Greetings fellow audiophiles!
I know I'm FAR from the first to post questions about DIY portable boombox builds. I've looked around and seen a lot of good information but I'm not sure exactly what I'll need to complete the job. Please help! Despite my research, I'm a HUGE n00b at this so please break down your responses in layman's terms. 😀
I'm looking to build a boombox that is big enough for our tailgates. I don't need anything fancy (and I'm trying to budget around $125-150) but I do need it to be loud enough to fill our outdoor space (about 15' x 20' in a crowded and fairly loud parking lot) with a little extra "just in case" power. I'll come back with questions as I purchase and move forward with the build so you all can hopefully assist me along the way.
So, for the first phase, it's choosing the right speakers and amplifier to pull this off. I'm looking at the following:
(2) Pyle PLPW6D 6-Inch 600 Watt Dual 4 Ohm Subwoofers
(2) Audiopipe Titanium Super Tweeter 350W Max - ATR3721
Now, I'm trying to decide on the amp. I'm looking at these two amps (which will require a crossover, correct?):
SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier
Lepai LP-2020A+ Tripath TA2020 Class-T Hi-Fi Audio Amplifier
Would anyone suggest anything different? A better (or more powerful) Amp or Amp Board (that's easy for a n00b to connect) that is less than $65? What about the gauge of cable? Can I use 12 gauge for all of it? Is there anything specific I should look for in quality cable?
Also, I'm planning to power this with a 12V 7AH Sealed Lead Acid Battery.
Thanks in advance!
I know I'm FAR from the first to post questions about DIY portable boombox builds. I've looked around and seen a lot of good information but I'm not sure exactly what I'll need to complete the job. Please help! Despite my research, I'm a HUGE n00b at this so please break down your responses in layman's terms. 😀
I'm looking to build a boombox that is big enough for our tailgates. I don't need anything fancy (and I'm trying to budget around $125-150) but I do need it to be loud enough to fill our outdoor space (about 15' x 20' in a crowded and fairly loud parking lot) with a little extra "just in case" power. I'll come back with questions as I purchase and move forward with the build so you all can hopefully assist me along the way.
So, for the first phase, it's choosing the right speakers and amplifier to pull this off. I'm looking at the following:
(2) Pyle PLPW6D 6-Inch 600 Watt Dual 4 Ohm Subwoofers
(2) Audiopipe Titanium Super Tweeter 350W Max - ATR3721
Now, I'm trying to decide on the amp. I'm looking at these two amps (which will require a crossover, correct?):
SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier
Lepai LP-2020A+ Tripath TA2020 Class-T Hi-Fi Audio Amplifier
Would anyone suggest anything different? A better (or more powerful) Amp or Amp Board (that's easy for a n00b to connect) that is less than $65? What about the gauge of cable? Can I use 12 gauge for all of it? Is there anything specific I should look for in quality cable?
Also, I'm planning to power this with a 12V 7AH Sealed Lead Acid Battery.
Thanks in advance!
I think it was early seventies when I saw the first example of a boombox. It was a DIY unit constructed by one of my first mentors. Had a Nakamichi built cassette deck feeding about a fifteen Watt amp driving an acoustic suspension speaker. Was powered by ni-cads. Had a built in -relatively high power- FM transmitter with a homebuilt stereo generator. Sounded awesome!
I'd say the Lepai would work fine for you. The T-path amps can sound very good. Myself I'd go with 18650 lithium cells for power rather than all that lead. I'd also add a retractable cigarette lighter or battery clip power input cable.
Doc
I'd say the Lepai would work fine for you. The T-path amps can sound very good. Myself I'd go with 18650 lithium cells for power rather than all that lead. I'd also add a retractable cigarette lighter or battery clip power input cable.
