longboard boombox

[ambientvoid]

So i made a real basic speaker setup a couple of years ago for various cycling/skating events i skate every year. The first version was on a metalframe backpack and the second stripped down version i mounted on the back of a longboard, but in both cases its essential components have been made up of a couple of 2 car speakers, a car amp, and a 12v sla battery.
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i31/ambientvoid/DSC_0073.jpg

Its reasonably loud, and has survived a few events without unrepairable damage. However it weighs a tonne and so after asking around Tripath amps were suggested as one step towards both stripping weight aand possibly gaining better performance, and i got pointed this way.

Can anyone give me suggestions for a good amp and appropriate speakers that'll provide loud clear sound and give me a decent reduction in weight?

 

[ambientvoid]

Oh i forgot to mention that ideally im considering speakers no larger than 6" at the moment, maybe 8" at a push.Sorry if the above info is a bit thin on the ground, my grasp of the technical stuff is a tad spartan at best and iv long since lost the various bits of speaker and amp packaging with the spec lists on... =(

 

[pythonic]

Maybe have a scan through the boominator thread. That project uses a tripath amp and there's a few speaker ideas for you in there,

 

[mr. doom]

I am building a speaker for a friends snowboard this month. It will use a cheap Lepai amp and LI-ion battery. The two 5 1/2" speakers I am using have lightweight neo magnets. The tricky part is fabricating a light durable box, On a long board you could probably use four small speakers and pull the most currant out of T-amp.

 

[ambientvoid]

Thanks for the tip, i'll have a look at that thread.
Mr doom, for my box iv been using 18" long x 6"diameter vent duct between the speakers with great success. If i decide to add a couple more speakers to the next version i'll just fix a second length of duct by the first...

 

[ambientvoid]

Ok so after having another general browse through the threads i could vaguely understand and googling various bits i have come to the conclusion that car speakers wont work well with T-amps and what i really need is high sensitivity PA speakers. I found these 6" affordable 97db PA speakers: Celestion TF 0615MR 8ohm 6 PA Speaker : Lean Business, Oustanding Audio, Bass Guitar Speakers, Celestion Guitar Speakers, Guitar Amps, Tayden Guitar Speakers, Pro PA Speakers, Celstion spares, Celstion Vintage 30 and more!
Is there a particular recommended amp i could couple with these to get better performance at full volume than my current setup (2 x 60W RMS at 4 Ohms is apparently the car amps spec, and i think the car speakers might be about 40w)? Oh and is it possible to run 2 speakers off one channel?

 

[Phaedras]

Ok so after having another general browse through the threads i could vaguely understand and googling various bits i have come to the conclusion that car speakers wont work well with T-amps and what i really need is high sensitivity PA speakers. I found these 6" affordable 97db PA speakers: Celestion TF 0615MR 8ohm 6 PA Speaker : Lean Business, Oustanding Audio, Bass Guitar Speakers, Celestion Guitar Speakers, Guitar Amps, Tayden Guitar Speakers, Pro PA Speakers, Celstion spares, Celstion Vintage 30 and more!
Is there a particular recommended amp i could couple with these to get better performance at full volume than my current setup (2 x 60W RMS at 4 Ohms is apparently the car amps spec, and i think the car speakers might be about 40w)? Oh and is it possible to run 2 speakers off one channel?

Hey man

Those drivers will be hopeless for the system you're trying to create.. They will produce no bass at all as they only go down to 500hz and they are 8ohm so you wont get a lot out of a class-d..

If you are deadset on 6" and ordering from the website you linked to, you should pick something like this instead: 4 ohm, 6", 92,5spl

It will go way further down and because its 4 ohm you can get more from the amp.. You would need 2 piezo tweeters for high frequencies as those drivers only go up to 5khz..

Imo, as used in the Boominator, the Amp6basic is excellent for the project you're building.. And with those speakers you should be able to get a lot more sound out of it than with a car amp and car speakers

 

[ambientvoid]

Ah thanks, i am deadset on 6" at the moment (though i could be persuaded higher depending what i can sort out for the new box) but the link was pretty much the first speaker i found that sounded about right. £85 is rather higher than i was hoping to have to spend so do you have a better idea where i might find the right kind of speakers on a somewhat tighter budget?

 

[Phaedras]

Ah thanks, i am deadset on 6" at the moment (though i could be persuaded higher depending what i can sort out for the new box) but the link was pretty much the first speaker i found that sounded about right. £85 is rather higher than i was hoping to have to spend so do you have a better idea where i might find the right kind of speakers on a somewhat tighter budget?

Then maybe go for the Monacor SP-167E they are 4ohm, reasonable spl.. Just don't expect them to play great bass.. But for a tight budget, they may be very nice

You'll still need some tweeters for higher frequencies

 

[JZatopa]

Ok I would use a class D amp, running on 12V into multiple speakers to gain efficiency. Something like 4-6 speakers connected to a small bridged class D amp would work well.