Would love to see some of your prints on here! When I was younger my dad and I built a 3D printer, and I loved it. Since then I haven’t had the funds/time/space to get back into it but as that was like 12 years ago, I know 3D printing has gotten much higher tech.

  • @tofubl@discuss.tchncs.de
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    27 days ago

    Awesome, thanks for the reply. I’ve been curious about printing speakers myself, but it seems like a daunting task.

    • @IMALlama@lemmy.world
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      37 days ago

      No problem! If you’re already designing speakers, printing vs making them out of something else will come down to your CAD skills/speed vs how long it would take you to make a finished enclosure out of a different material like wood.

      I wouldn’t call anything about the process hard, but it can be a bit time consuming if you’re not a CAD ninja already. Either way, doing this will probably improve your CAD skills.

      If you’ve never designed a speaker before, you could purchase a kit for one of the many DIY speakers out there and print the enclosure. My first DIY bluetooth speaker was an Overnight Sensation MTM stuffed in a very undersized, and ported, wood enclosure with a built in bluetooth board, basic BMS, and amplifier. Parts-Express, Madisound, and a number of players make getting a complete DIY kit easy.

      • @tofubl@discuss.tchncs.de
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        26 days ago

        I never designed a speaker. I have been looking for designs a few weeks ago, and there’s too much stuff out there and too little to go on if it’s actually worth it/better than HiFi speakers I already have. Maybe some day, if I find a good bookshelf speaker project that seems achievable.

        • @IMALlama@lemmy.world
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          26 days ago

          Most of the kits on both sites are going to be pretty solid. You’ll be able to find reviews for most of them, as well as a bunch of forums like audio karma and what not.

          As for cost/benefit of DIY speakers, DIY speakers that are well designed will punch well above their BOM cost (eg a $300 to build diy speaker will generally outperform a $300 retail speaker). But if you have a pair of decent hifi speakers already it might not be worth the dive. Most commercial speakers tune for a “house sound” so switching brands can be a bit off-putting at first. Let’s just say that burn in is a two way road and part of that road is your ear acclimating to the sound profit of the speaker.