DIY (Do It Yourself)

When Hi Fi got going in the 1960s most enthusiasts were very involved. If you wanted a good pair of loudspeakers you bought the drivers and made the enclosures yourself. The same with amplifiers, mainly valve. CD players didn't exist, turntables were pretty crude, AM and FM radio tuners were popular.

It was not all that different to the early days of personal computers in the late 70s where the first users were enthusiasts who built theirs from kits.

Nowadays we are presented with an overwhelming choice of products so the DIY community is a minor sub-group of the market. Yet for those interested, and prepared to invest the time, there are some great opportunities to build something that will outperform any commercial products at the same price. For example, you can build a pair of Jordan JX92 transmission line speakers for less than $700, and there are several similar speakers on the market overseas (using the same drivers) for more than $4000.

Twelve years ago when this business commenced there was quite a variety of speaker kits, DIY speaker cables and interconnects, and various amplifier and other devices kits. The limited interest however has meant most of those have disappeared. Nevertheless my personal interest in experimenting, particularly with loudspeakers, will mean this category will be maintained, albeit with a smaller range of projects.



250W subwoofer plate amplifier

DAYTON AUDIO

250W subwoofer plate amplifier

$595.00 wSPA250

300W subwoofer plate amplifier

DAYTON AUDIO

300W subwoofer plate amplifier

$395.00 wSPA300D

Arctic speaker cable (per metre)

VAN DEN HUL

Arctic speaker cable (per metre)

Very good sonic quality, extremely reasonable price

$30.00 vdhA1m

Banana Plugs ( 2 pair )

DECIBEL HI FI

Banana Plugs ( 2 pair )

Heavy duty, no soldering required

$33.00 DBBP

15% OFF RRP $38.70
Binding Post 20C (2 pair)

ETI RESEARCH

Binding Post 20C (2 pair)

$138.00 EBP20C

binding posts (pair gold)

DAYTON AUDIO

binding posts (pair gold)

$25.85 wBPA38G

Black chrome speaker spikes 4 pc set

DAYTON AUDIO

Black chrome speaker spikes 4 pc set

Improve clarity, stereo imaging and bass response

$96.25 peDSS4

Cable assembly

DECIBEL HI FI

Cable assembly

$40.00 DHFCA

Calibrated microphone - USB

DAYTON AUDIO

Calibrated microphone - USB

$150.00 wUMM6

9% OFF RRP $165.00
DAEX25CT-4 Coin Type 25mm Exciter 10W 4 Ohm (each)

DAYTON AUDIO

DAEX25CT-4 Coin Type 25mm Exciter 10W 4 Ohm (each)

$27.50 wDAEX25CT4

DBOPK - Decibel Omni premium kit (pair)

DECIBEL HI FI

DBOPK - Decibel Omni premium kit (pair)

$792.00 DBOPK

discOvery MakeTheLink

KEITH MONKS

discOvery MakeTheLink

AV contact and connector cleaning system

$120.00 KMMTL

DRFS1 1-3/8" x 1" Heavy Duty Rubber Feet 4 Pcs

DAYTON AUDIO

DRFS1 1-3/8" x 1" Heavy Duty Rubber Feet 4 Pcs

Alternative to cone spikes on tile, stone, wooden floors

$27.50 DRFS1

E100HD MkII wide range driver

EAD

E100HD MkII wide range driver

$385.00 E100HD2

E60 2" metal cone wide range driver (each)

EAD

E60 2" metal cone wide range driver (each)

$135.00 E60

E60 HD MkII metal cone wide range driver (each)

EAD

E60 HD MkII metal cone wide range driver (each)

$165.00 E60HD2R

E60 HD MkII RD metal cone wide range driver (each)

EAD

E60 HD MkII RD metal cone wide range driver (each)

Round version

$165.00 E60HD2RD

Expanding Banana Plugs ( 2 pair )

DECIBEL HI FI

Expanding Banana Plugs ( 2 pair )

Heavy duty, no soldering required

$49.50 DBBPE

Female RCA connector (1 pair)

ETI RESEARCH

Female RCA connector (1 pair)

Supercedes the PhonoPod

$99.00 EFRTC07

7% OFF RRP $106.65
Gold Lion KT88 Valve

GENALEX

Gold Lion KT88 Valve

$159.00 KT88

Gold plated banana plugs (2 pairs red & black)

Gold plated banana plugs (2 pairs red & black)

Suits a wide range of wire diameters

$16.50 GPBP4

Gold plated banana plugs (set of 4)

VAN DEN HUL

Gold plated banana plugs (set of 4)

solderless

$55.00 vdhGPB

Gold plated banana/screw terminals on mounting plate

DAI-1CHI

Gold plated banana/screw terminals on mounting pla

$11.00 J709