Help Build a HiFi system

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Hi

Just joined this forum and I am seriously thinking of putting together a hi fi system, starting with the speakers, since my current system (an all in one Sony system from the 1980s) and its speakers sound like their sound is coming out of a box.

I can get an used amp for around $100 locally. Will this be OK?

Sony TA VE910 AV Amplifier For sale in Colombo Sri Lanka

I want to hear the full range of sound but without having to turn up the volume so as to disturb persons in adjoining rooms in the house.

I have built a set of speakers with Radio Shack 6" drivers but simply could not get the bass response I needed - should I go for 8" drivers for the woofers?
 
To get the bass out of a speaker, the box needs to be designed for the particular driver you are using. I assume you're in Sri Lanka due to the ad you listed. I don't know what's available in your part of the world, but I'm thinking Tang Band probably is. If so, you can build a very nice sounding system.
As for your amp; do you plan on just 2-channel/stereo? If so, the amp you mentioned could probably be improved upon. However, that depemds on what's available in your area. There are several small T-amps available that are new and fairly inexpensive. You can check Alibaba.com for the amps.
Mike
 
I want to hear the full range of sound but without having to turn up the volume so as to disturb persons in adjoining rooms in the house.
When you listen at low volumes the high and low frequencies sound too quiet because of the way we perceive sound. Google equal loudness contours for further information.

Some amplifiers have a "loudness" button or something similar to boost the high and low frequencies when listening at low volumes. If yours doesn't have one you could try the bass and treble controls or something else that can equalize the sound.
 
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To get the bass out of a speaker, the box needs to be designed for the particular driver you are using. I assume you're in Sri Lanka due to the ad you listed. I don't know what's available in your part of the world, but I'm thinking Tang Band probably is. If so, you can build a very nice sounding system.
As for your amp; do you plan on just 2-channel/stereo? If so, the amp you mentioned could probably be improved upon. However, that depemds on what's available in your area. There are several small T-amps available that are new and fairly inexpensive. You can check Alibaba.com for the amps.
Mike

Right now these are available in the local classifieds:


Pioneer VSX-D606S
Pioneer' VSX-D509S
Sony STR-K5900p
SANSUI AU5900
Sony TA VE910 AV

Alibaba has mostly unbranded stuff? What is the best buy there? What are T-amps?
 
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Wikipedia and worth quoting:

With speakers, exactly the opposite is true, a flat low-frequency response being very hard to obtain except in free space high above ground or in a very large and anechoic chamber free from reflections down to 20 Hz. Until recently it was not possible to achieve high levels at frequencies down to 20 Hz without high levels of harmonic distortion, and even today the best speakers are likely to generate around 1 to 3% of total harmonic distortion, corresponding to 30 to 40 dB below fundamental. This is not really good enough, given the steep rise in loudness (rising to as much as 24 dB per octave) with frequency revealed by the equal-loudness curves below about 100 Hz, and a good experimenter must ensure that trial subjects really are hearing the fundamental and not harmonics, especially the third harmonic which will be especially pronounced as speaker cones become limited in travel as their suspensions reach the limit of compliance. A possible way around the problem is to use acoustic filtering, such as by resonant cavity, in the speaker setup.
A flat free-field high-frequency response up to 20 kHz, on the other hand, is comparatively easy to achieve with modern speakers on-axis. These effects have to be borne in mind when comparing results of various attempts to measure equal-loudness contours.

Do the loudness and bass controls on an amp sufficient or do I need an equalizer?
 
Do the loudness and bass controls on an amp sufficient or do I need an equalizer?
maybe just start with linearizing speaker's response, which involves a little study & experimenting with crossovers
As cheap speakers often lack of a proper crossover ( just a cap for high-pass for the tweeter ) they tend to have a rising response.
But once you set the right amount of BSC - baffle step correction- the bass will unexpectly come out ...;)
 
Hi

Just joined this forum and I am seriously thinking of putting together a hi fi system, starting with the speakers, since my current system (an all in one Sony system from the 1980s) and its speakers sound like their sound is coming out of a box.

I can get an used amp for around $100 locally. Will this be OK?

Sony TA VE910 AV Amplifier For sale in Colombo Sri Lanka

I want to hear the full range of sound but without having to turn up the volume so as to disturb persons in adjoining rooms in the house.

I have built a set of speakers with Radio Shack 6" drivers but simply could not get the bass response I needed - should I go for 8" drivers for the woofers?

Could also be your cabinets. You could add a port. Also, if it's a 2 way, you may have your tweeter too hot.

All this depends of course. :)

I'm using 7" ScanSpeak revelators and they have lots of bass but in a rather large box for a 2-way "monitor"
 
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It's the amplifier - meaning that Hi Fi amplifiers and even the low cost amp I am using tend to be flat in their response, which is good, however the cheaper 2 watt amplfiers used in portables and PC speakers tend to emphasize the bass much more, which is pleasing at lower levels but is not really true to the sound at higher levels, which anyway these cannot achieve.

Cabinets - I am using a test rig with no enclosure so these should tighten up. Things change though, I happenned to test with a vintage Hi-Fi amp and speakers - the Sony 333 series from 1979 and realize now that 88dB SPL is about as loud as I can play music in my home environment.
 
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Returning after some time.

I turned my attention to my living room system a few days ago, and initially intended to create the same success I did with my PC speaker system, with improved bass. My initial intention was to use car audio speakers, but being unable to get the original Pioneer speakers, I decided to experiment with what I already have:

Here is the living room system - a vintage Sony ES-333 system which is working sufficiently well although with a crackling volume control and non-operative balance. The speakers that came with it are large vintage boxes that produce good bass but muddles everything else, and to make matters worse, cannot be placed at ear level due to their size.

Here is the Amplifier, decent stuff at any rate:

588651d1483159033t-post-pictures-current-systems-ssss-jpg


Here are the speakers I used, from my open baffle project, used in open baffle form:

578534d1478396833t-wall-baffle-design-openbaffle1-jpg
 
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The speakers are Realistic from Radio Shack, purchased more than 30 years ago. The specs are as follows:

20-50W, 8 Ohms and 60000 to 60,000 Hz range. Using the 8 Ohms speaker with a tweeter in parallel and a first order crossover would not be a problem.

Initial listening tests were very encouraging, with the speaker covering enough range for the bass line to be heard, and the kick drums to be heard but not felt. Listening on - axis and at ear level does wonders for quality, and at my listening chair across the room I was hearing what I wanted to hear and more, on tracks I have heard for over 20 years.

I will be adding the capacitor crossover and a coil to to complete the speaker, which I will continue to use in open baffle configuration. Will I lose any definition with the addition of a crossover and grile cloth? Have to try and see.

As for communicating results, REW and a good microphone is definitely on the cards now.

Found a spec: PAIR OF 6.5" Woofers 40-1011A by Radio Shack -- Tested and Working - Pair #1 - $24.95 | PicClick
 
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Specifications of the Receiver:
Tuning range: FM, MW, LW, SW
Power output: 25 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
Frequency response: 10Hz to 50kHz
Total harmonic distortion: 0.1%
Damping factor: 20
Input sensitivity: 2.5mV (MM), 150mV (line)
Signal to noise ratio: 70dB (MM), 90dB (line)
Output: 150mV (line)
Speaker load impedance: 4Ω to 16Ω
Dimensions: 430 x 135 x 295mm
Weight: 6.9kg
Year: 1979

Sony STR-333 - Manual - AM/FM Program Receiver - HiFi Engine
 
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