Speaker project on a budget

[ACM]

Hello all,

I've been toying around with an idea for a project for a while now, maybe you guys can help or let me know if this will be a waste of time and money. I have an old pair of Sansui bookshelf speakers that were given to me, Model SP50. The sound is pretty lousy but I like the asthetics, as does my wife, so my idea is to put modern drivers and crossover in the cabinets. They are two-ways with an 8" woofer and a small horn (at least that is what they call it)tweeter. External dimensions are roughly 20"x13"x10", ported enclosure.

I will be using these in a spare bedroom where I have an excersice bike set up. I am powering them with a Dayton DTA 100A 50 watt chip amp, and will be connected to my laptop headphone out for movies and music while riding the bike. The bike is fairly loud so output is a concern, though we're certainly not talking concert levels. My main goal is clear, easily understandable dialog, but I do want decent sounding music in case I repurpose these in the future. I know these speakers will never sound great (that's what my cornscalas are for) so I'm not looking to sink a lot of money into these things, let's say no more than $200, less being preferable.

So, I'm looking for suggestions for drivers and crossovers that will likely mate well with these enclosures. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Adam

[ACM]

Back:

[ACM]

Inside:

[ACM]

Woofer:

[ACM]

Tweeter:

[kg4guy]

I picked a pair of SP-3000 up locally last year for $75. they were in near mint condition original owner and after putting new capacitors in the networks they didn't sound half bad .

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Cool looking cabinets.

There was a pair of KG3.5's for sale in the garage sale section that were a little rough for $50. Buy them and just have the drivers, crossovers and port sent to you.

http://www.klipsch.com/kg-3-5

The KG's are about 2.34 sq. ft. (external) and your cabinets are 1.5 sq. ft. You can make an enclosure act like it is larger by adding stuffing. Don't know if you can make up that much but it is worth a try. You may also have to experiment with the port size.

You may be able to use the existing motorboard in yoru speakers by enlarging the openings.

This will be a fun and cheap project.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Here they are:

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/165295.aspx

You are not going to get components cheaper than finding complete speakers with rough cabinets.

[ACM]

Awesome idea! It looks like those may be gone, I put in a query. I knew matching the drivers and crossover to one another would be the trick but it had not occured to me to replace the internal from those of another speaker, thus all the engineering already worked out. I'll keep my eye out.

Thanks!

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I goofed! Don't buy those speakers, they are 3 way and the drivers will probably not fit in your cabinets. I had them confused with a pair of 3.5's that was for sale. Look for a pair of KG 2 ways with a square horn tweeter.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

The KG 3.2's are still for sale in the garage sale. I checked and they are 2 way with a 10" Passive radiator. Almost the same size as your cabinets, just 5" taller and 2" wider. They may work for you if you port them. Only $50.

[ACM]

Thanks for the heads up. I searched my local classifieds and found a pair of Dahlquist M-905's for $40.00, ad said one tweeter not working. Drivers are almost exactly the same dimensions, and the cabinet isn't far off. I went for a look and checked the fuse in the back, sure enough the fuse for the tweeter was blown. I said, I'll take them, and ran by radio shack on the way home and spent a couple bucks on a pack of fuses.

I got home, popped the fuses in, hooked them up to my old NAD 7020 receiver and they sing quite nicely. Actually, I've taken a little bit of a liking to these and now am hesitant to make the swap. So, I've basically added another pair of speakers to my home.

Ona related note, I came across a decent Pioneer PL-41 turntable at my local record shop for $100. I saw that monstrous wooden plinth and desire set in. I started to think that I may be able to trade my very nice Thorens table for it, but then I thought, that's crazy and proceeded to throw Dark Side of the Moon on to prove my self wrong. Well, now I think I'm going to end up with a 3rd turntable...this hobby is ridiculous.

[MikeFord]

Mid range turntables isn't a hobby I would recommend. Buy ONE good turntable and all the rest will lose there appeal.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

You live in a major city, so you will find deals all of the time. I bought a bunch of McIntosh equipment in your town when a record staore was having their yearly sale.

Try to have an end game picked out.

If you enjoy buying stuff, playing with it for a while and then selling, enjoy. But if you are building a system, you are going to have piles of equipment that you do not use. You will just keep finding interesting deals. We have all been through it, and it is a lot of work selling a bunch of equipment.

[ACM]

Man, this rings true. Sound advice, indeed. Thanks

So, I've abandoned the purchase of the old Pioneer table, and am onboard with the idea of getting one Nice table. At this point, my front end (technics 1200 & Thorens TD-160) is the weakest link, the rest of the system being a rebuilt Scott 299C and Cornwalls with Fastrac Mid horn and re-capped B2 crossovers. I have no experience with modern mid-high end tables, just old Duals, Marantz, Thorens, and DD Technics.

So, my question to you guys ( and this may be better off in another thread) is, what should I be looking for? I may be able to scrounge up the cash for something in the $1000-1500 range, but can't afford to make that purchase twice. A used Rega P3, Linn LP-12, MusicHall, VPI, old Gerrard 301?

I'm open to advice from those with experience with some of the nicer tables out there. My preference is for the less finicky tables (though I'll put up with some inconvienence for better sound) and a wall mount is not a good option for me right now. I occasionally listen to digital files, but 90% of the time this system in vinyl.

[Marvel]

At this point, my front end (technics 1200 & Thorens TD-160) is the weakest link

Those are both fine tables, I would stop right there.

[MikeFord]

Before my Pink Triangle (and the ensuing sonic wonder) I was pretty happy with a 1200 using a big sticky gel mat, but it was a clear step below analog magic

The only table I think I would grab up immediately if found in a range I could afford is a Well Tempered. Anything else, like Linn, would need to be in a range where I was sure I could play with it, then flip at a profit. A Goldmund would also be really nice to have, but not likely ever in my price range.

That said, analog is only as good as the rest of the front end, cartridge, arm, preamp, record cleaning system, without ALL the ducks in a row the results are going to be less than stellar. Beauty of buying used is that you might luck into a complete rig.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I have a Rega P9 and a Technics 1200 that I modified by moving the power supply into an external box and added a Jelco Arm.

There is NOTHING wrong with the Technics. It is a very good table. Unfortunately, there is a "little" debate over this topic all over the internets so we should not throw too much gas on the fire.

[ACM]

Mike, the Pink Triangle looks interesting, I was not aware of that company, also thanks for the recommendations. Excellent food for thought.

tigerwoodKhorns, I sent you a PM.

[fini]

I know I'm only 7 months late on this, but IMHO a tuned-up PL-41 is no slouch. I have a few of them. Works well with Audio Technica cartridges (the very inexpensive 95e is a great, upgradable match). Clean it, lube it, put in a new thrust pad (I had 10 made--I can sell a few if I can find them ;^), make adjustments with a test disc and you're good to go. Very simple, straight-forward design, which I really appreciate. My Thorens TD-124 is a classic table, but it sits idle, as I got tired of chasing motor noise. For $100 plus cartridge and misc. items, you'd be hard-pressed to beat it!