Save the Date: August 1st & 2nd, 2025

Registration will open in May!

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.