Crazy Cheap Speaker is Like Nothing I've Heard Before

I was pleasantly surprised by this $200ish speaker

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[gnarshread]

I love the fact that there are people out there making DIY speakers easy to get into.

[bruceandt]

When you discover DIY; you kind of come to understand cost. The biggest trick is to get over the consumer gratification of saying “look what I just bought”.
Much harder to say “look what I just built”
There is something in making it yourself that appeals to a small percentage of people. We are literally groomed by the industry to want what is on the shelf. No matter how appealing a DIY rig is. The larger percentage of hifi consumers will always go the other way. It’s the way the industry wants the money to flow. I like DIY. It’s really just a tiny step further than piecing a system together.
Cheers and thanks cheap audio man.

[ronfaulkner]

I wish there were more people reviewing DIY gear.

[naastradamus]

Niel is a really good guy, and has helped me in my own HiFi "journey" discussing amps, dacs, and linear PSUs. I am pumped to see his work highlighted here. I have a feeling he's going to be busy after this video!

[otherwillsmith]

I’m a huge full range fan. I built some Pensil design enclosures for a pair of Mark Audio Pluvia 7.2 HD 4” full range drivers and they blew my mind. All of my other speakers have either been sold off or live in storage. No joke. These little 4” aluminum drivers, (I traditionally loathe metal speakers) in these enclosures, hit as low as 38Hz and all the way up past 30kHz! I then stumbled upon a Nelson Pass design for a full range speaker EQ that incorporates a bump in the low range and a slight dip at the top, points set based on the value of the resistors in specific slots and dialed an EQ that makes these little speakers absolutely sing. They were mind blowing before the EQ, don’t get me wrong, but with it… Let’s just say I haven’t fired up my subwoofer in about six months. Don’t need it. My super tweeters are in storage. I wish everyone could have a chance to hear these.

I love that Niel is making these DIY designs so accessible. I had no idea how satisfying HiFi could really be until I listened to gear that I built. Assembled. I assembled it. I have no electrical engineering ability. I do have years of soldering experience and a bull headed belief that I can do anything. These speakers are my crowning achievement. Don’t tell my son 😉

[ginom]

I heard these speakers last year at Capital Audio Fest. They blew me away!!! I hope to hear them again this year. These are at the Top of my list!!! Thanks Randy! 👍👍👍

[benenglishtx]

Ever since I heard a Clements RT7 transmission line speaker in a Federated store ~40 years ago, that particular tech has fascinated me. Among all the cheap speakers in that discount chain store, it just sounded special, with a bass that was extended and controlled far more than everything else in the room. Thanks for this video; it really made me smile.

[johnm]

I believe the design came out of the Speaker Builder magazine in the 90's. I had all those magazines for years

[d.r.martin]

I built some DIY speakers back in the day that had a very rigid enclosure—cinder block. Chipped out the middle, glued plywood front and back, and popped in a single cone speaker with a tweeter in the middle of a woofer. Sounded pretty good.

[Simon_Hawkshaw]

Looks like an amazing project, but I would definitely need Neil's 'flat pack' to make this. I wish him much success with this kit. All the best to you all. Take care.

[skankhunt]

I really appreciate people doing stuff like Neil!

[abelabner]

The fact it is a transmission line is bada$$, I love unique designs and approaching solutions to a given problem in interesting and intelligent ways. Well done Neil!!

[tylerdenham]

Long time woodworker, Harbour freight clamps are pretty solid for the $$$ if your not making your living with them

[EskWIRED]

Glad to see you reviewing a popular priced DIY product. That's your unique niche: high value.

[jimstenlund]

A ‘audiophile’ friend of mine built his own speakers ( this guy has a stand-alone room added to his garage, with the only purpose/design being listening to music )…I was surprised at how simple they were, and how great the sound was !

The cabinetry looks nice and elegant too !

[glenncurry]

Transmission line design is kind of like a reverse horn system. Instead of using a horn in front to load the driver's front wave to, a tunnel/ horn is behind the driver to control the back wave. The wave from the back of the driver is loaded into a path who's length and size controls the air pressures release into the room. Like a ported speaker but with additional time delay and more tuning. Because of the length of the transmission tunnel, it's output is delayed in time from the front wave. Thus the extra energy/ extended bass is because of the time delay/ smear.

[albinklein]

Fullrange all the way! I got the "virus" when I scored two Coral Beta-10 Drivers at a Hi Fi swap meet back in the 1980s. I still have (and adore) those speakers. 50 Watt max. and some crazy three digit efficiency numbers when mounted in a proper horn enclosure. You can connect those speakers to the headphone jack of your smartphone and you hear music with bass. Love it.
If you drive those Beta-10s with a McIntosh 240 they shake the house. It is absolutely incredible how loud those horns are in full swing.

[fakeklg]

I love the concept of a transmission line speaker. Great video.

[mzondi]

Years ago a buddy of mine who's electrical engineer designed my crossovers and cabinets he is also a huge audio guy and I use Dyna audio and a set of 3 1/2 in scan speak tweeters some of the best speakers I've ever heard