garage stereo - ideas or post your setup

[redsand187]

I took a different approach. My shop is a little bit for my online business and a whole lot for my toys. It is a unit in a commercial building 30x50x20 with a 15x50ft loft. I have 2 Behringer powered 15" 2-way PA speakers mounted on the long wall 10ft up, 34 ft apart. They are hooked to an AppleTV. This allows me to stream music from any of the computers, my phone, or iPads. Streaming off the phone is really nice because you can control the volume from anywhere. Good coverage whether your on the main floor or upstairs. Plus it can get loud if needed, and we're I'm at, no worries about anyone complaining it's too loud.

It wasn't super cheap, but it wasn't too expensive either. (I actually had the speakers already, anyway) I'd really recommend an AppleTV to some sort of powered speakers, if you have an iPhone or have a computer in your shop.

 

[Catadj78]

My shop is not complete yet but I pull the golf cart in for the tunes right now

 

[Jlbc212]

I-phone or MP3 player with noise canceling headphones. It's cheap. It blocks out the noise from power tools. It allows me to hear incoming phone calls. I can listen to music or other broadcasts from just about anywhere in the world. It doesn't require an antenna. It doesn't disturb the neighbors or the mice.

 

[Ruthless53]

Check out the Miccus speakers on Amazon. I got two of these

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047PO2Z8/?tag=atomicindus08-20

And a center channel like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00481KO30/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Then i found a pawn shop Onkyo 5.1 surround sound receiver and also bought this Polk Audio 10" sub from Amazon Warehouse for under $100.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KVQBA/?tag=atomicindus08-20.

To top it off I got this blue tooth adapter that has pretty awesome range.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00713RSE0/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Miccus speakers are really really good quality for the price. I like the fact I can hear the music anywhere without having to crank it up so high that its too loud in some parts of the garage. I can also crank it up when I want and it sounds like a concert in there. Couldn't be happier and all for around $300.

Bonus is that when i get me a TV out there its plug and play surround sound instead of a stereo receiver only.

 

[Ruthless53]

I took a different approach. My shop is a little bit for my online business and a whole lot for my toys. It is a unit in a commercial building 30x50x20 with a 15x50ft loft. I have 2 Behringer powered 15" 2-way PA speakers mounted on the long wall 10ft up, 34 ft apart. They are hooked to an AppleTV. This allows me to stream music from any of the computers, my phone, or iPads. Streaming off the phone is really nice because you can control the volume from anywhere. Good coverage whether your on the main floor or upstairs. Plus it can get loud if needed, and we're I'm at, no worries about anyone complaining it's too loud.

It wasn't super cheap, but it wasn't too expensive either. (I actually had the speakers already, anyway) I'd really recommend an AppleTV to some sort of powered speakers, if you have an iPhone or have a computer in your shop.

If you haven't checked out the Itunes radio feature on the Apple tv (or phone for that matter) you should. No matter what Genre you like they have the top 50 of the week. Its good free stuff!!

 

[Falcon67]

Dish Network and an old Realistic tuner/amp with a pair of ancient Optimus speakers. Can cable in Pandora to the Aux input of the tuner if I get in that mood.

 

[mpire]

I have 6.1 surround sound and a 55 inch TV in my garage. I had to buy a new receiver for my home theater because my old one doesn't have HDMI switching so I rotated it out to the garage. If anyone needs a really good Sony Stereo (2 channel) for their garage, I got one you can have for free.

No one will take it though, and it will be heartbreaking to put it on the curb as I have had it since 1995.

All cast off stuff that people have given me.

Funny thing is that I only really listen to the radio or the football game, I never really actually watch the TV.

I have all Klipsh speakers in the garage. People tell me they are good, but I am like... whatever.

So why does it matter what speakers you have in the garage as long as you can keep up with the football score?

