Help a non-audiophile with speaker selection please.

[rpcraft]

headphones get caught on stuff, even the wireless. I fight that fight at work all day wearing safety gear (glasses, acid aprons, etc etc) Honestly, I am thinking when it comes time to put some tunes in my garage (once it is finished) I'll just use a spare HTS system I have and I bought some speakers off Amazon that do a good job of full range sound, and in the garage I really don't miss not having a subwoofer, but I have a couple of car amps and some spare subs so I might figure something out. I'm going to have a TV mounted on one wall and a laptop running to it (I use DirecTV Now for all my viewing pleasures as well as a Home media setup) so I figure I'll just dump the sound from the laptop into the HTS and then the Video to the TV as a large monitor, then hide the laptop behind the TV, and have a wireless keyboard and mouse on the bench (maybe make a little holder to keep those clean when doing dirty stuff on the bench).

 

[kwak12r]

look at ELAC, the speakers are close to audiophile grade but the price is very decent.

 

[bushmechanic]

It's funny to see the mention of a plasma tweeter! I believe they were only used by Hill Research, and indeed rare. In 1972 my high school science fair project was exactly that: a pair of tungsten rods, a torch, a wick to provide the ions---and a massive amplifier (via a step up transformer) to drive it. Very inefficient, but it made sound and got me a ribbon

Believe it or not, people are still manufacturing them. They are indeed quite good; a far cry from their origins as singing street-lamps at the turn of the century.

They are well beyond the stratosphere of diminishing returns, though. You're only going to find them in a very expensive stereo pair, or in the shop of a hobbyist.

They've got one hiding in the middle there.

Here's their separate unit, which costs a mere ten grand:

 

[bushmechanic]

the reason I suggested the tube amp is very simple. Mine has knobs for vol, treble & bass. Some you might find something as sophisticated as a 5 band para. Most likely not. This is the tried and true KISS method, source amp 2 speakers done. no need to ******** about with anything else.

Stereo in a garage or shop is all that's needed. No room correction, no surround sound. Your volume knob is the room correction. Most you might need is multiple zones for having stereo sound in two or more discrete rooms. Unless it's old and mono, any music you listen to is going to be in stereo. And if that's the case working out in the garage you aren't going to hear anything bad in your mono songs being played in stereo or dual mono.

If you need a sub you just wire it as its a second stereo pair. Pretty much any powered sub is going to have left/right inputs anyway.

You must have missed the room description.

 

[bushmechanic]

Thanks again folks!

Question came up about wall/ceiling/floor materials. Wood throughout. Tongue and groove spruce over mineral wool insulated framed walls. Floor is (ahem, will be) wood over rigid insulation sitting over concrete.

There. That ought to bring things back into focus for people.

 

[Cougar]

Buy only ONE pair for each room. The 2nd pair isn't going to help. One pair is more than enough for that space, even with 1/2 the power the v383 can deliver.
If you want it to have some balls, you need a subwoofer(s).

If you like to build stuff, (this is GJ) consider building a set from a kit.

https://www.parts-express.com/dayto...00dsp-amplifier-and-cabinet-package--300-7200
https://www.parts-express.com/cat/speaker-kits/286

X2 on building a kit.
Don't need a fancy finish for in the shop. Use duratex, kind of a bed liner look.
Could save even more and skip the cabinets, build your own.

These will out perform the ones you're considering.
https://www.parts-express.com/c-not...r-kit-pair-with-knock-down-cabinets--300-7140

If you really want to rock the house, try these.
https://www.parts-express.com/tritrix-mtm-tl-tower-speaker-components-and-cabinet-kit-pair--300-702

 

[exmaxima1]

look at ELAC, the speakers are close to audiophile grade but the price is very decent.

If I was in the market today for new speakers, they would be the Elac Uni-Fi series with the concentric mid/tweets

 

[Bert_]

the reason I suggested the tube amp is very simple. Mine has knobs for vol, treble & bass. Some you might find something as sophisticated as a 5 band para. Most likely not. This is the tried and true KISS method, source amp 2 speakers done. no need to ******** about with anything else.

