MDF is BETTER than hardwood 

Fantastic video! Thank you so much for sharing your talents!

Now keep the smaller ones for the two back channels of a 5.1 cinema system. You can also make them identical looking by adding a black panel on the fascia that will level the front panel with the sides and remedy the "recess" problem that just adds diffraction.

I’m always amazed at how good veneer looks when done well. You nailed it! 🙌🏻

I built some speakers with a 5" FR driver and a 6" woofer in floor standing cabinets. And I built another pair of speakers with an 8" coaxial driver and a robust 10" woofer in larger cabinets. The smaller speakers are great and have impressive bass, but the bigger speakers have that BIG sound. And they CRANK so much more without sounding strained. Good for parties. And the BASS! Bigger is better!

Bro I've been an Audiophile for 40 Years! You should be so Proud of Yourself, Your Talent is Brilliant and Unparalleled. And I would buy any type of Speaker that you made Hands down all Day Long!!! Thank You for Sharing this Video with us Folks. To Thumbs up!! Respectfully Yours Ice Man

Probably the most accurate review of "better" speakers. Your ending monolog, "What I've learned from making my own speakers..........Yea, I made those and that's always going to be worth more that some small imperceptible sound quality." I think you're absolutely right.

Milk - that outro with the "milk" clip was priceless! Great work on this one, Zac!

Solid work Zac! Very nice!

Beautiful set! Hopefully all the acoustic calculations were done well so the result sounds as good as they look.

i just got the C Note speaker kit, haven’t gotten around to building them but can’t wait!

I hope you have a fanned heat distribution system built inside that TV stand for that AV receiver. Heat doesn’t redistribute itself out properly in that orientation and it’s just going to create a hotspot there on the wood, which is a potential fire hazard.

Great vid again! Nice build!!!!!

U got some serious skills. Awesome job

I just want to say, I've loved your speaker videos. I work at an audio company and I can tell you those have the build quality of a several thousand dollar pair of speakers. As far as sound quality, diffraction from the lip around the outside will have a very large effect. But imo mdf vs hardwood isn't much of a difference. As long as the cabinet is sufficiently strong it doesn't matter. Mdf is used more often purely because it's cheap and dense. I would bet that the extra clarity is less from the added midbass, and more from removing the lip around the edge.

Simply beautiful

Nicely done. As a side note, if you use mdf and you want to paint them to match some other components, use polyester filler such as Bondo to fill imperfections and end grain. Apply a thin coat and sand when dry. You will have a glass smooth surface on which to paint.

those look sweet. on your next set (and you know you're going to build more speakers, once you start it doesn't end :) ) use more drivers... the less work they have to do, the cleaner, distortion free the sound. for whoever is interested, when working w/ such small drivers nothing makes a difference really as long as the internal volume and port dimensions are adequate for your application. and by that i mean box material, bracing, stuffing density, etc. the greatest sound impact i would say is in matching the crossover points between the chosen drivers.

Dog. I just want you to know you are living my dreams. Just building cool shit.

I've been using Rubio Monocoat on my latest projects (a desk and a laundry bench.) Not sure how suitable it would be for cabinetry or display pieces but road testing on my desk has proven it to be pretty durable (cos I'm an absolute mess and spill stuff all the time). I only did the specified single coat on both projects but I have heard that it can be layered on with some inbetween-coat prep for some extra sheen and protection.

lets goooo zac!!!

9:17 You're doing it 180° wrong: first heat up the wire/copper then put in the soldering tin. If there's enough tin take away the soldering wire but let the tip of the soldering iron stay for one or two seconds. This will give the tin a little time to set and makes a good connection. They are looking pretty nice and they seem to sound really good. Have you tried to change the left with the right speaker if this (tweeter position on the inner side) alignment sounds better/bader?

Nice build m'man! Love that allen key hack - been using it on flat box furniture for years ahah

Great DIY, look like Dynaudio speakers.

Hey there, very nice build ! Just discovered your channel. What kind of subwoofer chassi is that in your setup? I'm still looking for a suitable subwoofer for my setup and I love the copper design

Just a heads up - you're going to burn your receiver out covering all the vent holes on the top like that. It may even cause a fire. There's a reason why the entire top of it is perforated.

