I would like to share my latest recommendation for a DIY loudspeaker measurement and design suite. It comprises a measurement component and a design/simulation component.
Measurement: REW a.k.a. Room EQ Wizard
Price: Free (forum has a donation button; please give if you can)
Link: https://www.avnirvana.com/forums/official-rew-room-eq-wizard-support-forum.10/
REW is a popular tool for room acoustics measurement, equalisation and acoustic treatment. However, it has over time developed other uses. It is also able to make acoustic measurements for the purpose of loudspeaker design. That is, measuring individual drivers. It has an impedance measurement function. Very recently (the past couple of a days) it acquired a component measurement capability, which is a development of its then existing impedance measurement. Its calibration procedure includes lead resistance compensation and therefore is able to make very precise measurements. The most critical of these is inductance measurement and, specifically, getting the series resistance right. This has been achieved and, as such, it finally became a full-featured measurement suite.
https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/capacitors-inductors-and-resistors-measurements.6877/#post-51364
Design/Simulation: VituixCAD
Price: Free (please send a donation to the author, Kimmo Saunisto, if you are able to)
Link: https://kimmosaunisto.net/Software/Software.html
Way back in the day, if you were interested in loudspeaker design, you learned about standardised (a.k.a. "textbook") filters and how they sum on- and off-axis. With this knowledge, you would select the right type for your crossover. The work of Floyd Toole and Sean Olive later informed us that we should care about how a speaker performs off-axis; we see these measurements in Stereophile reviews of commercial loudspeakers. VituixCAD is a loudspeaker design application that goes beyond the usual simulation & tuning of crossovers by giving the user a tool that eliminates the guessing about the speaker's off-axis response. The user may load up a set of "Spin-o-rama" radial measurements for vertical and horizontal responses for the drivers. This enables the designer to instantly see the spacial frequency response of the speaker while tuning. No more guessing or hoping. It is very user-friendly and includes a database of drivers. It also features enclosure simulation and baffle step & edge diffraction simulation and also blended summation of near-field and far-field measurements.
This was not intended to be a full review of these products, However, my very positive experience with the software and respective authors compelled me to share it here.
Measurement: REW a.k.a. Room EQ Wizard
Price: Free (forum has a donation button; please give if you can)
Link: https://www.avnirvana.com/forums/official-rew-room-eq-wizard-support-forum.10/
REW is a popular tool for room acoustics measurement, equalisation and acoustic treatment. However, it has over time developed other uses. It is also able to make acoustic measurements for the purpose of loudspeaker design. That is, measuring individual drivers. It has an impedance measurement function. Very recently (the past couple of a days) it acquired a component measurement capability, which is a development of its then existing impedance measurement. Its calibration procedure includes lead resistance compensation and therefore is able to make very precise measurements. The most critical of these is inductance measurement and, specifically, getting the series resistance right. This has been achieved and, as such, it finally became a full-featured measurement suite.
https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/capacitors-inductors-and-resistors-measurements.6877/#post-51364
Design/Simulation: VituixCAD
Price: Free (please send a donation to the author, Kimmo Saunisto, if you are able to)
Link: https://kimmosaunisto.net/Software/Software.html
Way back in the day, if you were interested in loudspeaker design, you learned about standardised (a.k.a. "textbook") filters and how they sum on- and off-axis. With this knowledge, you would select the right type for your crossover. The work of Floyd Toole and Sean Olive later informed us that we should care about how a speaker performs off-axis; we see these measurements in Stereophile reviews of commercial loudspeakers. VituixCAD is a loudspeaker design application that goes beyond the usual simulation & tuning of crossovers by giving the user a tool that eliminates the guessing about the speaker's off-axis response. The user may load up a set of "Spin-o-rama" radial measurements for vertical and horizontal responses for the drivers. This enables the designer to instantly see the spacial frequency response of the speaker while tuning. No more guessing or hoping. It is very user-friendly and includes a database of drivers. It also features enclosure simulation and baffle step & edge diffraction simulation and also blended summation of near-field and far-field measurements.
This was not intended to be a full review of these products, However, my very positive experience with the software and respective authors compelled me to share it here.
