{"id":786,"date":"2019-06-27T03:24:58","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T03:24:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/?page_id=786"},"modified":"2025-07-27T22:06:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T12:06:38","slug":"portable-speaker","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/portable-speaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Portable Speaker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p style=\"text-align:right\">Updated 30 June 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a while now I&#8217;ve been looking for the ideal portable speaker to use with my wind controllers. I&#8217;ve bought a few (LG FH2, Nyne Rebel, Sony SRS-X2, Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 4), and while they all have their nice points, none of them really met all my requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve been playing with some concert bands, and what I needed (apart from good sound quality) was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Reasonably small size (Sony, Harman Kardon)<\/li><li>Good volume (LG)<\/li><li>Ability to determine how much battery life is left  (Nyne)<\/li><li>1\/4&#8243; input socket (LG)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I decided to build my own. It looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-791\" width=\"400\" height=\"391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker1.png 800w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker1-300x293.png 300w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker1-768x750.png 768w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker1-730x713.png 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Components<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The components I chose were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drivers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.daytonaudio.com\/index.php\/ds135-8-5-designer-series-woofer-speaker.html\">Dalton Audio DS135-8 5&#8243; Designer Series woofer<\/a>. It has an 8ohm impedance and can put out 50W over a wide range of frequencies that are well matched to the patches I play on my wind controllers (mainly orchestral instruments). I wasn&#8217;t sure if I would need a tweeter, as the woofer range was pretty good (up to 7KHz). I decided to include one as the required enclosure volume meant that there was room for it. I used a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jaycar.com.au\/25mm-titanium-dome-tweeter\/p\/CT2007\">25mm Titanium Dome tweeter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Amplifier<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>I chose this amp:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/amp-board.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-790\" width=\"338\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/amp-board.png 676w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/amp-board-300x207.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 338px) 100vw, 338px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a TPA3116D2 100W mono. There&#8217;s a review of it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CULehzRVurc\">here<\/a>. It gives good performance and will run on a range of voltages up to 24V. Because I added a tweeter, I included a off-the-shelf crossover set at 3800Hz:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/crossover.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-801\" width=\"245\" height=\"245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/crossover.png 980w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/crossover-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/crossover-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/crossover-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/crossover-730x730.png 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 245px) 100vw, 245px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Battery<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>I chose to use a Ozito 18V Li-ion drill battery. Why? Well, they offer the best storage per dollar, they recharge fast, and I have a few of them for my power tools! I decided that I didn&#8217;t want an on-board charger, as a single charge will last quite a while, and if I needed more, I can just take a spare battery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Building the Enclosure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I decided to use a sealed enclosure, rather than a vented one. Sealed enclosures are typically smaller than vented ones, and I wasn&#8217;t after really deep notes (vented enclosures enhance the bass notes). The Dayton Audio site recommended 0.07cuft for a sealed box, which gave a f3 (the frequency where the response drops off at 3dB per octave) of 113Hz (that&#8217;s about A1 &#8211; the A just over an octave below middle C). The lowest parts I play often are the bass clarinet parts, which go down to E1 below that A, so to have the response drop off about that point wasn&#8217;t too bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I built the enclosure out of 12mm MDF, glued and screwed it together, and made a mesh cover for the drivers out of plastic gutter guard (!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I 3-D printed a box for the electrics, which included a battery voltage display, the amp board, an on\/off switch, the volume control (I had to un-solder the potentiometer on the amp-board to use a full-sized pot), and the audio in sockets. I also included a 5V adapter to run my Line6 wireless audio receiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also 3-D printed a connector for the Ozito battery, and bolted it to the side of the enclosure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Photos <br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-792\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker2.png 800w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker2-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker2-730x548.png 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>The front view<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-793\" width=\"400\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker3.png 800w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker3-300x260.png 300w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker3-768x665.png 768w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker3-730x632.png 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>The back view showing the electric enclosure and the battery connector<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker4-696x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-794\" width=\"348\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker4-696x1024.png 696w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker4-204x300.png 204w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker4-768x1130.png 768w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker4-730x1074.png 730w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker4.png 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 348px) 100vw, 348px\" \/><figcaption>It can stand on its end<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker5.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-795\" width=\"400\" height=\"298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker5.png 800w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker5-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker5-768x572.png 768w, https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/speaker5-730x544.png 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>The Line6 receiver attached with Velcro<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m pretty happy with the sound &#8211; the speaker is well matched to the frequency ranges I use. It doesn&#8217;t have the deep bass that I get with my LG FH2 speaker, but that is three times the size and it&#8217;s vented. Nevertheless, the bass performance is still quite acceptable. The unit is not super light &#8211; it&#8217;s 4.6Kg with the battery and Line6 receiver attached, but it is easily carried. The volume is more than I need, and is easily louder than the equivalent orchestral instruments. I can get ~106dBA at 1m. The batteries re-charge in 20 minutes. I don&#8217;t know about battery life yet, but my calculations say it will be 4+ hours, and with the ability to take a spare battery for quick changes, battery life is not an issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated 30 June 2019 For a while now I&#8217;ve been looking for the ideal portable speaker to use with my wind controllers. I&#8217;ve bought a few (LG FH2, Nyne Rebel, Sony SRS-X2, Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 4), and while they all have their nice points, none of them really met all my requirements. I&#8217;ve been [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-786","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":{"page_structure_type":"type-3","styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":6}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=786"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":807,"href":"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/786\/revisions\/807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gonzos.net\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}