Thread started by aksendz at 01.22.11 - 10:46 am

i though this would be the best place to ask.

me and my buddies are training for marathon...in the dessert...with 35lb backpacks and I was thinking of making it a little more fun.

what would you guys recommend for a sound system that provides good quality for a good 10meters all around and not that heavy.

I could make this easy and just get battery powered speakers but I doubt the batteries will last for 6 hours.

plus the DIY in me wants to get hands on.


any advice?

reply

Ihome mobile or Ihome to go, cant remember the name
but its 40$ on Amazon and it fits in almost any cup holder



dudebra420
01.22.11 - 11:05 am

reply

I'm pretty sure the ihome is not going to handle 10 meters. Nothing can push sound without a lot of energy. Let me know what you figure out because I'm in the same boat.



Joe Borfo
responding to a comment by dudebra420
01.22.11 - 12:26 pm

reply

I made my boom bag. I got a cheap messenger bag and built a plywood box to fit inside. dropped a small "jump starter" ($30 pepboys) with a 12v outlet hooked up a 6x9 and a cheap $20 preamp on the side and boom! Not as loud as a trailer but louder than my ihome. It does weigh about 15lbs so I don't carry in that often.



ToddAlmighty
01.22.11 - 8:27 pm

reply

talk to westsider nate...he powers up with 8 rechargable lithium AA batteries and a wallet sized preamp to go with a good speaker and an ipod...the weight would be the speaker and he's said old school mini sized home speakers work really well. a heavier magnet on the speaker means a better speaker from what i recall him saying..



barleye
01.23.11 - 10:46 am

reply

You could get a battery pack from All-Batteries.com to power your sound system. I use a NiMh 12V 10AH (120 Watt/Hours) battery pack to power four 80 Watt speakers for over 6 hours. For a small system you'd probably want at least 24 Watt/Hours.

For speakers, look for power computer speakers which can be run from an external power supply of a voltage compatible with available battery packs.

Or, use some boom box speakers and buy a digital amp to power them. Search ebay for "Tripath" or "T-amp" amplifier.

Or, make a box that fits on your rack, put a speaker in it, and add an amplifier and battery.


Good luck

Eric



thinkpeace
responding to a comment by barleye
01.23.11 - 3:41 pm

reply

can someone explain the whole amp business



aksendz
01.23.11 - 8:14 pm

reply

I would trust Eric's advice. And I am also going to do this. I got this nice subwoofer I gotta figure out how to work.



Joe Borfo
responding to a comment by thinkpeace
01.23.11 - 9:12 pm

reply

I ain't got the tools, electrical skills, or time necessary to put a sound system together (even though I'd love to).

I'm not impressed by the ihome device. Insufficient volume, poor sound quality. There are a few other smaller speaker units also for sale out there, but those, too, suffer from the same problems I've found.

I got this one, made by a dude that makes them in his garage or something: http://www.cyclesound.net/

It's small, mounts under my seat (also can be mounted on your bars) and runs on 6 AA rechargables. I'm quite pleased with it. It doesn't compare to a full-blown music trailer running on a car battery, of course, but I oftentimes find myself needing to turn down the volume when I'm biking at night through residential neighborhoods (gotta show some respect).



dudeonabike
01.25.11 - 2:31 pm

reply

Just saw the Altec Lansing iM-237 advertised at Fry's for $23. May fit what you are looking to do. Has a lot of reviews, and very good rating at Amazon.



DArK ENERgY
01.28.11 - 2:14 pm

reply