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Interconnects, speaker cables and AC power cords are my favorites.
Audio continues to host a healthy Do-It-Yourself (DIY) market. Folks build everything from components to wire to speaker systems. Has the DIY bug bitten you?
I have built both bass reflex and horn speakers, the horns I still have although modified. I am using interconnects which I made and replace the JPS I used previously, obviously saving hundreds of dollars and producing very neutral sound.
The majority of my system is DIY, and I've never looked back. My homebrew 300B SET amps have held their own against Carys, and mine cost 1/5th as much. All the cables in my system are DIY, and compare favorably to friends' Harmonic Tech and Kimber cables. I'm a DIY'er for life!
Your possible replies are incomplete (what else is new; doesn't anyone reflect a bit before doing these things?). The closest is number four yet I don't have a DIY component in my system. But I would not hesitate in including one if it were a quality component.
My dad built a Dynaco Stereo 70 amplifier, as well as a Heathkit preamplifier and a kit turntable. This system and his love of music are, without question, what have motivated my love of music and hi-fi. Were Stereophile to commit some of its editorial space to the review of such components, I would be very enthusiastic about the pursuit of purchasing and building such components.
I've made some DIY cables and am happy with them. Next project is to make an AC filter/surge protector, designed by John Risch. To me, DIY provides an outlet for the creative process and is a real educational experience. Learning by doing is what it is all about. Saving money is nice, but that's not what DIY is really about. It's about getting your hands dirty and making something built to YOUR specifications, not a manufacturer's.
I have a DIY Lowther-based horn speaker, and more complex designs in the works. I also make interconnects. If you want a certain sound, DIY is the way to go if you have the skills. You will never find exactly what you want if you wait for manufacturers to make it.
I just figured that the Pre-built market existed because people were too 'comfortably stationary' to build their own. Why would you listen to a reproduction device calibrated by a machine when you could make your own sound so much better? Additionally, The killer component would have just the features you want, no more, no less. How long have each of you spent looking for this ilustrious item, only to end in a compromise?
I have always enjoyed modifying and tweaking my equipment(amps,preamps,speakers), I feel that you can enjoy a hobby more by taking a hands-on approch.There are many times when a modification like replacing or bypasing caps,or replacing resistors in circuits can have very enjoyable results. For me, just plunking down the money and bringing home the components is only half the fun. Getting what I term "intimate" with these components is the other half.
The Speaker connections on the back of my Sony Amplifier were cheap spring loaded connectors. I removed them and replaced them with common electrical wire connectors. You know the ones with the plastic covered metal with a flat-head screw at each end, used to connect two pieces of wire together. They worked fine and only cost 99p for a strip of 8 connectors of which I only used 4. BEAT THAT!