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lpil View Drop Down
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Joined: 14 July 2022
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Points: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lpil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Small speaker for solar system advice
    Posted: 14 July 2022 at 10:19am
Hello everyone! I'm a newbie looking for advice selecting a speaker for a solar powered system I want to build. The goal is to get ~40 people dancing at my upcoming annual camping trip, while being compact so I can fit it in my small car along with all my camping gear.
I'd like to have it charging up + playing quietly during the day and then raise the volume in the evening, hopefully lasting past midnight.

I already happen to have:
  • a 100ah lithium battery + suitable solar charging setup (borrowed from a family member's canal boat)
  • a Sony XM-N502 car amp (http://https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/sup/car-marine-entertainment-in-car-amplifiers/xm-n502/specifications)
  • a questionable collection of 90s dance music
And now I'm looking for help selecting speaker(s) to go with it.

I thought it might be nice to have a single loudspeaker rather than a pair, to save on space. I don't think people will care about stereo imaging after a few beers by a camp fire.

I'm open to both buying and building, and I'm happy to spend more to make it easier/quicker as I'm very busy with work at the moment.

What would you advise I do? Thanks in advance! Thumbs Up

Peace
Louis


Edited by lpil - 14 July 2022 at 10:19am
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Joined: 03 January 2012
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Points: 7105 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Earplug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 July 2022 at 1:34pm
Ok, above all look for some thing with a decent SPL - like 97/98dB, 1W @ 1m. Don't worry too much about the wattage. 

And as ever - what's the budget?  Ermm

For compact, look at co-axial drivers, eg. Tannoy. I do like their VX 12. Otherwise, EV, Turbo, RCF, etc. are all worth looking at. Even something like an EV SX200/300 will do the job.  Smile


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lpil View Drop Down
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Points: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lpil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 July 2022 at 2:21pm
Hey! Thanks for the help.

> Ok, above all look for some thing with a decent SPL - like 97/98dB, 1W @ 1m. Don't worry too much about the wattage. 

Seeing as I've limited power is efficiency something I want to worry about?

> And as ever - what's the budget?  Ermm

Hard to say really! I'm just dipping my toes into the soundsystem world so I don't know how much things should cost really. There seems to be a huge range of prices and I don't really know how to judge how good any of the options are.
Seeing as this is a bit of an experiment it would be nice to spend a few hundred quid and get something and then if I'm bitten by the bug I could upgrade later.

> For compact, look at co-axial drivers, eg. Tannoy. I do like their VX 12. Otherwise, EV, Turbo, RCF, etc. are all worth looking at. Even something like an EV SX200/300 will do the job.  Smile

Think VX12 will be outside my budget.

See some second hand EV SX300s on ebay + facebook marketplace, could be a good option! Any tips on what to look for when buying?
You say "an"  so one rather than a pair?

Are there other speakers similar to EV SX200/300s that could be good to look for?

Cheers,
Louis


Edited by lpil - 14 July 2022 at 2:41pm
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Originally posted by lpil lpil wrote:

Hey! Thanks for the help.

> Ok, above all look for some thing with a decent SPL - like 97/98dB, 1W @ 1m. Don't worry too much about the wattage. 

Seeing as I've limited power is efficiency something I want to worry about?

Running off solar, power efficiency, i.e. more bang for your buck (high SPL) is paramount. There are plenty of cheap 12 + 1" cabs out there, but with terrible SPL. No point touching those. A waste of money.


> And as ever - what's the budget?  Ermm

Hard to say really! I'm just dipping my toes into the soundsystem world so I don't know how much things should cost really. There seems to be a huge range of prices and I don't really know how to judge how good any of the options are.
Seeing as this is a bit of an experiment it would be nice to spend a few hundred quid and get something and then if I'm bitten by the bug I could upgrade later.

> For compact, look at co-axial drivers, eg. Tannoy. I do like their VX 12. Otherwise, EV, Turbo, RCF, etc. are all worth looking at. Even something like an EV SX200/300 will do the job.  Smile

Think VX12 will be outside my budget.

See some second hand EV SX300s on ebay + facebook marketplace, could be a good option! Any tips on what to look for when buying?
You say "an"  so one rather than a pair?

