In early 2004, David Ellis designed a floorstanding variant of his well-known (at least within DIY audio circles) 1801 monitor speaker. In a series of AudioCircle postings, he gave the overall cabinet dimensions and other information, but stated that he was not going to sell completed floorstanders or publish detailed cabinet plans for them. Other participants of that forum have contributed construction photos, plans, and other very helpful information.

My contribution to the effort is this web site, which describes how I built a pair of 1801Fs in late 2004/early 2005. My main goal is to aid and encourage first-time DIYers (of the 1801 or any other kit). This project was my first real DIY speaker project. (I've also assembled a pair of Parts Express BR-1s, but that kit is very simple and includes a finished cabinet.) I learned a great deal during this project, and perhaps I can help jump start a few others.

Please excuse the poor quality of many of the photos. I have a very old, low-resolution, digital camera, and I'm not a very good photographer anyway.

A long shot of the speakers in our family room. The Finishing section describes my attempts to match the finish of the speaker cabinets to that of the entertainment center they flank.

Finished left speaker.

Finished right speaker.

Closeup of finished speaker.

A view of the access panel. The entire crossover, including the tweeter resistors, is mounted to the inside of this panel.

A closeup of the binding posts. The horizontal spacing will accommodate dual bananas. The vertical spacing accommodates standard bi-wire jumper plates like the Cardas plates shown here.