Desktop satellite speakers
Designer:
Shannon Ley
Project Category:
Bookshelf Speakers
Project Level:
Intermediate
Project Time:
20+ Hours
Project Cost:
$500 – $1,000
Project Description:
These satellite speakers were designed for use on my desk where space is at a premium and listening volumes are low.
At present I am running them with a Logitech subwoofer, but eventually I will build a matching sub with USB DAC (to run off my computer), DSP and amp.
Design Goals:
The design goals were:
– Very small footprint
– Look awesome
– Great mid to high frequency sound
The design goals were NOT:
– High volume
– Deep bass (the sub will do that from under my desk)
Driver Selection:
They use AuraSound NS2-326-8AT drivers with the mounting tabs sanded off and glued in place.
Enclosure Design:
Closed box design
Enclosure Assembly:
They are made from stacked layers of CNC-routed MDF and covered in walnut veneer. The mounting brackets are polished aluminium.
Connection is via flush mounted banana plug sockets with laser etched positive terminal indication.
Tips & Tricks:
My top tip: receive and measure the drivers before getting the CNC cutting done (rather than going by the spec sheet)! I had to make some slight modifications to accommodate the wiring and the holes in the brackets for the drivers are slightly too large.
Conclusion:
Overall they sound great over the mid to high frequency range and have great imaging. With a sub, they make a great, small footprint desktop system.
About the Designer:
Former automotive engineer and tinkerer, now entrepreneur and tinkerer.
Parts Used:
AuraSound NS2-326-8AT, Part # 296-252
Custom machined and bent aluminium brackets
Custom CNC routed 12mm thick MDF pannels
Walnut veneer
Banana plug sockets
These are unbelieveable! How much would a set cost me?!
Fantastic and really outstanding work! I’m a really fan of stacking casing concepts. Will also post very soon my own project here.
Super nice job on these. They look unique, and that REAL aluminum baffle/stand sets off the walnut perfectly. That driver is one of the few you could have mounted so tightly with its centered rear breathing area as opposed to a central magnet system like most drivers have. These things look very cool, much better than store-bought.
I recently joined a makerspace that has a large CNC router. What program did you use to make the CAD file? Was it difficult? is it something that is downloadable/shareable?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Henry, I designed them in Inventor – if you are familiar with Inventor (or similar), it’s pretty easy. You could pretty easily do it using more elementary techniques/software.
I got the brackets made by a machine shop in China. The bend angles were off by a few degrees and I never ascertained whether the design or manufacture was off. Email me and I’ll send you a PDF of the drawing (shannon@shannonley.com)
Shannon, my email was returned undeliverable?
Shannon, did you ever see an email from me? could you forward me that PDF?
It would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again!
(henryhez@gmail.com)
Done! Sorry it took so long…