Speakers for a large garage space?

[Mr. Demeanor]

Im down to my last inspection!

I need speakers. The space where these will be is 40x40x20. Not looking for super high fidelity. Its a garage with crappy acoustics. I do like it loud though

I would prefer some large speakers with large or multiple woofers. They will be mounted up off the ground and I really dont want a sub on the floor.

It looks like my best option is a PA type loudspeaker setup. I was looking at these on Amazon but thought someone might have other suggestions. I have nice head unit with plenty of power to drive them.

Looking at something like this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WJVQV65/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Or a PA type speaker
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073VFNPLF/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[hobie1dog]

The Rockville should give you lots of spl with the 105db efficiency rating. They are not known for great fidelity but should rock your garage very well.

 

[ItsNemo]

Rockville is a joke and total waste of money.

You should be looking at the real brands of PA speakers:

- QSC
- JBL
- Electro Voice (EV)
- RCF
- Mackie
- Yamaha
- Turbosound
- Behringer (yes, even behringer I'd take over that rockville ****)

That's without getting into the higher end stuff like EAW, Danley, Meyer, etc.

A pair of EV ZLX-12P or 12BT would be a decent budget speaker or the JBL EON line up. I own a pair of QSC K12.2's along with a KW181 that are quite impressive but are more than twice the price of those other options. Also, most PA speakers lack decent bass by themselves...a subwoofer is advisable.

 

[Mr. Demeanor]

Not looking for a powered speaker.

 

[reconstyle]

I mean, rockville's are a joke, but OP said he wasn't looking for quality...

Speakers are only part of the setup - what do you plan to drive the speakers with?

 

[aggie113]

I've rocked various Polks for years and always been happy with value for money. Just be sure to invest in something that can drive them with a good amount of power. If you need to crank the volume, you don't want to be stressing your components.

 

[aggie113]

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8027781

I have some old nice Polk speakers from my previous surround sound setup I plan on using. I bought a Wyred4sound 500watt stereo amp (used on ebay) as well as a Bluesound streaming player. The plan is to either wire up the two big floor standing speakers or possibly wire in those with the two surround sound speakers if I think it's needed to "fill out" the 1200sqft space. All told I'm out about 1200 for the components and free fifty for the speakers. Neighbors are about 200 yards away in any direction and I suspect this setup will still be able to annoy them

 

[bad_idea]

I'm no audiophile. I play the local country music station just to have some noise in the shop. That said, I have read on the forum that multiple speakers at lower volume (per speaker) sounds better in a garage than a couple speakers at higher volume. I personally plan on a quality head unit with a bunch of thrift shop speakers scattered around the shop. I currently have two large speakers fed off a fair head unit and the echo in the shop (30x40x14) is terrible.

 

[Mighunter]

JBL parybox 300. Just plug it in and play via Bluetooth from your phone using Spotify etc. I have one in my shop and sounds great.

 

[ScottsGT]

We install QSC, JBL and EV in classrooms. QSC by far is best of the three. EV’s have been a pain in the *** to mount, JBL and QSC much easier.

I got a demo from QSC out in Vegas at a trade show years ago. Of course this was a million dollar set up that would never fit in your garage, but the fullness and volume without making your ears bleed was an experience.

 

[BD1]

I vote for the POLK Speakers too ! I have all over. Check craigslist or facebook marketplace for used ones.
Check Newegg for prices, they sometimes have last years models reasonable. I bought my tower speakers from them and a set of bookshelf. You gotta monitor them ,the prices are always changing.

https://www.newegg.com/Home-Audio-S...=Cat_Home-Audio_1-_-VisNav-_-Audio-Speakers_1

 

[BukitCase]

Even WITH lots of treatments in that area, it probably wouldn't MATTER what speakers - at that size, and all 3 dimensions supporting the same fundamentals, you could play your favorite song ONCE and listen to the reverb all day... Steve

 

[ItsNemo]

Not looking for a powered speaker.

All those brands have non-powered versions of their speakers too. Even a couple JBL JRX series stuff would suffice. Powering them (and most pro speakers) takes more than your run of the mill home amp or head unit though.

Although it sounds more like the OP wants a hodge podge of junk that looks cool rather than an actual decent set of speakers.

 

[txvwnut]

Many years ago(over 20) I bought a pair of Audiophase made by KLH. They were first powered by a 20watt receiver and now powered by a 300watt receiver. First shop they were in was a 40x50 then to a 40x70 and now in a 20x26. They still sound as good as when they were first unboxed, you don’t need multiple speakers just a few good quality ones well placed. Mine have always been pointed towards where the work is happening and that is what you want what placing your speakers.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Rockville is a joke and total waste of money.

You should be looking at the real brands of PA speakers:

- QSC
- JBL
- Electro Voice (EV)
- RCF
- Mackie
- Yamaha
- Turbosound
- Behringer (yes, even behringer I'd take over that rockville ****)

That's without getting into the higher end stuff like EAW, Danley, Meyer, etc.

A pair of EV ZLX-12P or 12BT would be a decent budget speaker or the JBL EON line up. I own a pair of QSC K12.2's along with a KW181 that are quite impressive but are more than twice the price of those other options. Also, most PA speakers lack decent bass by themselves...a subwoofer is advisable.

