Garage Speakers

[PhantomEB]

I think I finally have killed the 89s/90s floor speakers in my garage, need to investigate first…..but do plan to upgrade to JBL, Klipsh or Polk bookshelf speakers tucked up into the corners. Might run some SMALL outdoor speakers out onto the patio too.

 

[jshillin]

I don't think you can beat an older receiver with some bookshelf speakers in the garage. I have a 4 channel receiver, a bookshelf speaker in each of the 4 corners of my garage and an Amazon Alexa connected to the receiver for music. Then you can just run an RCA cable from the TV to another input on your receiver. Doesn't get much easier, or cheaper than that for a solid setup.

 

[mytimeyet]

or you could build your own https://audioxpress.com/article/altec-lansing-s-voice-of-the-theatre-speakers-what-you-need-to-know

 

[Skellyii]

In my previous 2-car garages, I had various surplus car stereos hooked up to whatever speakers I had lying around. I think the last few had either a CD player or a USB stick loaded with MP3s. In the current oversized 3-car, I have a Pioneer 5.1 I got at Goodwill for $9.95, hooked to a couple of Altec Lansing bookshelf speakers I got at an estate sale for $10. I have a shared media server loaded with MP3s in the house that I connect to using a cheap tablet that streams to the receiver using an old outdated chromecast plugged in to the Aux port.

I'll probably add a couple more speakers and a subwoofer in the future, next time I go to Goodwill or some Estate sales.

 

[HogDude]

In my previous 2-car garages, I had various surplus car stereos hooked up to whatever speakers I had lying around. I think the last few had either a CD player or a USB stick loaded with MP3s. In the current oversized 3-car, I have a Pioneer 5.1 I got at Goodwill for $9.95, hooked to a couple of Altec Lansing bookshelf speakers I got at an estate sale for $10. I have a shared media server loaded with MP3s in the house that I connect to using a cheap tablet that streams to the receiver using an old outdated chromecast plugged in to the Aux port.

I'll probably add a couple more speakers and a subwoofer in the future, next time I go to Goodwill or some Estate sales.

I like the way you roll. Enjoy the Weekend!

 

[the shifty jesus]

I’ve been messing around with my system for years. Went down a rabbit hole with speakers and sub mounted in-ceiling to keep them out of the way, plus the two amps to run them.
Another shout out to Dayton audio for speakers/amps and garage sale receivers.

I have a Bluetooth receiver attached, and eventually ended up using an old Apple TV so I could airplay audio.

If I had to do it again, I would just buy a couple Symfonsik (Sonos) speakers from IKEA and be done with it. They sound good for the price, and work really well if you have a good Wi-Fi signal.

 

[4 Ever-Fish N]

I don't believe it is in the same category. That's more of a boom box with emphasis on boomy bass and LOUD. The Motion+ is more of an audiophile design with active eq and multiple power amplifiers--it sounds amazing and plenty loud enough for a personal space or a small party. My buddy was raised on JBL Century 100's and big power amps--as soon as he heard mine he ordered them and uses them daily on the patio and out in the yard. You wouldn't believe the quality of the sound including the clean bass response.

Just ordered one of these today. Black Friday deal of $69.

 

[Kpaige]

You will get every suggestion under the moon depending on one’s personal choices.
I use a sound bar with a sub woofer no other speakers and it’s awesome. Previously had a full I’ll surround sound not a cheap one a very high end but I like the sound bar better.

 

[Mike65]

We had $89.00 stereo & speakers off Amazon or Ebay in the house to listen to when we were renovating the house. Now that we are done it got moved to the garage. It makes nice sound & I can connect my MP-3 player to it & play all my music if choose. I will add 2 more speakers to the system.

 

[NUTTSGT]

OP has been here since August with 2 threads started and responded back to neither one of them. I'm not sure he will. So I'll make a basic suggestion, wait.

Get a simple bluetooth speaker and plan your audio build up and gather parts as you finish the inside of your post frame bldg.

 

[67drake]

Maybe someday.
For now I just have a simple old Sony receiver with some old speakers of my dads from the 70’s. My kids all have Bluetooth speakers, they sound great at low volume indoors, but this old set up of mine rocks, has great bass, and can hear it up the street if needed. I have them sitting up out of the way on 2 corners

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I vote for used stuff, too.

