New surround sound system in the garage.
- Thread starter jetur
- Start date
wildstyle
Well-known member
Nice! I'm using our old surround set up in the shop too
Dancing Bear
Well-known member
No pictures at the moment, but i too use surround sound in the garage 
it was a craigslist score, a really nice logitech system for $60, Z-5300 is the model # i believe. I got the loudest garage stereo on my block 
it was a craigslist score, a really nice logitech system for $60, Z-5300 is the model # i believe. I got the loudest garage stereo on my block Dancing Bear
Well-known member
My S/S was designed to work with a computer's sound card, so it has an AUX input cord that goes straight into the amplifier. I just pop it into my Iphone and press play! 
G McKay
Well-known member
I sure need something in my garage. I have no sound system as of yet. But I'll get there, I guess.
RunninOnEmpty
Well-known member
Get a cheap, low power PC (or even smartphone or tablet) and use a free service like Spotify, Slacker Radio, Pandora, Last.FM, etc. If you carry smartphones, maybe you are on your second smartphone but still have the old one in a drawer? If it still works, take it out and use it as a music player.
Though some of them, like Pandora, will occasionally stop and ask "are you still here?" and make you click a button when you use the free version.
Slacker is my preference.
In any case there are lots of alternatives to paying the cable company an extra $10 a month.
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BearsFan315
Well-known member
Just an old beat up Boom Box for now... Maybe one day will upgrade
them I can Jam and blast out the Shop Noise when I am working !!
them I can Jam and blast out the Shop Noise when I am working !!
wildstyle
Well-known member
There is a cool Bluetooth amplifier that will automatically pair with your phone or other BT device when you get near to it. It will go to sleep when not in use. I picked up one of these to mount in my attic and then run two speakers mounted in the ceiling. Pretty simple and out of the way. I'm all in for <$130.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JB4YWGO/?tag=atomicindus08-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JB4YWGO/?tag=atomicindus08-20
sideways
Well-known member
G McKay - Don't feel bad, I'm right there with ya. My garage has been finished for about 2 years. I'm using it, but sparingly since I don't have an electric hookup as yet. It will cost me approx. $12K to have electricity run to it and I've been saving...just about have what I need. I keep telling my wife I need to spend this much to get electricity and she keeps asking me "why? so you can turn on lights and play a radio...?" She has a point...
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
I had my old Onkyo receiver and single disc CD player in there until I finally got flat screens in the house. Now my old non-HDMI Sony surround sound head unit & 5 disc DVD carousel are out there. No surround for me, though. The "A" channel powers my old Boston Acoustics A6s in the garage and the "B" channel powers my Definite Technology AW6500's on the walls by the patio.
Tommy
Tommy
Denwood
Well-known member
Jet, excellent score!
I had a 5.1 amp/receiver and speakers in storage so the garage was the recipient. I really had a challenge in terms of where to install the sub and amp where they would be completely out of the way, taking up zero wall or floor space. I settled on something a bit unconventional. The amp is mounted vertically in the rear storage, and the sub is tucked into the corner of the upper storage as well. It's a super clean install, sounds great...and the sub really pumps in the corner. I was concerned the sub would rattle the storage sliders etc. but no such issues I'm generally listening to FM or streaming Spotify via my iPhone so this setup is perfect running audio into the amp via a 1/8" stereo (headphone jack) to RCA input on the amp.
With younger kids, the garage I discovered is the one place left I can crank the tunes and not bother anyone
Rear speakers:
Front speakers:
Latest pic.
I had a 5.1 amp/receiver and speakers in storage so the garage was the recipient. I really had a challenge in terms of where to install the sub and amp where they would be completely out of the way, taking up zero wall or floor space. I settled on something a bit unconventional. The amp is mounted vertically in the rear storage, and the sub is tucked into the corner of the upper storage as well. It's a super clean install, sounds great...and the sub really pumps in the corner. I was concerned the sub would rattle the storage sliders etc. but no such issues
I'm generally listening to FM or streaming Spotify via my iPhone so this setup is perfect running audio into the amp via a 1/8" stereo (headphone jack) to RCA input on the amp.With younger kids, the garage I discovered is the one place left I can crank the tunes and not bother anyone
Rear speakers:
Front speakers:
Latest pic.
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headwrench
Well-known member
I am using my old bass guitar amp for the tunes. Just pluged in a CD player and crank up the knob. Amp is 500 watt plugged to speaker cabinet with two 15" speakers & 1 horn. Good thing i live in the country. Lol
Worsedog
Well-known member
I have a old beat up receiver, with some pawn shop speakers hooked to an old obsolete computer. Slacker's freebee has ads but they aren't too intrusive. I think you can kill the ads and get a few other perks for $3.99 a month.
I've an old stereo that I added a logitech bluetooth receiver.
Plugs right into the line in.
I stream from my cell phone in my pocket.
Onboard music (I have about 20 gigs on the phone) or recently a lot of Amazon Prime streaming music (if you are already an Amazon Prime member you have access to over 1 million songs for free - including tons of radio stations all ADD FREE).
Also, you can download unlimited music to your phone - all free - so if you don't have wifi in the shop you can still listen to it.
Works great and easy to pause/turn-up/turn down as my phone is in my pocket.
Got it on sale at bestbuy for $21:
It is the same one they sell here on Amazon: http://bit.ly/1M46KSC
It works so well I bought a few of them and put one on each stereo in the house too.
My wife uses them to play music from her ipad or phone.
