Garage music

[denverpilot]

Doesn’t have to be 3”. They make some larger stereo type Bluetooth speakers that project great sound. In a small confined area such as a garage with what I’m assuming to be concrete walls, the sound will be great. -except for when it starts to echo!

My garage is three cars big and has insulated walls... but no drywall on the ceiling due to overhead skylights, so sound just "disappears" up into there.

Don't most garages have 2x4 framed walls with or without insulation and drywall, unless they're concrete and underground or a walk-out type of thing? I haven't seen many concrete walled garages unless they're part of a walk-out basement or the house is in the side of a hill or something.

 

[denverpilot]

They were particularly terrible in car audio as well, in my experience.

The '04 Yukon has the factory GMC/Bose system... it kinda sucks... very muddy, but they did at least make it loud. Has the whopping two settings that can be changed... Treble and Bass... I hate that... need EQ...

It's my only vehicle with a stock sound system, other than adding an iPod input to one of the XM channels waaaay back in 2007 or so. It's probably overdue for a non-factory stereo, but I know I'll get out of hand in there and put a sub-woofer in that I shouldn't...

Should just bite the bullet and put the little $100 Kenwood that's in the Subaru in the Yukon... bluetooth, direct connect for iPhone, blah blah... but I'm kinda waiting to see where Android Auto goes, if it ever goes anywhere.

 

[RyanB]

My garage is three cars big and has insulated walls... but no drywall on the ceiling due to overhead skylights, so sound just "disappears" up into there.

Don't most garages have 2x4 framed walls with or without insulation and drywall, unless they're concrete and underground or a walk-out type of thing? I haven't seen many concrete walled garages unless they're part of a walk-out basement or the house is in the side of a hill or something.

Yeah, depends greatly on where you live. Florida, for example, have mostly concrete garages, as the house itself is block. My garage is partially concrete block and drywall on the ceiling, so the sound isn't absorbed extremely well. Then again, it's not everyday that I listen to music in the garage.

 

[Matthew]

If you have a device such as an iPad or iPhone, the easiest way that I can think of would be to purchase a good quality Bluetooth speaker and pair the two.

I do that, then start up free Pandora.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Hey Denver, what is the fascination with the 200W RMS needs? Do your speakers actually draw that much power at reference levels? I can't imagine how loud that would be with even modestly-efficient speakers (say rating of 95dB). I'd think a speaker with a rating like that would be able to produce reference-level (105dB standing 12' away) could do it on less than 100W. 105dB is like floor-level rock concert loud!

 

[mscard88]

Doesn’t have to be 3”. They make some larger stereo type Bluetooth speakers that project great sound. In a small confined area such as a garage with what I’m assuming to be concrete walls, the sound will be great. -except for when it starts to echo!

Yep that's what I was referring to in post 15, the Bose Revolve + Bluetooth. I can use a cord for my old iPod Classic and you can also use Bluetooth on it. A little pricey but the sound is very good. I usually placed about 6-8" from a corner or wall to bounce the sound. I like it. I ordered it thru the BX if you're eligble to shop there, a little cheaper than Best Buy.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products...revolve_plus_pkg_sl_revolve_plus_triple_black

 

[RyanB]

Yep that's what I was referring to in post 15, the Bose Revolve + Bluetooth. I can use a cord for my old iPod Classic and you can also use Bluetooth on it. A little pricey but the sound is very good. I usually placed about 6-8" from a corner or wall to bounce the sound. I like it. I ordered it thru the BX if you're eligble to shop there, a little cheaper than Best Buy.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products...revolve_plus_pkg_sl_revolve_plus_triple_black

Good choice!

 

[denverpilot]

Hey Denver, what is the fascination with the 200W RMS needs? Do your speakers actually draw that much power at reference levels? I can't imagine how loud that would be with even modestly-efficient speakers (say rating of 95dB). I'd think a speaker with a rating like that would be able to produce reference-level (105dB standing 12' away) could do it on less than 100W. 105dB is like floor-level rock concert loud!

Hehehe... most of the speakers are rated closer to 100W... but I like having some overhead in the amp.

But yes... if it's too loud, you're too old. Rock on!!!

Some of these speakers I have aren't particularly efficient either... the 70s they didn't seem to care about that as much... the amps made up for it. Their coils get kinda hot when driven hard for a few hours.

Did I mention that I used to do sound augmentation work for concerts and what-not? Most of my work was with Jazz, but the stuff we used could handle rock concerts pretty easily.

Yep that's what I was referring to in post 15, the Bose Revolve + Bluetooth. I can use a cord for my old iPod Classic and you can also use Bluetooth on it. A little pricey but the sound is very good. I usually placed about 6-8" from a corner or wall to bounce the sound. I like it. I ordered it thru the BX if you're eligble to shop there, a little cheaper than Best Buy.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products...revolve_plus_pkg_sl_revolve_plus_triple_black

That's not a speaker, that looks like one of those butt-plug things. Okay, if you're into that sort of thing, I guess.

