Podcast #995: End of the Road for the Harmony Remote and DIY Speaker Building

We're back! After a laptop mishap the show returns with a discussion about the Harmony Remote going end of life, a discussion on SpaceX's Starlink Satellite Internet service, using smart home devices to provide you weather alerts, and finally a discussion on Ara's journey to becoming a DIY speaker builder. We also read your emails and discuss the news of th week. Who Needs Starlink Internet? These Rural US Counties Top the List SpaceX's Starlink promises to supercharge internet speeds around the globe, but which regions need it the most? Our exclusive research shows that residents in these rural US counties should sign up now. Full article here …  Weather alerts may be the smartest use of smart lights. They can save your life Springtime brings with it fresh life, blooming flowers, and in some parts of the country, incredible storms. The old expression that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb holds particularly true in the Southeast and Midwest, where spring storms are accompanied by damaging, dangerous tornadoes. Full article here... Why DIY Speakers  Along the way of doing our podcast we would receive emails suggesting that we should take a stab at speaker building. On a whim, I decided to give it a try. There are many resources online to refer to but I decided to start with Part Express. Parts Express is an online audio components site that sells everything you need to get you started. My first set of speakers was a kit that cost about $200 (Dayton Audio BR-1 6-1/2" 2-Way Bookshelf Monitor Speaker Kit Pair). There was no wood working skills required. Just solder the crossover and load the components and voila! DIY speakers. They sounded great and only cost $200. After this I was hooked.  Then I tried a simple full range driver (Tang Band W3-881SJF 3" Full Range Speaker $30 each) that would be loaded into a MDF cabinet ($27 each) that required nothing more than cutting some holes and gluing the precut pieces together. I had a jigsaw and a dremel tool to cut the holes. On this set of speakers, I learned about finishing the speaker cabinet. The results were terrible, aesthetically speaking. But they found a home at my in-laws. I recently noticed they weren't using the speakers anymore so I brought them home with me and I am making a new cabinet out of reclaimed wood. We'll probably give them away in the near future. I kept watching Youtube videos on the subject and decided to actually build my own cabinets. I used ¾" plywood. While the cabinet was solid, the joining was not good at all. I covered up the flaws with a veneer of cherry wood. Problem fixed!! The issue I had was that I was making my cuts with a circular saw and there was no way for me to get the precision required. So the veneer covered up a lot of the flaws but close inspection would reveal the issues.  I have them on a shelf where you can see them but not close enough to critique them.  I posted them in a video on YouTube. Man I got raked over the coals for the design. Specifically the crossover. With the components I chose I was leaving a lot of performance on the table so to speak. Quite frankly I just bought parts from Parts Express and put them together. They still sounded really really good, so I wondered what a true high quality design would sound like. For completeness here are the parts used in that build: Dayton Audio RS150-8 6" Reference Woofer x 2 $45 each Morel MDT 29 1-1/8" Soft Dome Tweeter x 2 $52 each Dayton Audio XO2W-2.5K 2-Way Speaker Crossover 2,500 Hz x 2 $30 each Terminals, Foam, Vent Tubes X 2 $10 each Total cost was about $300 when you include the plywood and veneer.   For the next build I wanted to work on my woodworking skills. I bought a tablesaw, planer, sander, router and a ton of clamps. By the way, you can never have enough clamps! Since I was more concerned about the cabinet building I went with full range drives. No silly cross over to deal with. The design was simple. Build the cabinets put in the driver.  As far as the cabinet designs go, all the driver companies provide you with cabinet designs and plans that will get the most out of the drivers they are selling. Build the cabinet to their plan and you will get optimal performance.  Side note - one year my wife was struggling on what to get her sister in-laws for Christmas. I suggested that I could make them some cutting boards. She liked the idea and I made six of them. They were a huge hit! Now I make cutting boards and sell them on Etsy or through my Instagram. I've even built a set of speakers using the same basic design of a cutting board. Here is a short video I posted to Instagram. Funny I started with wood working just to build speakers. But now I just love woodworking! Also a big thank you to Marc Spagnuolo the Wood Whisperer who has given me many tips, some personally, but most through his online resources.  Now some swear full range drivers are the best thing since sliced bread. Truth be told, for certain types of music they are amazing. I built three full range driver designs selling some and even giving some away. I have one that has a 8 inch (Tang Band W8-1772 8" Neodymium Full Range Driver $225 each) driver that my nephew has claimed. They sound incredible with vocals and tracks that have a lot of dynamic range. Not so much with loud rock. I told him that when I build a replacement he can have it. Along the way, my wood working skills had improved! So I was ready to go with a multiple driver design. I didn't want to make the same mistake I did with my earlier speaker build by just choosing parts but I also knew nothing about crossover design. I then decided to look into buying a well designed kit. In this way I get to have the joy of building something and make it my own but not worry about optimizing the audio aspect of the design. I chose Creative Sound Solutions (CSS) for the kit. They sound phenomenal! All the goodness of the full range drivers without the limitations.  I loved them so much I built two of their designs. The P215 ($469) and the Criton 2TD ($850). I built the P215 first and was impressed with the bass, clarity, and imaging. I was told the 2TDs sounded even better and yes they did. It took everything I loved about the P215 and turned it up a notch. Plus it was the best looking cabinet I have built!! Easily competes with speakers costing three times as much plus the cabinets being built with reclaimed barn wood from the mid 1800s just adds to the experience.  CSS Audio also sells MDF kits for those who do not have a place where they can build cabinets. They also provide complete building plans for those who want to build their own. I recommend doing this. But it's a journey. Expect to make some mistakes and get criticism if you post your work online. The vast majority of which has been constructive. However, there are some "know it alls" who have to tell you that your work is crap. Just ignore them and keep on building!