Can speaker companies compete with DIY?

[poppachubby]

I think the real question is:

Can DIY compete with speaker companies?

The answer is HELL NO...

I have no issue with DIY, but there is no sense pretending that it is serious competition for speaker manufacturers... DIY appeals to persons who enjoy building things themselves... Most persons don't and hence will never be interested in DIY...

Also, many non-DIY persons are not convinced that all these DIY projects actually compete favorably with systems costing X times more money... A lot of hype is often just that : hype... So I can always claim that some pair of speakers I built for $400 (that looks utterly horrid) sounds better than a $3K pair (with an impeccable finish) from a major manufacturer, but is that difference real or just my pride of ownership (creation)? Also an old audiophile trick is to compare a cheap item I like to a more much expensive item that I don't like... That way I can rave about how much better the cheaper item is for a mere fraction of the cost...

No sorry, there are many proven designs which "compete" with manufactured models. DIY is not some yahoo with a drill and hammer, it's a total science. I can understand if aesthetics are an issue but as far as sound goes, I think competetive is an understatement. More like embarrasment for many overpriced pairs of speakers...

[Ajani]

No sorry, there are many proven designs which "compete" with manufactured models. DIY is not some yahoo with a drill and hammer, it's a total science. I can understand if aesthetics are an issue but as far as sound goes, I think competetive is an understatement. More like embarrasment for many overpriced pairs of speakers...

Sure, some designs maybe... But the question non-DIYers may ask is "proven" by who?

And even if they are proven (I don't doubt some designs will embarrass commercial gear in terms of performance for the $$$, especially if you don't include the cost of your own labour) that still doesn't make DIY competitive, as most persons have no desire to build things themselves...

We need to be realistic about the potential users of DIY...