3 HN users recommended this tutorial3 months2020–2025score 3.5
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN commenters point to it as a build guide for cheap DIY speakers that sound as good as expensive ones.
Tech Ingredients shows how to build flat panel speakers from exciters and foam board, with construction guidelines, measured SPL comparisons and a complete system playing music.
“I built my own speakers for under $200 and I honestly think they are some of the best I've ever heard for a personal setup.” (HN, 2022)
I built my own speakers for under $200 and I honestly think they are some of the best I've ever heard for a personal setup. They were inspired by [this video] (Tech Ingredients) . I built the speakers from foam board, the subwoofer from car audio parts and the amp is a standard class D amp. The best part is whenever someone comments on how good my speakers sound I can say I built them myself.
Foam board speakers that sound excellent for under $200.
In this video, they explain that the bandpass port for letting air out of typically the back of speakers is essential for acoustic transmission including bass; and they made an anechoic chamber. "World's Second Best Speakers!" [link] TechIngedients also has a video about attaching $6 bass kickers to XPS foam to make flat panel speakers about as good as expensive bookshelf speakers. "World’s Best Speakers!" [this video]
Flat panel speakers from $6 bass kickers on XPS foam.
I used to be pretty into audio (I used to have bi-amped Vandersteen 2Cs). I've kind of wanted to build a new setup, speakers following the Tech Ingredients "World's Best Speakers" or "World's Second Best Speakers" at [this video] I had looked at building this amp to power it, but I realized I really want something that can do HDMI-CEC, where my TV can power the amp on and off and control the volume. You know, how my current Yamaha soundbar works. But I haven't for the life of me been able to find any boards that would allow me to add HDMI-CEC into the project. I did find USB modules that would allow a computer to send CEC commands, but no pre-amp or class-D board that could take CEC input. Building speakers and a soundbar would be pretty fun though. Been really getting into DIY projects.
Design for building high-quality speakers yourself.
This seems like the right thread to ask: Has anyone seen a HDMI-CEC embeddable amplifier board? I'd love to DIY some speakers or a soundbar, maybe something like the Tech Ingredients "Worlds Best Speakers". But the convenience snob in me doesn't want to go back to a Harmony, or other multi-system remote. I've gotten really spoiled by being able to use my TV remote to control the soundbar volume, TV, chromecast, etc... all over HDMI. I've done some searches for an amplifier board, like the youtubers are using to make homemade soundbars. Either I don't know the right combination of search terms, or they just don't seem to make such a thing. I don't REALLY want to make a bunch of space for a receiver, I'm fairly space constrained in the TV area because reasons. [this video]
I sized my subwoofer box using [link] . I built the foam board speakers the same way built here [this video] . The amplifier is a class D amp from amazon somewhat like this one [link]
> My Alexa Echo Dot 4 sounds better than my home audio setup from the 90s. I think it is more like a "good enough" sound. There are still are hifi-enthusiasts, but I think most people don't see the reason to spend a fortune just to listen to music. Mostly, because people don't even know what a difference a good hifi setup brings to your life or they just don't care. I always wanted to try building the "World's best speakers"[1] by Technical Ingredients just for fun and education, but in the end I did not care enough to spend the time and money. 1: [this video]
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