music for my single car garage

[Wuaname]

I didn't want to hijack moparfreak's thread, so let me post on here, since there seems to be a few audiophiles in here.

I am wanting to put some music in my garage, all 240 sq ft of it, lol. Simple, yes, but since it's so small, I figured I could have something sound better than my Phillips player for my iphone...sounds ok, but I want something that has better sound, not necessarily louder. I want bass, mids, highs, not just mids/highs.

I have looked at the Bose, JBL, Beats, and this other new one, Jaw something? But not sure if something so small will make a difference from what I have now, even though they are in the $200 range.

Oh, would want Bluetooth.

Flexibility of moving around? Not really needed, will stay in the garage.

Would like it to be electric... and if battery as well that would be great.

Any suggestions? I saw one of the users on here yesterday with a Kicker sub in his garage, lol... I'd love that ... but too much $.

thanks

 

[04fivefour]

I recently got a refurbished Samsung sound bar with a wireless sub. It has bluetooth and the sound quality is top notch imo.

Cost me like 139 shipped.

 

[cashishift]

I bought this cheap at Best Buy.. I'd buy another one..

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00903HKOC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Jazzman442]

Get a good receiver and speakers. In ceiling or book shelf. The get a Blue tooth receiver and you have it. Those powered speakers are terrible. Wont cost to much. Look at Ebay JBL Harman has there refurbished store on there. Also parts Express.

 

[1940_dodge]

For sure I would say a bluetooth sound bar. The space is so small, that should work perfectly. You'd be surprised what kind of base you can get from those.

Some even let you add a subwoofer to the sound bar.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

 

[GuyllFyre]

In-wall 8" driver speakers and a Lepai T-Amp.
Bluewhat?
Plug the music into the input, turn it on, groove.
Like this:

 

[UpstateNY]

Pink walls are an automatic revocation of your man card.

 

[KristianS]

Jambox is around $80 now..

 

[AceofSpad3s]

I just use an old ghetto blaster. Works well enough.

 

[GuyllFyre]

Pink walls are an automatic revocation of your man card.

That's OK, I never had one.
I have a person card.
I also don't have to put on any rose colored glasses when I go into my garage, everything is peachy keen in there.

Here's the primer, normally like $93 for 5 gallons.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Pre...lti-Surface-Primer-and-Sealer-43605/100161305

My bucket is a little older.

Wood, vinyl, aluminum, stucco, hardboard, and galvanized metal?
Good stuff!

It was less than $20 because someone messed up and tinted it pepto pink and it was in the sale section of the paint department at Home Depot.

I don't care what color it is, I can't pass up $100 worth of quality product for less than $20 when I know I can use it.

 

[aka rotten]

Guess my old am radio I use daily to listen to talk radio and swap ,buy, and sell don't cut it with you young gents eh?

 

[Colin Len]

I was in a similar situation a year or two ago and bought this setup which unfortunately isn't available anymore but was only about $40 at the time and was perfect for my little 1 car garage. Absolutely zero complaints. I'd try to find something like this if you could. I originally bought a small Bluetooth adapter for it as well but it worked horribly so I returned it. The only ones rated worth a damn seemed to be $50+ which I wasn't willing to pay for. I generally just brought my iPad into the garage to use w/ the speakers or browsing the net then I'd use my phone for pics and such so that I could move around with that.

I'd check out craigslist, there's always lots of good deals on stuff. Or like Guyllfyre said, you can get a small amp and any generic wall or bookshelf speakers and be ready to go. Pricing for a setup like that was going to be similar to my Teinuro but I liked that the Teinuro was packaged and setup.

Check out www.parts-express.com and www.monoprice.com for good pricing on generic audio parts if you want to piece something together.

Or try amazon/ebay for small stereo systems and/or computer speaker setups:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JC31RUS/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027VT6V4/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002HWRZ2K/?tag=atomicindus08-20


I think the bluetooth may be your big deciding factor on what you get or how much you pay. There are lots of non-bluetooth options that are affordable, but when I was looking I couldn't find anything decent that had bluetooth that was cheap. Although I did just find this. I for sure would have bought it when I was looking before as it's at the perfect price point.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C5OSGTQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[cdubvw]

G boom would make you happy

 

[rt dak]

Another vote for a soundbar. I have a Sony with a separate sub that sounds real good for me. My space is 1200 sq ft.

