My boombox

RayW

RayW

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This is something I'd been thinking about for a while and finally got a little time to play. It's got Sonic Impact T-amp guts inside and the speakers are Vifa coaxials from Apex Jr. I went with Steve's suggested enclosure but listened to it before I cut holes for the ports and I kind of like the sound so I'm leaving it sealed for now. The box is 1/2" plywood, the handle is a piece of crating from the stove we bought a couple months ago.

Not wanting to work too hard with the T-amp guts I just pulled the top off the amp and pulled the volume control. I made some standoffs out of dowel and flipped the amp body upside down. That way I didn't have to mess with a different battery cage. The volume knob is mounted in a counterbored hole in the front. As of now it has the T-amp knob but I'm on the lookout for a cool D-shaft knob to put on it.

I still need to add a 1/8" stereo jack to the back for input. As of now the CD player or mp3 player can sit in the middle section with the amp and crossovers. It just makes it a little tougher to change tracks. It's just a hinged lid with enough clearance under the handle to access batteries. The locking hasp was just because it's what I had access to. I'm not really worried about somebody stealing the guts and leaving the rest.

Sound? Not bad. It has pretty good bass for 4" speakers and with Steve's recommended XO it sounds pretty balanced. I might monkey with it a little just to play around but for now it's great to carry around wherever I need tunes.

Ray
 

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Looks like a fun project.

I've been thinking of doing something similar for a while now.
I think all you need now are some econowaveguides mounted to the top.
 
(said in my best Jerry Seinfeld) "Hello, Newman". Yeah, I was thinking about making the boombox out of some Altec A-7's but the need for a car chasis to mount it on kept me away.

Ray
 
Way cool, Ray. Love to hear it sometime.

Finally going to hook up my Super T to that "gi-normous" JBL mono cabinet on wheels in my garage (12" JBL woof, JBL bullet tweeter and JBL xover). I think I showed it to you when you were here.

BTW, your name was mentioned in the "Best $50 speaker" thread (see link below). I posed an idea that was off thread and it probably deserves its own thread. Check out my post at the bottom of page 31 and Zilch's post that follows.

Let me know if I can help.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=72390&page=31
 
RayW said:
(said in my best Jerry Seinfeld) "Hello, Newman". Yeah, I was thinking about making the boombox out of some Altec A-7's but the need for a car chasis to mount it on kept me away.

Ray
Click to expand...


Ray,

Any chance we could get a shot of you sitting on your new project?
 
One of the DIY projects on partsexpress is based on the T-amp. I came across it the other day.

Here it is. It's an ipod setup.

So how long do the batteries last in the t-amp?
 
I'd have to do some more sanding. This was mostly a proof of concept type thing. I took a shot at it with 100grit on the belt sander to get the roughness out but I'd be afraid of splinters if I sat on it now. Maybe if I made it a bit taller and put a seat on it...

Ray
 
Beats mine!

i was tossing that idea around myself, as a matter of fact....oh well.....when the money comes.....

It's kinda low on my list.
 
super j said:
So how long do the batteries last in the t-amp?
Click to expand...

I haven't kept track. The set that's in there now was used for ~4 hours of stacking hay in the barn, playing around with some HPM's when I first got them, checking out a set of outdoor speakers that had been stored and now an hour or so in the Boomboxa Rustica. I'd say they probably have 8 hours or so on them now and they seem ok.

I saw that PE project when it came out in the flyer but didn't pay that much attention back then. Mine is a quite a bit smaller but I'm sure the Podzuma would kick butt in sonics.

Oz: thanks for finding an appropriate seat. :smoke: Maybe I could rig a timer and use this as an alarm clock at the fest...:scratch2:

Special Id: It would have been a piece of cake a year ago but SI went all uptown with the T-amp. I paid about $25 for that one. Now they're running about $60. That would put the drivers+amp+crossover parts a little over $100. That might be a little over the top for a silly toy like that.

Ray
 
RayW said:
Special Id: It would have been a piece of cake a year ago but SI went all uptown with the T-amp. I paid about $25 for that one. Now they're running about $60. That would put the drivers+amp+crossover parts a little over $100. That might be a little over the top for a silly toy like that.
Click to expand...

Thats OK. I may have a special project for you before too long anyway.
 
It would have been a piece of cake a year ago but SI went all uptown with the T-amp. I paid about $25 for that one. Now they're running about $60.
Click to expand...
Never figured that one out, either. Part of the Sonic T's allure was that it was so cheap. $60 for 5 watts RMS per channel; hell, I'll fork over an extra thirty or so and get one of those Audiosource AMP-100's.
 
Fedallah said:
Never figured that one out, either. Part of the Sonic T's allure was that it was so cheap. $60 for 5 watts RMS per channel; hell, I'll fork over an extra thirty or so and get one of those Audiosource AMP-100's.
Click to expand...

Anything like the AMP One? I paid $10 for one of those at a garage sale. One meter's busted and the panel lights are out, but it sounds great! Very well balanced, and has enough bass for my tastes without a preamp. :thmbsp:

That is a wicked cool project, Ray. You should paint it! :D
 
YamahaFreak said:
That is a wicked cool project, Ray. You should paint it! :D
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I'm still kicking around the idea of finish. I thought about some gray epoxy paint to make it look like an 80's boombox or black vinyl for a stealth look. Then again, I like the Boomboxa Rustica name so maybe I'll just leave it. :scratch2:

Ray
 
RayW said:
I'm still kicking around the idea of finish. I thought about some gray epoxy paint to make it look like an 80's boombox or black vinyl for a stealth look. Then again, I like the Boomboxa Rustica name so maybe I'll just leave it. :scratch2:

Ray
Click to expand...

That is a cool name. :yes:
 
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