Bookshelf Speakers

A two-way bookshelf pair, built from a kit.

Personal build · June 2025

Soldering · Cabinet assembly · Finishing

The finished pair of green bookshelf speakers on a desk.

Problem

I wanted balanced, detailed bookshelf speakers for less than comparable prebuilt options.

Solution

I soldered both crossover circuits point-to-point, then glued and squared the MDF cabinets for a pair of two-way speakers, each with a 5” woofer and a 1” tweeter. To get a clean finish, I filled the seams and fastener holes, sanded the cabinets smooth, and painted them.

Outcome

Balanced, detailed sound under budget, and a working feel for how drivers and passive crossover components behave together.

Soldering the crossover inside the cabinet.
A bare MDF cabinet with filler, before painting.
Crossover schematic with a 0.25 mH and a 1.4 mH inductor, four capacitors and a 6 ohm resistor feeding the tweeter and woofer.
Crossover schematic from the Parts Express C-Note kit. Circuit design by Parts Express. Source ↗