 

[SLYDIT]

an old car stereo powered by a PC power supply is a great solution. 4 speakers and superior FM reception to most home audio systems. its gonna have better sound and volume than computor speakers etc...if you want to be flash get a head unit with bluetooth Car stereo speakers are dirt cheap too..

thats what i'm putting in my garage with 4X 6"x9" speakers mounted flush into the ply lining speakers... the PC atx power supplies are a great 12V benchtop supply capable of high current at 12V and much cheaper than specialist 12V bricks. My supply will power my stereo, the kids RC car charger and the bench and drill press LED lighting

 

[fitz11]

I have a kicker sound dock and have been very impressed with the sound. It does not have Bluetooth though.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002I529AY/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1414205729&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40

 

[tavernaut]

I have these beefy 'outdoor' speakers 8ft high on the front wall, pointing out into a 60x85 shop. They're powered by an 50Wx2 1980s-era Sony receiver we found in a dumpster. I bought a $20 iPod dock with RCA outs, and plugged that into the dumpster Sony receiver. It works GREAT.

I used to bring a few CDs at a time into the shop and play them in a 5-disc changer, but shops are great places to ruin CDs.

My iPod has 10,000 songs that I like. I just let it shuffle endlessly and I never have to hear anything I hate.

http://www.htd.com/Products/Outdoor-Speakers/Q65-Outdoor-Speakers

 

[wagzilla]

pawn shop picked up a boss system and hooked up a apple tv and my I pod and we are good to go

James

 

[Kin Creed]

My current favorite for garage music is just a little Milwaukee 12v radio, but it sounds really good for its size. Great reception and it has a compartment for an mp3 or a bluetooth adapter. I use the DeWalt DCR002 bluetooth adapter with it so it plays music from my cell phone no problem and no wires. It's pretty rugged so you can bring outdoors with you in the summer.

A nicer option with built in bluetooth is the M18 Jobsite Radio/Charger
2792-20, this thing is a beast for a little over $200.

I have nice wired in speakers in my garage and shop, but often I end up using the Milwaukee unit just because it's so easy and it is a shop so somehow it just seems more natural to use a tool branded radio.

Also I just picked a Sony SRS X3 for $100 at Costco which is a bluetooth mini speaker and sounds crazy good for it's size which is a slightly bigger than a stick of butter. I got this more to use in the office, but I might use in the garage as well since it's super portable and also seems pretty tough.

I find when I'm working in the garage and shop I don't like big fancy sounding speakers. It just doesn't fit with using power tools and talking to people and all the other stuff I do in the shop. I much prefer a smaller unit that sounds ok, but doesn't distract as much from the shop atmosphere.

 

[Dakota00]

Have an older Logitech X-230 2.1 speaker system in the garage. These systems are dirt cheap and the sound is awesome!

 

[SD396]

I have an old pair of Harmon Kardon computer speakers that have surprisingly good sound. They even have a plug for a sub (that I don't have). I plug them into my lap-top, my ghetto blaster, or use a Bluetooth adapter and my cell phone. Rocks for me.

 

[Wuaname]

I have an old pair of Harmon Kardon computer speakers that have surprisingly good sound. They even have a plug for a sub (that I don't have). I plug them into my lap-top, my ghetto blaster, or use a Bluetooth adapter and my cell phone. Rocks for me.

Computer speakers are powered? I could use one of those bluetooth adspters with some old Boston Acoustics shelf speakers i have but they are not powered.

 

[Kin Creed]

You need powered speakers or an amp with regular speakers. Then connect a BT adapter like Dewalt DCR002 to link to your phone. Any amp can be connected to a BT adapter using RCA to mini jack or whatever adapter is needed.

I had to pick up a female to female 3.5mm mini jack coupler ($5 at radio shack) so I could easily connect the DCR002 to various stereo inputs (shop, garage, man room, car, etc) since it comes with a male mini jack only. Once you have that figured out virtually any device with a line in can be used as a bluetooth device which is pretty cool.

 

[Tejaas]

Have an older Logitech X-230 2.1 speaker system in the garage. These systems are dirt cheap and the sound is awesome!

