Suggestions: Cheap speakers for the grage.

[bemoth]

Hello.
I spend alot of time in my garage and well, Im tired of listening to mp3s from my phone trough ~$7 NoName portable Ipod speakers and I got a amp lying around here somewhere so why not build a pair of speakers!?!

But what to build?
I want something that is as cheap as possible, I can open up my wallet as far as ~€150-200(so around ~$200-250) exluding wood.
And I want them to be quite small so that they dont take up to much space.
Preferably somethings that can be either wall mounted or standing close to the wall(can't really get floorstanding speakers in there I'm afraid, to much projects spread out all over the place).
They will be playing rock 'n' roll of every kind and shape, everything from zeppelin to meshugga to sir lord baltimore to The hives etc.
My garage is ~30 m²(for you followers of the imperial measurements that is a bit over 320 ft²), so small speakers, quite a big room and almost no money to spend on it...could be a challenge.

I appreciate every suggestion i can get, I am quite new to the whole speaker building thing.
Thanks/Fredrik

[planet10]

Actually that is a pretty good chunk of change. I'd suggest CSS EL70s for your application. Lots of boxes designed for those. For wall mount, perhaps a set of half towers (or the still vapourware Classic Golden Ratio Mar-Kel70)....

dave

[bemoth]

Originally Posted by planet10

Actually that is a pretty good chunk of change. I'd suggest CSS EL70s for your application. Lots of boxes designed for those. For wall mount, perhaps a set of half towers (or the still vapourware Classic Golden Ratio Mar-Kel70)....

dave

Ahh thanks, the Mar-Kel70 looks pretty much exactly like what im looking for

[Speedskater]

Believe it or not, the best speakers near that price point are Behringer's. And they are better suited for a garage environment than hi-fi speakers.

[Tom V]

I'm a newbie here, but from my reading, this sounds like a job for the BOFU's (Pioneer B20).

I can't find the post now, but didn't Godzilla recommend a B020U in a sealed box (1.5 cu ft?) with a Parts Express tweeter (just to gild the lily)?

[LCole]

I'd go with the bofu's too. Fairly durable. Mine are out in the garage in 7 foot tall cabinets. I'm trying to find the site I got the build from. For the cost of two or three shets of mdf or roofing ply and a tube or two of all purpose glue from a caulk gun. They sound pretty good- not great but pretty good since the cabs were designed for some German brand drivers. I'll look for the site and post if I find- very easy build.

[planet10]

Originally Posted by Speedskater

Believe it or not, the best speakers near that price point are Behringer's. And they are better suited for a garage environment than hi-fi speakers.

I see people lauding the measurements, but i don't see any comments on how they sound... and they have one of those evil crossovers right where it hurts the most.

dave

[2litre]

I'll make it a triple for the Pioneer B20's with a tweeter.
I have mine in just shy of 2cuft sealed enclosures and usually listen to 192wma rips off my Sanza through a 30yr old 15wpc Sharp SS amp.

It sounds nice in my 400sqft garage.

R/

[LCole]

Do it yourself Voigt Hifi horn loudspeakers!

OK- they were meant to be built as a two-way: add a tweeter if you must. And the straight pipe version if size does matter to you

http://www.valutronic.se/vh2.html

Maybe one of our resident experts would care to give it a go and modify/ improve either design for the BOFU's. Straight pipes an easy, cheap build. Not sure they live up to the hype of the webpage but they will meet your requirements. Or build 'zilla's BiB- proven favorite around here with more bass then you can handle in an enclosed space like a garage. Good luck.

[LCole]

Sorry, missed the size considerations part. When I think garage, I think large and dirty for sound (blues, old rock, c&w) so the Valutronic voights and the BiB's came to mind.

Smaller speakers will require more power (but will sound nice, if that's the sound you want in a garage) or require larger cabs for bass and/or efficiency, more expensive drivers tend to prefer more controlled environmental conditions whereas the BOFU or pro drivers can weather the dust and moisture associated with outdoor conditions. Unless you plan to spend a lot of time fairly close to your speakers (or mount them high in the corners) and don't have a lot of 'stuff' sharing that garage with you, you might want to reconsider and supersize them.

$200.00 for garage drivers seems kinda pricey IMHO.