Stereo in a garage or shop is all that's needed. No room correction, no surround sound. Your volume knob is the room correction. Most you might need is multiple zones for having stereo sound in two or more discrete rooms. Unless it's old and mono, any music you listen to is going to be in stereo. And if that's the case working out in the garage you aren't going to hear anything bad in your mono songs being played in stereo or dual mono.

If you need a sub you just wire it as its a second stereo pair. Pretty much any powered sub is going to have left/right inputs anyway.

Not sure I would suggest a tube amp , but otherwise very solid advise.

New or old just get something simple, it doesn't need a ton of power either. And we are not talking about a huge space, stereo with one speaker per channel will be plenty.

My own set up consists of a early seventies fisher solid state receiver that is rated a whopping 15 watts per channel. It drives a set of equal vintage zenith speakers with a 10" woofer. With good material it sounds pretty nice and is loud enough to make stuff rattle and buzz across the room. None of this is high end by any means and it all came to me pretty cheap. It's just good quality simple gear, and did I mention cheap?

 

[bushmechanic]

X2 on building a kit.
Don't need a fancy finish for in the shop. Use duratex, kind of a bed liner look.
Could save even more and skip the cabinets, build your own.

These will out perform the ones you're considering.
https://www.parts-express.com/c-not...r-kit-pair-with-knock-down-cabinets--300-7140

If you really want to rock the house, try these.
https://www.parts-express.com/tritrix-mtm-tl-tower-speaker-components-and-cabinet-kit-pair--300-702

Read the thread... Heck, just read back a couple of posts.

Look for the big, bold one.

That's no normal shop. Indeed, if it is a shop at all, I'd like to look in his closet for design ideas to complete that cathedral I've been planning to build next to an Icelandic hot spring.

Building speaker enclosures is a waste of time unless he just feels like doing it for shits and giggles.

 

[bushmechanic]

Not sure I would suggest a tube amp , but otherwise very solid advise.

New or old just get something simple, it doesn't need a ton of power either. And we are not talking about a huge space, stereo with one speaker per channel will be plenty.

My own set up consists of a early seventies fisher solid state receiver that is rated a whopping 15 watts per channel. It drives a set of equal vintage zenith speakers with a 10" woofer. With good material it sounds pretty nice and is loud enough to make stuff rattle and buzz across the room. None of this is high end by any means and it all came to me pretty cheap. It's just good quality simple gear, and did I mention cheap?

Read the... Oh, heck. I give up.

 

[cheechi]

you're right it's not for everyone. But with most amps/receivers doing much more than just amplifying audio signal now, most reviews and most 'features' aren't going to focus on audio playback, but on dolby this and video that. Again from the KISS perspective, my suggestion is one of these is less expensive than the proposed Yamaha receiver, has essentially the same input/output options (relevant for this discussion) and is a great value for the money.

room construction doesn't really change if you want stereo sound in a rectangular room.

 

[Angelfire]

Read the thread...
That's no normal shop. Indeed, if it is a shop at all, I'd like to look in his closet for design ideas to complete that cathedral I've been planning to build next to an Icelandic hot spring.
.

Of course it's a workshop. The space I described is my woodworking side. The auto side has higher ceilings and is finished in drywall. Not sure I can help with your cathedral although I've been to Iceland a few times so might have a few ideas.

 

[bushmechanic]

Of course it's a workshop. The space I described is my woodworking side. The auto side has higher ceilings and is finished in drywall. Not sure I can help with your cathedral although I've been to Iceland a few times so might have a few ideas.

It's not a conventional shop. That's my point. Some people currently have the idea that you're about to nail speakers to a wall in your garage, or some other conventionally unfinished space.

You've gone above and beyond to create a really nice workspace. Unfortunately for this subject, that was at the expense of sound quality.

PM soon to be sent on Iceland.

 

[Bert_]

Read the... Oh, heck. I give up.

I DID read the thread, and I posted what I thought was relevant.

