Anyone use their leftover / extra Car Audio stuff for home HiFi? One would think - by now - the name brand car audio stuff would have specs that far exceed what is considered good for noise, distortion, frequency response et al. 12V power shouldnt be a mountain to overcome...
I picked up a Rockford Fosgate R-150 / 2 at a gamble price; the blue light came on when I powered it up. Sounds good to my ears in my garage system. I'm going to try a FRFR for guitar / vocal with it, with two FR speakers and amp / cab models upstream.
I picked up a Rockford Fosgate R-150 / 2 at a gamble price; the blue light came on when I powered it up. Sounds good to my ears in my garage system. I'm going to try a FRFR for guitar / vocal with it, with two FR speakers and amp / cab models upstream.
It's been done many times. The problem is generally the 12v power supply. For low power systems, you can generally get a supply for $50 or less (ebay, switching power supplies or computer power supplies). For higher power systems, the supplies can easily exceed the cost of an entire amplifier, designed for 120v.
The particular amp I found says it'll handle 12 - 16V DC power. I assume that's to accommodate the racket in a 12V auto power system.
If they can guarantee operation at 16V, what's the actual limit on the switching regulator inside the amp, assuming there's probably still some margin on top? Thinking 4 LiPo cells, at 16.8 full charge, falling to maybe 13V at end of charge.
Worried about that 0.8!
The older Rockford amps would go into over-voltage protection at about 16v. I don't know about the newer amplifiers.
If you wanted to go with battery power, a Li Ion battery/booster pack with a trickle charger may work well enough for low power.
If you wanted to go with battery power, a Li Ion battery/booster pack with a trickle charger may work well enough for low power.
Last edited:
Thanks, Perry.
Perhaps that particular voltage is just the rating of the input cap on their switcher; 16V seems to be an economical choice for 12V operation. I cant even get the cover off the thing to look inside. I have a 12V 5AH LiPo battery I got cheap off Amazon; probably rolling my own isnt worth it to save a little current between what the amp would pull at 16 vs 12V on the input. I could just buy a bigger 12V if a short run time gets annoying.
I assume these commercial LiPo batteries with the nice, whole number output voltages - like 9, 12 - simply have switching regulators inside, along with their charging circuitry; charge from 5, outputs 9 - Hmmm, how do they do?. It feels counterintuitive, but, as long as it works for my purposes messing with individual cells could be way more problematic.
The primary side filter caps are typically 25 or 35v and I've seen 63v. Higher voltage, for a given capacitance typically has a lower ESR which reduces heating.
Check around at the local computer repair shops. They may have a used ATX type supply that with have a 12v rating of 50 or so amps. I'm not recommending the following, it's just an example. For these, you have to ground the green wire in the plug to cause it to turn on.
https://www.newegg.com/thermaltake-smart-series-ps-spd-0600npcwus-w-600w/p/N82E16817153232
Check around at the local computer repair shops. They may have a used ATX type supply that with have a 12v rating of 50 or so amps. I'm not recommending the following, it's just an example. For these, you have to ground the green wire in the plug to cause it to turn on.
https://www.newegg.com/thermaltake-smart-series-ps-spd-0600npcwus-w-600w/p/N82E16817153232
There is no single valid reason to use car audio material instead of HOME material to create a HIFI system.
If instead you already have the material available and you necessarily need to save, then I agree.
If the system must be of good quality, then you need high quality car audio amplifiers and as Perry told you, a power supply capable of delivering a lot of Amperes at 12 volts.
When I moved into my first house as a married man, I didn't have much money to spend, but I had a lot of car audio amplifiers and a great desire to listen to music loud and well, so I made the following:
- A pair of KLIPSH Bookshelf B3 speakers driven by an AUDISON LRX2.500
- A home-built subwoofer in a sealed box with a single 3ohm JL AUDIO 12-W7 that mirrors in shape and technical characteristics the original JL fathom F112 project, initially driven by a rockford fosgate Power BD1000, then sold and replaced by a recent SOUNDIGITAL SD3000.1 EVO5 1OHM for energy efficiency reasons (the soundigital also has more power and you notice it immediately).
- The amplifiers are managed in active mode by an Audison Bit Ten D Processor/DSP that controls the frequency cuts, the slopes, the time delays of each speaker, the equalization, the emphasis and everything else in a precise way; all adjustable via the personal computer.
- The source is my 65" Samsung TV connected with an optical cable (TOSLINK) that goes directly to the Bit Ten D.
The entire system is powered by a modified 145Amp Server power supply, set to 13.9 volts (even during the most violent sessions, the voltage does not drop even 0.1 volts) and with a quiet fan.
It is useless for me to tell you how powerful and how qualitative the system is composed in this way, it seems to have no limits.
If instead you already have the material available and you necessarily need to save, then I agree.
If the system must be of good quality, then you need high quality car audio amplifiers and as Perry told you, a power supply capable of delivering a lot of Amperes at 12 volts.
