2024 SPEAKER DESIGN COMPETITION
Registration is Now Open!
2024 EVENT SCHEDULE
The Speaker Design Competition Registration, Meet-N-Greet, and the Open Unlimited category will be held on Friday evening. The Meet-N-Greet is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow speaker design enthusiasts and judges! Make sure to have all project information with you at the time of registration including project name, cost, components, etc.
Friday, August 2nd
Daily Schedule Not Yet Finalized
5:00PM–6:30PM:
Meet-N-Greet & Registration (no walk-ins)
6:30PM–9:00PM:
Speaker Design Competition Part 1 — Open Unlimited
Saturday, August 3rd
Daily Schedule Not Yet Finalized
7:30AM:
Registration (no walk-ins)
8:30AM–4:00PM:
Speaker Design Competition Part 2 — Over $300, Under $300, and Dayton Audio
4:30PM:
Winners Announced
Local Hotel
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
851 Commerce Center Dr.
Franklin, OH 45005
(937) 746-1094
Call for Parts Express Group Rate
COMPETITION CATEGORIES
Open Unlimited
Open Unlimited includes Speaker Projects that are active or cannot be categorized in the other 3 areas. If the speaker design has been entered in the Open Unlimited category, the same design without active components cannot be entered into any other category.
Dayton Audio
Speaker project must use all Dayton Audio drivers in the project design. Any dollar amount or size is welcome.
Open Drivers (Any Brand, Any Type, No Restrictions) Under $300
Projects less than $300 per pair to build ($ limit for drivers only). Speaker project can include any brand drivers.
Open Drivers (Any Brand, Any Type, No Restrictions) Over $300
Projects greater than $300 per pair to build ($ limit for drivers only). Speaker project can include any brand drivers.
*There will be 3 winners from each category
Competition Judges
Andrew Jones
More information coming soon.
Jerry McNutt
Having roots in the DIY hobby himself, Jerry McNutt holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University. As most young DIY'ers experience, studying took a backseat as he found himself more often in the garage building cabinets and systems rather than the Auburn Library. He built his first speaker project, a DIY Subwoofer, from an article in a magazine back in 1984 using a 12" McGee Radio driver that was manufactured by Eminence. He considers this time of speaker building as preparing him for a career in the audio industry. Professionally, he's been involved in creating OEM drivers for Ford, Honda, and Chrysler. For over 24 years, Jerry has been working at world-renowned Eminence Speaker LLC located in scenic Eminence, Kentucky. Jerry began as a Design Engineer at Eminence Speaker and now is their Product Design Manager.
Vance Dickason
Vance Dickason has been working as a professional in the loudspeaker industry since 1974, when he founded Speaker Research Associates (SRA). SRA published the first and second editions of the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook and exhibited its high-end loudspeaker products at CES in 1978. In 1986, Vance joined forces with Audio Amateur Inc. and became editor of Voice Coil, The Magazine for the Loudspeaker Industry (now in its 36th year of publication) and as contributing editor to AudioXpress. AAI has since published the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and the recently released 8th editions of the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook (published in English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese) as well as Vance's second book, recently re-released computer aided system design tutorial titled Loudspeaker Design Cookbook Vol. II.
Vance has served as the Test & Measurement Chairman for Audio Engineering Society Conventions and Conferences. Over the span of his career, Vance has been recognized by the industry on several occasions. The first was the prestigious AES Citation Award in 1995 for this long term contribution to audio education. In 2013, the Association of Loudspeaker Manufacturing & Acoustics International (ALMA, now ALTI) presented their also prestigious Beryllium Driver Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Dickason.
For the past twenty five years, Vance has been working as an engineering design consultant for various speaker manufacturers and is responsible for numerous award winning designs, including numerous THX and Dolby Atmos home theater certifications. The current and past list of customers that employed his test and measurement services or had designs created for the marketplace includes Snell, Atlantic Technology, Emotiva Audio, MB Quart, Rodgers Instrument, Kenwood, Stillwater Designs, Signet, M&K, Epson, Audax, Audix, Fishman Transducers, NEAR, Dai Ichi, Samsung, Niles, SpeakerCraft, Proficient, Microsoft, Artison, Sapphire Audio, coNEXTion Systems, Triad Speakers, Terra Labs, Definitive Technology (Sound United), Russound, HIVI Research, and Parasound
COMPETITION CRITERIA
The judges will use the following criteria to determine the winners of the Speaker Competition contest:
- Craftsmanship (visual)
- Originality / Design (visual)
- Tonal Balance (audio)
- Clarity (audio)
- Imaging (audio)
The speakers under test are driven with music signal fed from the following:
CD Player: Denon Professional DN-C620, balanced XLR analog outputs, line level analog outputs, digital coax SPDIF and digital AES/EBU balanced outputs. No remote (but shouldn't be necessary with a CD).
