looking for compact MIDranges

[Bobo22]

Hi guys,

First post!

Anyway, I'm building a personal hi-fi boombox system and right now I'm looking for the speakers. However, this is a very small boombox, and consequently, the speakers must be small as well. Ideally, they would be 2" in diameter, but I've realized from my research that midrange speakers really should be 3-6". So I guess I could go up to 3", but anything beyond that would just be too big. Now here comes the tough part: this is either going to be a 2.0 system or a 2.1 system. I need the mid-range speakers to do both my highs and lows. I could afford to do a subwoofer of some sort if it is very small. However, from what I've read, small-subwoofer is an oxymoron. So basically I need to find the highest quality do-everything 2"-3" speakers out there that can be had at a reasonable price (under $100). What kind of Hz range do you think I should be looking for- does 60Hz to 20,000 Hz sound pretty good or is that unrealistic or not good enough? Thanks so much!

P.S. Does anyone know where I could buy a stand-alone CD drive and/or cassette player for integration into my unit. I've had no luck finding any so far.

Thanks Again!

peace

 

[Tex-amp]

Did you just use the term hi-fi with boombox?

 

[zumbo]

How about a 3.5". Click here

There are a couple on ebay.

 

[Bobo22]

lol. yes, I know it will never be able to match a full-blown hi-fi theater system, but my goal is to build a small but high sound quality boombox that is better than your typical sony/aiwa/jbl fare. right now i'm considering using these speakers-

http://www.*****************/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=264-830

and this amp-

http://www.*****************/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=300-952

keeping in mind that my size constraints limit me, are these the best choices?

thanks!

 

[mulester7]

.....Bobo, I have a suggestion....go to a local retail outlet, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc., and listen to the JVC boom boxes to set a precedent for what you want your creation to sound like....I haven't heard or shopped them for about 10 years, but they used to have INCREDIBLE low end....I applaud your efforts to construct your own piece of audio equipment......

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Bobo, use an old set of Bose cube drivers off Ebay. You are going to have a very hard time finding 3" drivers go down to 60hz. I'd say 100hz is more reasonable, and even then there may be an issue because of the power handling problem. I find the better PC speakers with a separate sub to sound as good or better than todays boom boxes. Alted Lancing is a great example. The reason boom boxes sound decent is because of the "box". Without the box, you will get very little bass. You need a dedicated powered sub of at least 5" in a box at least 9" square for decent bass.

 

[Tex-amp]

I know there are folks using the Sonic Impact amp with an I-pod or discman as a source with a pair of outdoor speakers for portable music rigs that beat boom boxes but you seem to want smaller. 3" drivers aren't like to get you much below 100hz. Have you thought about just using headphones?

 

[Bobo22]

hey responses have been great so far,

zumbo-

those 3.5's look really nice, but they are just too big for the application i'm thinking of.

buckeyefan1-

right now i'm leaning towards the rectangular 2" by 3" tang band speakers here:

at partsexpress (i cant put .com @ the end for some reason) search part #: 264-830

their range is 150Hz-15000Hz, so i know i'm gonna be missing out on the low end, but i'm gonna probably try these out and see how they sound. If they are seriously lacking in oomph, i might add a subwoofer. however, that sub is going to have to be no larger than 2-3"(i know, these constraints must be painful to look at!). if i do go with a sub that size, what type of range/overlap do you think i should be looking for; would it be bad if the sub went up to 330Hz and thus overlapped for 180Hz? or could it go higher? if so, how high? thanks guys!

peace


p.s.

i'm about to go ahead and order the 2"x3" tangbands and the sonic impact amp, speak now or forever hold your peace!

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

In all my years of audio, I cannot remember a time when anything less than 4" produced any amount of bass. I recall helping my sister purchase a Panasonic cd boombox, probably 1990, that had two 4" full range drivers. That was the absolute best sounding bass from the smallest drivers I had found. Sony, in the mid to late 80's, made some boom boxes with square drivers that sounded impressive. I'm sure with todays technology, that same sound, and even better sound, can be had. I would venture to think, though, that an extreme amount of engineering, tweeking, and design would have to go into such a unit. Best of luck with this venture and those tiny drivers!

 

[dropbear]

Depending on the design you are looking at, you may want to consider a TL design?

check out http://www.ejjordan.co.uk/drivers/ these are excellent drivers and sound beautiful - no crossover.