Basically being at college sucks because i cant use my car and enjoy my car audio needs, so i am looking to get into some home audio. I want something i can build myself. Nothing to fancy yet, just a nice beginning build with great sound quality and a reasonable price for all materials, drivers, and amp.

Edited January 28, 200817 yr by Smondo17

Basically being at college sucks because i cant use my car and enjoy my car audio needs, so i am looking to get into some home audio. I want something i can build myself. Nothing to fancy yet, just a nice beginning build with great sound quality and a reasonable price for all materials, drivers, and amp.

You have a budget?

The number i have in my head right now seems to be around $800 - 1000 for amp, building materials, drivers but if i can reach great sound quality for $500 thats fine to- just not exactly sure prices yet on everything i know more car audio.

I understand that home audio is almost limitless in quality and price - since its my first build i probably will go with 2 bookshelf speakers - 6.5 mids and 1 inch tweeter. Ideally i want a 3 way setup - 8 inch woofer, 4.5 inch mid, and 1 inch tweeter. Price difference? A lot better performance?

Edited January 28, 200817 yr by Smondo17

Don't start with a 3 way. Way too complicated for a first shot. I would recommend building someone elses plans the first time out.

Yeah i agree with you m5, i was waiting for your response. I came to appreciate your advice as you seem to always be helping with my car questions. What are some good plans that you have maybe had some experience with for a simple 6.5 mid and 1 inch tweeter?

http://www.zaphaudio.com.

If you really want to go balls-out on a two-way, check out the ZD5

As for amplification, I'm a separates whore so I would probably recommend a solid power amplifier like an Adcom, Rotel or Parasound...coupled to a tubed preamp or solid state pre. Just a question of how much is left, I would definitely put the money into the monitors first.

That plan looks nice JimJ. Is that a relatively complicated build? Doesn't look to bad. Is that plan a lot more expensive then the other 2 way shelves on that site? I feel that for my first build i maybe shouldn't go all balls out but if it just comes down to them being better drivers thats not very difficult for my to understand and justify the price.

Realize when you look at the plans that the crossovers usually cost as much as the drivers, sometimes more.

Thats what i've been learning in my research. The crossover is basiclly the most unknown territory that i am in. I am not worried about building the enclosure etc. So going witha certain plan sometimes just means building a better crossover

Decided to start with something simple and cheap yet sounds like a very good start

http://www.zaphaudio.com/ZBM4.html

what you guys think?

It'd be a start, good first project to get under your belt...

Good to start cheap, work your way up from there.

Yeah i agree, where is a good place that i can learn more about crossovers. The picture confuses me a little. I need to build 2 crossovers right? and on that picture the line coming off the negative of the speaker is a ground? (5 of them?)