I currently have my old Sony STR DE935, my old Boston Acoustics A40s and an old 22" 720p TV above the bench. Eventually I'm going to be upgrading my current Sony STR-DN1050 receiver, as it no longer "understands" all the newest Dolby coding. That will go into the garage, which will give me a little more power and finally I'll have HDMI ports out there instead of RCA jacks. I'm going to run my cable box through it, Install a new 32" 4k TV I got open box for $99, refoam my old Paradigm Atoms, relocate the BAs to the opposite side of the garage and add my old Paradigm CC 170 center channel speaker to get an El Cheepo 5.0 surround system out there.

Tommy

 

[nadogail]

About 20 years ago, I bought a Sony Kitchen Radio, it is mounted under a wall cabinet and has AM/FM and plays CD’s.
Takes up a most no room and sounds pretty good.

 

[southerncomfort]

I recently found myself with an extra soundbar, after replacing a 36-inch Klipsch with a 48-inch one. With the cooler (TX) weather I’m spending more time in the garage, but it lacked a sound system. So I figured I had a ready-made solution (I already spend enough money on audio stuff for the rest of the house).

I hung the 36” soundbar under the top shelf of my workbench. It’s low-profile and takes up zero shelf space. I can stream BT from my phone or iPad, plug in my analog AM/FM receiver, or rig up a DAC and CD player. It won’t blow out the neighbors nor is it audiophile quality, but good enough for the time being.

 

[AlNH]

See the pink squares hanging from the ceiling? They’re DML speakers made from foam insulation board. They sound fantastic, and because they emit sound from both sides they fill the space with sound. And they take up zero shelf or wall space. They cost me about $70 to make.


Loads of diy videos, here’s one:

A subwoofer is needed to fill out the sound, but they can be found at your local Goodwill, etc.

A Sonos Amp will give you all sorts of streaming options and also has a line input for cd player, etc. Cheap bluetooth enabled amps are available on Amazon, etc also.

This sound system is one of my favorite parts of my shop, believe it or not…

 

[acer66]

See the pink squares hanging from the ceiling? They’re DML speakers made from foam insulation board. They sound fantastic, and because they emit sound from both sides they fill the space with sound. And they take up zero shelf or wall space. They cost me about $70 to make.


Loads of diy videos, here’s one:

A subwoofer is needed to fill out the sound, but they can be found at your local Goodwill, etc.

A Sonos Amp will give you all sorts of streaming options and also has a line input for cd player, etc. Cheap bluetooth enabled amps are available on Amazon, etc also.

This sound system is one of my favorite parts of my shop, believe it or not…

Nice setup but your bikes steal the show for me.

 

[Swanny1953]

Before I replaced the golf simulator sound bar with a SONOS ARC, I had a SONOS Play 1 in one area and a Play 5 in another. The Play 1 and soundbar are now redundant - will likely repurpose the Play 1 to any expansion I may do in the future.
I really like the SONOS products - we have them throughout the house. My wife seems to have music on all the time!!

 

[steel 35]

Two big old JBLs from early 80s
& two Klipsch I bought from work's AV department.

My Neighbor's Holy Contractors apparently didn't care for my choice in music,
Turned a Job box toward and up, Turned it Off pretty shortly after

 

[AlNH]

Nice setup but your bikes steal the show for me.

Thanks. The toaster’s for sale, just so ya know

 

[Pontiac787]

I’ve been searching Craigslist for used speakers with no luck. Does anyone have experience with the Alto TS4 series speaker? The reviews seam pretty good from a price/performance perspective and they have Bluetooth functionality built in so I can stream music directly. I’m not sure if I should go with an 10” or 12”. My garage is 750 sq. ft. with 12’ ceilings. I want the music to be sharp and punchy but won’t really be cranking it up.

 

[Skellyii]

What have you been looking on CL for? I go to a lot of Estate sales, and have seen some really nice audio gear, usually either reasonably priced, or downright cheap.

The newer generation seems to prefer streaming off their phones to their earbuds.

 

[Pontiac787]

I’ve been looking for speakers and stereo systems.

