Questions about Wiring and Setup for Basement + Fixing Speaker

[mattp140]

Hey guys,

I recently got these speakers for free and wanted to use them in my basement:

Amazon.com: KLH M365T 6.5" 3-Way 200-Watt Tower (Black) (Discontinued by Manufacturer): Electronics

I'm a college student on a budget so obviously I'd like to save as much money as possible. My first question was about the wiring. After looking at the beginner guide I learned that it is most likely running on a RCA connector so I'm getting two of these. (I think there's two wires required for each?) Can someone confirm?

Amazon.com: CableWholesale 6-Feet 2 RCA Male/2 RCA Male High Quality Audio Cable (10R2-02106): Computers & Accessories

Also I was also unsure if these would be sufficient enough by themselves without a sub, but judging by reviews I should be good.

Last but not least, what is my best option for a receiver. I just need a receiver that has an AUX cable input so I can plug my iPhone or laptop to it. What is my cheapest option because I am not running an elaborate system, I just have the KLH M365 speakers. Is it possible I can avoid getting a receiver all together?

EDIT:
Also upon taking the front panel off I noticed the speaker foam broke up. What is my best option to fixing it. I was gonna glue it back in but what is the better option?

Thanks!

 

[TLS Guy]

Hey guys,

I recently got these speakers for free and wanted to use them in my basement:

Amazon.com: KLH M365T 6.5" 3-Way 200-Watt Tower (Black) (Discontinued by Manufacturer): Electronics

I'm a college student on a budget so obviously I'd like to save as much money as possible. My first question was about the wiring. After looking at the beginner guide I learned that it is most likely running on a RCA connector so I'm getting two of these. (I think there's two wires required for each?) Can someone confirm?

Amazon.com: CableWholesale 6-Feet 2 RCA Male/2 RCA Male High Quality Audio Cable (10R2-02106): Computers & Accessories

Also I was also unsure if these would be sufficient enough by themselves without a sub, but judging by reviews I should be good.

Last but not least, what is my best option for a receiver. I just need a receiver that has an AUX cable input so I can plug my iPhone or laptop to it. What is my cheapest option because I am not running an elaborate system, I just have the KLH M365 speakers. Is it possible I can avoid getting a receiver all together?

EDIT:
Also upon taking the front panel off I noticed the speaker foam broke up. What is my best option to fixing it. I was gonna glue it back in but what is the better option?

Thanks!

First of all the connector is not RCA, but a banana socket.

That tweeter is missing. You only have a broken horn surround. Those speakers are useless unless you can find a replacement tweeter.

 

[mattp140]

First of all the connector is not RCA, but a banana socket.

That tweeter is missing. You only have a broken horn surround. Those speakers are useless unless you can find a replacement tweeter.

So what wires do I need instead?

I found the tweeter inside, but one of the wires is broken. Should I just strip it down and connect them together again? If I were to purchase another tweeter how much would it cost and which one should I get?

Thanks

 

[TLS Guy]

So what wires do I need instead?

I found the tweeter inside, but one of the wires is broken. Should I just strip it down and connect them together again? If I were to purchase another tweeter how much would it cost and which one should I get?

Thanks

I think you will be hard pressed to find another tweeter for that speaker. You need to get another spade at an auto shop or Home Depot/Menards, and reconnect the wire.

Your best bet is to try and glue that speaker back together. If not you are done.

For the speaker, you need banana plugs or spades.

 

[rojo]

Hey Matt, I think if I were you I'd slip some heat shrink tubing over the wire, then just strip and twist together and use the heat shrink to hold the joint together. These aren't exactly high end speakers, so I doubt they'd sound any different if you re-ran a new wire or attached a new spade and tossed the current spade-terminated fragment.

You need at least some form of amplifier. I think getting a receiver would give you the best flexibility. Can you describe the room you'll be doing your listening in? Do you think if you had the ability to use other sources than just your laptop and mp3 player you might take advantage of that? Had you considered connecting your television to your system? Where do you live? Any interesting craigslist deals on receivers near you?

Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

 

[mattp140]

Hey Matt, I think if I were you I'd slip some heat shrink tubing over the wire, then just strip and twist together and use the heat shrink to hold the joint together. These aren't exactly high end speakers, so I doubt they'd sound any different if you re-ran a new wire or attached a new spade and tossed the current spade-terminated fragment.

