Materials: Expedit, misc. shelves, mini amplifier, misc. speaker units
Description: I wanted to get a very discrete stereo system in our dining area. I have a Logitech Squeezebox radio that I wanted to use as source, but the small speaker in it doesn't go a long way.. At first I thought of connecting a pair of PC speakers and hide them inside the Expedit, but I really wanted to get a full and deep sound that I wouldn't get from most PC speakers or iPod docking stations etc.
Then I got the idea to make the Expedit itself into a speaker.
I used various shelf plates and dividers (including some IKEA's) that I had lying around to make the front and rear baffles as well as for bracing and side wall stiffeners. I installed some old speakers that I used for my car hi-fi back in the days - Boston Acoustics tweeters and Vifa bass/mid 6,5" units. For amplification I used a cheap but surprisingly good Dayton Class T desktop amplifier, hidden away on the rear panel. The bass ports and crossovers were properly measured and tuned to get the most out of the system, and of course a good amount of acoustic damping material.
The fronts covers are cut out of ply, painted white and covered with speaker cloth. Snap-in fasteners.
The amplifier has a standard line input jack allowing the Expedit to be driven by any kind of source - an Internet radio, iPod, bluetooth receiver, you name it.
~ Affi, Strand, Norway
Looks great, sound is satisfying? Next Job building another one, linked up by bluetooth, placed on the other side of the room for the full stereo-sound.... (just kidding ;-))
ReplyDeleteI love it! Brilliant. But not simple for someone like me that doesnt understand how speakers work :-/ i would love to copy your idea :-)
ReplyDeleteHaha, this is awesome! And it clearly looks like you know what you're doing. Curiously, you didn't mention anything that comments on the way it sounds...?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. Yeah forgot to mention the sound - It sounds really great, especially for what it is, and given the simple amplifier and narrow stereo perspective.
ReplyDeleteThe speakers themself are of high quality, so it could be improved further with a better amplifier, a DAC and/or better source, but it would quickly turn into a space issue, where to put all the stuff, a big amp etc. For this project I most of all wanted a discrete look. Just the radio on top and no visible cables. Easy to move around.
Affi
That's fantastic! Great project, and good reuse of your old car stereo speakers.
ReplyDelete