It is NOT an amplifier like the one Scott posted above - this is for adding wireless bluetooth to an existing stereo/amp. Before this I was using the headphone jack from the phone to the stereo with a cable - but it was inconvenient to have to walk over to it and the cables would seem to wear out over time (i.e. break internally from me dropping the phone )
I don't have any radio stations where we live.
Plugs right into the line in.
I stream from my cell phone in my pocket.
Onboard music (I have about 20 gigs on the phone) or recently a lot of Amazon Prime streaming music (if you are already an Amazon Prime member you have access to over 1 million songs for free - including tons of radio stations all ADD FREE).
Also, you can download unlimited music to your phone - all free - so if you don't have wifi in the shop you can still listen to it.
Works great and easy to pause/turn-up/turn down as my phone is in my pocket.
Got it on sale at bestbuy for $21:
It is the same one they sell here on Amazon: http://bit.ly/1M46KSC
It works so well I bought a few of them and put one on each stereo in the house too.
My wife uses them to play music from her ipad or phone.
It is NOT an amplifier like the one Scott posted above - this is for adding wireless bluetooth to an existing stereo/amp. Before this I was using the headphone jack from the phone to the stereo with a cable - but it was inconvenient to have to walk over to it and the cables would seem to wear out over time (i.e. break internally from me dropping the phone
)I don't have any radio stations where we live.
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For you guys without electricity - before I had power to my shop I used one of these pills:
Link to it on Amazon: http://bit.ly/1aKIhpT
It has built in lithium batteries - charge it in the house and it is good for about 7 hours of play time in the shop. Bluetooth - so like what I posted above, you just stream to it from your phone or tablet.
Not "big stereo sound" but pretty darn good for what it is - and no power required.
We also use ours camping, out on the deck, etc.
cheers,
Ed
Link to it on Amazon: http://bit.ly/1aKIhpT
It has built in lithium batteries - charge it in the house and it is good for about 7 hours of play time in the shop. Bluetooth - so like what I posted above, you just stream to it from your phone or tablet.
Not "big stereo sound" but pretty darn good for what it is - and no power required.
We also use ours camping, out on the deck, etc.
cheers,
Ed
westgateblvd
Member
Remember. Sub woofers are non directional. Meaning you don't need them facing you. If you have your tweeters facing you, and your mid range on the side. You should put your sub on the other side of the room. down low. Subs in the back of say a car should either point down, or be 2" away from a panel so that the sound can hit the panel and go back. On the sub I see on the shelf. The sound comes from the port.
Attachments
RunninOnEmpty
Well-known member
A lot of sound comes from the port, but the speakers themselves are still a significant part of the sound output. When firing down you leave a gap to allow air movement which does allow the speakers to contribute more (obviously also keep them from hitting the floor...)
Up-facing can exaggerate rattles in the trunk lid more than other directions, though properly controlled that is also fine.
freudianfloyd
Well-known member
I was given a digital projector and screen at work, and keep telling my wife that I plan on installing them in the garage so that I can sit in my car and watch movies on a big screen like I am at the drive-in. She keeps begging me not to, but I can't think of a reason not to.
RunninOnEmpty
Well-known member
What would she rather you do? Spend time with her? (But seriously, would she prefer the projector inside the house or does she not want it at all?)
Denwood
Well-known member
My upper storage area likely acts a resonant box for the sub. It's actually surprising how well it performs in the upper corner. The placement there was more to keep it out of the way, however enclosed in upper storage is a location I would recommend experimenting with.
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bczygan
Well-known member
Add a popcorn machine and ask her out on a date.
freudianfloyd
Well-known member
We have a theater room already. She wants me to set it up outside so we can watch movies in the backyard when we have people over.
freudianfloyd
Well-known member
Oh and she would be invited into my garage/drive-in theater.
I am going to put my Epson projector in the garage when I upgrade to a better one in my theater. I think it will be cool to sit in the car like a drive-in. Here was my view for the Daytona 500...
https://scontent-lga.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/10854394_10205003443743911_6805838114076972049_o.jpg
James-W
Well-known member
When I was building my garage I debated putting in a sound system. But I finally decided against doing it. I figured it is a place for me to work on projects (mostly woodworking) and with the equipment running and me wearing hearing protection it would be hard to hear it anyway unless I cranked it way up.
Denwood
Well-known member
I debated same. Super happy to have tunes there though as it's now something else I look forward to when it comes to shop time.
James-W
Well-known member
I do have a radio out there, it's not the same I know, but it works OK, and I mostly listen to NPR or WPR (Wisconsin Public Radio) so not having a state of the art sound system in the garage isn't all that important to me.
freudianfloyd
Well-known member
Just from this picture I can tell your garage looks amazing.
westgateblvd
Member
Denwood. I will give it a try higher up in the garage rafters with the powered sub.
jd_77
Well-known member
no surround sound for me but I do have a nice stereo.
My set is up is just a f.m,c.d receiver and i had a aux. Headphone jack with rca hook up on the back so that's how i plug my phone in when I'm tired of the radio. And I agree that you gotta have the tunes in the garage.
Sent from somewhere in Colorado
Sent from somewhere in Colorado
RunninOnEmpty
Well-known member
Is that simply foam you carved with a hobby knife? Came out pretty nice - every time I try to cut foam like that, it looks terrible.
LX-Markham
Well-known member
Denwood, that looks amazing! I hope mine turns out that well when finished.
My old college days stereo and speakers ended up in my garage.
I just have an RCA cable I plug my i-phone into for tunes.
My old college days stereo and speakers ended up in my garage.
I just have an RCA cable I plug my i-phone into for tunes.