AVS Forum banner

Garage sound system...

15K views 59 replies 17 participants last post by  kgveteran 
#1 ·
So, I finally got my garage ready for audio, two channel type.


I will be using an Airport express to pipe music from my itouch and iPad. So far iheart radio, pandora and iTunes.


The space is 24 feet deep 2.5 car wide and about ten feet tall, all walls are drywalled.


I would like the system to start at around 20 to 25hz..... The rest is history.

Horn loading would keep the need for big amps down to a minimum.


I will be funding this with the sale of my JBL 2226's wink wink nudge nudge..........
 
#2 ·
Just a little more info, the wiring was done 9 years ago and it all goes back to a location in my living room where the amp will be for the DIY speakers in the garage.

My though will be to interupt that wiring in the garage with a plate amp or two that have speaker level inputs for my mains, allowing me to use the XO and to use the plate amp to power the subs, which we will need if I'm gonna have a kickin sound system in there.


Thx...
 
#4 ·
*sigh*


Pullin' yer arm to make them 4pi's, man.
Heheh.


So is this a design for just a bass system for you garage or are you wanting speakers too? I'd say maybe a stock 4pi or Econowave and maybe pair those up with a single or dual THT's. If overall width is an issue you can build the 12" driver version which I believe makes the cab about 15-18" in width. Or if you are willing to slightly elevate your minimum lowend corner your options would open up a bit more.


That's what I'd do. Keep it simple, rugged, and inexpensive.
 
#5 ·
This will be a stereo pair of DIY mains... A subwoofer or pair of subwoofers.


I like the econowaves..... Let me research that first, then maybe a nice taped horn sub.


I will be flying the whole system up on the ceiling.
 
#6 ·
personally I would just head to your local good will and pick up the biggest oldest pair of speakers they have there. Tons of good deals there.


I run some old pioneers that my dad had since the 70's, they are really loud in the garage space. No certain how well the SQ is but my garage doesn't have garage treatments in it yet




But seriously, look for old cheap speakers on CL or a good will.
 
#7 ·
Ahh, flying the whole thing? Okay. Well, maybe check up on that Anarchy based TH if you want to do the TH route and that goes down to 25hz-ish. I wouldn't complicate the build with a one off TH design, myself but I'd like to see what you come up with if you do.



Parts Express makes these knock down kits.... omg, they have a 15" version now, apparently. Yeesh. I could have used one of these last year.


http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=245-326


There ya go!



EDIT: btw, how much were you trying to get for your 2226's?
 
#11 ·
I think I would second the recommendation of just going to goodwill or some place like that and picking up the biggest old speakers they have. Then you could spend more on the sub. I've been thinking about doing a monster horn sub using cheap drivers in my shop as well since I have something like 25'x40' to work with. A setup like that could make for a pretty enjoyable place to watch a movie with a big group of people.
 
#17 ·
For a garage, I think it could be a mistake to build "normal" speakers.


In your home theater, you would always be sitting in the same spot, so normal speakers are perfect. But in a garage, you would be kneeling down, standing up, moving from spot to spot. And if you're like me, you would eventually get tired of moving in and out of various audio "sweet spots".


Have you considered speakers that would "fill a room"?

The Bose 301's are designed for something like this and have 8" woofers that offer decent amount of bass. And, they aren't tower speakers. So they would be great mounted up near the ceiling.

They have been around forever, so you can find one of the many generations available on ebay or craigslist pretty easily.


The Bose 901's are very capable, but require being mounted away from the rear wall for the best sound. Also they like to be ceiling mounted, but about 1.5' from the ceiling I think?
 
#18 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by CZ Eddie /forum/post/19861153


The Bose 901's are very capable, but require being mounted away from the rear wall for the best sound. Also they like to be ceiling mounted, but about 1.5' from the ceiling I think?

That's exactly how I have mine mounted. I just modified the floor stands to hang them from the ceiling. They really do work well in the shop. They put out a remarkable amount of "sloppy bass". My shop is ~12,000 ft^3. I'm driving them with a 120 watt per channel Rotel amp.
 
#21 ·
Any reason why 15" two-way horns would be that much better than 12" two-way horns in my system....


I'm asking because I seem to be finding more of the smaller 12" models.


KG

Keep in mind, I will be building a pair or one large tapped horn to fill in the bottom end below 60 or 80 hz......


I use to help a friend do some live sound back in the day and never really forgot how it sounded, I want it back !
 
#22 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by petew /forum/post/19865453


Yeah I'm using the OEM EQ. I've got about 2' from the pointed end to the wall. I still manage to whack them once in a while with lumber or clamps. At least they're out of skull striking zone. They're sloppy compared to my B&W's in the theater.

Wow, in the picture it looks like 2" from the back wall.


Nice table, btw.
 
#24 ·
the bose 901 were designed to try to recreate the direct vs. reflected sound of live performances.


the relections provided by the 901 are preferred by many for music, as it makes it sound very spacious/ambient, but for home theater it is a total fail, as it makes dialog slurred/sloppy/unintelligible. this is why no pro theater employs this approach.


jbl experimented with such dual systems, but it didn't really catch on.
 
#25 ·
Here are my mains. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_4939wt_1162


Now what sub ? Is the danely super spud still an option if I build it, haven't seen any plans the thread is HUGE..


I would rather build one big one instead of two smaller ones.....


Can't wait til I start cutting wood in my freezing garage hahahaha
 
#26 ·
The Danley DTS-10 has not been available as a kit for 9 months. It can now only be purchased as an assembled unit.


Many individuals in this forum like the Bill Fitzmaurice Tuba HT front loaded horn. The plans are available for $15 at the BFM site. There are at least 8 build threads in this set of threads. The BFM THT is 3'x3'xyy where yy varies between 24.5" and 36". The THT gives solid response to 22 Hz (its tuning) and then falls off precipitously. A pair would be devastatingly loud. The cost somewhat less than $500 each to build (price includes a separate power amp such as the Parts Express 240w plate amp). You need to check the BFM site for the latest recommended 15" drivers. Previously, it was one of the 15" PE 15" drivers.


There is also the THT LP that is twice as high but as the same internal volume as the original THT. Some individuals have built it because it fits better where they want to put it.


Correction: yy upper bound changed from 48" to 36". On BFM site there are 48 Tuba HT and 60 Tuba HT but they are different beasts.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top