Jeff
Well-known member
Been there, done that. I always turned the volume down because I couldn't concentrate. Now I use a Amazon Echo mounted on the ceiling. Not only can I get whatever tunes I want, but I can ask questions. It is 2022 after all 
Shop Stereo Options; Lets Discuss
- Thread starter Augus7us
- Start date
acer66
Well-known member
For me it all depends what I am doing and what mood I am in too.
So sometimes music plays in the background on a low level and sometimes things and my noggin are shaking.
So sometimes music plays in the background on a low level and sometimes things and my noggin are shaking.
I have one of those Sony stereo in a box systems that came with 2 speaker and a sub. I just stick it up on a shelf and set the radio stations. Actually I have 2 now but is a JVC for the house garage. I had a classic Panasonic stereo that would of been part of a stack system but it stopped giving outputs so I sold it to some guy who wanted to fix it.
acer66
Well-known member
Those look pretty cool.Pioneer tuner, Echo w/ Prime music, tv connected to fire & Apple, turntable, reel to reel, cassette, short wave all toed to a yard sale surround sound. Pioneer and Disco monitors w/ a sub.
Shovelhead
Well-known member
I don't want to pay for music that I holler at the fake lady to play, or pandora ,etc.
Problem I've run in to is finding a stereo receiver that will connect more than 4 speakers.
Most have channel A & B, or 1 & 2.
I've always thought you're not supposed to double up on the connections on the back of the receiver. ??
You gotta look hard to find a "stereo receiver" to start with. Everything I see is geared towards home theater. Front, rear, center and sub woofer. That ain't worth a **** for music in my opinion. Maybe I'm shopping the wrong stores for what I want or not smart enough.
How can I connect a minimum of 6 sets of speakers?
Two in shop, two in separate woodshop(in same shop)
Two on covered porch.
Want to be able to play each set separately, or two of three, or all on.
What's the cleanest and least amount of wire to do that?
Wire. Not wire less.....
Problem I've run in to is finding a stereo receiver that will connect more than 4 speakers.
Most have channel A & B, or 1 & 2.
I've always thought you're not supposed to double up on the connections on the back of the receiver. ??
You gotta look hard to find a "stereo receiver" to start with. Everything I see is geared towards home theater. Front, rear, center and sub woofer. That ain't worth a **** for music in my opinion. Maybe I'm shopping the wrong stores for what I want or not smart enough.
How can I connect a minimum of 6 sets of speakers?
Two in shop, two in separate woodshop(in same shop)
Two on covered porch.
Want to be able to play each set separately, or two of three, or all on.
What's the cleanest and least amount of wire to do that?
Wire. Not wire less.....
Race car, there is your vice!
Chris705
Well-known member
Shovelhead - with this box you take your B speaker outputs and connect to be able to switch to 4 other speaker zones…. That will give you 5 zones total….
I used the shop as a mechanical project space as well as my party area. I have a couple of Cerwin Vega D5s powered by a nice Sansui G7700. 52" older LCD with Amazon fire stick connected to the receiver. WiFi in the shop slo the fire stick works well.
Shovelhead - with this box you take your B speaker outputs and connect to be able to switch to 4 other speaker zones…. That will give you 5 zones total….
That is for switching inputs, not speakers. Hence the RCA plugs on the back. There should be switching boxes out there for that, but not sure if you can switch more channels then your receiver has?
You might need to find a receiver that has pre amp outputs, then run a few amps to the speakers. That is the only thing I can think of off the cuff.
No, OP asked what type of stereo. And I seriously dount he was considering NO stereo.
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Alchase
Well-known member
I use two Apple Home Pod Minis linked. They have great sound and I can get all the region locked stations to listen to football games I can’t get locally. I have a Dannon AV6000 with infinity stacks as well, but the simplicity of the Home Pods make them my go to.
rush
New member
Space is in short supply in a "garage shop", so I installed Four 8" in-ceiling speakers instead of using bookshelfs that would take up valuable wall/shelf space. All attached to a bluetooth stereo amp.