What's even better looking than the regular hex socket screws are button head hex socket screws. While the regular socket screws look techie, the button heads have that plus look smooth. But these are machine threaded screws, so some kind of T-nut or threaded insert is needed. Oh, and if you're looking for a slightly steam punk look, they also come in brass. The "breathing tube", as it is commonly termed, or more accurately, a tuned port, is used in a bass reflex (as Zac made), to tune the resonant frequency of the box for the "best" bass response (output). The term "Q" of an enclosure is often mentioned. The Q of an enclosure can go from 0.5 to 1.0, with the lower number giving the least output but most accurate and tight bass, while 1.0 gives the most output but sloppiest bass. .707 is considered the best compromise of the range. While a .505 will sound a little thin, couple it with a well tuned subwoofer and you'll have power in the bottom plus tight mid bass. A .707 box with a sub will give a fuller sound with minimal adverse effects, while a 1.0 box+sub will be loud on the bass, but boomy and often one-note sounding. There are formulas (Called the Thiel/Small Parameters) and charts, and now apps for determining box Q and tuned port length let you decide what Q you want to have. Since Zac is using a kit, the port is made to the right diameter and length. Port diameter is also a factor: too small a port and you hear the port "breathing" (huffing) and too big and there isn't enough back pressure so the bass is loose. Port diameter is usually 1/3 of the bass driver diameter. A 8" diameter woofer will use a 2.6" dia port, but for practicality, you'd use a 2.5" PVC pipe. If you have two woofers, calculate out the total speaker cone area, convert that to a single cone area, and go 1/3 of that. Say you have two 6" woofers: each woofer is 29sq inches, so two would be 58sq inches, which is close to an 8" woofer, so your port would be 2.5" dia. The port can literally be anywhere on the enclosure, as long is there is no solid flat surface within 3 port diameters. The back is the most common as it's out of the way, but the front is used too, often on larger bookshelf speakers. A port opening can be sharp edged, like cut off PVC or can be rounded over, sometimes on both sides. The rounded over port edges streamlines the airflow and makes for a smoother sound, but in reality, this is really only a problem if you're a serious audiophile. But, a rounded out port gives a very finished look to the speaker. About the foam gasket on the drivers and often the terminal cups. They're there to create an airtight seal between the components they're on - important if you're making a seal enclosure but also good for all other enclosure types. If your speaker didn't come with any, anything from caulking (rather permanent) to craft foam sheets cut to size work very well. Craft foam also works well to make a speaker look better if you're unable to rout and flush mount the drivers - just use a 1/8" thick foam sheet with the holes cut out for the driver's outer frame over the front baffle. I used to work in home and car audio for many years and made a number of speakers from scratch, using preselected driver kits and cherry picking drivers and crossovers. I probably inhaled more than my fair share of MDF dust, so wear a respirator like Zac does!

I'd suggest pilot hole then jig saw all the window braces. Hole sawing mdf is definitely binding and burning with the glue laden sawdust. Looks good

Nice!

Its not the speakers, Its the music. Like you rightly said, even the best speakers in the world will sound "normal" after a few days or weeks. 'Audiophiles' spend way too much time fussing over equipment and too little time exploring the world of music. It was my first time listening to Iron Maiden's "Fear Of The Dark", recorded on tape, played on a chinese walkman replica, over a pair of really, really crappy earphones, on a smelly, crowded bus, on noisy streets, In India, no less. I was probably 13 or 14 at the time (1997-98?), and the experience was, in a word, Transcendental! I still get goosebumps remembering that experience! Over the next few months, I saved up enough doing odd jobs here and there to buy the cheapest 2.1 'intex' desktop speakers I could afford. Those speakers went into a concrete storage shed adjoining our home, the only place where I could play loud without bothering people. Far-from-ideal environment, least expensive speakers one could find. The thing had a ported 4 inch 'ported' subwoofer which would chuff its lungs outs at higher volume levels & 2" satellites which made the highs sound like a crazy donkey on adrenaline. BUT, the experience! I must have listened to heavy metal music for nearly 8 hours a day, weathering all forms of discomfort. Iron Maiden visited India (twice), It was a near-spiritual experience watching my favourite band play live in my hometown (Bangalore), with the crowd singing along even when Bruce stopped singing! I've attended almost every major rock concert in Bangalore ever since, and have come to appreciate live audio equipment. I have had access to much more expensive gear, lots of broken pro-audio stuff which I managed to repair, and finally DIY speakers including a full length line array (It stands 9ft 6" from floor to ceiling.) I find myself going back and forth between classical pieces & melodic heavy metal, but these days not much sounds all that 'incredible' anymore :) You can play back a piece of music with bit-perfect precision on a pair of speakers costing a million dollars, but your brain needs to construct a convincing alternate reality for that music to really WOW you. And that, my friends, cannot be bought for any price.

Great video! Idea: 3 feet are better than four to level them. All the best, Rob in Switzerland

​@Zac Builds Man I love the look of the receiver just floating like that! So clean that I had to watch to video a couple times looking for it! But I'll admit, I too am curious about how hot it is probably making that wood shelf. Are you running a little fan back there or something? Or just don't find it is an issue? By the way, those speakers look awesome! I think you nailed the DIY mantra- there's a pride in building something that can't be matched by purchasing some mass-produced item. Can I ask what the total cost of materials would be to build something like this myself?