 

[sopocave]

I have my old car stereo rigged up in my garage that runs off a 12volt battery that I charge once in a while.
Early 2000s Kenwood CD/Tape combo, ran though a Alpine 5 channel amp that powers a 10" Sub and 4 6x9 Boston Acoustic Speakers that are mounted in boxes then screwed to the wall. My garage is only 13x20 but the set up sounds great and is loud enough.

 

[bwitt]

I picked up a mid-90s vintage Technics receiver (100Wx2) for $30 at a rummage sale. Added a pair of Technics 2-way 8" speakers on one end of the shop for $10 (rummage sale) and built a pair of custom speakers with horn loaded tweeters and 10" woofers for the other side of the shop. Total investment $240 and it rattles the siding. Source is smartphone streaming Pandora or Amazon Prime music/radio or iPod. This mish-mosh of used **** actually has pretty good sound quality. I have to be careful because I get wrapped up in my work and turn the volume up as the night wears on so I can very easily disturb the neighbors.

 

[mpire]

I bet that could look really cool with a custom install.

 

[Chevy-SS]

......bought this Polk Audio 10" sub from Amazon Warehouse for under $100.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KVQBA/?tag=atomicindus08-20........

How did you get that sub for under $100? It shows at $129. Looks like a nice sub. I'd buy one right now if I could score it at $100

Thanks

 

[sprchrgd1]

View media item 48747
1 Boston Voyager Metro
2 Rockford 12"
1 Crown CA 1000 amp running the subs
1 Kenwood Km 207 amp running the Boston
1 Older Dell dual core supplying the tunes

Sounds great at low volume and turned up. It will rattle everything in the garage if I so choose. My neighbors "Love" me!

 

[roushracing617]

Onkyo receiver bought new in 1987. 4 Dayton audio 6.5" bookshelf speakers, and a Dayton audio 8"powered 80 watt sub, all from www.parts-express.com last Christmas. Hook up the iPod or Pandora from the smart phone, and away I go! Sounds great for what I have in it. About $200 in speakers and 1 very old receiver.

 

[sublimate]

A 15 year old Onkyo and equally as old Acoustic Research towers hanging on the wall. I have an adapter cable to plug into my phone and listen to either what I have or Pandora. Need to add a couple of outdoor speakers for the backyard parties.

Exactly my setup! Plus a 5-disc JVC CD changer that is a POS.

Can you guys post pics of how you hung your ARs?
I have a pair of AR9s that I want to do that with, but man are they heavy (130 lbs). Not sure the best way to hang them.

 

[JT4k]

I plan on purchasing another soundbar for my 3-car. It was 250 bucks at Best Buy and comes with a sub. All of it works through Bluetooth to my phone or iPad, it has an easy footprint and is loud and only requires a power cable to the bar and one to the sub. I have one in my living room and I love it. Super easy to stream content from ITunes, Google Play, whatever.

 

[pablo94sc]

All great ideas, guys. This is the type of receiver I'm leaning towards - early 90's Sony STR-AV320. Built like a tank, 2-channel A/B/A+B setup so it can pull double duty as the patio stereo. Now to find one, or something in the same family, for cheap.

Keep 'em coming. I love seeing your setups.

 

[dirttracker18]

I am using leftover equipment that people were getting rid of. Tower speakers are out now so people are moving to bookshelves. I pick up anything I can and test it out against my current set up. I am currently running some Sony equipment (receiver with built in tuner, CD player and set of towers) as well as a set of Boston Accoustics towers.

It will rock when I want it to but I am always on the lookout for better speakers! If I could pick up a nice set of surround sounds speakers with a sub I would rock that too!

 

[Madcap]

These Sonys are hefty but not over 75 pounds or so. Pipe brackets into the studs provided a super solid mount and easy too. Also made a pair of miniatures to hold the two satellites. I ended up building a cabinet to hold stereo equipment and put a cooling fan in it to keep my old Fisher amp cooler. Tunes are a must have in my shop!