Preamp: Emotiva BasX PT1, Line level analog, Digital optical and USB inputs, line level outputs.
Amp: Emotiva XPA-2
Designs featuring additional channels of amplification, active crossovers, equalization, or other processing (including DSP) are restricted to our Unlimited Category. For systems in the Unlimited category, the available outputs from the source are balanced/unbalanced analog, optical Toslink, and AES/EBU digital outputs.
There will be 3 one-minute snippets of music listened to by the judges. These music selections are played per entry, each one minute in length, and these selections are the same for all speakers in a category, but different sets of tracks are selected for each category, with the selections for the categories having higher priced and more complex speakers being more challenging and possibly revealing of sonic flaws. Before each speaker plays, the level is set using pink noise, with SPL monitored via our calibrated OmniMic system, so that all speakers play at the same level.
Each speaker will be evaluated and rated by the judges, then tabulated and results entered into a spreadsheet. From this sheet, total point winners will be selected in the categories listed above.
Judging sheets will be sent by mail to the designer's home address following the event. In the event of a tie within a class, the peer ballots will determine the winner.
Please Note: Commercial entries or entities are prohibited: Individuals or entities that sell finished speakers (part time, full time, or any time) are excluded from registration. Should it be determined that you are in the commercial sales of finished speakers your entry will be removed. Please contact us should you require further explanation or clarification.
Contest committee members will have final say whether a project is excluded or not from competition.
COMPETITION PRIZES
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category will go home as prize-wielding champions!
- 1st Place in each category receives: $250 PE Bucks and a trophy
- 2nd Place in each category receives: $100 PE Bucks
- 3rd Place in each category receives: $50 PE Bucks
Please Note:
Speakers registered in the competition may be selected as the featured DIY project in an upcoming Parts Express Sales Flyer.
Parts Express and Dayton Audio cannot be responsible for lost or stolen speakers. However, every measure will be taken to protect your speakers from damage or theft.
Entries will be returned to the owner by providing the speaker project's tag entry ticket.
2023 Video Gallery
Speaker Design Competition Winner’s Circle
Things to do in and around Springboro, Ohio
Why not make a mini-vacation out of your visit? Below we've listed just a few of the events, places to visit and places to stay while here. Who knows, you just might decide to make it a permanent stay…
Kings Island - Only a short drive away in Mason, OH. For roller coasters and thrills, this legendary Theme Park is a must visit! Cool off at the Soak City Water Park, or maybe check out a summer evening concert at the Timberwolf Amphitheatre.
Great Wolf Lodge - Adjacent to Kings Island, this resort features overnight accommodations and indoor water park attractions for fun in any weather. Make it a family vacation!
National Museum of the United States Air Force - From the early years of flight up through the space shuttle program, this museum showcases the amazing history of aviation with more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles across over 19 acres of indoor exhibit space.
Dayton Art Institute - Located in downtown Dayton just off I-75, the DAI features works from around the world and throughout history.
Cox Arboretum MetroPark - 189 acres of gardens and natural areas! Take a walk, sit, read, and relax in the natural beauty of the Arboretum.
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden - The 2nd oldest zoo in the United States, and considered one of the best in the country.
Newport Aquarium - Home to thousands of aquatic animals in scores of exhibits. Located just across the river from downtown Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Museum Center - This one-of-a-kind, award-winning multi-museum complex is housed in Union Terminal, a historic Art Deco train station and National Historic Landmark. Includes the Cincinnati History Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, and more.
Taft Museum of Art - A fine art collection occupying a 200-year-old historic building which housed several prominent Cincinnatians.
Cincinnati Art Museum - In scenic Eden Park, this prestigious art museum features a diverse collection of over 67,000 works spanning 6,000 years as well as national and international exhibitions.
Krohn Conservatory - Also in Eden Park, this nearly 90-year-old Art Deco-era conservatory houses plants from around the world, including palms, ferns, cacti, orchids, bonsai, and more.
Historic Waynesville - This small town "Antiques Capital of the Midwest™" is a short 20-minute drive East of Springboro.
Austin Landing - A plaza located just one exit North of the event location on I-75, which includes shopping, dining, and a movie theater.
Jungle Jim’s International Market - The perfect destination for foodies. With over 70 countries represented, these stores are so packed with local and international foods you'll want a map to find it all.
Cincinnati Premium Outlets - An open air mall with a fantastic selection of stores.
Traders World Flea Market - Touted as the Midwest's largest and most colorful flea market, offering both indoor and outdoor shopping.
Treasure Aisles Flea Market - This “barrrrgain hunter’s paradise” is located directly across from Traders World.
Miami Valley Gaming - This establishment offers both a slots-based casino, and a horse track to gamble on.