I use a Niles brand speaker selector box. They make them in all kinds of configurations. They are impedance-matched, meaning, no matter how many pairs you enable, the load stays 8 ohms.
The one I use handles 5 pairs, but like I said, they make them in many configurations. I got it at Goodwill for $3, lol.
If you wanted to power two sets of speakers then it’s easy - get an older (or new, they still make them) stereo amp that has A and B speaker switching. Three sets of speakers gets more interesting. Some options are:
- Find an old stereo amp that supports A, B, C speaker switching. They are not common, but they are out there. Note that amps can’t drive just any old speaker load - you need to end up with a speaker load that is ok for the amp. As an example, if you drive three sets of 8 ohm speakers in parallel the amp will see 2.7 ohms total load, so the amp has to be stable driving that impedance.
- You can use a stereo amp (A and B speakers only) and wire an external switch to switch in the C speakers. You still need to check that the output load is ok as I noted above.
- You said that you don‘t like a multi-media system, but a lot of them support one or two “multi-zone” outputs so a two multi-zone (plus the front zone) will hit the three zones that you want. In this case the speakers are not in parallel so you don’t have to worry about loading so much.
- You can buy a multi-zone power amp. In this case the amp just has 8 or 10 or 12 independent amps in a single box. In this case you’d just wire the amps to the speakers directly and switch the inputs to “turn on” which ever speakers you want. You can also use a standard stereo sorta like this (with A, B speakers) and a second stereo to drive the C speakers.
A good article on this kind of stuff is at https://geoffthegreygeek.com/how-to-wire-four-hifi-speakers/. There are links to other articles there that explain more details on external switches and amplifier loading.
acer66
Well-known member
This might fit the bill but at least new it is pricy.
TriumphFan
Well-known member
A Rotel six channel amp will get you there and can support long speaker runs. Mine powers 3 additional zones and each zone can be adjusted for volume independently. I use a receiver with multi-room capability to feed it.
Shovelhead
Well-known member
Great info!
I sure appreciate you taking the time to explain it all.
I likely have this all messed up, but....When using a multi media type system I thought the "sounds" were directed in the same way an old equalizer would. In other words, wouldn't the center channel act the same as midrange with an equalizer?
Controls more vocals than highs and lows? Either way I'm gonna stay away from the home theater type receiver.
Shovelhead
Well-known member
Thanks, but the first one I looked up was 1400 bucks!!!
Above my paygrade. LOL
I'll kick some tires on 6 ch amps and see what I can find.
I would think someone makes a type of selector switch to simply kill the channels you want or not.
I guess it comes down to impedence, ohms, and the unit providing the power. ??
TriumphFan
Well-known member
I bought a used one on ebay for $65.
You can buy a speaker selector box (Russound) but you are limited in terms of run lengths, and you can't adjust the volume independently.
eBay Rotel Amp
You can buy a speaker selector box (Russound) but you are limited in terms of run lengths, and you can't adjust the volume independently.
eBay Rotel Amp
e36jon
Well-known member
Someone above already mentioned the Niles "impedance matching" speaker controllers. That's the ticket. I did four installs at work using these. Monoprice has their own in-house branded ones for low dollars. You may be able to get away with the even more affordable open-frame style with no switching or individual speaker controls.
My installs were exactly like what you are asking for, using a high-power AV receiver to power a number of speakers (6-8 pair). Using only the stereo output was better back when I did mine because it was easier to control the volume. These were in an office with ~50 people so it wasn't reasonable to expect a new person to walk up to the receiver and figure out how to select "A" or "B" before cranking the volume knob... We also incorporated itunes eventually and that allowed people to stream their own music and control things remotely. I used 4ohm box speakers with extension to ~50Hz (2 way vented with 6" mid-bass drivers.). Subs were useless as these were all large spaces. I wish I could have figured out how to do a mono output back then so that every speaker was playing the same thing. I ended up arranging things so that adjacent speakers were playing left or right and it worked out OK.