See the thing behind the skrim/sign on the left (and its twin on the right)... THAT's a speaker.

 

[SoonerAviator]

The '04 Yukon has the factory GMC/Bose system... it kinda sucks... very muddy, but they did at least make it loud. Has the whopping two settings that can be changed... Treble and Bass... I hate that... need EQ...

It's my only vehicle with a stock sound system, other than adding an iPod input to one of the XM channels waaaay back in 2007 or so. It's probably overdue for a non-factory stereo, but I know I'll get out of hand in there and put a sub-woofer in that I shouldn't...

Should just bite the bullet and put the little $100 Kenwood that's in the Subaru in the Yukon... bluetooth, direct connect for iPhone, blah blah... but I'm kinda waiting to see where Android Auto goes, if it ever goes anywhere.

I've had them in a few vehicles, most notably-terrible was in the '95 300ZX where they shoved the 4" drivers into awkward enclosures each having it's own individual amplifier and 3-wire line-level inputs, lol. No bass at all, sound was equally muddy. I replaced with a Pioneer deck, new speaker wire, and 6.5" Polk components with a 5-ch amp mounted under the passenger seat. Speakers were hidden behind stock Bose grills (except the tweeter mounted high in the corner of door panel), so other than the head unit, it appeared factory. It had a fantastic sound considering all that. I never did get a sub for it since the enclosure would have had to be custom-made to fit in that small space, even though all I had to do was add the sub/enclosure and run wire to the amp already in place.

I have used Polk speakers in our boat, and two other vehicles since, after having positive results. I even had a 12" Polk sub that was transferred to a few vehicles that always performed well. I'm not as much of a fan of their Home Theater stuff though. The RTi and LSi lines are okay, but I would only buy of those models as a used Craigslist deal.

 

[denverpilot]

I've had them in a few vehicles, most notably-terrible was in the '95 300ZX where they shoved the 4" drivers into awkward enclosures each having it's own individual amplifier and 3-wire line-level inputs, lol. No bass at all, sound was equally muddy. I replaced with a Pioneer deck, new speaker wire, and 6.5" Polk components with a 5-ch amp mounted under the passenger seat. Speakers were hidden behind stock Bose grills (except the tweeter mounted high in the corner of door panel), so other than the head unit, it appeared factory. It had a fantastic sound considering all that. I never did get a sub for it since the enclosure would have had to be custom-made to fit in that small space, even though all I had to do was add the sub/enclosure and run wire to the amp already in place. I have used Polk speakers in our boat, and two other vehicles since, after having positive results. I even had a 12" Polk sub that was transferred to a few vehicles that always performed well.

Sounds like a nice setup. There was a factory option for a sub (and there may even be some pre-wiring, but I've never looked) in the Yukon under the front center console between the seats. It was for the "Denali" package, and they didn't do Bose on those, as I recall. I can't decide if the truck is worth doing anything to... it's getting quickly to "beater" status, mostly just used for carting the dogs around in, but I've been commuting in it ever since the blend door servo crapped out on the Subaru and left it stuck in "Defrost Only" for the time being. Haven't had time to take the dash apart and get at that stupid $10 servo and replace it. So now that I'm driving it again as a daily driver, the stereo kinda annoys me. Not sure it's worth much $ to upgrade it, though... it may get sold sometime this summer... been looking for a sleeper sedan with at least 500 HP... Older Mercedes probably... I have a desire to drive a car instead of a truck and the Subaru just isn't "exciting" in any way, which is fine... it's not supposed to be... but I don't need two trucks... so one of them is probably going to go.

Best factory sub I've heard to date, is Karen's Lincoln LT truck... Ford/Lincoln went a tad crazy with the size of that thing, and it's mounted under the back seat and takes up ALL of the under seat space on one side. It's a massive ported thing, and rattles the truck. Especially after we got rid of the Ford/Lincoln stereo and put a Kenwood in there, but used the factory speakers all around, including that sub. It's ridiculous... sounds like a rap-racer car someone jammed a couple of 18"ers in. It even has its own amp, but I have never looked up the specs on the amp... it's WAAAAAY more than it needs to be, power-wise. Surprisingly for stock, it's tuned right and actually sounds good paired up with the other factory speakers. The Subaru also has the factory speakers, but it had the upgraded factory stereo with the tweeters in the A-pillars, and those speakers are all pretty well balanced too.

