AR.Com DIYs - Building Cabinet Before Having Drivers...?

[SilverJS]

Hi all,

Has anybody here done this? I could get started on building cabinets (I have a bit of free time still), but I don't have the drivers yet. Will the specs circulating on the net for cabinets be pretty spot-on (esp. with regards to countersinking)?

Can I take a chance on this and start building anyways?

Thanks!

[jbandpc]

Will the specs circulating on the net for cabinets be pretty spot-on (esp. with regards to countersinking)?

Can I take a chance on this and start building anyways?

I did it this way. I took the chance and it paid off. The dimension given are right on. I made mine a little small to be safe, and then used a file to make it larger. I probably didn't need to do that though.

[hermanv]

Hi all,

Has anybody here done this? I could get started on building cabinets (I have a bit of free time still), but I don't have the drivers yet. Will the specs circulating on the net for cabinets be pretty spot-on (esp. with regards to countersinking)?

Can I take a chance on this and start building anyways?

Thanks!

Woofers need a exact volume to work best especially if the design is ported. If you already know which driver you are using you can design a cabinet with the right volume. There are lots of free woofer enclosure calculators on the internet from basic to quite advanced. The driver dimensions from the driver vendor will be very accurate. if you haven't picked a driver yet you are very unlikely to achieve the best performance the driver could achieve.

[jbandpc]

He's building the AR.com / Ed Frias speakers, so everything is pretty much prescribed.

[kexodusc]

I did the same thing as well...sort of...Just countersunk a port tube, and then assembled the cabinet, veneered, then routed all holes, then stained, varnished and assembled. I took 6 months to finish my first pair, if you're like me, on the road alot, or with little spare time, this is a good way to take advantage of it. I like the idea of going a 1/16 or 1/32 too small and filing if you're nervous.

You'll love Ed's speakers, they sound much better than my Studio 40's and are an absolute bargain!

[Feanor]

[QUOTE=SilverJS]...
I could get started on building cabinets (I have a bit of free time still), but I don't have the drivers yet....
Can I take a chance on this and start building anyways?
...QUOTE]

... Because I build some enclosures for the Solen Premium design a few years ago -- lack of cash and other priorities interferred, but I intend to order the "internals" soon. All the speakers dimensions were available, so I figured what-the-heck. This will be my first attempt at speaker building, BTW.

But things always change. I'm content to go with a Vifa woofer, (MG180Sk09-08), but instead of the Vifa tweeter I "cut" for, I decided I wanted a planar type. I would have preferred a Hi-Vi RT2C-A but I'm going to have to settle for a Bohlender-Graebener Neo3 PDR because the HiVi just won't fit around the existing "cuts". I don't want to have to rebuild the cabinets and this time, so that's the compromise I'll have to make.

[Drop Drive]

Will the specs circulating on the net for cabinets be pretty spot-on (esp. with regards to countersinking)?

SilverJS, check out this thread: AR.com DIY cabinet dimensions...and a question/suggestion.

I've built a pair and I've found the measurements to be off. (But realize that I'm a terrible woodworker!) You have the model numbers for your woofer and tweeter. Go to the Peerless website and look them up. The measurements will be in millimeters and not in inches, as is the norm here. (I think there are PDF specs on partsexpress.com too.) But I would definitely wait for the drivers to arrive.

I used a handheld router. I started by underestimating the required radius, drilling, and then routing, this time underestimating the countersink depth. You can gradually adjust your router to give you the correct countersink depth. Then increase your radius as necessary, and reroute (using the same router!).

Measurement-wise, I feel my pair turned out very nicely. They're just ugly and lethally sharp. Good luck with yours.