When I moved into my first house as a married man, I didn't have much money to spend, but I had a lot of car audio amplifiers and a great desire to listen to music loud and well, so I made the following:
- A pair of KLIPSH Bookshelf B3 speakers driven by an AUDISON LRX2.500
- A home-built subwoofer in a sealed box with a single 3ohm JL AUDIO 12-W7 that mirrors in shape and technical characteristics the original JL fathom F112 project, initially driven by a rockford fosgate Power BD1000, then sold and replaced by a recent SOUNDIGITAL SD3000.1 EVO5 1OHM for energy efficiency reasons (the soundigital also has more power and you notice it immediately).
- The amplifiers are managed in active mode by an Audison Bit Ten D Processor/DSP that controls the frequency cuts, the slopes, the time delays of each speaker, the equalization, the emphasis and everything else in a precise way; all adjustable via the personal computer.
- The source is my 65" Samsung TV connected with an optical cable (TOSLINK) that goes directly to the Bit Ten D.
The entire system is powered by a modified 145Amp Server power supply, set to 13.9 volts (even during the most violent sessions, the voltage does not drop even 0.1 volts) and with a quiet fan.
It is useless for me to tell you how powerful and how qualitative the system is composed in this way, it seems to have no limits.
Nice
I have the same driver on a 1000/1v1. Always felt that it needed another 1000w thrown at it. Having spent what is literally half my life with the combo
You can. It might be worth it if you already have a really high end car audio amp. Not that one though.
However. Even the higher end RF amps aren’t designed with sound quality in mind.
By the time you add the cost of a power supply and battery.
You should just sell the amp and buy a cheap PA amp. Especially if you plan on using a cheap switching supply.
However. Even the higher end RF amps aren’t designed with sound quality in mind.
By the time you add the cost of a power supply and battery.
You should just sell the amp and buy a cheap PA amp. Especially if you plan on using a cheap switching supply.
You can simply buy a used Server PSU for a really cheap price, I recommend going for a HP Platinum rated PSU as their fan doesn't runs at full speed when it's not under full load and they are pretty quiet!
after reading this, I felt like using the Soundstream to power up the hybrid LS 3/5a of the desktop.
why not, having it there ready to use?
a nice power supply with at least 70/80 Amp and off you go...
PC > Scarlett > RCA cable > Soundstream > Speaker.
why not, having it there ready to use?
a nice power supply with at least 70/80 Amp and off you go...
PC > Scarlett > RCA cable > Soundstream > Speaker.
I wouldn't recommend lithium cells to anyone due to the potential fire hazard. Lithium fires are a whole different animal. Not worth the risk.
Buy a used 12v 66amp server power supply from ebay and call it a day.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/236067738826?_trksid=p2332490.c101875.m1851&itmprp=cksum:236067738826d7314f55914146ec93f0fe6b2a57b6e5|enc:AQAKAAABcG96wQ16jds4VFcrhy1F3d4mbwZUJI9Fs%2BgdXYAHIzlX2e3YaNh7x%2BEnKA3G%2BCqSl1Xn4McfcWFK1GytmS2qxJ87mtE8Gm3iR1Ja4WBwh0hNHJrJx3Ki5mp04ow4CO7lP%2BooCybZDDU%2BbbSwmg7CbTin%2BBzBzbCYVnbjvyQAHu6--HI4MB7SvJl5IJqlyvomgoLMlgT6qAJzX0SANJhty2dinszlyKD5XIrESPWrGm4zjohbFJCeNJbapM%2BX3noDV9INr0eQsTbw5qzC4xwCuhklsi4Ohxzojii0JlNOxL6RoqyLI0binVuteSKZPpC2tdlKybDygE19DI%2BiNYvL7OtNtYb%2FrWzMrGcCcS9%2FMm%2Bdv81Q4yHoWiIaz%2FHF%2FQDJGF9oS4vRDhnI3NGAib6ZVgb5xSWFKTQdClk%2F3NOxVR5UuPFYLv9hVGT%2FWg%2BDneksObmuo8iiCv2cAmn5BwEx6X%2BOuSvuMKcDm1UV97Vhe7UF|ampid😛L_CLK|clp:2332490&itmmeta=01JX20N6WY6XN85F1P80G2AJHJ
Last edited:
I used to have a car audio Hi Fi in my room as a Uni student, on 12V Optima batteries.. wonder why I forgot to turn off the battery charger and off a couple of expensive batteries went and no more money for music..
I have not seen linear 12-15VDC psus around, this would be much costlier than a Smps server power supply.. still anyone thinking a 20-60A linear power supply would be worth to be built?
I have not seen linear 12-15VDC psus around, this would be much costlier than a Smps server power supply.. still anyone thinking a 20-60A linear power supply would be worth to be built?
No, not at all!
A 60A 12v linear power supply cost 3x or even more than an equivalent server PSU and also you're losing the overcurrent / voltage protection + the high efficiency of server PSUs
Admittedly, it doesnt sound that great.