Just the Yukon sucks... I don't know why I've put up with it sucking for so long.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Best factory sub I've heard to date, is Karen's Lincoln LT truck... Ford/Lincoln went a tad crazy with the size of that thing, and it's mounted under the back seat and takes up ALL of the under seat space on one side. It's a massive ported thing, and rattles the truck. Especially after we got rid of the Ford/Lincoln stereo and put a Kenwood in there, but used the factory speakers all around, including that sub. It's ridiculous... sounds like a rap-racer car someone jammed a couple of 18"ers in. It even has its own amp, but I have never looked up the specs on the amp... it's WAAAAAY more than it needs to be, power-wise. Surprisingly for stock, it's tuned right and actually sounds good paired up with the other factory speakers. The Subaru also has the factory speakers, but it had the upgraded factory stereo with the tweeters in the A-pillars, and those speakers are all pretty well balanced too.

Just the Yukon sucks... I don't know why I've put up with it sucking for so long.

I can back up your factory sub review. My '08 F-150 Lariat has Ford's "Audiophile" sound system option in it (adds component-style front speakers and the sub). I believe it's a 7" (odd size) subwoofer and the amplifier wattage isn't terribly high, but the enclosure really allows it to make a good rumble. It does take up all of the under-seat storage on larger side of the split rear bench. It's just strong enough to rumble if you want it to, and adds great bottom-end for roundness of sound. It's not as chest thumping as a 12" sub with 300W RMS on tap, but it does a fantastic job for a factory subwoofer.

 

[Lachlan]

Well, regarding driver sizes, you are fighting the laws of physics at some point. It's not that 3" drivers can't have powerful sound, it's that they simply can't recreate all of the frequencies efficiently in a one-size fits all package. There's a reason that tweeters, mid-range, woofers, and sub-woofers exist.

True story. That’s the end of that discussion. Two thumbs up. Would “like” again if forum allowed.

 

[Lachlan]

My garage is three cars big and has insulated walls... but no drywall on the ceiling due to overhead skylights, so sound just "disappears" up into there.

Don't most garages have 2x4 framed walls with or without insulation and drywall, unless they're concrete and underground or a walk-out type of thing? I haven't seen many concrete walled garages unless they're part of a walk-out basement or the house is in the side of a hill or something.

Ha- I thought that concrete garage thing was weird, too. This thread has my head swinging back and forth like a spectator at a ping pong match at the Seoul Olympics!

 

[denverpilot]

Ha- I thought that concrete garage thing was weird, too. This thread has my head swinging back and forth like a spectator at a ping pong match at the Seoul Olympics!

Haha. I think we went off into automotive stereos a bit now. Which technically could be used to fill the garage with sound, too...

 

[Kelvin]

Nope...that's not it.

Bring
Other
Sound
Equipment

In fairness, Bose really does make a good product well suited for it target market.

Well, regarding driver sizes, you are fighting the laws of physics at some point. It's not that 3" drivers can't have powerful sound, it's that they simply can't recreate all of the frequencies efficiently in a one-size fits all package. There's a reason that tweeters, mid-range, woofers, and sub-woofers exist.

It's long been said in the audio community that Bose is a fantastic marketing company that also happens to make speakers. The old saying: Got no highs? Got no lows? It's got to be a BOSE! BOSE speaker systems were fairly revolutionary when they first came out with the cube systems and smaller bookshelves. Getting 5.1 surround sound into a lot of homes with designs that generated good WAF (wife approval factor). However, there are currently many systems out there that can best the BOSE systems for half the cost. They were particularly terrible in car audio as well, in my experience.

 

[X3 Skier]

This thread reminds me of “Don’t ask a tech geek what time it is unless you want to know how to build and calibrate an Atomic Clock”.

I totally happy with my Pandora and $30 Bluetooth JBL Flip Speaker.

Cheers

 

[denverpilot]

This thread reminds me of “Don’t ask a tech geek what time it is unless you want to know how to build and calibrate an Atomic Clock”.

I totally happy with my Pandora and $30 Bluetooth JBL Flip Speaker.

Cheers

HERETIC!!! HERETIC!!!!!! LOL

 

[Shepherd]

I thought this was going to be about garage bands.
I can hook you up with a couple of really good garage bands, in case that's the way you decide to go.
They don't take up much space, but they are expensive to feed.
And personal hygiene sometimes gets to be a problem.

 

[Shepherd]

Well, regarding driver sizes, you are fighting the laws of physics at some point. It's not that 3" drivers can't have powerful sound, it's that they simply can't recreate all of the frequencies efficiently in a one-size fits all package. There's a reason that tweeters, mid-range, woofers, and sub-woofers exist.

It's long been said in the audio community that Bose is a fantastic marketing company that also happens to make speakers. The old saying: Got no highs? Got no lows? It's got to be a BOSE! BOSE speaker systems were fairly revolutionary when they first came out with the cube systems and smaller bookshelves. Getting 5.1 surround sound into a lot of homes with designs that generated good WAF (wife approval factor). However, there are currently many systems out there that can best the BOSE systems for half the cost. They were particularly terrible in car audio as well, in my experience.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is the word of the Lord.
I don't even like Bose headsets in the plane.