FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC.
Hi Atlas Gouverneur here.
I founded The Speaker Project out of a passion for listening to music through hi-fidelity sound systems. My journey into building speakers has exposed me to the fascinating world of electroacoustics, and ultimately allowed me to build speakers that would cost thousands of dollars when bought commercially.
"My journey into sound reproduction began in my early 20s when I discovered that good loudspeakers are needed to reproduce realistic sounding music. But I also learnt that if you want to buy good speakers then you need to spend a lot of money. Or else build them yourself."
At that time I was studying Mechanical Engineering and had taken subjects in electronics and acoustics, which lead me to think I could build my own. So my journey began where I spent every spare moment building, researching and testing these speakers I made. The first dozen speakers sounded average, everything sounded muddy and lacked realism.
But, this changed when I learnt how to properly measure the performance of a speaker. I was able to see the impacts of both the electrical and acoustic properties of a speaker. I was fascinated that small changes in the design could cause a large impact on the acoustic performance. I was intrigued and addicted to learning more.
"Over the decade of building speakers, I've learnt that it's not only about obtaining great speakers affordably, but gaining a deeper connection with music. Each time I hear a song I love, I think to myself, damn that sounds good and I built those speakers."
It's also the appreciation I get from building something functional, something capable of evoking emotions and something that others can enjoy with me. There's nothing better than seeing my friends in bliss listening to music through speakers I made. On top of that, It's a gate way to the fascinating world of electroacoustics. The hobby has taught me more on electroacoustics than my entire engineering degree, and brought me a lot more joy that's for sure.
But I get it, building speakers is a daunting undertaking, there's so many things to consider from cabinet making to electronics. Learning all these aspects took me years; and for anyone to dedicate their time to this in their busy lives is a big ask.
So for that reason I founded the Speaker Project so that anyone, within a short amount of time can experience the process of building their own speakers. It's about making the hobby accessible to everyone.
I've hosted in person workshop courses that share what I've learnt so that others can experience this amazing hobby. But I was made aware that not everyone can find the time for the in-personerson course or are not located in Sydney, Australia - so the solution was to produce the In-Home course that allows everyone to experience the course remotely.
"My philosophy is - No matter your skill level, you will be able to build a pair of performance speakers during my course."
I have spent a great deal of time ensuring each speaker design offered produces music in a truthful manner, this involved thousands of hours testing, tweaking and listening to ensure a world class speaker is realised.
So, whether you do my In Workshop or In Home courses, I'm sure you will have a memorable experience and finish with a great set of speakers that will sound far better than their price suggests.