Recommendations of equipment

[remusr]

I am starting to build a few speakers and would appreciate advice on the minimum necessary resource books, software, equipment to get going as well as where I can get them. I have some old Baranek & acoustics texts from school days, but that's it. Oh, I do have an (OLD) Sanwa ohm-meter, soldering irons and some woodworking stuff!
Frequency sweep generator, mikes, SPL meters,..?
- Roy

[JuniorJBL]

I would recommend one of the first books to be "The loudspeaker design cookbook" by Vance Dickason. ISBN # 1-882580-33-8.

This is a good start.

Also do a search for D'Appolito

[Zilch]

Frequency sweep generator, mikes, SPL meters,..?RTA is essential (and fun, too). You'll just be chasin' your tail without one.

Behringer UltraCurve Pro DEQ2496, 1/6 octave FFT RTA combined with 1/3 octave digital EQ. Under $300 with optional mic, if you shop it.

Get the Radio Shack SPL meter, too, so you know how loud it's gettin'. It's easy to lose control of volume, and there's little point in damaging your hearing in this process....

[duaneage]

I am starting to build a few speakers and would appreciate advice on the minimum necessary resource books, software, equipment to get going as well as where I can get them. I have some old Baranek & acoustics texts from school days, but that's it. Oh, I do have an (OLD) Sanwa ohm-meter, soldering irons and some woodworking stuff!
Frequency sweep generator, mikes, SPL meters,..?
- Roy

Start off with a good voltmeter that has frequency display. I have two flukes, an 8060 and an 87. This way you can easily test drivers and systems with one device. Next would be an audio signal generator. I have two as well, an HP and a wavetek unit I picked up at a flea market. There are probably computer programs that you can use your computer as a signal generator. WinISD has this capability.

I have a Virtual Crossover Box from Vidsonix. It allows me to try different crossover values easily and quickly without building them. www.vidsonix.com (http://www.vidsonix.com/)

I bought a SPL meter from Radio Shack for 50 dollars that is useful for testing output. Although not as accurate as a RTA it's a start.

Over the years speaker builders collect tools and equipment without even realizing it. Along with spare parts and drivers. Don't even get me started on woodworking tools, I have two routers and about 30 bits.

[remusr]

Thankyou JuniorJBL, Zilch and Duaneage for your advice. I was thinking a good auto-sweep frequency analyser would be very useful. I will check into your recommends. Parts Express is probably a prime source for books, electronics, software? Sears for tools?

- Roy

[Ian Mackenzie]

Hi Roy,

A Jasper Router Jig would be very useful.

A basic multi-meter will be fine and you can down load freeware that will enable your PC sound card to run an elaborate signal generator..useful for tuning the enclosure

The rest (design software, measurement tools etc) depends on just what you are proposing to do..and how!

Unless you are hell bent on doing your very own design from a clean sheet of paper DON'T. There's a 95 % probability you won't get it right and you will spend an eternity festering over the angst. (apparently its more difficult than building a plane that will fly from scratch..cc. Wright Bros)

A number of members have taken this route with varying degrees of success and failure.(If it was that easy outfits like JBL would'nt be in business).

There are also some great designs published by experienced designers at the Speaker Builder home Page and numerous other www sites.

If its reasonable to assume you are going to use JBL drivers it may pay given the above to clone a previous JBL design that fits your budget and capability. You will still need some tools of the trade but at least you will have a proven plan to work to.

That will more than be a significant challenge.

Ian

[Uncle Paul]

I gotta put a plug in for Woofer Tester 2 http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=390-802
For $160 you can measure the actual TS parameters of your drivers (useful for checking used ones), a built in auto ranging autodetecting LCR meter (new version of software displays the values), and a signal generator.

If you can afford it, get it.

[Flodstroem]

Hi Roy

JuniorJBL wrote

I would recommend one of the first books to be "The loudspeaker design cookbook" by Vance Dickason. ISBN # 1-882580-33-8.

This is a good start.


Yes I agree with JuniorJBL, a very detailed speaker design cook book but maybe not an easy readably book for the amateur (with that I mean in general).

I very handsome book could be the: Designing, Building and Testing Your Own Speaker System (with projects) by David B. Weems, 1990, TAB Books, ISBN 0-8306-3374-X (3rd edition)

Also, the little thin and handy book: "BULLOCK ON BOXES" by Robert M. Bullock III assisted by Robert White, could be a good help in starting to build and measure your own speaker building projects.
Its a collection of aticles from the Speaker Builder Magazine and is focusing especially on vented-box loudspeaker systems (an easy-to-read guide to designing and building vented-box systems based on the T/S models). ISBN 0-9634191-5-X, 1995, Old Colony Sound Lab Post Office, Peterborough, NH (603) 924-6371.

I have all three books so I know whats in them and I can recommend you to buy all of them.

Regards

[Mr. Widget]

Unless you are hell bent on doing your very own design from a clean sheet of paper DON'T. There's a 95 % probability you won't get it right and you will spend an eternity festering over the angst. (apparently its more difficult than building a plane that will fly from scratch..cc. Wright Bros)True enough. Though years ago I scratch built plenty of pretty awful speakers... didn't know any better and was quite happy with them and the experience of building them... I think there are plenty of forum members here that can relate to that.

If the goal is an outstanding speaker from the start, you will be best off using proven plans or copying an existing design though.

I'd suggest BassBox Pro software for modeling box designs if you do go the scratch built approach.

For tools, if you don't have a good table saw, I'd recommend a professional quality circular saw and adjustable fence system. I bought one of these before my first table saw, and still use it occasionally for odd angles that are tricky with a table saw. I was able to build better boxes with it than using a friend's under powered inaccurate portable "table" saw.

Widget

[richluvsound]

can anybody suggest a software program for mac. Something like winISD for a mac monkey.
Richard

[toddalin]

I have some old Baranek & acoustics texts from school days, but that's it.
- Roy


Bolt, Baranek, and Newman (as well as Harris) laid the foundation for preparing acoustic noise studies and documented the noise levels from just about everything under the sun.

They still serve as the reference for my (and others) acoustic studies prepared to meet the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as well as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). ;)

[Flodstroem]

can anybody suggest a software program for mac. Something like winISD for a mac monkey.
Richard

Hi richluvsound. You would love to read this thread. I also work on Mac but I hasnt bought any of the good equipments suggested in that thread yet. But I will some day.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=8859

Regards

[richluvsound]

Thanks Flodstroem,
I just downloaded spectre. Now all I have to do is learn how to read it:(

thanks again,Richard

[Flodstroem]

Thanks Flodstroem,
I just downloaded spectre. Now all I have to do is learn how to read it:(

thanks again,Richard

Im glad I could help but also thank the other guys at this forum, it came from them originally.

It should be very nice to know when you have start to use it practically how it works for you. :bouncy:

What price did you pay for it?
Maybe I shall start to, hmmm.....

Guess you are going to use it for your "avatar-speaker project" or?:D

Regards