Again - depends on your budget.  Smile

If you can afford 2, then go for it. Just make sure that the components are original. Many will swop for some cheap driver if blown!  Dead

Are there other speakers similar to EV SX200/300s that could be good to look for?


EV S200's?   Smile

I have some DAS DS12's which are also pretty good, but not sure how common they'd be in the UK. Or check out the Eon 15 G2. Also a very efficient cab.


Cheers,
Louis
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slaz View Drop Down
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Points: 2707 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote slaz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 July 2022 at 10:00am
Well for starters that Sony amplifier is no good for your purpose .... its a class AB design - and as such it'll drain your battery miles faster than a class D amplifer (which is whats needed for this kind of setup).

Have a look around for full-range class D amps - plenty around, but not so many used ones. I'll vouch for Pioneer as a good one - other brands that are likely to be quality are

Kenwood
Alpine
Vibe
JBL

A very common o/p power for these amplifiers is about 60W-120W/channel into 4R - which into a single 8R speaker (and I agree that something like a SX300 would be just the job) - giving you about 120W - 240W into 8R in bridge mode.

When looking at speakers in ebay et al, filter your results for passive speakers - passive are in the minority these days.



Edited by slaz - 20 July 2022 at 10:59am
REMEMBER....POLITICIANS AND DIAPERS SHOULD BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME REASON
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Points: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lpil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 July 2022 at 12:33pm
Thanks for all the help guys, really useful. I found an EV SX300 in good condition locally which seems like it'll do nicely.

Good tip with the amp there, efficiency is key. Are there particular Pioneer amps you would look out for? Or other brands.
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Points: 2707 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote slaz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 July 2022 at 2:30pm
Originally posted by lpil lpil wrote:

Thanks for all the help guys, really useful. I found an EV SX300 in good condition locally which seems like it'll do nicely.

Good tip with the amp there, efficiency is key. Are there particular Pioneer amps you would look out for? Or other brands.


Well I use a Pioneer GM-D8704 .... which is a 4-channel jobbie. If you bridge 1 pair of channels and use that with a SX300 (8R, so equivalent to 2 channels running into 4R)
you should get around 250W into that box. It'll be loud. The amplifer seems to be clean-sounding and has been reliable for me so far.

Obviously its a car amplifier, so you need to adapt all the connections somehow, wire a small switch across the +12 and REM terminals, and remember there are no input signal level meters - so gain structure is a bit "seat of the pants".
REMEMBER....POLITICIANS AND DIAPERS SHOULD BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME REASON
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I use Pioneer GM-D**** series too... though they all seem to be either 4 channel or mono, and the latter have LPF built in so can't run full range.

Maybe just go for a 4 channel version, bridge the output as suggested and save the spare channels for when you want to add a bass box Wink
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Originally posted by bitSmasher bitSmasher wrote:

I use Pioneer GM-D**** series too... though they all seem to be either 4 channel or mono, and the latter have LPF built in so can't run full range.

Maybe just go for a 4 channel version, bridge the output as suggested and save the spare channels for when you want to add a bass box Wink


Yeah I use my 4ch Pioneer amp to drive 1 speaker (prob pushing it a bit hard really, as that 1 FBT MAXX4 is a 4R version). OTOH the amp is rated as being 1R stable, so 4R bridge should be OK (and so far _has_ been OK) - but my hunch is that the amp o/p is limited by the PSU section, and running the 2nd pair of channels (especially 4R) might very well limit the total power - mebbe clip earlier or something. If I decide to run 2 x FBT's (or 1 x FBT + a bass box) I think I'd rather get a 2nd Pioneer amp .... (I already have a 2nd 50Ah LiFePo4 battery for it :-)
REMEMBER....POLITICIANS AND DIAPERS SHOULD BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME REASON
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Points: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lpil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 July 2022 at 7:20pm
Nice one, thanks gang.

Slaz how long do you find your battery lasts with that setup?
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Points: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lpil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 August 2022 at 9:08pm
After a lot of head scratching and a few pointers from the old man (a retired electrical engineer) I've got something working.

Sounds great! I love it and I'm sure the folks at the camping trip will too. Thanks slaz, bitSmasher and Earplug, I owe you one.







Edited by lpil - 03 August 2022 at 9:08pm
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