 

[71goldss]

Mine is a 20 year old Denon AVR-3000 with 4 Klipsch Kg1 speakers mounted up high in each corner. Approx. $300 total investment off ebay.

 

[pablo94sc]

How do you guys get away with floor standing speakers? I'd love to go that route, but floorspace dictates otherwise.

 

[EricP]

How do you guys get away with floor standing speakers? I'd love to go that route, but floorspace dictates otherwise.

Fly them. The pics below are some speakers, ADS L720 and Yamaha NS-50T, I picked up on CL just for my shop. Power them with two Yamaha amps. I didn't want them taking up floor space so I made cradles and suspended them from the trusses. Completely out of the way. Not shown are two 12" powered subwoofers I added in between the corner speakers. The place rocks.

 

[Chitown_hillbilly]

Can you guys post pics of how you hung your ARs?
I have a pair of AR9s that I want to do that with, but man are they heavy (130 lbs). Not sure the best way to hang them.

I've got old S40s (I think), twin 6.5's and a tweeter. Probably weigh 40 lbs. I just made a small french cleat and screwed it to the back of the speaker. I guess if you made a larger cleat with some decent lags into 2 studs it might hold??? Actually I just did a pull up on a ledger for a shelf that was lagged into 3 studs and I'm 215 lbs.

 

[mmb617]

I didn't need anything fancy but I wanted to be able to play the 100's of CD's I had burned over the years as well as some MP3's I also had on CD's. I used to just play them through the garage computer but it didn't really have enough volume without severe distortion.

Then my wife picked me up a table top stereo system at a garage sale and it fills the bill. It won't play some of my burned CD's but it has an aux in jack so I just play everything on the computer and feed it through the amp. I have the bookshelf speakers up high enough to be out of the way.

It's the perfect solution for my needs.





I spent a lot of time years ago burning all my vinyl to CD and wanted something that could play those. This works.

 

[Shootingblanks]

Onkyo Home theater Receiver, AMP, Blue-Ray player and and speaker system.

Listen to radio, CDs, Pandora or songs stored on IPhone.

Have my old IPhone hooked up to play music on Pandora or from music stored on phone.

 

[CheckeredFlag]

believe it or not, I made a stereo with the help of my Dad from "Heathkit" back probably when I was in Junior H.S. (no, it wasn't called Middle School back in my day) .... must have been early '70's - Travelled around the World with me during my Army career, still works GREAT

 

[Kin Creed]

I have a multi-pronged approach that I like...

1. Small powered speakers hooked into my main home theater/stereo system. These are controlled by a switch in the basement and also at the speakers themselves so you can turn them on or off in either location. Volume is controlled at the speakers. These are good for sporting events that are broadcast on TV and for times when I want the whole house or multiple rooms broadcasting the same content (music, podcast, whatever).

Even though these are small speakers they are more than capable of filling up a 2 car garage with plenty of sound.

2. Portable radios with and without bluetooth. This allows for over the air radio or streaming from a phone or playing an mp3 player. I have a Milwaukee radio and Ryobi, they both work fine and run off the tool batteries. Or you can plug in the Milwaukee. Again, plenty of power for a 2 car garage, plus I can take them into the backyard when needed for yard work and other out door projects. Since this is in Minnesota I am always looking for an excuse to work outside when the weather allows and portable radios are good for that. Neither radio is bluetooth, but I have a couple of DeWalt adapters that connect to the Aux inputs so that does the trick.

I prefer more of a "low-fi" set up for working in the garage and around the yard. If the bass is too much or the sound quality is too good I find it somewhat distracting. So I select content that is more suitable for background sound and keep the volume and quality in check so as not to make it too intrusive.

3. For using power tools I use hearing protectors with an mp3 input or an over the air radio depending on what I want to listen to. The mp3 input connects to one of the Dewalt bluetooth adapters so I stream content over the phone that way. Good for podcasts and streaming music.