No matter what the room conditions are I wouldn't want or recommend some overly complex piece of gear. With automatic "corrections" and other BS that just mess up the sound. A basic equalizer is all the features I would want.

In fact system I referenced is in my house, the living room to be exact. It's not just some hodge podge speakers hanging on the walls. But I thought it would be acceptable for a nice garage also.

Obviously everyone has different preferences so let the OP decide what advise he like's or dislikes.

 

[bushmechanic]

I DID read the thread, and I posted what I thought was relevant.

No matter what the room conditions are I wouldn't want or recommend some overly complex piece of gear. With built in "corrections" and other BS that just mess up the sound.

In fact system I referenced is in my house, the living room to be exact. But I thought it would be acceptable for a nice garage also.

Obviously everyone has different preferences so let the OP decide what advise he like's or dislikes.

Room correction doesn't butcher the sound. The signal itself is not modified. If it was, I'd be almost completely against it.

I think that's where we are getting mixed up with one another. All it does is the same stuff you or I would do to dial in a system to a room. It's just basic automatic calibration that doesn't require a DB meter, noise generator, and graphic EQ.

Doesn't do it as well as we could, but it doesn't screw anything up, either. It's mainly time alignment and phase adjustments. The objective is to remove the room from the sound.

You're absolutely correct in that nothing fancy is required. Those systems are now included in even some base-model units.

 

[vaultdweller]

I moved my in-house system to the garage a few years back. 2001-2002 era Sony amplifier/receiver 100w with outputs for 4 channels. Had it driving 2 kenwood bookshelf 2 way speakers with 6.5” woofers, ported. Added a 12” sub on channel 3 for some extra crunch. So a 2.1 system. I mostly used an iPod with it, but also had a technics turntable (yeah, vinyl in the garage can be done if you’re careful with how you handle a record). Finally decided to move that system back inside where it belonged.

Looked for something inexpensive to replace it in the garage. Used a kicker car amp for a little while, but finally ended up experimenting with the “200w” 12v mini amps that can be had on eBay for $14 and up. Got a Lvpin LP-838. 2 channels with a “super bass” sub output that hooks up with a tiny molex plug. I figured it’d be garbage but reviews were decent on some audio forums. Ordered one for $19 with properly rated 12v wall wart, repurposed some pioneer 6.5” 3-ways and reused the wal—mart 12” sub I had added to the system before moving it back inside. So I still have a 2.1 system in the garage. Controls were a little fiddly as the pots are sensitive on the little amp, but sound quality was very good considering I put this system together with leftovers. Total cost probably $45. The Sony receiver I had been using cost $200+ when I bought it. We will see how long the little Chinese amp lasts, but I recommend it for shop systems. I’ve abused it so far, have yet to be disappointed with sound quality or volume capability. It doesn’t get hot as I’d expected and the new system takes up 1/4 the space of my “hi-fi” system I had out there before. Plus, home units aren’t built to operate in climate extremes. With this el cheapo amp, if I kill it next summer due to heat, I can replace it cheap.

Like most things, I enjoy seeing what I can reuse or get on the cheap and try to get some good results. You’re gonna be making a lot of noise in the shop, so crystal clarity and perfect imaging shouldn’t be your first thoughts. The lp-838 is as good as some higher priced shelf amps friends have costing $100 range, just have to spend a little time getting it dialed in just right. Find some efficient 2 ways and a sub to go with it and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I listen to mostly classic rock and metal, but I tried some very bass heavy stuff just to see how it would respond to rap and whatnot. Slight clipping happened, just had to turn the sub output down a little.

 

[whisperinsam33]

Old school Klipsch if you have the room.

 

[bushmechanic]

I moved my in-house system to the garage a few years back. 2001-2002 era Sony amplifier/receiver 100w with outputs for 4 channels. Had it driving 2 kenwood bookshelf 2 way speakers with 6.5” woofers, ported. Added a 12” sub on channel 3 for some extra crunch. So a 2.1 system. I mostly used an iPod with it, but also had a technics turntable (yeah, vinyl in the garage can be done if you’re careful with how you handle a record). Finally decided to move that system back inside where it belonged.