I had the same setup and got a bunch of years of use out of them...
When they crapped out I found an open - box special on the Logitech Z-506 5.1 setup... sounds great and has more than enough thump while maintaining clarity. only downside with them is how you have to fuss with a prefabricated wiring setup.

The ranch shop has my old set of twin Kicker Pro-Comp 15s that used to sit in the back of my Blazer. Use em on occasion to provide tunes to an entire pasture during the 4x4/wet season.

I've got everyone fooled that my hearing loss is from a decade of crewing helicopters, but Im sure the kicker subs took their toll.

~Tejaas~

 

[Wuaname]

I just remembered i have a samsung receiver /home theater amp that is about five years old... So i would be able to connect a blue tooth adapter and my old boston acoustics...

What do they call those small amps that are just for iphones or ipods? I saw something like that on the net last year... I would love something more compact than my samsung....

I just dont want to spend "$200" for a receiver, instead of just biting the bullet and getting a bose blue tooth apeaker or something similar

 

[Clutch71]

I agree with GuyIIFyre about the Lepai amp. They're under $25 on Amazon, are super small and will put out more sound than the overpriced Bluetooth stand alone speakers. Get a cheap Bluetooth adapter and some cheap bookshelf speakers and you will have a great system for under $100. I bought some indoor/outdoor Yamaha's on sale and powered them with a Lepai. First I ran the sound through a single CD player before doing the Pepsi challenge streaming Pandora through my phone through the Phillips Bluetooth adapter. I was surprised that the streaming music was louder and had better quality. I'm a believer now.

 

[Onebean]

Hello, this is my first post on GJ. This is a topic I take pretty serious. For me, music in the garage is mandatory. Here's my input on the topic.

If you want simple (very simple) get an Ion Block Rocker Explorer from Sam's Club for about $150. We have one that we take camping, and it is awesome. It blows the small portable bluetooth speakers out of the water for sound quality. It's Battery powered so you can take it outside or to another area, and the battery lasts a long time. AM/FW/AUX/Bluetooth. I'm a huge fan of this unit.

My preference for a work space is a permanent installation. Watch Craigslist and auctions, and grab a stereo receiver from the 70's. Look for Marantz, Harmon Kardon, and Sansui. The build quality on these units were very good, and they were built to deliver real sound. There are other brands, but I mainly look for these. Do a little research on Parts Express, and look at all the DIY speaker projects they showcase. I like building speakers, and it's not that tough, so that's my first option. Option 2 is to pick up a set of bookshelf speaker on sale at Best Buy or where ever. Just get something with a minimum of an 8" driver. In your space, they will deliver room filling sound. Grab a Bluetooth receiver off Amazon and your all set.

Keep this in mind. I like to have full range sound, that fills the space without having to crank it up (unless the mood strikes me), and real speakers and a receiver will do that. All of the ideas given here will work. But with sound bars, and these small BT speakers, the sound is meant to be directional. They are designed for a specific purpose, like watching TV, playing computer games, or waking you up in the morning , not filling a space with sound. If you listen to talk radio, you can scale your system back, and probably get by with one of these. If you want to here music over your table saw running, you will need more system. I love my garage system. It can provide the perfect level of background music listening to Country oldies, while maintaining full range sonics, or I can crank it up and jam out to some Rage Against the Machine, when I pumped up a working hard on something.

I hope this doesn't sound condescending, because it's not meant to be. Like I said, I love this stuff, and take it seriously. I hope this helps you.

Onebean

 

[petalmasher]

I have a Klipsch set of powered computer speakers (two speakers with a woofer) than work excellently when plugged into my Smartphone or MP3 player

 

[Regnar]

Another vote for the Lepai amp and a few speakers. I have never had any luck with Bluetooth sounding good so I gave up and wire everything. Run my Ipad Mini off a Lepai amp and 2 bookshelf speakers. More than enough for the garage.

 

[rice rocket]

Grab some towers off Craigslist and an outdated stereo amp, they're just about everywhere since little cube speakers with 7.1 is now the popular thing to do.

I picked up some 3-way Cerwin Vegas with 12" drivers, and a Onkyo 80Wx2 amp for $80 total. It bumps harder than should be legal. They tuck up nicely on top of my 7-foot cabinets on their sides.

boom boom.

