I’m bullish on this topic. I’ve been around the audiophile community for 40-years and am wise enough to understand the anatomy of a speaker. Out of curiosity I’ve dissected every speaker I’ve owned, it’s the only way to understand the internal parts and how they are constructed. Some brands left me disappointed with thin panels and/or no bracing. Or was that resonance part of the charm? I quickly put that back together and wished I never saw their private parts. They sounded good so I assumed the design called for thin cabinets.
My speaker collection consists of ribbon panel speakers, single point source monitors, horn speakers, big towers, and regular bookshelf systems. My goal was to have a variety of speakers using a different technology to fill my room. Purchasing another pair will only yield a slightly different flavor of music and since I’m unable to purchase a significant upgrade, the only thing left to do is build my own.
During college, I worked with my brother-in-law Frank doing construction. His approach to all jobs left a huge impression on me and three decades later I use his approach. He taught me to think about the project before anything and take nothing for granted. Lay everything out so you’re not spending the day looking for pliers. Be clean and organized, nothing crazy but when things are clean, your mood will be better. He never stressed and methodically got through the jobs. College gets me good jobs and the lessons from Frank get me promoted.
With that confidence and a good set of tools, I decided to start building my own speakers. If you have some patience, tools, driveway or shop, and a can-do attitude, I strongly recommend you build the kit from our list that fits your budget and needs. Whatever you do, approach it like Frank would.
The kits can be found on Madisound.com. They are our favorite source for drivers and kits because they have the goods and the best customer service. Email them your questions and expect a quick reply within business hours. The customer support has knowledge and tries to earn your business.
Here are kits we like from manufactures that supply high-end speaker companies with their drivers:
SB Acoustics Bromo 2-Way Speaker Kit | $579 from Madisound.com
- Bookshelf loudspeaker
- 14.2” tall by 7.9” wide x 12.3” deep
- 0.5 cubic feet internal volume
- Rear ported
- Kit includes:
- 2 – 6” white ceramic woofers
- 2 – 1” alum0ceram dome tweeters
- 2 – professionally assembled crossovers
- Required parts not included | $185
- Two sheets of ¾” MDF wood (Home Depot/Lowes sells 2’ x 4’ panels) – $60
- 2 Bennic Square Input Cup – $20
- Polyfil or other damping material – $30
- PSP 2FLARE 2″ Flared Port Tube Kit – $40
- Six feet Internal speaker wire – $25
- Screws and wood glue – $10
- Finish MDF cabinet with wood veneer or paint (paint is longer and requires a lot of sanding)
- No shortcuts
- Required tools:
- Clamps
- Circular saw
- Sandpaper
- Glue
- Patience
Scan-Speak CCB-5075 5.5″ 2-way Speaker Kit | $779 from Madisound.com
- Small bookshelf speaker kit from Scan-Speak, a top-tier speaker driver manufacturer
- 10 ½” tall by 6” wide by 8 ½” deep
- 5.5 liters of internal volume with rear port
- Kit includes:
- 2 – 5 ½” phenomax woofer
- 2 – ¾” soft-dome tweeter
- 2 – professionally assembled crossovers
- Required parts not included | $155
- One sheets of ¾” MDF wood (Home Depot/Lowes sells 2’ x 4’ panels) – $30
- 2 Bennic Square Input Cup – $20
- Polyfil or other damping material – $30
- PSP 2FLARE 2″ Flared Port Tube Kit – $40
- Six feet Internal speaker wire – $25
- Screws and wood glue – $10
- Finish MDF cabinet with wood veneer or paint (paint is longer and requires a lot of sanding)
- No shortcuts
- Required tools:
- Clamps
- Circular saw
- Sandpaper
- Glue
- Patience
Scan-Speak ReDiscover Kit | $1,243 from Madisound.com
- Large bookshelf speaker
- 22 liters of internal volume
- 18” tall by 9” wide and 12 ¾” deep
- Kit includes:
- 2 – 7” Revelator woofer
- 2 – 1” soft-dome tweeter
- 2 – fully assembled crossovers
- Required parts not included | $155
- Two sheets of ¾” MDF wood (Home Depot/Lowes sells 2’ x 4’ panels) – $60
- 2 Bennic Square Input Cup – $20
- Polyfil or other damping material – $30
- PSP 2FLARE 2″ Flared Port Tube Kit – $40
- Six feet Internal speaker wire – $25
- Screws and wood glue – $10
- Finish MDF cabinet with wood veneer or paint (paint is longer and requires a lot of sanding)
- No shortcuts
- Required tools:
- Clamps
- Circular saw
- Sandpaper
- Glue
- Patience
Seas A26 10″ 2-way Kit (based on the classic A25) | $1,239 from Madisound.com
- Moderately difficult
- Optional prebuilt cherry cabinet for an addition $599
- Large bookshelf old school design
- 20” tall by 12 ¼” by 10 ½” deep
- Kit includes:
- 2 – 10” classic paper woofer
- 2 – 1 ½” textile soft-dome tweeter
- Crossover parts (unassembled)
Scan-Speak Lumine 2-Way Speaker Kit | $1,710 from Madisound.com
- This is a great little 2-way with world-class sound quality
- Audiophile easy to build bookshelf speaker that would sell for $14,000 depending on cabinet
- 13 ½” tall by 7” wide by 9 ½” deep
- Kit includes:
- 2 – 5 ½” Illuminator woofer
- 2 – 1” ring-radiating tweeter
- 2 – fully assembled crossovers
- Required parts not included :
- Two sheets of ¾” MDF wood (Home Depot/Lowes sells 2’ x 4’ panels) – $60
- 2 Bennic Square Input Cup – $20
- Polyfil or other damping material – $30
- PSP 2FLARE 2″ Flared Port Tube Kit – $40
- Six feet Internal speaker wire – $25
- Screws and wood glue – $10
- Finish MDF cabinet with wood veneer or paint (paint is longer and requires a lot of sanding)
- No shortcuts
- Required tools:
- Clamps
- Circular saw
- Sandpaper
- Glue
- Patience
SEAS Delling Excel Tower Kit | $3,377 from Madisound.com
- Moderately difficult to build
- Compact tower speaker using SEAS high-end Excel driver line
- 24-liter internal volume ported cabinet
- 38” tall by 6 ¾” wide by 9 ¼” deep
- Kit includes:
- 4 – 6” Excel Magnesium woofer
- 2 – 1 ½” Excel Millennium tweeters
- 2 – professionally assembled crossovers
- Required parts not included:
- three sheets of ¾” MDF wood (Home Depot/Lowes sells 2’ x 4’ panels) – $90
- 2 Bennic Square Input Cup – $20
- Polyfil or other damping material – $30
- PSP 2FLARE 2″ Flared Port Tube Kit – $40
- Six feet Internal speaker wire – $25
- Screws and wood glue – $10
- Finish MDF cabinet with wood veneer or paint (paint is longer and requires a lot of sanding)
- No shortcuts
- Required tools:
- Clamps
- Circular saw
- Sandpaper
- Glue
- Patience
Our recommendations reflect our personal experience with the equipment reviewed and should be considered alongside your own listening preferences and room acoustics. We encourage readers to audition audio equipment whenever possible. Great sound is personal, and the best component is the one that brings you closer to your music.
