3 way speaker system

[andman7777]

Im rather new to all of this and most of what I understand has been learned off of youtube so go easy.
I have a set of 3 way speakers and my understanding is I need an amplifier and a crossover in order to make them pick up separate frequencies in a song and play them. I have three or four questions regarding how I go about making these run.

1. I have a relatively old Fender guitar amplifier Model: Frontman R25 and i'm wondering if I can convert it to amplify this 3 way system and if it would sound any good since guitar amps are known to pop and crackle? additionally if I can is there a crossover board inside of this that I can use since it has a bass, middle, and tremble?

2. if this wont work what is a cheap ($100 or less) amplifier that can control a 3way system so I can adjust the bass, middle, and tremble to my liking? Addition if the amp wont work i'm assuming I cant use the crossover in it so where can I find designs to build my own?

3. This is a old 3way set of speakers and boxes and I would at least like to install need woofers and midrange speakers into both. I'm wondering what I need too look for when I buy speakers... Ohms? frequency range? input power? can I mix and match these things? can I mix and match brands

4. I heard the woofer sounds better if there is a hole in the box... since mine does not have one should I but one in? does it make any difference?

I plan on using these for parties and such so what is the best way to maximize sound.

 

[markw]

What speakers are you talking about? AFAICT, there is no big difference between one, two, or three way speakers if they are in an enclosure.

It seems your Youtube viewing has left you with more misinformation than not.

 

[andman7777]

Right now they are all wired together inside the box so they are just three speakers. My ultimate goal is to turn them into a three way set of speakers. One being able to play a base, middle, and tremble which is what I believe charactorizes a 3way speaker (please correct me if I am wrong).

 

[lovinthehd]

You mean bass, mid-range and treble? You said correct you....

Just what 3-way speaker (make and model) do you have now? Are you saying it has no internal passive crossover network currently? Have you looked inside the speaker enclosure to see if the drivers are wired to a passive crossover network now, or did you remove it?

To employ active crossovers and separate amps for each driver you might be able to do what you want but at a greater cost than you want, and just plain easier to buy appropriate speakers and amplification for your purposes. You might want to look into active speakers (those with built-in amplification) like these https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-B215D-BEHRINGER-EUROLIVE/dp/B002ZX80V6

You might want to spend some time in the diy section of these forums or maybe try this http://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Guide/BuildSpeaker/. You likely don't have the skills to surpass the original speaker designer's efforts at this point, let alone trying your own active crossovers (or build your own passive crossovers). You may not be able to even find replacement drivers that work with the current passive crossover.

You might look for an amp and an equalizer to adjust frequency response to your taste, though.

Porting/venting a speaker enclosure (the hole in the box) is also not something you just make a hole in a sealed speaker enclosure....takes some calculation using the Thiele/Small parameters.

ps Try this thread as well http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/diy-loudspeakers-can-you-build-better-than-professional-designs.83412/

 

[herbu]

Right now they are all wired together inside the box so they are just three speakers. My ultimate goal is to turn them into a three way set of speakers.

So you have 2 speakers... both are un-messed-with... still complete with everything installed and wired just like they were new? If that's the case, see if you can find a make and model number on the back and let us know.

Most home audio/theater speakers have 2 or more drivers. The "driver" is the cone shaped thing that moves in and out to produce the sound. It is what most pedestrians call the "speaker". (Note: There are modern drivers that are not like the old cone-shaped ones.)

Most speakers w/ 2 drivers (2-way), or 3 drivers (3-way), have a crossover already installed and wired inside the speaker cabinet. A 2 or 3-way speaker has 2 or 3 drivers because it is very difficult to make 1 driver that can produce both low and high frequencies. So the range of frequencies is split into 2 or 3 parts by the crossover, and each range is sent to the appropriate driver. Great design of the crossover circuit is not simple, and is about half sorcery. An amateur can design/build a crossover, but maybe not a great one.

One more comment. Assuming a good source, great sound is mostly a function of good speakers. An equalizer that lets you boost specific frequencies will undoubtedly alter the sound from the original. If you're after accurate sound, your better bet is better speakers.

 

[andman7777]

The speakers that I currently have are Sansui DA-S755 speakers and I have a pair of them. They are unmodified and still in there original conditions it says on them that they are three way speakers but I have look inside them and all three are wired to a single positive and negative input. There is a resistor on the 3 inch tweeter and the 10 inch woofer (don't know why those are there). I can see no crossover inside the box though.

On another note, If it might be easier to just scrap the whole thing and build one from a set of designs I have the tools to do so. If this is a better idea, could you recommend some designs? I would like to build something that is similar to this Sansui though in terms of just one easy rectangular box (I can create compartments easily within the box if needed) and with similar sized speakers just made into a 3 way speaker set. My goal is to build a set of party speakers so I would like to construct something that sounds decent but can also have a base that shakes the place (What is the difference between a 10 and 12 inch? is it lower? does it provide more vibration?. Lastly I am on a small budget begin a collage student (200-300 dollars) I am a senior mechanical engineering student at Gonzaga and have had circuits so I would prefer to build the crossover on my own. I realize I might need to buy an amplifier so a par cheap one will have to suffice based on my budget. If you have more recommendation for designs or reading info to help me I would really appreciate it. I am turning this into a fun project and really want to learn more.

 

[lovinthehd]

Have you tested/listened to these speakers at all? Maybe have a friend with a receiver or integrated amp that you can use to test? Those existing passive components sound pretty minimal....might not be able to do much with those otherwise without measurement details for each driver (do you have access to gear to measure drivers?).

You might look at diysoundgroup.com, parts-express.com, madisound.com for some plans/ideas as well as cost of parts. Maybe post a thread asking for help in places like the diy subforum at avsforum.com, as well as the one here, and try diyaudio.com too.

I think your budget is still going to conspire against you for building a set of speakers and have something like a receiver or integrated amp to use them with various sources. What will be the source of your music?

 

[andman7777]

I know that they were used on a radio before, but they were always quiet I figured that was due to a insufficient amplifier in the radio. What kind of measurements? The drivers have specs on the back of them?
Thank you for the links and I will take a look at the later.

I figure my budget was on the low end but I hoped to take alot of the cost out by constructing everything myself.

 

[lovinthehd]

I know that they were used on a radio before, but they were always quiet I figured that was due to a insufficient amplifier in the radio. What kind of measurements? The drivers have specs on the back of them?
Thank you for the links and I will take a look at the later.

I figure my budget was on the low end but I hoped to take alot of the cost out by constructing everything myself.

Start here maybe http://www.audioholics.com/diy-audio/building-a-do-it-yourself-loudspeaker-design/crossover-design.

Best to test the speakers first, they may already be something you can easily use if hooked up to a suitable receiver or integrated amp. By radio do you mean receiver?

 

[markw]

From your description I'd say they are sill factory. A lot of speaker manfacturers cheap out on crossovers and this sounds like one of them

In other words, assuming the drivers ae in good shape,you have a speaker that is probably working exactly as it was designed.

that being said, as others have nentioned, simply swapping out drivers and crossover parts. may not have the results you hope for. Change is easy. Improvement. not so much.

 

[Mark of Cenla]

I would find a used receiver and source, such as a CD or DVD player, and try the speakers as-is first. You will need the receiver and source anyway. Using a guitar amp for that is not such a good idea. Peace and goodwill.