Another awesome build Zac! They are a treat to the ears and eyes!! Wonder how they taste...🤔

Крутой проект, дизайн как всегда на высоте.

Great video! You are a good teacher and the production quality is really great. How did you attach your AVR to the bottom of your TV stand... and why? Did you do anything to mitigate the increased heat from blocking the main ventilation?

What did you do for your center channel? Looking to make the same one. Thanks

Love the broll. Great use of blurry foreground plants. Gimbal or slider? Well done.

I did OS tmm towers with os center and there is a dipole os surround speaker as well..... Look this series is NOT top tier quality sound.... But for the price it punches WAY WAY WAY above the price point and the pride in listening to them with friends and seeing their faces is worth the time and effort!

good video!! the domo better al center of panel to reduce distortion. greetings from Lima Perú

With all the talk about "venting", maybe we can use the speaker cone action to work like a heat pump and create the cabinet so it is self cooling when ever it is running. I can feel my legs get puffs of air when the woofer under my desk goes - now I know that those air puffs are not from air that was inside the subwoofer as no air actually moves (please see any of a number of subwoofer vent/diaphragm tests on YT) from point A to B but it's actually disturbance in the air from pressure waves being transmitted like ripples go outward from a stone in the pond. The water in the pond isn't going away from the stone, only the pressure waves. That air always feels cold for some reason, though - like the air that is isolated inside it is transferring its insulated coolness onto my leg. I'd like to do an experiment to see if those pressure waves can also take heat energy with them or if we have to actually literally move air to get the thermals to go the way we want them. An audio based chiller. hm.

Nice job they look very nice, for future reference don’t put a screw or anything metal in the middle of the air core inductor.

May i know ur stand(spike) buy from?

I like your video bro! keep it up! do more interesting diy speaker baffles/box.

Even better the 2nd time around watching!! 🙌 Didn't realize you had Eric's video up the 1st time!!! 😂

Man your garage looks like Home Depot shop,nice.

Look nice and slim😍

So you don think the bookshelf models about 18 inches or so high and spaced right image better and are more musical all around? Or do the towers image good and have good instrument separation also? They do have the same sound signature is sounds like to me which is good, and they look really great.

If you want to archive nice deep sound from a small speaker then u should use passive radiator

Hey Zac, I do like you new speakers, but I feel like they don’t match you other ones. The center speaker, and Sun woofer. They have that nice lip around them! And white wood band going around them giving that a two tone wood finish. Also you should add the old ones to the back surround! Which I am sure you did! 5.1 sounds amazing! And if you have matching back ones already you can add them to the front again, but as your FHL / FHR, which go on the wall close to the ceiling! Or even turning your set up to 7.1 and add them to the sides.

You never mentioned, what did you tune the cabinets to?

Hello, am new here... Where do you get your speaker components from?

I preferred that old speakers!

Is there any acoustic reason to offset the tweeters, or is it just style?

What type/brand of black paint was that?

Fantastic build Zac! There was a really clear difference between the old- and new speakers, even over youtube. They just sounded warmer and more lively. Only criticism I would have would be the rear facing ports. If you're going to put them that close to the wall, front facing ports would be better for levels and quality.

You need to build a set of CSS Criton 1TD-X Kit, go with the audio upgrade.

Very nice. Those black front plates are screaming for Tolex, though.

There is one huge glaring issue in your audio setup, and it should be relatively easy to fix. As you probably know, the room is a huge factor. In your case, the issue is the large windows behind. Glass is highly reflective, in a bad way, and your speakers are back-ported. I'd go for heavy curtains and a bit more distance. Also, one of the speakers is a bit close to the corner or the room, you can add more stuff there to increase dispersion of the sound.

Totally good allen key ruined, only because cant screw 16 screws by hand?

Please share technical details of this project in another video.

How thick is the MDF?

Nice speakers. The build cost?

As always very good video. Very nice job explaining everything as always Zac. They turned out very unique and beautiful design. Hopefully you get great use out of them for many years to come my friend Zac. Can't wait to see more videos soon my friend. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend Zac. Keep Making. God Bless.

Sehr guter Beitrag. In den 80ern hat man auch nicht massiv aus Holz gebaut. Wegen der Eigenresonanzen. Holz arbeitet auch immer. Es sei denn es ist wirklich trocken.

Good

Concrete really is the ideal material for speakers, that and granite (there is 1 guy in Slovakia that made a pair, he will cut them for you on demand but not cheap plus you gotta find a way to ship em yourself). However, it is kinda heavy. Concrete plywood is a good second though, if not too large.

what a fantastic build. I want to try this myself!

