it would be awesome to see you incorporate an am/fm receiver and bluetooth receiver in the same system, im thinking about trying it out but im trying to figure out how id get the circuit wired up and working without a massive power drain, so far all i can think of is to have a 4-way rotary switch to alternate electrical feed to each receiver but if you can think of something better im open to suggestions

[@tomfield5495]

Hi. Is this series complete? I can only locate steps 1&2. Did steps 3 etc get made?

[@runar1973]

congratulations on the 5K, nice content

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Thank you!

[@starcitizenmodding4436]

5k what? i just subscribed too Darbin Orvar sent me!

[@lukester478]

wow you were at 5k 10 months ago, holy shit your channel boomed, currently 108k

[@Purveyorofawesome]

Going to be one hell of a fun journey!

[@AOqueso]

Aaaahhhh waiting for the "coming soon"

[@tinygunz0131]

enclosures need to be calculated? I made a ported inclosure without any calculations, just measurements for the box itself and over all it sounds pretty good. I made my own speaker and only seemed to follow the last step (finish). great work kirby

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Like I said in the ending, there's no one right way to build speakers. And that's definitely one way to make it sound good, but making it sound the best it can? That's a different story. Thanks for watching!

[@connormclees579]

This is where quarantine has brought me

[@jimmcintyre4390]

Wow! I love your passion for this! I just did my car with all new stuff. Drilled holes in the door for tweeters. Could not believe how much better it sounded even though I knew next to nothing about doing this. So much fun. I very much look forward to learning from you. I think I will order your blue tooth speaker to get started. Keep up the great work!

[@joshfish8833]

Just wondering if you have any scrap speaker billed

[@thebuddha400]

Thank you!

[@lawrencemaithyamutie4013]

learned alot actually.. looking foward to start my project soon

[@ubacow7109]

Can you do a video explaining things like what Q, F0, F3,F6 etc mean in reading speaker parameters?

[@julian.h662]

Hello, i have seen almost all of your videos and i am planning to bluid my own portable bluetooth speaker but i have some question. i am planning to use 2 tweeters with rms 60 watt and 1 woofer wirh rms 60 watt, i connect these with an bluetooth amp with 2x50 watt and for the subwoofer 10p watt, the amp has a max output of 3A and needs 18-24v but i would lije to use a battery bank wichh gives 18-24 output but there are only really expensive one or only 12v, how can i fix this? thank you for all of your videos, they really helped me!

[@ericanderson9383]

Hello Kirby, this is a informative video. I just bought some Yamaha NS-10M that sound great but the cabinets are in rough shape. So I am looking to make a replacement cabinets. I would like to know if the wood type make a difference?

[@TheGameRecorder1]

Could you go through buying drivers? e.g. wich brands and what to look for. And maybe give examples for good drivers in different price ranges.

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Great idea! Thank you!

[@klokibril]

Transmission line enthusiast here!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Same here!

[@hrayrohanyan4498]

Hi, can you suggest speakers (stereo) and Crossover for home use, but cheap one. May be something from ebay. thanks a lot

[@kelli217]

What are your thoughts on building a two-way system without a crossover at all, and just letting each driver follow its natural frequency response curve? (And purposefully selecting drivers that had very little overlap in their frequency response.)

[@Gunbei2]

In theory, the less intrusive or complex the crossover is, the better and more coherent the sound. However, what you're suggesting would limit which drivers you could use, greatly. The closest thing I can think of would be a Lowther designed speaker, but that's just one speaker driver. If you could find speakers that are complimentary and have gently intersecting natural roll off points, it would actually be interesting to see how that sounds. A long time ago, when car audio was barely an industry, I drilled holes in my car's doors and rear deck panel and stuck home audio speakers in them. I had no idea what a crossover was and the whole thing sounded like crap. Shortly after that I walked into an electronics store and found out what a crossover was. I bought a pre-assembled three-way network, took it home and installed it in my car. It made a huge improvement even though it wasn't designed for my hodgepodge of speakers.

[@marcohaefner1644]

Hi! I'm really looking forward to see the next episodes of this series. Your speakers are awesome and I like the way you produce your videos! All the best!

[@alieninstallation50]

thanks for the video

[@noahmarchais804]

congrats on 5k! great stuff!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Thanks, Noah!

[@LcavalcanteR]

You forgot to put the KITs links in the description! BTW, you are doing a nice work here. Keep on! Can't wait for the step 2 crossover video!! Thanks!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Oh shoot! Thank you! Updated now. Thanks so much!

[@cinematiccreations8310]

Are there any NON-Bluetooth diy amplifiers that you would recommend? I am in the process of setting up my home studio and I want to build my own reference monitors for 7.1 surround sound design. Can you help me with this?