This works for mowing the lawn, snowblowing, using table/circular saws, etc etc. Especially nice for power sanding since I find that pretty boring!

 

[pablo94sc]

You guys are really inspiring me here. Some of those setups are ingenious.

 

[senlow]

I'm using a Nakamichi Stasis receiver with a pair of vintage JBL L100 speakers.

 

[gobeer net]

Hand me down stuff goes to my garage. All of my equipment was previous home audio stuff that I upgraded. Used stuff goes dirt cheap so I just keep it. I currently have a:
Yamaha reciever hooked to a PC.
2 Sony Bookshelves. 15 years old and still rock, and I'm not a Sony fan!
1 Paradigm 10" sub.

My bookshelves are mounted on the wall on each side of the garage door. Facing in lets me up the volume a bit more with the door open before annoying the neighbors.

On my next house I'll probably go 8" polk in ceiling speakers and hide a sub somewhere merely for the sake of cleanliness.

How did you get that sub for under $100? It shows at $129. Looks like a nice sub. I'd buy one right now if I could score it at $100

Thanks

Newegg runs this sub (or one like it) for $99 all the time. Sign up for their email list and browse that sub a few times. I bet you get a instant rebate for it within a month. Every so often the 12" version goes for $99.

 

[RedRabbit]

If your a big guitar fan. I bought a Marshall Bluetooth speake. It was 450 but it shakes my backyard at every party. They also sell a Jan well I think it's called that is 800 but bigger and louder.

 

[Denwood]

We had an older 5.1 system kicking around in storage so it was pressed back into shop service. Just wish I had done this earlier.

Rear speakers:

Final - front/center speakers up top (pretty small)

 

[Marctrees]

Just keep in mind, and this is a fact, not my opinion, that your greatest $ should as a generization be in your speakers.

Everything should be purchesed used, around a 65% savings if you know what you're doing.

And lastly, even the boom box is better than nothing, next step up is around $500 expenditure, and awesomeness hits around 2K ( for like a 1500 ft shop)

Past that , unless a larger building, is a waste of money.

But for around 2K, you will have the bang for the buck optimum. Marc

 

[Marctrees]

And, if you're interested, I'd be more than glad to help you choose, cause that's one of my few areas. Marc

 

[pablo94sc]

After a recommendation in this thread and some reviews on the Klipsch KG series, I ended up scoring a pair of the KG1.5 locally. Thanks for the tip, 71goldss!

Side note, I've avoided the garage gallery so I don't get any ideas, but from I've seen in this thread you guys have some nice setups! Little jealous here. I'll post pics of mine once I get it finished. It won't be fancy, but it'll be mine.

 

[pablo94sc]

I never thought of mounting a hose/cord reel in the attic instead of to the ceiling. Brilliant!

 

[rharman]

Y'all are killing me......

Mine....

 

[Ruthless53]

How did you get that sub for under $100? It shows at $129. Looks like a nice sub. I'd buy one right now if I could score it at $100

Thanks

It was a warehouse deal. Look under other buying options and you will see a used section. If the seller is Amazon Warehouse they are most likely new but with damaged packaging or a scratch somewhere so they sell them at a discount. Prices vary on a lot of them. Think mine was $89. I wasn't set on any one sub or receiver. Just searched for a couple days specifically looking at the used ones and finding a cheap one with good reviews!

 

[stikman56]

Mine's our old home stereo we bought in 1987, it works fine with the exception that it goes off the tuner onto the record player or cassette player setting or something like that once in a while and you have to go set it back.

 

[EricP]

I got a PM asking for more photos of the speaker cradles so I thought I'd post them here. The 1/2-13 eye nuts are from McMaster Carr and the rest is basic hardware store stuff. The wood was from a black locust tree I sawed up.

 

[Steevo]

I am running an early '90's Sony digital receiver(808ES) with some NHT Super One speakers.
More than enough for my 960 sq ft, even though I don't have big bass woofers.