Project Time: 20+ hours
Project Complexity: Amateur
Project Cost $100-$500

Driver Selection
The HiVi F8 had good reviews, could get down to an F3 of 35 in a relatively compact vented box, and is rated for a crossover at 2,000, with an SPL of 89 below 2,000 Hz. The rest of the specs really worked well also, including off-axis frequency projection. The choice of a Morel tweeter came from listening to some 3-way speakers that my younger brother had made. He used Morel tweeters and they just sounded so clean and precise that I wanted to use them in my project also. I’m very happy with both drivers, especially the large listening sweet-spot compared with many high-end speakers.

Enclosure Design
I used an online enclosure calculator to finalize the volumes and vent length. The only design problem that I ran into was that the vent needed to be longer than I had planned for the depth of the box. I either had to make the box much deeper or use a vent that opened to the top or bottom of the box. As you can see from the design, I decided to have it open to the bottom, with a pocket built into the speaker box to accommodate the vent.

Amplifier/Crossover Configuration
I used the Dayton XO2W-2K 2-way Crossover (Part #260-140) and I’m happy with this choice. Here’a the parts list that I used for this project. Your Shopping Cart Item Qty. Ordered Qty. Shipped Price Total DAYTON XO2W-2K 2-WAY CROSSOVER 2,000 Hz Part Number: 260-140 2 2 $19.00 $38.00 GOLD HIGH POWER TERMINAL ROUND Part Number: 260-311 2 2 $2.90 $5.80 GRILLE CLOTH YD BLACK 70″ WIDE Part Number: 260-335 1 1 $6.90 $6.90 MOREL MDT-29 1-1/8″ SOFT DOME TWEETER Part Number: 277-010 2 2 $47.10 $94.20 HI-VI F8 8″ BASS/MIDRANGE Part Number: 297-445 2 2 $52.00 $104.00 SMALL GRILL GUIDES 12 PAIR Part Number: 260-368 1 1 $1.95 $1.95 PRECISION PORT 3″ FLARED PORT TUBE KIT Part Number: 268-350 2 2 $13.30 $26.60 SONIC BARRIER 1/2″ ACOUSTIC FOAM w/PSA 18″ x 24″ Part Number: 260-520 2 2 $6.87 $13.74

Enclosure Assembly
See the pictures for a detailed view. The enclosure material was .75 inch MDF and I used pine pieces to strengthen the joints. This turned out to be a little time consuming as an approach, and I might handle the joints differently if I redesigned this box. To finish the box I primed with white primer, glued printed fabric to the sides, painted the front and back with black latex, then finished with four coats of water-based polyurethane (brushed on). To highlight the yellow color of the F8, I used yellow-plated #6 screws to secure the F8 (available form McFeely’s Square Drive). The MDT-29’s are secured with black-anodized truss-head screws.

Conclusion
The result is attractive and the sound is a big improvement over my previous speakers, which were Creative Soundworks M60’s. The speakers are installed in a 1,000 sq. ft. multipurpose room and music is well-balanced and accurate throughout the space. I used these originally as stereo speakers but now have them as the L&R mains in a 7.1 channel system. As stereo speakers they were a little over-driven to fill 1,000 sq. ft. As part of a 7.1 system they are plenty loud enough to fill the room. If you have similar design objectives, you might like to use this design.