[@bennywalker1020]

great video man

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Thank you, Benny!

[@hrayrohanyan4498]

Hi. can you help me? I bought BOSS AUDIO CXX10 Chaos Exxtreme 10 inch Single Voice Coil (4 Ohm) 800-watt Subwoofer and BOSS AUDIO PC65.2C Phantom 6.5" 2-way 500-watt Component Speakers. What kind of Enclosure will be better to make? and can you suggest simple amplifier for this? Thank you.

[@dontsub6003]

Hey, as someone who know nothing, here's a way you can improve your video. When you go over each topic, like sealed enclosure vs ported, if you could explain what that means, and why you would do that. Especially for the more tech it items I have no idea what a crossover is and it would be helpful if you could explain what is it, and not just tell me the options.

[@montanaheaventush]

I'm interested in building some home studio monitors, active if possible to save on space, Ill be using a macbook pro & maschine studio and dont have room for an amp too. So to construct something like Rokit 5's or NS10's. Any suggestions to where to statrt choosing the component parts to achieve a flat response for playback and mixing. Also, I have a 12 Kenwood car sub in a sealed enclosure and somewhere in a box some Focal 6.5 's with tweeters and seperate crossovers, as these were for car audio are they in any way usable.. for instance could they be hooked up to an existing home audio amp rather than buy an inverter for the existing alpine and kenwood amps they ran off originally? and would the sound be any good - the focals are the yellow fibre glass coned ones and they sounded awesone in a car but wonder will that translate to an enclosure? Prob better than a steel car door I know but people get very antsy about using car audio speakers in home kit.. do they have a point? Keep up the good work and loving them tunnels! :) Peace

[@BrianPreis]

What are your resources? Where do you get the speakers? And other electronics.

[@victordesouzacouto6368]

Fantastic projetcts. I would like an oveview of your lab. All tools and equipments you use. Congrats.

[@pseutube]

Are those 1 inch drivers in his ears? On a not so serious note very informative, subscribed.

[@MrApple-qf3qo]

I wanna put 6 , 8 inch woofers and 2 tweeters in a box is that possible and what crossover would I need

[@crazybear1489]

Thank You

[@jazzlehazzle]

Heya, awesome!!! It looks like the "Watch the in depth video here" links embedded in your video don't work (like for the in-depth on crossovers, choosing drivers etc.) can you throw those links up here too?? Thanks Kirby! You rock!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Those videos aren't out yet! This is an ongoing series. Thanks for watching!

[@harrythebassdawg]

Good video, but I watched six minutes before realising you’re mainly talking about the enclosure and crossovers. Do you have any info on how to build the speaker itself?

[@bensumner3284]

Awesome video, go make some speakers!! Haha I love it. This channel is great, thanks for sharing with us!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Thanks so much, Ben!

[@Arjun08ac]

Thanks

[@jorgubb275]

How do you feel about putting foam in the speaker enclosure?

[@rafikyandre]

Men, would you please explain the differences between the speakers (Dayton´s PS and RS), and I thing, a lot of people would like to know about, how to use and when to use diferent kind of speakers, diferent models. Thank you.

[@brandencope6882]

Hey Kirby! Just found your channel and it's everything I've been looking for I've been building ceramic speakers for two years for deep rich bass and quality high end at a large volume as well. I'm in the process of building a box that isn't ceramic and it's all falling apart 😢. Don't get me wrong the box is solid and my wiring is spot on but attaching the speakers to the box without screws is messing me up silicone didn't work also it's a portable Bluetooth boombox that's ported with 8 drivers please help!

[@angelusherath1921]

Hi Kirby! I am very confused about amps. How do I pick one?

[@mark20708]

Whats your opinion on how to choose an amplifier? Great video by the way!

[@harryiii3361]

Great video! You earned a sub

[@filipinasantos2769]

in the crossover, . is there an specific crossover design for a 100 watts amp, 200 watts amp, 500watts amplifier? or one fits all

[@Polytheiser]

Hey there, really enjoyed your videos so far! Because I cant find a mobile bluetooth speaker on the market right now, convinving me by specs and their price im planning to build my own, I have quite exact visions right now and consider myself as a rudimentary gifted handyman.So i worked for wood and stuff for years, typical stuff you may have to do from time to time, but im not that good at physics and eletronics. Is there any way to get in contact with one of you, showing you my build plans i made yet,right now its only the idea behind it and how it should look and how i want it to function in a specific way. Thank you so much in advance and keep up the good work! Greetings from Germany

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Sure! Shoot me an email and we'll see what I can do. Thanks for watching!

