Fantastic DIY Speakers for less than $30!

My dad built some of these. And they are simply amazing! How could these sound better than $10,000 speakers? I’m hooked on audio since then. My dad is the best dad ever.

Came here for cheap DIY speakers, left with an acoustic masterclasses.

Seeing him standing there with the pop music playing put a smile on my face.

// 1:08 Dayton audio exciter // 1:30 Distributed Mode Loud speakers // Material needs: high compression strength, high flexion // materials that meet these: end grain balsa wood, extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), resonant spruce, pallet board (cardboard). // 9:00 best sound performance per dollar ==> pallet board, XPS (10:30 sanded [for flex] and rounded [for resonant dampening]). //13:10 longer ratios allow for better frequency distribution and help eliminate resonates // 17:00 explaining why bigger or longer speakers give more dynamic sound vs even high quality speakers // 18:00 resonance explanation // 21:30 explaining 3/5ths rule for resonance dampening on the exciter placement // 23:30 exciter dampening comparison //26:22 really clear comparison of high frequency resonance dampening from strategic exciter placement // 26:45 in home setup, explanation of setup on living room tv with two different speaker types for distribution // 29:16 real world example // intense DIY based off this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGzNkUmPdXc

Here are the facts from the video and an earlier post: The XPS panels are 1" thick x 24" x 30" (mid to Hi range unit). It is important to use XPS (Extruded PolyStyrene) panels. The balsa panels are 1/2" thick x 30" x 36" (Lo to mid range unit). Balsa panels may also be found as lightweight plywood panels used for commercial signs. The radius on all panel corners is 4" and the exciters are placed on the back, off center, based on a 2/5, 3/5 rule. So for example, the exciter on the XPS panel is located 9.6" vs 15.4" from the long sides and 12" vs 18" from the short sides. These 2 alternate positions works equally well. As explained in the sugar part of the video, counterweights should be fitted to dampen the resonance of the panels. Each panel has 4 counterweights - each weighing 1/16 of the (painted) panel weight - are placed on 2/5, 3/5 points in every small rectangle created by the position of the exciter unit. This is a bit complicated to comprehend, but watch the sugar part of the video closely, over and over until you get it. Also in the video, there is a good explanation of how and why the selected materials and panel size results in a frequency range of 130Hz-20KHz The original acoustic exciters used are : Dayton 25mm DAEX25FHE-4 (4 ea.) or as alternatives Dayton 32mm DAEX32EP-4 (4 ea.) However most likely you will have to source alternate makers units from Ebay, AliExpress, etc. Links: Dayton users guide, excellent explanation: http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/exciters-buyers-guide (scroll down) Living room test song used, for comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGsC98vR4Q4 (Thanks to GlenGlen !) Link to build step by step: http://projectgallery.parts-express.com/speaker-projects/dml-flat-pannel/ IMHO instead of using an old school bass speaker, you may experiment with a deep frequency exciter. This is the unit some readers may recognize from a gamers chair, which literally kicks ass, when grenades are thrown in the game etc. Depending on actual test results such units may be placed under a table top, on the wall, on the floor etc: https://www.ebay.com/itm/50MM-Resonanzdampfer-Alle-Resonanz-Lautsprecher-Vibration-Starke-Bass-Speaker-fs/292413284916?hash=item441530a234:g:eCQAAOSww85aer26

Forty-three years ago my buddy's uncle demonstrated this very thing in his 1950s-era Marin County home, which had plywood paneling as ceiling material throughout the home. He effectively turned his ceilings into speakers wherever he installed the exciters. It was amazing. Just a few years prior, another buddy had a pair of exciters that could be screwed to anything to make it into a speaker. I came up with the novel idea of putting them in poly bags and suspending them in his swimming pool. We were blown away by the quality of the sound underwater. It lacked direction and seemed to envelop you completely no matter where you were in the pool. . Robin Trower's Bridge of Sighs never sounded so good, and hasn't since.

You can hear just how loud that dance music is; 20 watts filling that big room. This is blowing my mind- too cool to say the least.

Wow. So interesting/informative/relatable. I’m not a sound geek, but this 31 minute video has me considering all of the DIY speaker opportunities for every room in my house. Materials... shapes... sizes... colors... music genres...

Sorry for the microphone quality in this video. We’ve ordered a different model for all of our videos and the next segment in the series. Thanks for watching!

This guy is the science teacher I wish i always had...

I knew this guy by the name of Al Wright. He used to work at a particle accelerator but his passion was winding voice coils and building speaker enclosures. The dude was wicked smart. He was an awesome person and I miss him everyday. You remind me A LOT of him, Thanks.

You never disappoint with any of your videos! I'm extremely fond of your style and methodology of creating your videos. I became a Mechanical Engineer because I not only wanted to get a formal education on how to create new things, but also wanted to know why things do what they do in our world. Then, each one of those little nuggets of knowledge became tools & components to build more complex tools, components, devices, and projects. In other words, I enjoy the way you show how to build very interesting projects, but truly appreciate how you are extremely adept at explaining what is occurring and why it is doing so! Thank you for such excellent videos!

Sheesh, you're long winded... i love it. I love DIY but at times i find these informational videos just telling you WHAT to do, but im more interested in why to do things. You give us EVERYTHING. beautiful content. thank you sir.

This is the channel I didn't know I was looking for.

5 years later, and this is still first on my recommended list after every other DIY speaker video I watch.

You Sir... Have just earned yourself another subscriber. I've been into audio equipment for my entire life. What you're uploading is 'Pure Gold'. You got some real knowledge

I love your explorer-style attitude where you say, "I decided to ignore the recommendation of the manufacturer" and then proceed to test a whole raft of random materials. THAT dogged dedication and persistence is how cool stuff seems to get invented. Those things sound fantastic. I'd love to hear Dixie Dregs Dregs of the Earth over those babies. That used to be my sound system test record. 19:20 What an awesome way to design artistic patterns!

I am starting to think that this guy just genuinely enjoys the sound of high pitched pure sine waves.

This video serves as an excellent demonstration for how peer-reviewed science could transition more towards video medium rather than written. Very well done and well explained!

It's great that when he starts listing things he attached the exciters to, it seems like he's going to name three or four things before he continues naming for a solid minute lol