X2 on QSC. They're arguably the best PA speakers on the market. They have very good sound quality for PA speakers and have one of the lowest failure rates in the industry.

Tommy

 

[NUTTSGT]

If you want it loud, you can go cheap like CL shopping or places like Goodwill to find some old speakers. These Sansui speakers were bought by my step-dad while in the Navy and probably in Scotland. I'd imagine they are as old as me. .. 50.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5399303&postcount=1984


Speaker mounts and that post came from page 100.

 

[ItsNemo]

X2 on QSC. They're arguably the best PA speakers on the market. They have very good sound quality for PA speakers and have one of the lowest failure rates in the industry.

Tommy

Depends on how you define best...for the price they're pretty good, but there are some higher end boxes that stomp all over them in both output and quality. Like even stepping up to JBL SRX boxes or something is a pretty substantial jump in output/quality. In terms of amps though, QSC or Crown (or Lab Gruppen I suppose) pretty well cover the entire market and you won't find better. I have an RMX1850hd and PLX3102 kicking around as well that I used for my older rig (JBL JRX125's and a home built sub). Pretty funny when the little 40lb K12.2's sound better and have nearly as much output (within 1db) as the 100lb double 15" JBL's did.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Depends on how you define best...for the price they're pretty good, but there are some higher end boxes that stomp all over them in both output and quality. Like even stepping up to JBL SRX boxes or something is a pretty substantial jump in output/quality. In terms of amps though, QSC or Crown (or Lab Gruppen I suppose) pretty well cover the entire market and you won't find better. I have an RMX1850hd and PLX3102 kicking around as well that I used for my older rig (JBL JRX125's and a home built sub). Pretty funny when the little 40lb K12.2's sound better and have nearly as much output (within 1db) as the 100lb double 15" JBL's did.

Yeah, I should have said there are budgetary considerations, too.

Tommy

 

[Mr. Demeanor]

Keep mentioning speakers like qsc but when I look they are powered. Im looking for passive.

 

[kbs2244]

For just background noise, the best low cost install I have seen was quad amp with the speakers spaced out down the length of the building.

With the amp set to monaural each speaker sounded the same.

I don't know the speakers brand, but don't think they all matched.

 

[Mr. Demeanor]

It looks like the only large full range speakers available these days use multiple small woofers. Aside from PA speakers even these seem to need a sub. The days of the old big box speakers with a 12" sub, mid, and tweeter have long gone lol.

I think I'll try the Polk T50's. Decent reviews and I can but 4 for the price of two PA speakers.

My home system is Definitive Technologies. I just don't think that is needed in the garage.

Polk T50 150 Watt Home Theater Floor Standing Tower Speaker (Single) - Premium Sound at a Great Value | Dolby and DTS Surround https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013LIN5W2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Keep mentioning speakers like qsc but when I look they are powered. Im looking for passive.

I only brought them up because you specifically mentioned PA speakers. The ones you linked to are going to sound lousy with anything less than a 1000W RMS amp.

QSC has passive boxes, too.


Tommy

 

[ItsNemo]

It looks like the only large full range speakers available these days use multiple small woofers. Aside from PA speakers even these seem to need a sub. The days of the old big box speakers with a 12" sub, mid, and tweeter have long gone lol.

I think I'll try the Polk T50's. Decent reviews and I can but 4 for the price of two PA speakers.

My home system is Definitive Technologies. I just don't think that is needed in the garage.

Polk T50 150 Watt Home Theater Floor Standing Tower Speaker (Single) - Premium Sound at a Great Value | Dolby and DTS Surround https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013LIN5W2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

JBL JRX225 or PRX425 or SRX835
QSC has the E115 or E215
EV has the ELX200-15 or ZLX-15 or EKK-15
Mackie has the DRM315-P or good ol' C300z
Behringer has a pile of them like the B1520 or B2520 or VP1520 or VP2520

They pretty much all make passive speakers...

 

[Cougar]

If you want to build some, these may do the trick.

https://www.parts-express.com/tritrix-mtm-tl-tower-speaker-components-and-cabinet-kit-pair--300-702

 

[rjprice]

I'm in the middle of the same project. Putting speakers in my 40x50 shop. I mounted 2 pairs of Klipsch Heresy, one in each corner and a set of Polk Monitor 5s in the middle of the long walls. Just got done running the wire this weekend. Ran 400+ ft of 12 Guage (overkill). Had to rent a scissor lift to get over the 14ft doors. I fabricated the speaker brackets out of angle and square tube. See pictures. I have a big sub, too.

I'm going to run a 100w Pioneer receiver thru a Niles Speaker selector (to correct impedance). If it's not loud enough, I'll go for multiple amps. Craigslist has tons of PAs and speakers. Good Luck!

 

[ZRX61]

Ever been in the same room as a pair of Wharfdale E90's?


You neighbors in the next county will hate you...

