So I've embarked on my biggest (craziest?!) project yet (at least physically). I've decided to build an all-in-one Game/Work station. The figure in the attachment is not really my height (I'm a bit taller 6ft) but the rest is pretty close to what I've built already.
I enjoy quite a few different styles of games, I also produce music (electronic, of sorts) and I'm a software developer by trade. All these things require various components that I'm attempting to meld together.
I've also built keyboard, mouse and joystick trays. Now I have the correct positions for everything I'll be finishing the design before I continue construction. I'll also probably test it out before I go any further.
As you can see towards the front I'm planning to house a bunch of audio rack equipment. Speakers will be fitted either side of the screen as well as behind (110deg) and probably a 10" driver behind the seat. Just something to fill in the quality at the low end I'm not looking to blow my head off with it (I have other plans for that!).
Other than tinkering with car audio a few years ago and my current Tannoy 601a Reveal speakers connected to a Scarlett 2i2 audio interface I'm pretty green in the area of audio.
Other than reading the many posts and articles on the subject recently I'm currently reading Introduction to Loudspeaker Design by John L Murphy and finding it very enlightening. I've downloaded WinISD and grabbed the box volumes for sealed enclosures (at least for the mids) so I can plan how big the surrounding woodwork needs to be.
As you probably guessed I'm planning on going surround for this setup. I have started putting together some components and would appreciate any advice on suitability. I'm not really into surround music production although I'd definitely experiment if I had the setup. However, it's mainly for games.
In the UK, Monacor speakers seem to be a good bet for availability and price/performance. This is my first setup so I'm not going crazy on price (probably on hardware though!). So here's my shopping list:
Mids: 2x SPH-175HQ 6.5" 70w RMS
Rear Mids: 2x SPH-5M 5.5" 40w RMS
Tweets: 4x DT-140 40w RMS
Bass: 1x SPH-255 60w RMS
1x Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 audio interface
2x Behringer CX2310 Superx crossover
2x Thomann t.amp E4-130 (one for the mids and one for the bass shakers!)
1x Behringer EPQ304 amp for the tweeters
The fact that I don't have an inbuilt sound card (I prefer an audio interface and there isn't enough room for the addon card in the case I built) does complicate things somewhat. I'm going to have a lot of cables running around. I looked into going digital but this seems just as tricky and more expensive.
As I'm sitting dead centre I'm holding off on a centre speaker which should help with space issues.
I've not decided on an amp to run the bass yet but wanted to get all this down before I get too ahead of myself (too late?!). I chose the amps as they both have built in limiters and I choose active crossovers as I don't fancy building my own (I've got enough to do!) and I'll be able to tune everything much more easily when I set it up. Especially considering it'll have similar acoustics to a car with windows down (and engine off).
Okay that's probably enough info for now. Let me know what you guys think.
Cheers,
Phil
I enjoy quite a few different styles of games, I also produce music (electronic, of sorts) and I'm a software developer by trade. All these things require various components that I'm attempting to meld together.
I've also built keyboard, mouse and joystick trays. Now I have the correct positions for everything I'll be finishing the design before I continue construction. I'll also probably test it out before I go any further.
As you can see towards the front I'm planning to house a bunch of audio rack equipment. Speakers will be fitted either side of the screen as well as behind (110deg) and probably a 10" driver behind the seat. Just something to fill in the quality at the low end I'm not looking to blow my head off with it (I have other plans for that!).
Other than tinkering with car audio a few years ago and my current Tannoy 601a Reveal speakers connected to a Scarlett 2i2 audio interface I'm pretty green in the area of audio.
Other than reading the many posts and articles on the subject recently I'm currently reading Introduction to Loudspeaker Design by John L Murphy and finding it very enlightening. I've downloaded WinISD and grabbed the box volumes for sealed enclosures (at least for the mids) so I can plan how big the surrounding woodwork needs to be.
As you probably guessed I'm planning on going surround for this setup. I have started putting together some components and would appreciate any advice on suitability. I'm not really into surround music production although I'd definitely experiment if I had the setup. However, it's mainly for games.
In the UK, Monacor speakers seem to be a good bet for availability and price/performance. This is my first setup so I'm not going crazy on price (probably on hardware though!). So here's my shopping list:
Mids: 2x SPH-175HQ 6.5" 70w RMS
Rear Mids: 2x SPH-5M 5.5" 40w RMS
Tweets: 4x DT-140 40w RMS
Bass: 1x SPH-255 60w RMS
1x Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 audio interface
2x Behringer CX2310 Superx crossover
2x Thomann t.amp E4-130 (one for the mids and one for the bass shakers!)
1x Behringer EPQ304 amp for the tweeters
The fact that I don't have an inbuilt sound card (I prefer an audio interface and there isn't enough room for the addon card in the case I built) does complicate things somewhat. I'm going to have a lot of cables running around. I looked into going digital but this seems just as tricky and more expensive.
As I'm sitting dead centre I'm holding off on a centre speaker which should help with space issues.
I've not decided on an amp to run the bass yet but wanted to get all this down before I get too ahead of myself (too late?!). I chose the amps as they both have built in limiters and I choose active crossovers as I don't fancy building my own (I've got enough to do!) and I'll be able to tune everything much more easily when I set it up. Especially considering it'll have similar acoustics to a car with windows down (and engine off).
Okay that's probably enough info for now. Let me know what you guys think.
Cheers,
Phil
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If this is your first speaker build, most of us actually suggest building a known-good kit rather than trying to start out at full speed. There are a number of good designs around from people like:
Zaph|Audio
DIY-Loudspeakers
DIY Speaker Components | Replacement Speakers | and Speaker kits from Meniscus Audio Group
If you select an outboard audio interface that does enough channels, there are plugins for your audio player that can work as crossover, too, though all the kits above include passive crossovers.
Zaph|Audio
DIY-Loudspeakers
DIY Speaker Components | Replacement Speakers | and Speaker kits from Meniscus Audio Group
If you select an outboard audio interface that does enough channels, there are plugins for your audio player that can work as crossover, too, though all the kits above include passive crossovers.
Thanks for the advice. You've actually made me reassess my priorities for this project and a kit might be the way to go. However my requirements are quite specific and I'm wondering if I'd be able to make the necessary adjustments for housing them in my workstation - or are you suggesting I just build the kits as a separate project first?
Thanks for the software crossover tip. Info seems a bit sparse on the subject never a good sign. I found one but doesn't seem to have been updated for a while (DSP Crossover for PC. Frequency Allocator.). I'll do some more digging on the web and these forums as well.
Thanks for the software crossover tip. Info seems a bit sparse on the subject never a good sign. I found one but doesn't seem to have been updated for a while (DSP Crossover for PC. Frequency Allocator.). I'll do some more digging on the web and these forums as well.
Phil, our interests are a little different, and I'm a little reluctant to try to push you into a different direction because of the way I use my audio system...
If I were you, and were building the system you are, I would be looking at building small systems, such as the Continuum (Meniscus), and adding a sub. Crossover would most likely come from software on your sound card, assuming it has it.
Again, my personal goals are for my main listening system, which currently is in my living room. Kef 101s and 4 10" subs. Bi-amp on my Linux server and antique amps... I'm old, and don't do much gaming, because I sit in front of my computer all day...
If I were you, and were building the system you are, I would be looking at building small systems, such as the Continuum (Meniscus), and adding a sub. Crossover would most likely come from software on your sound card, assuming it has it.
Again, my personal goals are for my main listening system, which currently is in my living room. Kef 101s and 4 10" subs. Bi-amp on my Linux server and antique amps... I'm old, and don't do much gaming, because I sit in front of my computer all day...
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