First Speaker Build! Portable Mono Speaker!

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pelissarim

pelissarim

Member
Joined 2014
Hello All!

So I am making a small mono speaker similar to a Sonos PLAY:1.
I want to make everything, internal with at most RCA/3.5mm jacks on the back, a power plug, a volume knob and a mute switch so speaker do not pop when I turn it on.

I also thought about incorporating some sort of wireless connection into the speaker as well. but not sure the best way to do it.

This is mainly for just listening to music in a relaxed say bed time environment and being portable to bring to a friends place to provide decent ambient listening.

My dimensions are as followed 6" by 6" by 8". I have attached a rendering I made of what I want it to look like.

I have the woofer and the tweeter picked out as is.

Morel MDT 12 1-1/8" Neodymium Tweeter
80W RMS at 8 Ohms
Best size and performance for what I want to make

Dayton Audio DS115-8 4" Designer Series Woofer Speaker
35W RMS at 8 Ohms
Great price, seems to be a well respected woofer.

The 2 main things I need to figure out is;

1. What amp do I pick to support the tweeter and woofer
2. Either buying a pre-made 2k Hz crossover or a custom built one.


Thanks in advanced!
 

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Richard Ellis

Richard Ellis

Member
Joined 2006
OK, I'll bite (Fish On!).........I ran your selected 4" driver thru my WinISD beta simulator & got this...The driver is suited to a ported alignment Qes/Fs = EBP...values greater than 50 "want" to be of the ported type. I got 3.3 Liters of internal volume, a tad bigger than your (Calculated) 2.4 Liters. Using the acoustic ratio(Rather than the 'Golden ratio'), I came up with the following dimensions (18mm thick wood) 8.77" X 7.24" X 6.02"...kinda close to what you had in mind. Performance bass-wise came out to -3.04 Db at 62.57 Hertz....just fine, just don't expect lots of volume at those frequencies, the cone excursion limits really starts coming into play here. Note, those frequencies can be enhanced radically with room placement, the worst is the enclosure "floating" in the air, then on a table, then on a table against a wall, and the "best"....in a corner....each choice so-called "directing" the bass into the room....as bass frequencies are omnidirectional. The tweeter isn't the best match, as the woofer is running about 82Db around your target @ 2-2.5K crossover, and the tweeter is hovering around 89 Dbs worth...it would sound too "bright", not matching up, we could dial down the response of the tweeter of course either by an L-pad (Dial) or permanently dialing it down with an attenuation network built in.
The amp situation....still contemplating that ....



__________________________________________________Rick.........
 
R

Richidoo

Member
Joined 2005
Raspberrypi B+ has analog audio out, just add a USB network dongle and Volumio or RaspyFi software you have wireless network player.

You could use a 12V car stereo chip amp, powered by 3 or 4 lithium batteries and a regulator if necessary.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/chip-amps/130747-looking-amp-kit-runs-12v-car-battery.html

ST Micro makes a 12V quad channel chip amp. With that you could do active crossover filters, which would be easier to develop, cheaper parts and take up less room. I'll find the part number, but there are other quads like this as most car head amps power 4 speakers.
 
pelissarim

pelissarim

Member
Joined 2014
Richard Ellis said:
OK, I'll bite (Fish On!).........I ran your selected 4" driver thru my WinISD beta simulator & got this...The driver is suited to a ported alignment Qes/Fs = EBP...values greater than 50 "want" to be of the ported type. I got 3.3 Liters of internal volume, a tad bigger than your (Calculated) 2.4 Liters. Using the acoustic ratio(Rather than the 'Golden ratio'), I came up with the following dimensions (18mm thick wood) 8.77" X 7.24" X 6.02"...kinda close to what you had in mind. Performance bass-wise came out to -3.04 Db at 62.57 Hertz....just fine, just don't expect lots of volume at those frequencies, the cone excursion limits really starts coming into play here. Note, those frequencies can be enhanced radically with room placement, the worst is the enclosure "floating" in the air, then on a table, then on a table against a wall, and the "best"....in a corner....each choice so-called "directing" the bass into the room....as bass frequencies are omnidirectional. The tweeter isn't the best match, as the woofer is running about 82Db around your target @ 2-2.5K crossover, and the tweeter is hovering around 89 Dbs worth...it would sound too "bright", not matching up, we could dial down the response of the tweeter of course either by an L-pad (Dial) or permanently dialing it down with an attenuation network built in.
The amp situation....still contemplating that ....
Click to expand...

So rick, what is the point of the Sensitivity dB rating you mentioned not matching up? Would it just be overall better if I picked a woofer that matched the tweeter specs?

For example this:
FaitalPRO 5FE120 5" Professional Midbass Midrange Woofer 8 Ohm
8 Ohm Imp.
80W RMS
88 dB Sensitivity

Its bigger than I really want to go but if it will simplify everything then thats what I want to do.

Richidoo said:
Raspberrypi B+ has analog audio out, just add a USB network dongle and Volumio or RaspyFi software you have wireless network player.

You could use a 12V car stereo chip amp, powered by 3 or 4 lithium batteries and a regulator if necessary.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/chip-amps/130747-looking-amp-kit-runs-12v-car-battery.html

ST Micro makes a 12V quad channel chip amp. With that you could do active crossover filters, which would be easier to develop, cheaper parts and take up less room. I'll find the part number, but there are other quads like this as most car head amps power 4 speakers.
Click to expand...


