Mechano23 Open-source DIY Speaker Review

[Rick Sykora]

Well, if you mic a few inches in a room, you too can get very different measurements. The idea is to have an average that correlates well with listening tests. For that, PIR works fairly well although I tend to put more emphasis on on-axis response than PIR.

Feel there should be some added emphasis here around measurement conditions as sometimes they matter more and sometimes less. If you listen at the measurement distances, then some may matter more. At 3m or more, some other speaker characteristics become more interesting, and others become less. As you have mentioned elsewhere. listening in stereo will also affect our ability to discern. Maybe enough fodder for another video?

 

[pseudoid]

Imagine how lovely the world would be if the altruism at work here in creating the free design tools and sharing the design of this fab speaker were more universal

Altruism is a great thing but should only go so far... I am NOT imagining some Venice Beach homeless-camp rocking with these free-ish speakers, all night long.

Thus far in 2024 [and imo], @amirm has unearthed two pairs of 'bookshelf' speakers of worthy design and performance for under $1,000USD:
1. Ascend Sierra-1 V2, and
2. This Mechano23
... and we still have 8 more months before the end of 2024.
Yey!

 

[silverD]

Here is a flat pack that is very close in dimensions: https://www.jfcomponents.com/product-page/0-25cu-ft-pb-knock-down-cabinet-with-mdf-f-b-each

 

[Hart]

Really excellent job. I would love to see this work incorporated into a narrow tower speaker. The bass is always limited by the 5" drivers on a narrow tower. Some designers have incorporated larger bass drivers sideways into the cabinet, leaving the front narrow. Is there a downside to this? Maybe three 5" drivers in the front then a 6 1/2" or 8" driver in the side of the cabinet? Does the cabinet lack enough volume to make this work well? If you could get that to work well I think you could sell a lot of them.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Am I seeing what I think I am seeing? Is this the Objective2 of open-source speakers? Hat's off to the designer!

 

[Ra1zel]

Hopefully this finally makes people who think that DIY can't match and exceed commercial products reflect a bit, I spotted surprisingly many here on ASR.

 

[TonyJZX]

https://www.parts-express.com/Gold-Banana-5-Way-Recessed-Speaker-Terminal-Round-260-311?quantity=1

also get a set of these?

square or round hole, your choice of plastic or brass taps?

 

[Ra1zel]

They're the folks who tell you the Genelec 8351's sound like shit, but that some guy hand building speakers and tuning them by ear somewhere in Moldavia has them beat by a country mile.

I am one of those who would say that while they are great speakers they are no the bestest at absolutely everything and "genelec is quintillion light years ahead of DIY and DIY can't replicate that cuz you need one morbillion dollars of R&D and 300 employees to do that"... and this would still make my opinion very contrarian on ASR.

I've been through this before in other threads.

 

[anphex]

I am one of those who would say that while they are great speakers they are no the bestest at absolutely everything and "genelec is quintillion light years ahead of DIY and DIY can't replicate that cuz you need one morbillion dollars of R&D and 300 employees to do that"... and this would still make my opinion very contrarian on ASR.

I've been through this before in other threads.

Which ones would you consider the best and why?

 

[silverD]

https://www.parts-express.com/Gold-Banana-5-Way-Recessed-Speaker-Terminal-Round-260-311?quantity=1

also get a set of these?

square or round hole, your choice of plastic or brass taps?

I usually go with binding posts. Drill the 1/4" holes where you'd like them and pound them in. Easier than the cups, but I would go round and use a hole saw of the correct size if I was going to utilize cups.

 

[jaakkopetteri]

Alternative crossover by @kimmosto . Dashed lines original XO

 

[ta240]

Here is a flat pack that is very close in dimensions: https://www.jfcomponents.com/product-page/0-25cu-ft-pb-knock-down-cabinet-with-mdf-f-b-each

Is particle board a good material for speakers? I haven't seen many DIY ones built out of that.

 

[Great Sun Jester]

Is particle board a good material for speakers? I haven't seen many DIY ones built out of that.

Particle board is very weak and chips easily.

 

[ta240]

Hopefully this finally makes people who think that DIY can't match and exceed commercial products reflect a bit, I spotted surprisingly many here on ASR.

The really tricky thing with DIY speakers is you typically can't go somewhere and listen to them. Even if you just go off of measurements there aren't many that are measured.

If the plans don't include detailed information on dampening and materials used as well as part numbers for the crossovers or at the very least things like resistance on the inductors, you can end up with a build that sounds different from the original.

After all the time, effort and money you often don't know what you are going to end up with, and if you don't like it you can't return it. Even the drivers won't sell used for near what you paid for them.

Some designs become legends while others fade into obscurity, sometimes earned and sometimes not.

 

[TonyJZX]

Particle board is very weak and chips easily.

to my eye cheap vinyl wood veneer on the outside to seal against spills in the like would be good

even black flat vinyl, fake carbon fiber or marine carpet?

 

[Great Sun Jester]

to my eye cheap vinyl wood veneer on the outside to seal against spills in the like would be good

even black flat vinyl, fake carbon fiber or marine carpet?

Use whatever comes to mind or what you have laying around in excess. I have excess MDF, Plywood and Lumber.

 

[silverD]

Particle board is very weak and chips easily.

I see many DIYers using particle board as shelving if very inexpensive. Like any wood, it needs to be sealed properly.

 

[Great Sun Jester]

I see many DIYers using particle board as shelving if very inexpensive. Like any wood, it needs to be sealed properly.

Shelves aren't speakers.

 

[Inertiaman]

View attachment 367192
Alternative crossover by @kimmosto . Dashed lines original XO

Was the goal to reduce parts count/cost and match closely the original crossover response?

This is definitely a significant reduction in complexity . . . 4 caps / 2 coils vs original 6 caps / 4 coils.

 

[Inertiaman]

Is particle board a good material for speakers? I haven't seen many DIY ones built out of that.

Its important to distinguish between particle board and MDF. There are significant differences.

I would never make a speaker out of the former, while the majority of both DIY and commercial speaker enclosures are made from the latter. The linked cabinet is described as MDF, fwiw.