Looked for something inexpensive to replace it in the garage. Used a kicker car amp for a little while, but finally ended up experimenting with the “200w” 12v mini amps that can be had on eBay for $14 and up. Got a Lvpin LP-838. 2 channels with a “super bass” sub output that hooks up with a tiny molex plug. I figured it’d be garbage but reviews were decent on some audio forums. Ordered one for $19 with properly rated 12v wall wart, repurposed some pioneer 6.5” 3-ways and reused the wal—mart 12” sub I had added to the system before moving it back inside. So I still have a 2.1 system in the garage. Controls were a little fiddly as the pots are sensitive on the little amp, but sound quality was very good considering I put this system together with leftovers. Total cost probably $45. The Sony receiver I had been using cost $200+ when I bought it. We will see how long the little Chinese amp lasts, but I recommend it for shop systems. I’ve abused it so far, have yet to be disappointed with sound quality or volume capability. It doesn’t get hot as I’d expected and the new system takes up 1/4 the space of my “hi-fi” system I had out there before. Plus, home units aren’t built to operate in climate extremes. With this el cheapo amp, if I kill it next summer due to heat, I can replace it cheap.

Like most things, I enjoy seeing what I can reuse or get on the cheap and try to get some good results. You’re gonna be making a lot of noise in the shop, so crystal clarity and perfect imaging shouldn’t be your first thoughts. The lp-838 is as good as some higher priced shelf amps friends have costing $100 range, just have to spend a little time getting it dialed in just right. Find some efficient 2 ways and a sub to go with it and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I listen to mostly classic rock and metal, but I tried some very bass heavy stuff just to see how it would respond to rap and whatnot. Slight clipping happened, just had to turn the sub output down a little.

I'm not going to argue with a guy that can build pretty much anything out of a tin can, a typewriter, and vegetable starch... Damn that vegetable starch!

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Believe it or not, people are still manufacturing them. They are indeed quite good; a far cry from their origins as singing street-lamps at the turn of the century.

They are well beyond the stratosphere of diminishing returns, though. You're only going to find them in a very expensive stereo pair, or in the shop of a hobbyist.

They've got one hiding in the middle there.

Here's their separate unit, which costs a mere ten grand:

AFAIC, those are for LOOKING at, not listening to... Ribbons aren't in vogue because they don't work well. They're harsh, shrill, inaccurate, I can't find more adjectives about how bad they are. Ribbons are great where volume is the most important aspect, like stage monitors or sound reinforcement. There's a reason it's hard to find ribbon tweeters in sound studio monitors.

Tommy

 

[exmaxima1]

AFAIC, those are for LOOKING at, not listening to... Ribbons aren't in vogue because they don't work well. They're harsh, shrill, inaccurate, I can't find more adjectives about how bad they are. Ribbons are great where volume is the most important aspect, like stage monitors or sound reinforcement. There's a reason it's hard to find ribbon tweeters in sound studio monitors.

Tommy

I'm confused: where do you see ribbons? I see some HORNS in addition to that novel plasma tweeter, but no ribbons. In fact, having owned a number of ribbon type speakers over the years, they are among the least efficient and least spl of anything I know of.

Horns are more common in pro-sound, and with modern technology they can no longer be stereotyped as "harsh or shrill". The newer titanium and beryllium compression drivers have virtually no distortion, and are capable of massive dynamics and spl. For those who admire Andrew Jones' Pioneer and Elac drivers, he also developed the $30K TAD horn systems and they will dispense any notions of horn sounding bad. If you like the sound of a live band in your living room (especially drums and brass), modern horns are the way to go.

 

[bushmechanic]

AFAIC, those are for LOOKING at, not listening to... Ribbons aren't in vogue because they don't work well. They're harsh, shrill, inaccurate, I can't find more adjectives about how bad they are. Ribbons are great where volume is the most important aspect, like stage monitors or sound reinforcement. There's a reason it's hard to find ribbon tweeters in sound studio monitors.

Tommy

What ribbons? Those are plasma tweeters.

You're not going to find them in a concert.