Doc
1 - Amazon.com : Car Black Subwoofer Box Sealed Automotive Enclosure for Two 8-Inch Woofers 8D : Vehicle Subwoofer Boxes : Car Electronics
1 - Amazon.com: 8" Speaker Grills - 1 Pair - Black Metal Waffle grills includes mounting brackets (8 inch): Electronics
2 - MCM Audio Select 8" Weatherproof Coaxial Speaker w/1" Tweeter | 55-3025 (553025) | MCM Audio Select
1 - Penn Elcom Rubber Strap Handle - 10 1/4" Length Including End Caps - Black | H1014K | Penn Elcom
1 - Dayton Audio DTA-2 Class T Digital Audio Amplifier Module
1 - 12V 11Ah 12.6V 11000mah 18650 Lithium Battery Pack Xenon lamp 12V Batteries Power supply + 12v 3 A Charger Free shipping-in Battery Packs from Electrical Equipment & Supplies on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
Use one of the speaker connection holes in the box to mount the Vol/On-Off Sw. for the amp. Mount the battery near the amp and close enough to allow the pigtail of the battery with the charger end to hang out enough along side of the Vol Sw. area to connect the charger to. (Or get fancy and install a chassis mount connection, depending on your abilities) You can put a 3.5mm female jack in there too or just let a male end hang out. Plug the other speaker connection hole or divide up your external connections between the two..
Wire the speakers to the amp internally. You will need to drill a hole through the partition between the 2 sides to get wires to one of the speakers..
Use the crossover cap/resistor that is supplied with the speakers for the tweeter. Get (2) - .68 mH. chokes and wire them in series to each speaker between the amp and the woofer connections..
2 - Visaton Inductor Air-Core 0.68mH 1.0 Ohm | 4991 | Visaton
Buy a cheap pillow at Dollar Store and cut it open. Half the stuffing and put half in each side of the box, behind the speakers. Use a stapler to staple it in place in a few places, just enough to keep it from flopping around and away from the speakers..
Center the handle in the top of the box and use bolts that go all of the way through. Don't trust screws! (Don't ask me why) 😉
Easy, durable build. Sounds great and will run hard for over 6 hrs. on a fully charged battery..
Get an ElCheepo USB powered Bluetooth receiver and use a 5 volt bank battery to power it with. Now you have a Bluetooth Boom Box!
1 - Amazon.com: 8" Speaker Grills - 1 Pair - Black Metal Waffle grills includes mounting brackets (8 inch): Electronics
2 - MCM Audio Select 8" Weatherproof Coaxial Speaker w/1" Tweeter | 55-3025 (553025) | MCM Audio Select
1 - Penn Elcom Rubber Strap Handle - 10 1/4" Length Including End Caps - Black | H1014K | Penn Elcom
1 - Dayton Audio DTA-2 Class T Digital Audio Amplifier Module
1 - 12V 11Ah 12.6V 11000mah 18650 Lithium Battery Pack Xenon lamp 12V Batteries Power supply + 12v 3 A Charger Free shipping-in Battery Packs from Electrical Equipment & Supplies on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
Use one of the speaker connection holes in the box to mount the Vol/On-Off Sw. for the amp. Mount the battery near the amp and close enough to allow the pigtail of the battery with the charger end to hang out enough along side of the Vol Sw. area to connect the charger to. (Or get fancy and install a chassis mount connection, depending on your abilities) You can put a 3.5mm female jack in there too or just let a male end hang out. Plug the other speaker connection hole or divide up your external connections between the two..
Wire the speakers to the amp internally. You will need to drill a hole through the partition between the 2 sides to get wires to one of the speakers..
Use the crossover cap/resistor that is supplied with the speakers for the tweeter. Get (2) - .68 mH. chokes and wire them in series to each speaker between the amp and the woofer connections..
2 - Visaton Inductor Air-Core 0.68mH 1.0 Ohm | 4991 | Visaton
Buy a cheap pillow at Dollar Store and cut it open. Half the stuffing and put half in each side of the box, behind the speakers. Use a stapler to staple it in place in a few places, just enough to keep it from flopping around and away from the speakers..
Center the handle in the top of the box and use bolts that go all of the way through. Don't trust screws! (Don't ask me why) 😉
Easy, durable build. Sounds great and will run hard for over 6 hrs. on a fully charged battery..
Get an ElCheepo USB powered Bluetooth receiver and use a 5 volt bank battery to power it with. Now you have a Bluetooth Boom Box!
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