[@gabrielteamed2284]

still dont understand the Hz-KHz, and how to build 1 sound system that can reach pitches that would resemble the old electronic days.. I.E..Laura Phillips Anderson and hard drum base.. CAN ONE SPEAKERSYSTEM handle all that? putting a project together with a great Old School artisant, and was asked to build a flight case he can take on the road.. have parts from Magnat .and lots of sound equiptment ... any tips ? needs to be put in a flight case and ready to board in a plane or bus...

[@willber318]

So i rebuilt some b and w dm110 from 1988 with birch ply cabs. The components are now past their best but the boxes are nice and i would like to replace the components. How do i chose something correct for these boxes?

[@kevinlivingston9563]

Great video Kirby! Keep up the good work and this channel is definitely going to rise to the top. There's a ton of videos out there but there's a big deficit when it comes to teaching and instructing about proper builds. Will be anxiously awaiting your next video. Don't forget about active vs passive crossovers

[@drqbex]

Im in love with this channel mate. Subscribed :D

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Thanks man!

[@andy_warb]

Idea for the future... a terminology video. You mentioned a few things that I had to Google :)

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

Great idea! Could you give me a few examples of terms you didn't recognize? Thanks, Andy!

[@andy_warb]

Yeah... you explained later what a crossover and a driver does but not so much what it *is*... like is a crossover a physical device? I wasn't sure at the end of this video. Similar with "driver".

[@patnoonan5281]

How good are full range speakers

[@standevos8631]

Are there also kits from under 100 bucks but still good sounding?

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

I'm currently trying to build a kit for one! I'll keep everyone posted.

[@standevos8631]

+Kirby Meets Audio thanks man

[@standevos8631]

+Kirby Meets Audio can you let me now when you bring it out?

[@HeyJoe.]

Hey @kirbymeetsaudio so I want to build my own Bluetooth speaker. I want to use it for work but I work in a warehouse where it's really loud so it's hard to here even the loudest speakers. I really want it to sound good. Is there any suggestions you have for me?

[@kurtkobain7445]

Video starts at 4:11

[@coreyfellows9420]

It's been a dream of mine for a while now. I already have a vintage audio shop (plug me "Electric Lady Audio). Anyway... I've been wanting to build my own speakers and put them in old ugly junk box's and call them (you ready??) "The Sleeper series"

[@Diego-yh2md]

what setting should i make if i music producer

[@jefferycopelin310]

I have dIY'ed a speaker but I lack bass 2 2 - 10w 8 OHMs? What should I do

[@aczep6706]

Finally...great explanations! Thank you. Cheers!

[@KirbyMeetsAudio]

No problem, thanks for watching!

[@JakeHolder]

What drivers do you tend to use?

[@johnhopkins6260]

Calculate EBP (ported or sealed enclosure)... dimensions 0.6:1:1.6 or, 0.8:1:1.8... Purpose: PA or Near-Field Monitors... active crossovers vs. passive.

[@jakobielover20]

hey I'm wondering what's a Twitter I'm trying to make this bluetooth speaker and I got the speaker from a old tv you know one of those rear projection TVs will it make for good sound?

[@tommywilliams8474]

Marcus Jackson tweeters produce high and mid frequency sounds

[@dubya13207]

Patch the wall? I feel like there's a story there...

[@gabriel_kyne]

Can you do a video on Funktion One? :)

[@Audios81]

Will the rest of your steps ever be uploaded? Loved the first 2 but would love the rest? HELP!

[@kaufmanat1]

Dense hardwoods, plywood, mdf all work great for enclosures. So he recommends pine? I'm confused.

[@michaeljames7289]

You can purchase pine plywood from Lowes or Home Depot.

[@teashea1]

very excellent ---- looking forward to learning

[@garymcfarlan4840]

I am building with one 1" tweeter and two 3" midrange speakers in each box with a separate subwoofer. question is how or where to buy a crossover with taps for only one tweeter and two midrange.... the sub will be limited already by the amp.

[@Toid]

I actually have a series that will teach you how to build a custom crossover for these. It even includes the wiring of the two 3" mids

[@匚尺卄]

ok so im making headphones and i dont want dynamic driver with plasic for a diaphragm make headphones without a headband

[@jgvtc559]

What do i do to make trs and xlr inputs and pass-through

[@cachydude]

Start watching from 4:34

[@VladG1117]

what if i learn building speakers to you and start to sell it will i get imprisoned?

[@NB22222]

Thinking of trying to build speakers in a bowling pin(2) and I have no idea where to start

[@keshavsharma6139]

I am struck with crossover i have a 25w 8ohm speaker with a woofer only this pl help me

[@sompodgomes8583]

Hi, m so happy to reach u. Wd u pl advise me below - i have 2pc 4ohm 1400watt car subwoofer. I wanna play at my home. Pls adv how to proceed. Tks