Have fun!
Jon
My installs were exactly like what you are asking for, using a high-power AV receiver to power a number of speakers (6-8 pair). Using only the stereo output was better back when I did mine because it was easier to control the volume. These were in an office with ~50 people so it wasn't reasonable to expect a new person to walk up to the receiver and figure out how to select "A" or "B" before cranking the volume knob... We also incorporated itunes eventually and that allowed people to stream their own music and control things remotely. I used 4ohm box speakers with extension to ~50Hz (2 way vented with 6" mid-bass drivers.). Subs were useless as these were all large spaces. I wish I could have figured out how to do a mono output back then so that every speaker was playing the same thing. I ended up arranging things so that adjacent speakers were playing left or right and it worked out OK.
Have fun!
Jon
It’s all in how you hook it up. If you have multi media receiver and all you hook up is the front left and right speakers (assuming you put the amp in stereo mode) all you get is normal stereo.
And a lot of manufacturers have figured out that 7.1 and 9.1 stereo is too expensive or complex for a lot of people. So to entice you to buy one anyway, they allow a “multi-zone” system. So in this case the unused amplifiers can be used to drive your second and third set of speakers. It’s a bit more complex to use (you’ll have to read and understand the manual) but there is a bonus that you can listen to either the same or different music in the other zones. In my old house I used the second zone to drive my speakers on the deck.
And as e36jon notes - and I maybe didn’t explain that well - you can also get speaker switches that impedance match as well. The monoprice unit he linked to is just $100.
02camaro86
Well-known member
in my 16x24 garage i have a speaker in each corner and a 12in sub mounted under the tv. spent around $550. puts out good sound for me. nice and loud when i need it and bass thumps good too. in the spring i plan to get 2 more speakers to run out to the fire pit. its also hooked to the tv, so its not true surround sound because its only 2 channels the sound does come at you in all directions, watching live spots i find its acceptable, im not a big TV watcher anyways.
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I have an HTD PLA-240 ads. https://www.htd.com/auto-switching-amp
a pair of Q65 outdoor speakers. https://www.htd.com/Q65-Outdoor-Speakers
an Amazon Alexa, and the amp switches to the tv when I’m spinning in the garage.
a pair of Q65 outdoor speakers. https://www.htd.com/Q65-Outdoor-Speakers
an Amazon Alexa, and the amp switches to the tv when I’m spinning in the garage.
Ole Slewfoot
Well-known member
Well, here's what it looked like yesterday.
Esinkin Bt adapter
Funktion one delay/crossover box
Aphex Dominator II limiter
Couple QSC self power tops because hookup is a no-brainer
Funktion one 1/18 sub serving as amp rack
MC2 D100 power amplifier
Fukntion one 2/21 sub 100HZ-
Turned up to 2, its pretty rocking at the back of the shop...90 feet away
Esinkin Bt adapter
Funktion one delay/crossover box
Aphex Dominator II limiter
Couple QSC self power tops because hookup is a no-brainer
Funktion one 1/18 sub serving as amp rack
MC2 D100 power amplifier
Fukntion one 2/21 sub 100HZ-
Turned up to 2, its pretty rocking at the back of the shop...90 feet away
Lcats
Member
Now that right there.....wow.This is what I did, used equipment, leftovers, gearhead theme. 1700W, it does the job.
more info here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=436574
I suggest not taking the drivers out of the boxes. just use as is and integrate as needed to make it look how you want.
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
You can't get much better Pro sound speakers than QSC...Well, here's what it looked like yesterday.
Esinkin Bt adapter
Funktion one delay/crossover box
Aphex Dominator II limiter
Couple QSC self power tops because hookup is a no-brainer
Funktion one 1/18 sub serving as amp rack
MC2 D100 power amplifier
Fukntion one 2/21 sub 100HZ-
Turned up to 2, its pretty rocking at the back of the shop...90 feet away
Tommy
Ole Slewfoot
Well-known member
We did festival sound back when that was a thing
Can play to crowd of 8-10K
Those QSCs have definitely more than proven themselves.
