Board/design for powered "active" desktop speakers.

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stephe

stephe

Member
Joined 2020
skunkiedesigns.com/
#1
I have a pair of nice, full range 3" Lii Song drivers I'd like to build some cabinets for, and setup as active speakers that can be used as bluetooth and possibly also with RCA inputs. I'm OK with one box having the electronics and wires going to the second one. Looking for decent quality over price, what are some good options to look at? I'm fine with a DIY solution as well.

Here are the drivers, 3" 4 ohm https://www.lii-audio.com/product/o...speakers-desktop-and-bookshelf-solution-al-3/

And these are the cabinets I plan to build for them.

3-inch.jpg
 
#3
Should be good for some desktop fun.

I dont have much suggestions other than the usual offerings from Parts Express.

Using the same old bluetooth chips and class D chips.
Dont know what else to expect.
Some have additional amps and filters if you wanted to run a highpass
and use a sub under the desk.

Unless you want a AB amp with bluetooth
which would be typical bluetooth chips + a rather traditional LM1875 board.
 
#5
Radio Shack speakers are around 83 dB

These speakers are 93 dB
which pretty much tells a much higher sensitivity is
gonna have a much different mechanical properties

Aka stiffer suspension = bigger box.

Its a 93 dB 3" speaker this isn't rocket surgery

it would go into a typical larger volume for a 3"
and the reflex would be same old plain old 3 to 5 Hz
above/ below Fs which is 49 Hz

people want magical boxes
the box is already designed with calculated port
and slightly tapered line.
 
#10
Honestly folks I have to LOL. I ask for some information about how to use a chip amp (the name of this sub-forum) and possibly how to implement them for an active speaker. I ONLY posted the box size so you could see the space I have to work with. Instead I get:

"I don't see any TS data on their site? That's a terrible drawing too!"

"That enclosure does not look encouraging. A bit weird. And i woudln’t toucch a driver with no T/S"

"Posted dim's are oversize for 3.0" full range- Check out '80's Radio Shack Minimus 3.5's : (which clearly are too small to also include an active amp)"

"Sensitivity: 93 dB （2.83V/1m）- 4 ohm (2W)"

"They either need a BIG box or have no bottom."

One person, White Dragon posted something even remotely related to the question, and even then assumed I know how to work with solid state chip amps. I design and build tube amps, so I'm sure with some more research I can figure it out.

I also lol that you all know more about what sort of enclosure would work well with this driver than the people who make the driver and published this plan as one they know and have tested works well with it. Yeah lemme instead stuff this into a tiny sealed box like radio shack did 50 years ago...
 
#11
stephe said:
I also lol that you all know more about what sort of enclosure would work well with this driver than the people who make the driver and published this plan as one they know and have tested works well with it.
Click to expand...
Well, that was the point. We don't know, because without some driver data, there's no way to confirm that the box in question is any good. And don't automatically assume it's going to be great, just because the manufacturer provides it. Why not pick a driver/box design that is a known quantity? IMHO, you'll have a good sounding desktop speaker, regardless of the type of amplification used.

This is sorta like, I give you a box of tubes for an amp build you've never seen before, don't have any data sheets, nothing on the internet. Do you take a chance and wing it?

jeff
 
#12
The OP has already bought it. IIL song it very respected brand, even Nelson uses its 10" full range. On you tube you can listen it
All the OP needs is to power it. The main problem with active speakers is the PSU size. The bluetooth unit can be purchased as separate module of higher quality.
On Ali there is MA12070 as usb input sound card and bluetooth and aux in,$15. It requires laptop PSU.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...!sea!TH!4284450371&curPageLogUid=eSR6PgHKp2YJ
 
#13
That also does zero to answer my question. Let's assume I have built this box with this driver, they sound great as passive speakers but I want to make them active. What driver data other than it's a 4 ohm speaker do you need to advise on a simple to implement amplifier for this use? No one on a forum dedicated to chip amps seems to be able to answer that question with any detail, but all of you seem to be professional speaker box designers...

As far as an analogy, if a manufacturer hands me a tube and a schematic to go with it, I don't need to reverse/reengineer it to build their circuit. Why would a manufacturer sell a device (this speaker driver) and then give me plans on how to build the cabinet for it that is wrong, knowing I am going to be disappointed? A lot of speaker drivers come with plans to build a nice sounding box with them, why is this one any different? And why instead would I believe that some random people on the internet know more about how to use this product they have zero experience with than the manufacturer does?

I find all of this really bizarre lol
 
#14
HAYK said:
The OP has already bought it. IIL song it very respected brand, even Nelson uses its 10" full range. On you tube you can listen it

All the OP needs is to power it. The main problem with active speakers is the PSU size. The bluetooth unit can be purchased as separate module of higher quality.
On Ali there is MA12070 as usb input sound card and bluetooth and aux in,$15. It requires laptop PSU.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004162053893.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.5.5d72aabauLRZ5S&algo_pvid=4a0b0338-6bc3-41e1-8011-185e0db023eb&algo_exp_id=4a0b0338-6bc3-41e1-8011-185e0db023eb-2&pdp_npi=3@dis!USD!18.53!15.2!!!!!@211bea7b16826500576121041d07d7!12000028239359901!sea!TH!4284450371&curPageLogUid=eSR6PgHKp2YJ
Click to expand...
This looks like it would work, so just get a laptop PSU? What volts and W would I need to look for? It looks like they suggest 15-19V but don't mention wattage needed. They also mention +5V, do you also have to provide a 5V input or just the 15-19V positive and ground? The other thing confusing to me is that some of these boards are lookin for a PSU with both positive and negative + ground. Like +15V/ground/-15V. That's something I am not used to dealing with.

Thank you for answering my actual question!
 
#17
stephe said:
Let's assume I have built this box with this driver, they sound great as passive speakers but I want to make them active. What driver data other than it's a 4 ohm speaker do you need to advise on a simple to implement amplifier for this use?
Click to expand...
They should present a pretty benign load to any amplifier.

Sorry to drag your thread so far off topic. Good luck with your build.

jeff
 
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