Is this a wacky idea? "Portable" Stereo...

[jjdche]

So, I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a little while now and I think I might go for it. I want to make a portable strereo system, aka 'boom box'. This thing isn't necessarily going to small (or light), but as long as I can carry it thats fine. I want to be able to bring to parties, outside, different rooms in the house, etc.

This is what I had in mind,

Total size about 24"L x 10"-12"H x 8"-10"D. There will be three 'boxes': two satellites and a subwoofer. The satellites would attach on the ends of the sub box, but be able to be removed and placed in different locations.

For the satellites, this is what I had in mind. I wanted to go with an established design and I've built Wayne J's DIII's and liked the final product, so this was a natural choice.

For the sub, I think I want to use a ported TangBand W8-740c, but if I get real excited I might go for this one, sealed. Both model pretty well in and enclosure around 0.5 cu. ft.

My biggest issue is going to be powering this baby. I can't decide how to do it. I know I want the electronics contained fully in the sub enclosure and if possible i wanted to run everything off the same xformer to keep the weight down. I've been wanting to get into building amps and I was thinking of doing a couple of pairs P3A's for this, but I don't have a concrete plan yet.

So there it is...questions, comments, suggestions and condemnations are welcome!

[bhg41088]

seems heavy.

[jjdche]

yeah, it will be heavy. Thats definitely one of my concerns. I've decided to go with this woofer because of weight concerns.

The total weight of the drivers is about 14lbs. I'm guessing the amps are going to be 10-15lbs. and the materials will be 10-15 lbs. I think I'm going to try to keep it under 40lbs.

[454Casull]

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...2&ctab=10#Tabs

[bhg41088]

That thing still weighs 8 lbs,

[bhg41088]

How about you use 2 TB w3-871's ported and that dayton, use 2 small 3-6 watt amps on the TB's and a 15-20 on the dayton 8. Also, use fiberglass rather than MDF. Your probably looking at 15lbs or less for that setup. Unless you need insane loud, that should be great.

[CeramicMan]

I think that using a light-weight woofer is a false economy. What would you do then, make a box that has to be twice as big? Ok, so woofers with NdFeB magnets are an option, but they're still few and far between, and because retailers still regard them as a novelty you can't expect good value-for-money. I'd focus on other design aspects like the box material. Although everyone seems to love MDF, it's just too heavy and too soft for the job. With woofers and subwoofers what you need is stiffness. Soft, flexible materials are best left for the midrange and tweeter. I'd consider a relatively light grade of wood as an alternative. You can then add bracing inside the box to make the walls stiffer, without the weight penalty of using thicker material.

If you're worried about vibrations from the woofer upsetting a cdp, then what about using 2 woofers on opposite sides?

What about a switching integrated chip amp? Higher efficiency will mean that you can use a smaller transformer, and much smaller heatsinks (or even none at all).

CM