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

This is my setup. Works great.
Speakers, clock and a 12V laptop power supply from Goodwill. Car stereo from Amazon. Works great. Plays radio and Bluetooth. Can charge my phone as well.

 

[Metal-Marc]

+1 for the Wolfsburg tag. ^^

 

[KSJeff]

I went with three pairs of these and this 15" sub in the corner of my steel 60x40. Just used an old 7 channel AV receiver and a bluetooth adapter to the CD input. Plenty of sound. I generally wait for them to show up on scratch and dent, but looks like everything is out of stock.

You can search craigslist or any auction site for MTM (mid/tweeter/mid) towers and see what you find.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=35124

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=41499

Looks like parts express has them in stock. Only housse brand sub in stock is the 8"

https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-T652-Dual-6-1-2-2-Way-Tower-Speaker-Pair-300-653?quantity=1

https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-SUB-800-8-80-Watt-Powered-Subwoofer-300-627?quantity=1

 

[mrb1]

I’ve been looking for speakers and stereo systems.

You also said you're striking out on Craigslist..Have ya ever looked at....accessories4less....https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...-audio/receivers-amps/packaged-systems/1.html
Great site with a mix of new and factory refurbished everything. Been around for years. Free ship and warranties on everything. Have used a few times with never an issue.

 

[TriumphFan]

See the pink squares hanging from the ceiling? They’re DML speakers made from foam insulation board.


This sound system is one of my favorite parts of my shop, believe it or not…

I always wanted to make a set of those. Awesome!
I have a pair of Radio Shack STS1500s. Big ol party speakers with a 15" woofer and horns. Too big to use in my garage but would make great speakers for a shop. I'd give them away to a GJ brother if I could come over sometime and hear them...

 

[Pontiac787]

Thanks for the suggestions. I’m really looking for something that can move some air. It’s very possible that I’m not up on the current technology but I don’t know 8” speakers are going to give me the impact I’m looking for.

Could be that I’m stuck in the “no replacement for displacement” mind set.

 

[Citation]

Thanks for the suggestions. I’m really looking for something that can move some air. It’s very possible that I’m not up on the current technology but I don’t know 8” speakers are going to give me the impact I’m looking for.

Could be that I’m stuck in the “no replacement for displacement” mind set.

That depends on the speakers. My NHT 2.5i's (about 25 years old now) have an 8" woofer + 6" mid ranger. They have very good punch and go quite low.
http://www.audioexcite.com/?page_id=5386
Used they typically go for $200-300. I feel like they did much better in terms of both punch and depth vs the old Pioneer HPM 100s I had. Ironically the HPMs are worth far more since they are one of those classic vintage 70s speakers with 12" woofers.

 

[Mr.Josh]

I went with the JBL Party box 110 qty 2. Only reason I went with this setup is they are a good sounding speaker and they are portable with their own battery (that lasts surprisingly longer then I thought it would). Easy hook up to phone and can link as many of the speakers together as you want.

 

[M.Brane]

I have a pair of Bose 401s mounted to the back wall up high powered by a tiny little class D amp. Because Bose **** for any type of serious listening, and they were free.

 

[Jeff]

I have two Amazon Echo's mounted on the ceiling. Not only do I get music, news, and sports, but my family can talk to me from the house. I have them sync'd together. The is a 1/4" thread on the bottom for easy install.

 

[housewolf]

My shop/garage setup is better than most modern home stereos but it's all vintage and I love spinning vinyl cuz I have to listen to the whole side while wrenching.

On either side of my TV are Polk 10's but my workbench has ADS Brauns. Larger vintage speakers can be pretty cheap because nobody wants them anymore. Polk around the classifieds and you'll find some gems but beware, some of these weigh 75+ lbs, but the sonics will be worth it.

Mine too, sounds great but it’s all junk/tornado survivor stuff. Basically free since I was paid by the insurance company. Great for the shop.

 

[TriumphFan]

I have these in my basement woodshop. They are MCS and were originally sold by Montgomery Wards. I paid $22 for them, and they are in perfect shape. I use my Denon AVR receiver in the media room to power them. Usually, it's just podcasts from my phone.

 

[CoogarXR]

I have these in my basement woodshop. They are MCS and were originally sold by Montgomery Wards. I paid $22 for them, and they are in perfect shape. I use my Denon AVR receiver in the media room to power them. Usually, it's just podcasts from my phone.

