sometimes i get obsessed with the idea of starting little projects, and it's all i can think about.  a few months ago, i really want to build up and customize an old schwinn cruiser.  i killed that one in the womb because there are no schwinn cruiser frames in holland, and it is not my goal to spend a fuckload of money shipping an old bike here so i can tinker with it.  my most recent idea is to build a speaker docking system for my iphone.  i hook my pod/phone up to et stereo all the time, but that is in the living room.  i currently have no way to broadcast sonic goodness in  my bedroom.  i want a small speaker system that delivers quality audio and is not ugly.  i looked around on the internet to find a solution to this, but the ones that i like are crazy expensive.  thus, my new obsession began.

I began researching small full range drivers and cabinet designs.  should i vent the cabinet?  should i pack it with sound baffling material?  how should it be amplified?  should i use solid wood or mdf?  these questions and many more have been flowing through my feeble mind, and a solution is beginning to take shape.  i truly enjoy challenges such as this, but it is rather disappointing to learn that it's going to cost almost as much (more in some cases) as it would to buy one of the ones i originally saw on the internet.  to make matters worse, time is not factored into that cost.  i haven't done anything yet, and i've already spent a ton of time thinking, sketching, and researching.  i cannot compete with companies which buy all their parts in bulk, and probably have machines to do much of the assembly.  so, i'm faced with the dilemma; do i take a few weeks to build a homemade cabinet that costs me a lot of time (that i have) and money (that is rather scarce), or do i spend a smaller amount of money and get something that will provide me with decent sound in my bedroom while taking up almost none of my time?

i'll take your responses off the air.

best,
jim