Project Time: 20+ hours
Project Complexity: Hobbyist
Project Cost: $500-$1000

Driver Selection
I used all Dayton Audio drivers on this project. For woofer duties I used the RS180-8 in a 16L vented cabinet tuned to 52Hz. For the mid -driver I used the RS100-8 in a 5L sealed enclosure. For the tweeter I used the ND20FA in a shallow ¾” wave guide. All the drivers were physically time aligned as close as possible.

Enclosure Design
As complicated as the enclosure looks, it uses three standard angles 22.5, 45 and 90 degrees. This makes the construction much simpler. The baffles and “valve covers” are removable for easy access. The drivers are rear mounted for a cleaner look. The cabinets were built from ¾” MDF with a multi layering of rubber, Ditra and Thin set for some very solid cabinets. Side walls were lined with ¾” rigid fiberglass with a double layer on the back wall. Some poly fill was used in the mid-enclosure as well.

Amplifier/Crossover Configuration
Here is where I got a little help from Curt C. Thanks again Curt. I took gated measurements and worked up a crossover and sent my files to Curt, and he did some of his magic to them. I think we came up with a very well balance speaker with descent base extension. Crossover points are 800Hz and 2900Hz. Woofer is second order parallel, mid high pass is first order electrical and low pass is second order electrical. Tweeter is third order parallel.

Conclusion
This was a very challenging project with a lot of firsts for me. I am very impressed with how good these speakers sound with the amount of money invested. The Dayton Audio drivers are a great bang for the buck. I am also happy with how well received they were at the 2011 Midwest Audio Fest which really topped this project off for me.

About The Designer
Dave Pellegrene is a remodeling contractor and has been in the business for over 30 years. In his free summer time months, Dave competes in water ski jumping tournaments. His favorite part of speaker building is cabinet design, and he also enjoys learning the electronics side of things.

Project Parts List