I'd caution you that the Cerwin Vegas are 4 ohm, which is too much load for a lot of amps.

 

[G19Tony]

Another vote for the Lepai amp and a few speakers. I have never had any luck with Bluetooth sounding good so I gave up and wire everything. Run my Ipad Mini off a Lepai amp and 2 bookshelf speakers. More than enough for the garage.

I ordered a Lepai amp, based on comments here. I think I'm going to try and hook a Sirius SAT radio to it, along with a couple decent bookshelf speakers. Thanks for the tip.

 

[top drive]

what rice rocket said.

ive got a mid 80s technics amp/cd player and a pair of mission m30i speakers for less than 50 bucks off gumtree mounted high - possibly overkill ..... 1/8th of the dial is loud enough i have to be out of the garage.

screwed my old iriver ihp20 hard drive MP3 player to the wall and wired it to the AUX in. - ive also recently added DAB using the headphone out of a 15 bucks DAB reciever. - the cheapest i could find.

 

[littleponderosa]

i've burned out the remote sensor eye thing on my bookshelf unit from the late 90's, thought i'd just get a new one. wow

shows ya i haven't kept up at all. don't bluetooth, don't have any idea what some of the items discussed even are. need a receiver for local npr - used to play with the guy that does a daily jazz show - and a cd player.

i'm gonna follow rice rocket and his ideas. i'm going to have to do some reading it appears.

Bill

 

[jaye944]

For me, my garage is in Canada so winters I worry about hitech stuff.
Also security

I upgraded my home hifi with a great system around 900 bucks

So I'm planning on using my OLD (or rather my wife's system ) a sony, receiver/cd combo, with surround sound when I get round to it

NOTHING makes your work go quicker than having some sounds !

Keep us posted

I didn't want to hijack moparfreak's thread, so let me post on here, since there seems to be a few audiophiles in here.

thanks

 

[Kin Creed]

Good thread going here!

That little Lepai amp for $20 looks like a great garage/shop amp, cool find!

I've been pleased with the DeWalt bluetooth adapter, but at $40 there are probably cheaper options out there.

One thing I have found is my 12V Milwaukee radio gets better reception than my household system that powers my wired in speakers, so I end using the portable radio for sports and talk radio... then I also end up using it for music to boot.

Sirius radio would be a nice option, I'll have to look into that. I don't care for Pandora since I like to select the exact music, not just channels. Rhapsody is what I have used for many years and I still like it for the most part, but I'm always on the lookout for something better.

 

[ez-duzit]

For my shop I found a surround sound Sony stereo system, on c/l, that included the receiver and all 5 speakers plus a sub-woofer, for $25.

 

[Regnar]

Here is a Lepai 2.1 amp. I dont own this one but if your looking to add a subwoofer here you go.

http://www.parts-express.com/lepai-lp-168ha-21-2x40w-mini-amplifier-1x68w-sub-output--310-308

If I did go this route I would probably build a BFM Auto Tuba for the sub....... Must resist....

 

[rigsboo]

my buddy has a car stereo rigged up lol I have a old pioneer home thing but no subs with the speakers hanging on the wall

 

[sprchrgd1]

I got a little crazy. I have a 10" Kicker sub hooked up to a Crown Ce 1000 and A Boston Voyager Metro run by an old Kenwood M1 amplifier and a Kenwood Preamplifier this all hooks up to my PC, DirecTV and Jongo whole home wireless system. It will deliver any volume level I want effortlessly. I'm seriously thinking about adding a 15" sub to the mix for the times we have what my wife and I call 80's night. (We play music from when we were back in high school)

 

[GuyllFyre]

Here is a Lepai 2.1 amp. I dont own this one but if your looking to add a subwoofer here you go.
http://www.parts-express.com/lepai-lp-168ha-21-2x40w-mini-amplifier-1x68w-sub-output--310-308
If I did go this route I would probably build a BFM Auto Tuba for the sub....... Must resist....

That is a standard class A/B amp but I have had one and it works well.
I used it with a pair of small cheap surround speakers and a custom 5" small box subwoofer (I like building speaker boxes and sets) and it was quite good.
Just don't expect a huge amount of power from it. I don't think it's enough for a Tuba setup.
I sold it and the speakers for like $80 on CL. Made my money back.