You need at least some form of amplifier. I think getting a receiver would give you the best flexibility. Can you describe the room you'll be doing your listening in? Do you think if you had the ability to use other sources than just your laptop and mp3 player you might take advantage of that? Had you considered connecting your television to your system? Where do you live? Any interesting craigslist deals on receivers near you?

Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

Hey guys thanks for the response! So as of now my plan is to simply strip the broken wires and connect them back together. I have some electrical tape so that should do the job of covering it. I'm gonna just glue the pieces back together and hope they work.

After during further research, and talking to the previous owner the wires I needed were normal Speaker Wires so I ordered AmazonBasics 16-gauge Speaker Wire - 50 Feet wires.

Rojo, I was planning on getting a receiver but I decided I can put that off for now. I will be using this in a small basement in a house. That being said I found a temporary solution which is Lepai LP-2020 Amp. For a mere $20 I will be able to run these speakers hopefully through an iPod. For now I will just use this but in a few months I will look for a used A/V receiver and expand my system and maybe hook a TV too! I'm going to Rutgers- New Brunswick University so I'll have my eyes on craigslist.!

 

[rojo]

Yeah, those class T amps throw up a red flag. You know how some car stereo head units claim 45 watts per channel but they aren't any cleaner or louder than the factory had unit? That's what those class T amps make me think of. You get what you pay for. They might be ok powering bookshelfs or satellites nearfield, but not for filling a room with sound from towers.

The cheapest amp I would use would be an AudioSource AMP-100. There's a pretty good deal on one open-box on Amazon. But if you could find a decent receiver on Craigslist, that'd be even better (probably). If you spot one, come back and post a link and we'll let you know whether it's a good buy.

Edit: better yet, see afterlife2's recommendation to someone else with a similar need for cheap power.

Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

 

[mattp140]

Yeah, those class T amps throw up a red flag. You know how some car stereo head units claim 45 watts per channel but they aren't any cleaner or louder than the factory had unit? That's what those class T amps make me think of. You get what you pay for.

The cheapest amp I would use would be an AudioSource AMP-100. There's a pretty good deal on one open-box on Amazon. But if you could find a decent receiver on Craigslist, that'd be even better (probably). If you spot one, come back and post a link and we'll let you know whether it's a good buy.

Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

I agree, I don't expect much from the amp but I am hoping it will do the job for a month or two before I upgrade to a receiver.

Also Rojo, what would be my best option when it comes to gluing the broken pieces together?

 

[fuzz092888]

Yeah, those class T amps throw up a red flag. You know how some car stereo head units claim 45 watts per channel but they aren't any cleaner or louder than the factory had unit? That's what those class T amps make me think of. You get what you pay for. They might be ok powering bookshelfs or satellites nearfield, but not for filling a room with sound from towers.

Depends on what T-amp you get. The SMSL amps are awesome.

 

[rojo]

*shrug* Elmer's? Usually people use wood glue on mdf speaker cabinets, but I don't know about gluing non-wood to wood. I'd probably just try Elmer's and see what happens.

Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

 

[mattp140]

What do you guys think of this receiver?

Sony Str D511 5 Channel 110 Watt Receiver 027242753976 | eBay

 

[mattp140]

Hey Guys sorry for double but I just wanted to follow up with you guys.
These speakers were a nuisance at first but I turned it into a mini-project and I liked the outcome!
Here's the photo album documentary
Speaker Project Photos by mattsup94 | Photobucket

Anyway, so the other night me and my friends had a party and we used the Lepai amp and it worked well. I used krazy glue to glue the pieces together. For the broken wire I just stripped the pieces of it and twister them together and used some electrical tape to cover it. For whoever said I needed a bannana plug, you were wrong lol. I simply had to insert speaker wire into the hole at the bottom and then tighten the bolt. (I didn't see the hole at the bottom before).
I was very impressed with the Lepai amp. I knew it had it's limitations but when tuning the bass and treble appropriately we were able to blast music without too much distortion and it provided for a viable temporary solution. I really don't have a need for it anymore so I'm probably gonna return it and start looking on craigslist and ebay for a receiver. As of now I have my eyes on a Onkyo tx ds484 I found on craigslist.

Again, thanks to whoever helped with this project and offered advice!

 

[agarwalro]

Glad it worked out. The Onkyo, assuming fully functional, should power the speakers just fine.