GADGET GURU

T3's tasty tech chef serves up more delicious answer morsels

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Q Guru, can I build my own speakers from scratch?

A It's ertainly possible. Some of the best speakers are made in sheds by people with well-worn soldering irons, splinters upon splinters, and knowhow far beyond human understanding. GaGu wouldn't even attempt to build something from scratch given the stern warning he was given about coming back to A&E again, but he'd consider taking an existing set of speakers and giving it a tweak.

Get yourself some basic monitors to start off with. Guru reckons you can't go wrong with the tried-and-tested Wharfedale Diamond 9.0, available for ₹7,900 if you sign up for a Richer Sounds VIP membership. Then start thinking. How would you like the sound to change? If you'd like the bass to chill out a bit, a little pillow stuffing in the front port will do the job. Force your way into the cabinet and you could add a little extra padding to the sides.

If you're willing to get spicy, you could try following audiophile advice: once you've slugged down the requisite bottle of snake oil, try switching out the capacitors for some top-quality replacements. You'll need to remove the crossover component, do the donkey work of working out what you need, then pick up and solder in replacements. If you're really in the mood to treat yourself and you're fully buying into the audio lifestyle, opt for Mundorf Silver MCap Supreme Silver Gold capacitors, a single one of which can be had for ₹14,000.