I guess I should have clarified that I am looking for a wall outlet powered portable speaker. I really do not want to mess with batteries. Thanks!
 
mikejennens

mikejennens

Member
Joined 2008
The dB rating will give you an idea of how loud the particular driver will be. As a rule of thumb, every 3 dB will result in the loudness doubling.

If I might ask, why do you want to go mono? You easily build a portable stereo unit and power it with a bluetooth amp like this one
Lepai LP7498E 200W Class D Amplifier with Bluetooth and Power Supply

If you're not opposed to full range drivers, there are many that are quite good and would simplfy your build and be less expensive than two drivers and a crossover.

Mike
 
pelissarim

pelissarim

Member
Joined 2014
mikje said:
The dB rating will give you an idea of how loud the particular driver will be. As a rule of thumb, every 3 dB will result in the loudness doubling.

If I might ask, why do you want to go mono? You easily build a portable stereo unit and power it with a bluetooth amp like this one
Lepai LP7498E 200W Class D Amplifier with Bluetooth and Power Supply

If you're not opposed to full range drivers, there are many that are quite good and would simplfy your build and be less expensive than two drivers and a crossover.

Mike
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike, my name is Michael as well!

In terms of the mono, that is exactly what the Sonos PLAY:1 is a single mono speaker. Also mainly size and form factor. I am trying to get relatively small in size.

I definitely do see your point as well.
There are just so many different options as well. I am going to get all my stuff from parts express btw.
Drivers, Price Points, etc..
 
Last edited:
mikejennens

mikejennens

Member
Joined 2008
Michael,
You could still go with a full range driver. For nearfield listening there are some advantages to full range. Parts Express sells Bluetooth receivers. You can find a single amp kit online, add the Bluetooth receiver, and you'd be good to go. If you want to stay with a two-way design, look up the Overnight Sensation. It's a small speaker with fantastic sound.
Mike
 
pelissarim

pelissarim

Member
Joined 2014
pelissarim

pelissarim

Member
Joined 2014
So if I was going to use full-range speakers this would be my base setup.

2x Dayton Audio RS100-8 4" Reference Full-Range Driver

2x50W TDA7492 Class-D Amplifier Board

Bluetooth v4.0 Audio Receiver Board aptX +EDR 12 VDC


Now my problem with this setup is I need 12v to power the Bluetooth device, but need a 24VDC 5amp power supply for the amp. I am not sure how I would go about getting all that power distribution setup in a simple manner.

Then there is the question of how am I going to do volume control, on off buttons, a mute switch etc.
 
xrk971

xrk971

Founder of XSA-Labs
Joined 2012
etsy.com/shop/XRKAudio
Paid Member
pelissarim said:
So if I was going to use full-range speakers this would be my base setup.

2x Dayton Audio RS100-8 4" Reference Full-Range Driver

2x50W TDA7492 Class-D Amplifier Board

Bluetooth v4.0 Audio Receiver Board aptX +EDR 12 VDC


Now my problem with this setup is I need 12v to power the Bluetooth device, but need a 24VDC 5amp power supply for the amp. I am not sure how I would go about getting all that power distribution setup in a simple manner.

Then there is the question of how am I going to do volume control, on off buttons, a mute switch etc.
Click to expand...

My recommendation would be to use the Faital Pro 3FE25 4ohms - you get 91dB sensitivity and it is very smooth. Or 4FE35 if you want more bass.

Use a TPA3116D2 amp as they sound better. Get the Ybdz variant for $13.

Be aware that an isolated DC to DC converter like the one made by Murata is mandatory for powering the BT module from same PS as amp. Otherwise you will tear your hair out trying to fix ground loop humm and buzz.

The RS100 is a fine driver though if you like it stick with it. 6dB for free is a no brainer though.
 
mikejennens

mikejennens

Member
Joined 2008
pelissarim

pelissarim

Member
Joined 2014
xrk971 said:
My recommendation would be to use the Faital Pro 3FE25 4ohms - you get 91dB sensitivity and it is very smooth. Or 4FE35 if you want more bass.

Use a TPA3116D2 amp as they sound better. Get the Ybdz variant for $13.

Be aware that an isolated DC to DC converter like the one made by Murata is mandatory for powering the BT module from same PS as amp. Otherwise you will tear your hair out trying to fix ground loop humm and buzz.

The RS100 is a fine driver though if you like it stick with it. 6dB for free is a no brainer though.
Click to expand...

I was going to use a group loop isolator to fix any power humm/buzz.

I will take note of those, tho I was trying to avoid rear mounted speakers as I am making my front mounting out of a machined piece of aluminum and mounting with screws and nuts.
 
pelissarim

pelissarim

Member
Joined 2014
mikje said:
For the Bluetooth, here is one that's rechargeable.
Battery Powered Bluetooth Wireless Audio Receiver with Power Supply Black

If you can find a more efficient speaker, which there are plenty of (Faital speakers come to mind- FaitalPRO 4FE35 4" Professional Full-Range Woofer 4 Ohm) you can go with a different amp that only needs a 12 vdc supply, which you can buy with the amp- Dayton Audio DTA-2 Class T Digital Audio Amplifier Module
Mike
Click to expand...

I am a little confused on the Amp/Speaker thing at the moment dont you want to power your speakers as close to the RMS value as possible?

Thats a 30W speaker with a max 15W/channel amp? What am I missing with speaker sensitivity?
 
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