Hi everyone,
I’m currently working on a smart home project called Sense360 and could use some expert advice on selecting the right speaker and designing the optimal enclosure. The device is intended to serve both as a voice assistant and a music playback unit, so I’m aiming for a balance between clear voice reproduction and decent audio quality for music.
What I Need Help With:
1. Speaker Selection:
• Requirements: I’m looking for a full-range speaker that can handle voice commands clearly while still delivering good-quality music playback.
• Power Handling: Around 20-25W RMS.
• Size Constraints: Ideally 2” to 3.5” drivers that fit within a compact enclosure.
• Brands/Models: Any recommendations for specific brands or models that you’ve had good experiences with?
2. Enclosure Design:
• Type: What type of enclosure (sealed, ported, etc.) would you recommend for a balanced sound that complements both voice and music playback?
• Placement: Tips on speaker placement within the enclosure for optimal performance. Should the speaker be front-firing, down-firing, or another configuration?
• Material: What materials and thicknesses work best for minimizing resonance and improving sound quality?
3. General Advice:
• Integration: Any advice on integrating the speaker with other components (like microphones for the voice assistant) to avoid interference or feedback?
• Crossover: Should I consider using a crossover or additional components to optimize sound performance?
I appreciate any insights you can share on making Sense360 a device that offers both excellent voice recognition and enjoyable music playback. Looking forward to your suggestions!
Thanks in advance,
I’m currently working on a smart home project called Sense360 and could use some expert advice on selecting the right speaker and designing the optimal enclosure. The device is intended to serve both as a voice assistant and a music playback unit, so I’m aiming for a balance between clear voice reproduction and decent audio quality for music.
What I Need Help With:
1. Speaker Selection:
• Requirements: I’m looking for a full-range speaker that can handle voice commands clearly while still delivering good-quality music playback.
• Power Handling: Around 20-25W RMS.
• Size Constraints: Ideally 2” to 3.5” drivers that fit within a compact enclosure.
• Brands/Models: Any recommendations for specific brands or models that you’ve had good experiences with?
2. Enclosure Design:
• Type: What type of enclosure (sealed, ported, etc.) would you recommend for a balanced sound that complements both voice and music playback?
• Placement: Tips on speaker placement within the enclosure for optimal performance. Should the speaker be front-firing, down-firing, or another configuration?
• Material: What materials and thicknesses work best for minimizing resonance and improving sound quality?
3. General Advice:
• Integration: Any advice on integrating the speaker with other components (like microphones for the voice assistant) to avoid interference or feedback?
• Crossover: Should I consider using a crossover or additional components to optimize sound performance?
I appreciate any insights you can share on making Sense360 a device that offers both excellent voice recognition and enjoyable music playback. Looking forward to your suggestions!
Thanks in advance,
How low in frequency you want the speaker to play and how compact you want the enclosure to be are important. With very small enclosures, it gets impossible to fit properly sized ports in them and even passive radiators can be difficult.
Do you want 360° sound output or is something like 90° OK?
Are you going to have DSP available to equalize the speaker's response?
The best 2.5 inch I've found for very small enclosures is the ND64 from Dayton Audio. It will work in about 0.1 liter sealed, but it's not great at low frequencies even with equalization (it tends to lose its composure and get muddy when you ask it for too much bass). I didn't find passive radiators to add much to its performance, so porting probably won't do a lot for it either.
https://www.parts-express.com/Dayto...ne-Full-Range-Driver-4-Ohm-295-520?quantity=1
The ND65 is better in the bass range (larger Xmax), but it is still a small driver, so output is limited and measured distortion gets significant below a couple hundred hertz (though it still sounds OK mostly). It needs more enclosure volume also: about 0.5 liter sealed is a decent size for it, but it's going to need equalization to sound full bodied. I haven't tested it with ports/passive radiators.
https://www.parts-express.com/Dayto...num-Cone-Full-Range-Driver-290-204?quantity=1
The ND91 is also pretty popular for small speakers, and it has significantly more output capability. It has narrower directivity at higher frequencies since it's larger. This may not make much difference to you though. If it does, a reflector may be able to be incorporated into your enclosure to improve dispersion (especially if you are planning to 3D print some of it). Sealed, 0.5 liter is OK, but you'll get more bass out of it at about 1.5 liters ported/passive radiator. If you're willing to sacrifice some ultimate output and use some equalization, a smaller vented/passive radiator enclosure can also work.
https://www.parts-express.com/Dayto...m-Cone-Full-Range-Driver-4-290-224?quantity=1
Are you expecting full duplex type communication with the microphone and speaker? Or is the microphone only going to listen for voice commands? If I'm thinking about this correctly, the feedback issues are different between those two scenarios.
Do you want 360° sound output or is something like 90° OK?
Are you going to have DSP available to equalize the speaker's response?
The best 2.5 inch I've found for very small enclosures is the ND64 from Dayton Audio. It will work in about 0.1 liter sealed, but it's not great at low frequencies even with equalization (it tends to lose its composure and get muddy when you ask it for too much bass). I didn't find passive radiators to add much to its performance, so porting probably won't do a lot for it either.
https://www.parts-express.com/Dayto...ne-Full-Range-Driver-4-Ohm-295-520?quantity=1
The ND65 is better in the bass range (larger Xmax), but it is still a small driver, so output is limited and measured distortion gets significant below a couple hundred hertz (though it still sounds OK mostly). It needs more enclosure volume also: about 0.5 liter sealed is a decent size for it, but it's going to need equalization to sound full bodied. I haven't tested it with ports/passive radiators.
https://www.parts-express.com/Dayto...num-Cone-Full-Range-Driver-290-204?quantity=1
The ND91 is also pretty popular for small speakers, and it has significantly more output capability. It has narrower directivity at higher frequencies since it's larger. This may not make much difference to you though. If it does, a reflector may be able to be incorporated into your enclosure to improve dispersion (especially if you are planning to 3D print some of it). Sealed, 0.5 liter is OK, but you'll get more bass out of it at about 1.5 liters ported/passive radiator. If you're willing to sacrifice some ultimate output and use some equalization, a smaller vented/passive radiator enclosure can also work.
https://www.parts-express.com/Dayto...m-Cone-Full-Range-Driver-4-290-224?quantity=1
Are you expecting full duplex type communication with the microphone and speaker? Or is the microphone only going to listen for voice commands? If I'm thinking about this correctly, the feedback issues are different between those two scenarios.
Another option I forgot about. I don't have direct experience with these, but this type of speaker is designed for wider dispersion. There are smaller versions also. I'm not sure if anyone but Tectonic is making BMR's these days, so you might be tied to them if their particular dispersion characteristics become important in your design.
Tectonic TEBM65C20F-4 3-1/2" BMR Full-Range Speaker
https://www.parts-express.com/Tecto...-Full-Range-Speaker-4-Ohm-297-2164?quantity=1
Tectonic TEBM65C20F-4 3-1/2" BMR Full-Range Speaker
https://www.parts-express.com/Tecto...-Full-Range-Speaker-4-Ohm-297-2164?quantity=1