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General speaker questions for audio and home theater.

I gotta second Zaph Designed kits

Although I have not myself yet bought one, I've been following John K's work ("Zaph") for many years now. I consider him a wizard and a sort of personal mentor for DIY speaker design. This guy is the defacto "guru" and he's given so freely to the DIY community over the years - educating others about speaker design theory and practices.

If you want a kit that will have low distortion and measure pretty much ruler flat and come with directions like where the speakers are best placed, and even design variations for different listening preferences, look no further than Zaph Audio designs at Madisound. For about $200 (no cabinets) to $2000 (complete) you can get speakers that will meet - or even beat - many speakers costing five to ten times more. The cabinetry is not going to be ultra-exotic, but you can always add "bling" finishes to any of his designs - there is no limit to how much a guy can spend on finishing.

Most kits from other suppliers do not have as comprehensive of a crossover design process as what Zaph normally goes through. His website features descriptions (at great length) of his design process, design variations and why he chose certain design choices over others. This is VERY rare information to have - even for a kit. Manufacturers would never provide this level of insight into their designs.

When you buy a Zaph kit, you're basically paying for parts. The design is practically free, which shows this guys love for the hobby. With manufactuers, there is considerable profit margin plus higher overhead costs with marketing, accounting shipping and paying for things like tools, shop supplies and employees. These kits save you that overhead which is why you can get $10K sound for a fraction of the price.

The dollar-for-dollar value of these kits is off the charts. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Cheers,
Presto


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