Unexpected results from a budget stereo!!

somebizarredude · 02:47 AM

Just out of sheer boredom, I decided to put together a cheap stereo for my work bench in the garage and i am blown away i didn't expect the sound quality i am getting at all. while i was looking for receivers i ran across the little Lepai Tripath TA2020 for 20$ from parts express and decided to build something small from that. so i got on craigslist and looked around a bit and scored a pair of MBQuart QLC 50 SAT's for 50$ and a sony powered sub woofer for $25. after i got home i realized the little amp i ordered didn't have sub outputs so i looked online for a while and ran across this planet audio car stereo equalizer with a sub woofer output Planet Audio PEQ15 on amazon for $36. after I got everything hooked up and allot of tweaking on the eq i am freaked out. i spent roughly $140 and it sounds just as good if not better than my Bose lifestyle setup. it doesnt get quite as loud as the bose, but that thing was like 1400 bucks . so if your looking for a great budget system this is awesome! this little amp surprised the crap out of me.

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6...1050300190.jpg
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9...1050300193.jpg
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/3...1050300194.jpg
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/2...1050300195.jpg
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/6...1050300196.jpg

I did a little modding, I am a diy kinda guy so I added a cooling fan and ran a power loop for the equalizer through the amp, that way they both run on the same power and switch. the whole package is tiny compared to how it sounds.

gychang · 4th May 2011, 03:55 AM

interesting thread. gychang

critofur · 5th May 2011, 05:30 PM

Umm, sound quality is not the strong point with Bose products...

Marketing, small size, clever engineering using cheap parts - those are Bose' strong points. Not surprising another setup sounds better

DJDestiny · 8th May 2011, 06:40 PM

The "sound quality" of Bose is just hype .
Most setup's that are slightly larger would sound better then Bose's regardless of price , but not too cheap .

Mooly · 8th May 2011, 06:44 PM

Hmmm,
High End means we care....?

JoeDJ · 8th May 2011, 11:46 PM

Bose's reputation is mostly based on the legendary "901" speaker designed in the 1970s and even those need a specefic enviorment and placement to sound great.
IMO, Bose has had little to offer other than that.

digits · 9th May 2011, 06:12 AM

They did make one amp and speaker set (could not get them seperate), which had my dad going gaga, he was a lifelong musician, and spend most of his spare cash on amps and speakers and stuff like that. It had those tiny little units that sits on the walls and a small sub. Sadly it was too expensive.

DJDestiny · 9th May 2011, 07:32 AM

Precisely , all things considered , it's true that they banked on 1 , just 1 "legendary product" and then brought out just average products .

mikje · 9th May 2011, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somebizarredude

Just out of sheer boredom, I decided to put together a cheap stereo for my work bench in the garage and i am blown away i didn't expect the sound quality i am getting at all. while i was looking for receivers i ran across the little Lepai Tripath TA2020 for 20$ from parts express and decided to build something small from that. so i got on craigslist and looked around a bit and scored a pair of MBQuart QLC 50 SAT's for 50$ and a sony powered sub woofer for $25. after i got home i realized the little amp i ordered didn't have sub outputs so i looked online for a while and ran across this planet audio car stereo equalizer with a sub woofer output Planet Audio PEQ15 on amazon for $36. after I got everything hooked up and allot of tweaking on the eq i am freaked out. i spent roughly $140 and it sounds just as good if not better than my Bose lifestyle setup. it doesnt get quite as loud as the bose, but that thing was like 1400 bucks . so if your looking for a great budget system this is awesome! this little amp surprised the crap out of me.

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6...1050300190.jpg
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9...1050300193.jpg
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/3...1050300194.jpg
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/2...1050300195.jpg
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/6...1050300196.jpg

I did a little modding, I am a diy kinda guy so I added a cooling fan and ran a power loop for the equalizer through the amp, that way they both run on the same power and switch. the whole package is tiny compared to how it sounds.

That's an awesome feeling! It's nice to know a guy doesn't have to spend a fortune to get great sound.
NOTE: The OP was sharing his good fortune. No need for this to turn into a Bose bashing thread. We all know how Bose is viewed by most members of this and other audio forums. Why re-hash the hate. Be glad for the OP. It's what this hobby is all about; making good sound from a "self-built" system.
Mike

digits · 9th May 2011, 01:02 PM

Absolutley, I delight in every amp I construct being better than the previous one, other wise, ther would be no point.

4th May 2011, 02:43 AM	#1
somebizarredude diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2011	Unexpected results from a budget stereo!! Just out of sheer boredom, I decided to put together a cheap stereo for my work bench in the garage and i am blown away i didn't expect the sound quality i am getting at all. while i was looking for receivers i ran across the little Lepai Tripath TA2020 for 20$ from parts express and decided to build something small from that. so i got on craigslist and looked around a bit and scored a pair of MBQuart QLC 50 SAT's for 50$ and a sony powered sub woofer for $25. after i got home i realized the little amp i ordered didn't have sub outputs so i looked online for a while and ran across this planet audio car stereo equalizer with a sub woofer output Planet Audio PEQ15 on amazon for $36. after I got everything hooked up and allot of tweaking on the eq i am freaked out. i spent roughly $140 and it sounds just as good if not better than my Bose lifestyle setup. it doesnt get quite as loud as the bose, but that thing was like 1400 bucks . so if your looking for a great budget system this is awesome! this little amp surprised the crap out of me. http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6...1050300190.jpg http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9...1050300193.jpg http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/3...1050300194.jpg http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/2...1050300195.jpg http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/6...1050300196.jpg I did a little modding, I am a diy kinda guy so I added a cooling fan and ran a power loop for the equalizer through the amp, that way they both run on the same power and switch. the whole package is tiny compared to how it sounds. Last edited by somebizarredude; 4th May 2011 at 02:47 AM.

4th May 2011, 03:55 AM	#2
gychang diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Phoenix, Arizona	interesting thread. gychang __________________ -- Good sound from Phoenix, AZ

5th May 2011, 05:30 PM	#3
critofur diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Columbus, OH	Umm, sound quality is not the strong point with Bose products... Marketing, small size, clever engineering using cheap parts - those are Bose' strong points. Not surprising another setup sounds better __________________ Critofur http://www.ohmspeakers.com <- all the folks here are my friends

8th May 2011, 06:44 PM	#5
Mooly diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Sep 2007	Hmmm, High End means we care....? __________________ ------------------------------------------------------- *A simulation free zone.* *Design it, build it, test it.*

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8th May 2011, 06:40 PM	#4
DJDestiny diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2011	The "sound quality" of Bose is just hype . Most setup's that are slightly larger would sound better then Bose's regardless of price , but not too cheap .

8th May 2011, 11:46 PM	#6
JoeDJ diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: NY State	Bose's reputation is mostly based on the legendary "901" speaker designed in the 1970s and even those need a specefic enviorment and placement to sound great. IMO, Bose has had little to offer other than that.

9th May 2011, 06:12 AM	#7
digits diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2011	They did make one amp and speaker set (could not get them seperate), which had my dad going gaga, he was a lifelong musician, and spend most of his spare cash on amps and speakers and stuff like that. It had those tiny little units that sits on the walls and a small sub. Sadly it was too expensive.

9th May 2011, 07:32 AM	#8
DJDestiny diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2011	Precisely , all things considered , it's true that they banked on 1 , just 1 "legendary product" and then brought out just average products .

9th May 2011, 01:02 PM	#10
digits diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2011	Absolutley, I delight in every amp I construct being better than the previous one, other wise, ther would be no point.

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