Still burning your way through hole cutouts Zac :P

Awesome stuff. Two quick questions: 1) Do you have a video on how to your SubWoofer, and 2) a video on your entertainment table? Thanks a lot.

This guy sounds kinda like Kermit the frog at times. I dig it.

Bro it's normal those big speakers sounds louder and deeper cz they're using 2 drivers while the small ones are using 1 driver that's why. But great video

Now send your creation to a channel like Andrew Robinson for a review. That would make a cool collaboration.

your speakers look nice; But you go with larger drivers like 12" woofers a midrange and tweeter or a wide angle compression driver with wave guide that does mid and tweeter frequencies you will love it. I am sure these are better than your first set but you still don't know what your missing.

The Dacron? Is not meant to dampen it is meant to slow the air down in the cabinet and make the internal volume larger than it actually is.

What was the solder station you bought yourself ?

Protect your eyes from that soldering smoke

8:17 I use small drops of hot glue so I can remove components in case I want to swap them over.

HIVI Swans very good👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

You should have put the tweeters to the inside instead, otherwise, great stuff!

MDF is not fake wood, it's wood dust that is glued and pressure/ heat treated to be stronger in certain scenarios.

nice speakers... but you should have used the router on the windows braces as well

Larger speakers are better depending on what applications you intend to use it for , but they do have better more natural sound compared to smaller ones

Well done build. May need to finally build a pair myself. Well done finished product. I too dream of a 5.1 settup.

Awesome video. The lack of voice clearity in regards to your old speaker could have a lot of reasons. Bad Crossover Point, one woofer, edge diffraction of the old design. Your conclusion bigger speaker is better is therefore wrong.

Do a Gibson guitar sunburst airbrush next time.

Next build can you do a record player please.

them standmounts wouldn't go to waste either. as you can use them as surrounds

All of that is fantastic... But, there is a little problem: the crossover is not designed starting from the measurements of the speaker's frequency response in the box, and this makes the crossover working not in the best way for these particular pair of speakers

Very nice build and great video going just enough into the details. MDF and veneer is very standard way of building speakers and produces great results. One advice, for pressing veneer during glue up you need max pressure and roller is not the best. Veneer makers recommend using edge of the soft wood plank rounded to 1/8 or you can use plastic carpet tucker.

Did you take into account the Thiells Small parameters of the drivers for the internal volume? How did you determine the crossover parameters? Is this running 2 and a half way? What does the frequency and phase response look like? How much power are you using to drive the speaker and at what load? If the intent is to just have fun building something at home, awesome! But realize there is a TON of actual physics that needs to be adhered to (no matter what Bose says... hah)

Great video! If you were doing it again does the MDF make enough difference sound wise that you'd accept the difference in looks?

Simple project from a largish man with a simple............ idea 😀

They look fantastic, but I didn't see anything about cabinet volume and displacement for your drivers. I'm sure they work fine, but if you're trying to optimize you really should have the specific amount of space the speaker is designed for in the cabinet.

I'm preety sure you have connected them wrong if you get dialogue from those new side speakers. When playing at least 5.1 audio that even tv shows have now the dialogues should be heard from the center channel only.

Forget about the speakers, no one even questioning the way he mounted the receiver at the bottom of the tv stand. That receiver is going to die early due to over heat, and or will also burn the house down at the same time. Bad decision.

Good project overall; I have a few tips for anyone wanting to more or less duplicate this: 1. Instead of thick MDF and veneer, an easier build (OK, that might be debatable) without the smell would be to use 1/2" MDF for the interior box, and then build a 1/2" thick hardwood box on the outside. (This is probably overkill for such a small width and depth; 3/8" each is adequate if you want to save weight.) 2a. Install the tweeter in between the two midwoof drivers, placing them all as close as possible. This (called D'Appolito alignment) will improve the imaging by making it a single point source. 2b. If you want to get excessive, since you're already going to the trouble of having a separate driver board, recess the tweeter slightly relative to the mid-woofs so the distance from the source (the cones) to your ear is the same; this will add very slightly to the clarity in the crossover region. 3. Skip the port if you have a subwoofer; this will improve the power handling and lower-mid clarity. 4. Offset the three drivers (which are in a line as per #2) slightly from the centerline of the speaker box; this will spread out the frequency of the diffraction from the speaker face, reducing distortion slightly.

18:26 ready to SEE how these speakers SOUND ?

awesome craftmnshi quality, but speakers cabinets MUST have a specific internal air volume, specific dimentions, specific port size and length. A calculated emclosure will sound way way better, is not something "barely percibable". Youll be amazed with the difference.

They look nice ,you built them from a plan .

finish: Rubio Monocoat

Nice! Clean build, is this a 3 way or 2 way design?