 

[LS6 Tommy]

If I was going to get a large frame speaker and money was not an issue, I'd probably get a pair of Legacy Focus SEs. A friend had a pair of the original Focus (Foci?) back in the 90's driven by two monoblock 1000W amps. Most impressive home stereo I'd ever heard. Cost at the time was about 3 times the Wharfedales...



Tommy

 

[LX-Markham]

The days of the old big box speakers with a 12" sub, mid, and tweeter have long gone lol.

I'm still rockin' my old college days yamaha's ...that have since been relegated to the garage.

mounted them up in my amphitheater ceiling LOL

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I'm still 4-6 years out from building my shop but I have a pair of Cerwin Vega LS-15's that I used to have in the basement. Since I no longer have a basement, they're sitting in a closet taking up ALOT of room awaiting their next assignment. I'd consider selling them if I received a decent offer but I'd miss them despite them currently doing nothing.

 

[glend123]

There's no shortage of large 12" woofer, 3 way speakers on the used market. just make sure they work and the foam surrounds are not rotted away, although those can be replaced somewhat easily.

 

[vinceg101]

You would be surprised how loud a set of decent set of 10" or 12" 3-Way speakers can get in an open shop. I have a set each of Marantz SP-1200 and Cerwin-Vega D3's in my 40x50 hangar/shop with a 13' high ceiling; even with a mid-level receiver or CDP they are plenty loud enough (and sound great to boot). Hang them up higher off the floor for better projection. In fact I have to be careful I don't turn it up too much and bother my neighbors. The metal building and concrete floor amplify the sound especially if I open the hangar door.

You can find some great deals on 80's-90's audio equipment these days on CL or ebay; pennies on the dollars. Those Marantz's were my first real speakers I bought back in 1985 that have been bouncing around with me from the east to west coasts. The CV's I picked up of CL for $25; both only needed new foam woofer surrounds (another $30 and 30 minutes) and they're good and loud as new.

Concur on the multiple speaker locations; you can get a better distribution without having to turn the volume up too much. Important for keeping the peace if you're in a more public area or trying to work with others in the same space. (Sorry I don't have any photos to show this stuff; I just don't think to take pics of this stuff).

 

[Mr. Demeanor]

This is my space.

 

[Daubs]

Get some EPI speakers from e-bay, craigslist, or where-ever you can find them.

I still have the EPI 140C's that I purchased in early 1980's...they rock!

One of their engineers still makes EPI-like speakers. They aren't cheap, but they sound GREAT!

 

[jim7]

Real simple and sounds great

$128 each
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013C7ICC/?tag=atomicindus08-20


and
$149
Pyle-Pro PQA4100 19'' Rack Mount 4100 Watts Professional Power Amplifier W/Digital SMT Technology

http://www.123dj.com/amps/pyle/pylepro-pqa4100-amplifier.html


and

$72.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MFET2UG/?tag=atomicindus08-20


Pyle Pro Rack Mount Studio Pre-Amplifier - Audio Receiver System w/Digital LCD Display Bluetooth FM Radio Recording Mode Remote Control USB Flash or SD Card Reader Input and Output Jack - PPRE70BT

DOnt forget an Alexa or some type of streaming device

I placed amp in $50 rack with computer networking equipment, dish box, and computer

$500 all in and your neighbors will hate you

 

[strutaeng]

Yeah, I was going to suggest some 90s speakers with 15" drivers. Certainly not high-fidelity, but definitely will get your roof deck rattling!

2 sets from a thrift store and you are in business.

What are you using to power them? Maybe a vintage receiver?

The home speakers with multiple, smaller drivers are good for a home-sized room, but for this space, you need more like PA style with 15" drivers. Heck, that's larger than a small church!

 

[IMXCITD]

I picked up some old school Cerwin Vegas off craigslist.

 

[Mr. Demeanor]

Real simple and sounds great

$128 each
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013C7ICC/?tag=atomicindus08-20


and
$149
Pyle-Pro PQA4100 19'' Rack Mount 4100 Watts Professional Power Amplifier W/Digital SMT Technology

http://www.123dj.com/amps/pyle/pylepro-pqa4100-amplifier.html


and

$72.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MFET2UG/?tag=atomicindus08-20


Pyle Pro Rack Mount Studio Pre-Amplifier - Audio Receiver System w/Digital LCD Display Bluetooth FM Radio Recording Mode Remote Control USB Flash or SD Card Reader Input and Output Jack - PPRE70BT

DOnt forget an Alexa or some type of streaming device

I placed amp in $50 rack with computer networking equipment, dish box, and computer

$500 all in and your neighbors will hate you

Those Pyles get good reviews except for the cabinet construction which is MDF and many falling apart upon delivery. MDF + vibration in a Florida garage prob not the best combination.

 

[mcbane]

I’m still building my garage but already picked up a pair of 18” velodyne servo subwoofers from a former audiophile whose wife wanted small speakers. Like him I have no space in the house for a good stereo but the garage should have lots of room.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kctyphoon]

If you lived in jersey I’d GIVE you speakers.. i think i have 3 sets laying around that i wont throw out and I’m not going through the BS of trying to sell.

 

[FANTM58]

I cannot speak for any brand, but I’m using a blue tooth sound bar for a TV. Great sound
Easy to hang on walls works great.