Verified it outputs the power expected into 8 Ohms, before clipping. At higher frequencies, say 15k and up, the sine wave has these little visible "squiggles" superimposed on it, that I can see with the oscilloscope used to show when it's clipping. So much for simply "figuring" that "by now" all these amps would be masterfully built with SQ well beyond what anyone could take issue with. Guess not! Junk for kids with a cool sounding name...
An interesting thread would be car amplifiers that actually easily compete with modern "standard issue" home HiFi, sound quality wise.
Audison was mentioned and I could get one with the power I'm looking for - ~30WPC - for a reasonable cost for this particular project. Right, I should just sell the R-F... Another mentioned "Soundstream" which all seem to have way, way more power - even the motorcycle ones - than I'd ever make use of in my box with a pair of 40W Visaton BG20 FR drivers. I suppose that's OK if it sounds good. The R-F idles at 500 mA...
My dream is to take this box up on stage like any small guitar amp, turn it on - no AC connection, play my three songs and get off. Have my sound all dialed in on a "pedal board" for the guitar and vocal; the PA guy can just mic it if he wants - or not; small club. I have a 12V 6AH LiPo battery that comes with all the attendant charge and protect circuitry and is just a no brainer to use in this particular application - hence the "car amp" interest. Verified it can easily do what I want with the R-F amp run-time wise. Verified if I accidentally leave the load on, it shuts itself off automatically until I recharge it again ;')
I've come across very large 12V power supplies here in the US. They are popular with the Ham Radio people. 20, 50, 100 amps. I sold one once on epay, could barely lift the finished package; couldnt believe it when it shipped successfully without getting smashed or bent.
Suggestions, please for great SQ car amps in the 150/2, 75/4 --> 30WPC/8 power range, 20WPC into 8 would be just fine. Or just dont use 2 of the channels... I dont know very much about what's available.
Doesn't 'at clipping' change everything, in regards to quality.
What dies it do at rated power?
Much of the ultra-high frequency noise is irrelevant.
Operating from batteries, playing through it, how does it sound (not driven into clipping)?
Driving into a PA type speaker, would you need more than about 10 watts?
What dies it do at rated power?
Much of the ultra-high frequency noise is irrelevant.
Operating from batteries, playing through it, how does it sound (not driven into clipping)?
Driving into a PA type speaker, would you need more than about 10 watts?
from personal experience when i bought the Soundstream ref. 300. as soon as it arrived, we opened the box and immediately did the audio test by driving the B&W matrix 801 at what was then one of the most famous hi-fi shops in the area. given its capabilities it remained in the shop for two days to let audiophiles listen to it. someone thought of taking his old amp and then throwing it out the window.
So what I do for a quick "dead or alive" test is load the amp resistively, put in a sine wave drive signal, crank it up to clipping observed on an oscilloscope, then back off the drive until the waveform "appears" to be sinusoidal again. Then measure the RMS voltage using the oscilloscope's measure function. Square that value on a calculator, divide by the load resistance. See if the number is in the ballpark of what I'm expecting, with the amplifier rating and load resistor value considered. Maybe try several frequencies, rinse and repeat...
In the case of the R-F amp, it was. I did note a little channel imbalance; I think one put out 37 and the other 35 W into 8 Ohms using this technique. Didnt bother to calculate the difference in db. When listening to how it sounds, I'm nowhere near that power level...
Thanks for sharing your experience with this amplifier brand.
Why not connect the amp to the speaker and have anyone who comes into the room listen to it to see what they think?
0.2dB, inaudible.
0.2dB, inaudible.
Older Soundstreams are OK. Like the 90s Reference 500/1000 Class A 5.0/10.0. The designs are minimalist. After that I wouldn't touch them. The Adcoms are similar. Very simple MOSFET designs. The Phoenix Gold M/MS/MPS/ZX/ZPA is good. Orion NT100/200 XTR100/200 are decent, Linear Power are ok.
If you can find an Audison VRX. They're a great bargain (for the quality) and I'm sure they could compete with some higher end home amplifiers. The small The Thesis is the nicest car audio amplifier I've heard. 2nd best would be the Alpine MRV-F900 (F1 Status).
As Perry said. The high frequency switching noise isn't a huge concern. As it is out of the audible audio band. But, When measuring IMD. It does interact with the lower harmonics. So. I should have elaborated and said that it will make the car amplifier a little more difficult to compete.
If you can find an Audison VRX. They're a great bargain (for the quality) and I'm sure they could compete with some higher end home amplifiers. The small The Thesis is the nicest car audio amplifier I've heard. 2nd best would be the Alpine MRV-F900 (F1 Status).
As Perry said. The high frequency switching noise isn't a huge concern. As it is out of the audible audio band. But, When measuring IMD. It does interact with the lower harmonics. So. I should have elaborated and said that it will make the car amplifier a little more difficult to compete.