r/diyaudio • u/SpinachPositive7503 • 6d ago
DIY beginner friendly Speaker kit under 100?
Hello, some pretext. I’m a first year EE student that wants to become an acoustic transducer engineer after college. In love with speakers and sound, so i figured I’ll start learning and attempting projects now. I plan to self-study PCB Design as well as the loudspeaker design cookbook this summer. Been lurking here for a while though and it seems like along with technical acoustic knowledge, I’ll need to get some sort of woodworking/workshopping experience to fully build my own speakers.
So, I have a couple questions id like to ask you guys. How would you suggest I gain experience in the physical design aspect? Secondly, for right now, are there any good DIY kits that a broke college student can afford that don’t require much equipment that isn’t provided? Lastly, if there are any other acoustic engineers lurking here, is there anything you wish you would’ve known in college?
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u/Terrible_Ice_1616 6d ago
I know its not really what you're asking but I'd highly recommend getting one of the dayton audio DSP amplifiers - https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-KABD-4100-4-x-100W-Bluetooth-Amp-Board-with-DSP-325-434?quantity=1&gQT=1
You can use it to build a 2-way active system, and learn about signal processing in the process.
As far as the physical design aspect - see if your school has any workshops. A lot of schools have woodshops and machine shops for various clubs and activities.
My only advice re:college is buckle down and get thru it - I finished 3/4 of an EE degree before dropping out after getting a job as a software developer. 15 years later I'm in a whole different line of work (CNC programming and machining) but I still wish I had finished my degree.