Hi All,
I've been working on my own Bluetooth speaker design for a while now. Having tested a bunch of different drivers, amps, radiators and designs I'd finally got my project to where I was pretty happy with it. In the end I settled on these drivers (after testing several others including a Bose Soundlink Mini knock off): AIYIMA 2pcs 5W 40MM Mini Audio Portable Speakers 16 Core 4Ohm Full Range Speaker Rubber Side NdFeB Magnetic Loudspeaker|Combination Speakers| - AliExpress
and these radiators: AIYIMA 2Pcs Speaker Accessories Passive Bass Diaphragm Vibrating Plate Woofer Passive Radiator Vibration Membrane For DIY|Speaker Accessories| - AliExpress
The casing is 3-D printed in several parts and through some careful design the whole thing is very rigid - being held together with screws and made air tight with none other than good ol blue-tac (which works surprisingly well). A section of women's tights wraps around the inner casing to create the mesh. I've included a section view to give some idea of what's going on inside.
My reason for writing though is I stopped being happy when I compared the thing to my friend's Bose Sound-link mini. Now I've seen plenty of tear-downs of this and the recipe is fairly similar (two drivers and two radiators) and I'm also aware that it is a much more expensive speaker from a reputable company - but this didn't help my disappointment when I realised the HUGE difference in the bass department. The highs were fairly comparable and of a similar volume but the bass from the Bose adds so much to the sound stage that it makes mine seem lacking afterwards.
I'm not expecting to achieve the same thing but if anyone had some pointers on what to try I'd be very grateful. I could only think to maybe add some weight to the passive radiators. Unfortunately the Bose isn't mine to take apart and weigh the components of. I intend to sell these speakers as kits (just requires a screwdriver) for drastically less than the Bose but it would be great if the sound was full and deep like it. Perhaps I should have never compared the two - it sounded pretty good until then!
Also if anyone thinks there would be a market for these (bluetooth speaker kit/educational slant, usb-c charging, 12hrs battery, etc.) then I'd be grateful for any general feedback.
Thanks all,
Jonny
I've been working on my own Bluetooth speaker design for a while now. Having tested a bunch of different drivers, amps, radiators and designs I'd finally got my project to where I was pretty happy with it. In the end I settled on these drivers (after testing several others including a Bose Soundlink Mini knock off): AIYIMA 2pcs 5W 40MM Mini Audio Portable Speakers 16 Core 4Ohm Full Range Speaker Rubber Side NdFeB Magnetic Loudspeaker|Combination Speakers| - AliExpress
and these radiators: AIYIMA 2Pcs Speaker Accessories Passive Bass Diaphragm Vibrating Plate Woofer Passive Radiator Vibration Membrane For DIY|Speaker Accessories| - AliExpress
The casing is 3-D printed in several parts and through some careful design the whole thing is very rigid - being held together with screws and made air tight with none other than good ol blue-tac (which works surprisingly well). A section of women's tights wraps around the inner casing to create the mesh. I've included a section view to give some idea of what's going on inside.
My reason for writing though is I stopped being happy when I compared the thing to my friend's Bose Sound-link mini. Now I've seen plenty of tear-downs of this and the recipe is fairly similar (two drivers and two radiators) and I'm also aware that it is a much more expensive speaker from a reputable company - but this didn't help my disappointment when I realised the HUGE difference in the bass department. The highs were fairly comparable and of a similar volume but the bass from the Bose adds so much to the sound stage that it makes mine seem lacking afterwards.
I'm not expecting to achieve the same thing but if anyone had some pointers on what to try I'd be very grateful. I could only think to maybe add some weight to the passive radiators. Unfortunately the Bose isn't mine to take apart and weigh the components of. I intend to sell these speakers as kits (just requires a screwdriver) for drastically less than the Bose but it would be great if the sound was full and deep like it. Perhaps I should have never compared the two - it sounded pretty good until then!
Also if anyone thinks there would be a market for these (bluetooth speaker kit/educational slant, usb-c charging, 12hrs battery, etc.) then I'd be grateful for any general feedback.
Thanks all,
Jonny
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I imagine you’re right but I feel there must be something different with the hardware too. That’s why I thought more weight on the passive radiators maybe as the ones I’m using are quite light. Not sure if weight is directly correlated to a better bass response though.