Can play to crowd of 8-10K
Those QSCs have definitely more than proven themselves.
Beelzeboss
Well-known member
I mounted an old 5.1 surround sound system in various places around my double garage, with music coming from the TV which used to be running a Raspberry Pi but now is connected to a Chromecast
The bases of the speakers detached and they had a keyhole shaped cutout at the top. I used that, as well as a conduit clamp, to attach them to the ceiling. There's also a screw through the conduit clamp to keep it from sliding backwards and releasing the keyhole screw thing.
The bases of the speakers detached and they had a keyhole shaped cutout at the top. I used that, as well as a conduit clamp, to attach them to the ceiling. There's also a screw through the conduit clamp to keep it from sliding backwards and releasing the keyhole screw thing.
I used to use old receivers with speakers mounted up in the rafters... but the last few years I've been rockin this dewalt jobsite radio. Just pop a battery in and it goes anywhere. Stream music to it, or use a cheap mp3 player plugged in under the cover. This thing sounds GREAT.
www.dewalt.com
ToughSystem® Radio + Charger | DEWALT
ToughSystem® Music + Charger is a highly durable, portable and stackable solution designed to supply crisp, clear sound through either the radio functionality or wirelessly through Bluetooth® ...
www.dewalt.com
nerraw117
Well-known member
my coworker has one of the above dewalt radios and I was blown away at how good that thing sounded!
Lcats
Member
I have a pair of 3's in my 20x25. I did have them in my 2700 sqft and still kicked ***.
66HertzClone
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I have a Bose surround system in my garage, the CD changer in the head until stopped working, so I have it connected to an antenna for FM reception and connected the AUX input to the computer I have in the garage so I can stream music. Works really well, I have spread the small speakers around the garage and the bass unit is on top of some wall cabinets.
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Thanks! Still going strong years later.
I have tried another laptop (HP) as source instead of phone. The win10 nanny controls on volume (when using headphone jack) are annoying and make it almost unusable. Max 65% volume and 50% source attenuation from Amazon app. They reset between tracks, so can't go beyond 32.5% of full scale. Even with pre amp maxed out can't get near full throttle.
The BT is completely unreliable and can't play a whole song with disconnection. uh, back to phone.
Also the analog and Bluetooth signal paths have significantly different frequency responses even from same source unit, so EQ needs to be re-tuned.
jeep63
Well-known member
I used to use old stereo receivers and speakers, but in this 'new' garage I'm just going to use an old Harman Kardon Go Play II. I have it from way back; I purchased a 30 pin apple connector bluetooth adapter. I can stream music to it just fine. My garage is not acoustically tuned, so it sounds fine to me. Decent bass too for such a small box.
It was just sitting around gathering dust so I put it to use.
It was just sitting around gathering dust so I put it to use.
GrayFlattop
Well-known member
My audio history can be writen as a series of stereo upgrades over the decades with the last stop being the basement shop (Pioneer receiver from the 70's with a pair of ESS 8" 2-ways). The garage shop has a vintage Sansui receiver and a couple of RTR 8M's suspended from the ceiling on brackets that angle them to my ears. To me having a AM/FM receiver is a must, as there is nothing like listening to a baseball game while working out in the garage. We have a ton of good FM stations to choose from, but I also have a bunch of songs loaded on an old iPhone - connected to the stereo the old fashioned way - using a cable.
jeep63
Well-known member
Everything is smaller in my “new” garage, including the stereo. Lol. 
Renegade1LI
Well-known member
I have to say i planned on a nice old school pioneer system, but I’ve been using this dewalt stack connect for about 2 years. It’s loud if you need it to be, it has great clarity, good bass, Bluetooth, charges battery or plays from battery. I have yet to find a negative, heavy duty rubber corners, this was purpose built for job site use. I have 3 now at multiple locations cause they’re just convenient, trouble free good sounding radios, even got a tough system one that stacks in the truck.
