Which Cheap Speaker For My Amp?

[louisdavies]

I have recently been researching an 18W bridge amp. I am ready to get the parts, but I have no idea on which fullrange speaker (driver) to get. I need to get one, as cheap as possible.

This is because this is my first project and I dont want to spend loads of money on a speaker (driver), and then see it blow up when I get a bit of the circuit wrong.

I need it dirt cheap because im only 14 and don't have much money at the moment. I don't care much about quality, so long as it plays my music.

Your help is much appreciated.

[HareBrained]

Don't say you "don't care about quality." because you wouldn't have found this forum without caring.

Check out the CHR70 thread. You can get a pair cheap from alpair-usa.com but they are fantastic. I built a dual chamber reflex design as computer speakers and love them. No crossover components or anything fancy. The only additional costs were wood and damping material. Pics are in the thread. BTW, F3~45Hz. Much better than almost any other driver this size.

[chrisb]

Good call, John

Aside from the very minor limitations of sensitivity and impedance that can restrict use by flea-watt aficionados, I think the CHR70 is destined to become one of the brain-dead go-to choices for low budget single driver applications. Don't expect dance club SPLs, but the musical quality is eye-opening indeed.

It has already been found to work well in a variety of enclosure designs, from 4-5 litre sealed to MLTL, BVR etc. A first timer like Louis could start out with the simplest enclosure, and if over time enthusiasm and skill-set/confidence improve, move up to some of the more elaborate designs.

and this is the lowest cost driver from Mark Audio1- they only get better from here

[Henkjan]

did anyone mention the CHR-70

[gaust]

Hi there,
If you really want some dirt-cheap speakers that are disposable then I have some Visation FR10F full range speakers that you could have (if you can cover the cost of postage). They don't sound too bad and you could then move onto something a bit better when you have your amp working correctly. Drop me an e-mail or PM with your contact details if you are interested,
Cheers,
Jon

[Bigun]

There's no real need to blow up your speakers.

Do you have a multi-meter ?

- check to see if the amplifier has a dc offset when no music is playing. A dc offset between the terminals of less than 200mV is ok, ideally should be around 30mV or less.
- you can also try putting a capacitor in series with the output and speaker. This will protect it from dc current which might otherwise damage the speaker.

Do you have some cheap earphones, such as from an ipod ?

- if you have some earphones, then you can simply put a series resistor on the output of your amplifier to give yourself a quick check on whether there is sound coming forth.

[chris661]

Don't worry - I'm in the same boat as you.

My advice would be to have a look on CPC - some reasonable FR speakers there. Do you have a box for them? What kind of size are you looking at?

Quick search to get you going - http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/search/br...locale%3Den_CC

There's CPC stores all over the country.

If you consult the visaton website, you can find most of the parameters so you can model the bass response, which will help you choose which speaker to use.
http://www.visaton.com/en/chassis_zu...and/index.html

Chris

PS - the Visaton FRS 8 sounds pretty good, but it's only small, so don't expect much bass...

PPS - don't cheap out. £5 extra can get you a lot further.

... and again, I have some *reasonable* Wharfedale speakers which may do the trick. If you want them, I'd need to charge for postage, but apart from that, but the price would be a lot cheaper than from shops...

[chris661]

Done some digging around here.

I also have: a pair of 4"+whizzer, 5"+whizzer

Thought you may be interested...

Chris