I had those exact same speakers a while back:



MCS made some awesome speakers. I restored a set of the elusive 683-8228 a while back. These were some of the best that they made:

 

[e015475]

Has anyone tried building a set of distributed mode loudspeakers for their shop? The generate a pretty good SPL for a 750SF garage. Dispersion and tonality are said to be very good. The wife isn't very appreciative of my music in the house so I kind of need to confine my listening to the shop

These are pretty rudimentary, but seem to have the basic principals sorted out-

The materials are pretty cheap with EPF foam from HD and Dayton exciters being the principal ingredients

Dayton Audio Framed High Efficiency Audio Exciter 25mm 24W 4 Ohm DAEX25FHE-4

Dayton Audio Framed High Efficiency Audio Exciter 25mm 24W 4 Ohm DAEX25FHE-4Dayton Audio's 25 mm DAEX25FHE-4 coin type exciter features the same ability to turn nearly any surface into a speaker, as other exciters and tactile transducers, only in a more compact package for working with smaller...

www.parts-express.com

A few folks have done some backyard development on the concept and there's a good discussion on Parts Express forum - Allan on page 99 seems to have arrived at a good configuration

https://techtalk.parts-express.com/forum/tech-talk-forum/64791-diy-flat-panel-speaker-love/page99

Between car projects at the moment so I think I'm going to build a pair of DMLs and ordered the parts. The DML are not great for bass so I will cross them out below 300 hz and cover the bass with a 10" powered Pyle subwoofer I got at Goodwill.

Folks on the Parts Express forum claim the DML quality is good enough to easily discern between files coming over the Bluetooth CODEC vs CD or lossless but I'm not so sure. If it sounds decent, I'll spring for a cheap digital to analog converter and a lightning connector for my iphone and see if it improves in a difficult environment like a shop

Amazon.com

At the end of a day working in the shop, I like nothing more that mixing a bourbon and ginger ale and listening to music for an hour before coming in the house. The DSL should be fun if it works

 

[Stuart in MN]

I haven't been looking for them for a long time, but it used to be fairly common to find large, high quality stereo speakers from the 1970s and 1980s at garage sales, selling for next to nothing. The husband bought them when he was a bachelor, then got married, and eventually the wife would get tired of them taking up space around the house and would make him get rid of them. Maybe all those old speakers have been gotten rid of by now, but garage sales are still the first place I'd be looking.

 

[Skellyii]

Has anyone tried building a set of distributed mode loudspeakers for their shop? The generate a pretty good SPL for a 750SF garage. Dispersion and tonality are said to be very good. The wife isn't very appreciative of my music in the house so I kind of need to confine my listening to the shop


At the end of a day working in the shop, I like nothing more that mixing a bourbon and ginger ale and listening to music for an hour before coming in the house. The DSL should be fun if it works

I've been thinking about trying those out. I have some nice estate sale JBLs in my new shop, but I've been thinking about experimenting with the DML stuff to fill out the sound. Like yourself, my SO doesn't appreciate my taste in music so I usually keep it in the shop.

I'm a bourbon man as well, but my shop is a couple of miles from the house, so I try to limit myself to a beer from the shop fridge before I head home.

 

[Skellyii]

I haven't been looking for them for a long time, but it used to be fairly common to find large, high quality stereo speakers from the 1970s and 1980s at garage sales, selling for next to nothing. The husband bought them when he was a bachelor, then got married, and eventually the wife would get tired of them taking up space around the house and would make him get rid of them. Maybe all those old speakers have been gotten rid of by now, but garage sales are still the first place I'd be looking.

Nope, there's a lot of them to be found at estate sales, along with vintage electronics. Most youngsters these days are streaming off their phones and using earbuds, so nobody seems to want that stuff so it goes pretty cheap.

I've been able to equip both my garage and my shop with cheap, but quality estate sale finds for very little money.

 

[PhantomEB]

I got some big *** floor speakers in mine but I think next time I will be switching out to some decent bookshelve JBLs or Polks. I have also found running the little JBL charge wherever I am working or hanging out, sure makes it way better for local sound while keeping the main speakers at a reasonable volume for like when the GF pops out into the garage.