Father & Sons Built 3 Pairs of Speakers!
Alan hadn’t bought a pair of speakers in 30 years. His old pair were still good, anything that looked like a real upgrade was expensive, and somewhere along the way he’d started getting into woodworking. So he decided to build his own.
What started as a search for better speakers became three pairs: a Copenhagen for each of his sons, and a Trohet R for himself.
Why build
“I remembered kit speakers from my very early days in hi-fi, although back then they all really looked like they were DIY. I thought if I could find an appropriate product, it might be something interesting to do.”
After reading about a speaker build on a hi-fi forum, Alan searched for DIY speakers in Australia and found The Speaker Project. The Copenhagen kits looked like a good first project. He ordered two pairs for his sons, along with a pair of Trohet Rs for himself.
“I thought this project would be perfect to do with my sons. At the end, they would each have a pair of speakers they could say they had built with their own hands, and maybe some fond memories of building them with their dad.”
Two pairs of Copenhagens
Alan had done some soldering and small woodworking jobs. His sons had little experience, though one had built a kit guitar at school. They started with the cabinets, then moved on to routing the edges, finishing the timber and assembling the crossovers.
The cabinets after glue-up, before routing and finishing.
“The workbook was really easy to follow and the instruction videos were brilliant — great explanations, entertaining and funny!”
Building the crossovers alongside the instructional video.
Alan soldering crossover components.
There was some brotherly strategy, too. “#1 son insisted that we built #2 son’s kit first, so we would make all the mistakes on that and then his would be perfect!” Both pairs came out well.
The first got a lighter finish and a pair of stands they made themselves. They finished the second during a Christmas visit, with a darker finish and Solidsteel stands.
The darker Copenhagens
The first listen
They tried the first pair against the speakers Alan had been listening to for 30 years. “Considering the cost difference they more than stood up for themselves. It’s fair to say we were blown away by the sound.”
The darker Copenhagen pair on Solidsteel stands.
“At this point I was beginning to wonder how much better the Trohet Rs could be since the Copenhagens were so good.”
The Trohet R build
Two successful Copenhagen builds gave Alan the confidence to take on the Trohet R. But it is a more involved kit, and delays with the cabinet supply meant his flat packs sat through a Queensland summer before he could start.
“I spent a day trying to glue up the cabinets on my own and they would not come together cleanly. I spent another day with a helper and additional clamps and had the same result. At that point I knew the assembly was beyond my skills and equipment.”
Alan sent the cabinets to our Sydney workshop. We started by helping with the cabinets and ended up completing the full build before sending the finished speakers back to him. He’d had the hands-on experience he wanted with his sons. Now he was ready to listen.
“I was just so happy that you could rescue what for me had seemed to be a lost cause. An unusual set of circumstances but a great outcome.”
Back to the records
“They are definite end game speakers. ‘Blown away’ seems like a throwaway term, but it is very descriptive of the situation here.”
Alan listens through a streamer, CD player and a 1970s Linn LP12 turntable. He says the bass is clean and tight, the soundstage is huge and voices sound real. The best part has been pulling old records and CDs out again.
“I have never heard vinyl sound anything like it does now with the Trohet Rs. It’s like having a new system.”
His test tracks run from Jeff Buckley to Billie Eilish. Heavy metal remains untested. “Not my thing,” he says.
Alan’s advice
“Honestly the Copenhagen is a no brainer for anyone wanting a really high-quality speaker pair for a great price. They are not difficult to build at all. You will probably achieve a better finish if you have some woodworking skills, but you will get the same great sound anyway.”
As for the Trohet R: “An awesome speaker for anyone with a decent system looking for a really high-end speaker at a very mid-range price. Just make sure you build them when they arrive!”
