Car audio products react differently in home audio situations...the reason for cars being louder is cabin gain. Your best bet is to get a sub designed for HT use...then build yourself a ported enclosure tuned LOW...like 15-20Hz, which will emphasize the low end enough to make some impact.
I do find that home amps are more expensive too, but there is no real "non-jimmy-rigged" way to hook up a car amp inhouse. Check out the threads I've created and find the one with my dorm setup...that was just unsafe, but is one way you can do it.
I do find that home amps are more expensive too, but there is no real "non-jimmy-rigged" way to hook up a car amp inhouse. Check out the threads I've created and find the one with my dorm setup...that was just unsafe, but is one way you can do it.
JimJ
5,000+ posts
Tangled Up in Blue
Most "car" subs are also home audio drivers...for example, the Shiva, Tempest, 13W7, etc, etc.
The enclosure is the biggest thing you should change going into the home.
req
5,000+ posts
am a mod.
your biggest problem is getting a solid 12v~14v source that REPLENISHES itself and has more than 20 amps of current. you can get 5amp 12v power supplies on the internet for cheap, but they will power a single channel on a 4 channel amplifier if you understand that.
i got a 15 amp power supply from a computer that runs a pair of 8's @ 150w a piece and it hits pretty well for under $100. id suggest looking in to adires tempest, or shiva - or ascendant audio's atlas series.
imo - if you can afford it, get a 200~500w plate amp that is stable at 4ohms and use that. then there is no niggsta-riggin or anything. build the box big with a really low tuning (the atlas has a resonant frequency in the mid-teens, great for HT) and 200~300w will wang it in a big box.
theres LOTS of threads in here about this stuff, use the search button //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
i got a 15 amp power supply from a computer that runs a pair of 8's @ 150w a piece and it hits pretty well for under $100. id suggest looking in to adires tempest, or shiva - or ascendant audio's atlas series.
imo - if you can afford it, get a 200~500w plate amp that is stable at 4ohms and use that. then there is no niggsta-riggin or anything. build the box big with a really low tuning (the atlas has a resonant frequency in the mid-teens, great for HT) and 200~300w will wang it in a big box.
theres LOTS of threads in here about this stuff, use the search button //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
Quart2000
10+ year member
Member
You're right you DON'T want to do it, I know from experience. a while back I built a "car" home stereo for the fun of it once using multiple different setups with the many car stereo components I had laying around. I tried a few different setups and it wasn't worth the trouble. I've been into both car and home audio for over 15 years and the "car" home system didn't measure up, especially for the trouble I had to go through to "do it right". I had a couple friends at a stereo shop and we examined the power supply to their sound board , i ended up using 12 volt car batteries with 2, 1 farad caps and a DC converter to get a good solid power supply. I used 100% car audio parts from deck, EQ, amps, component speakers, and subwoofers, also all "car audio cables and wires"
It was a fun experiment, but the overall sound was nothing compared to a dedicated home stereo.
just my 2 cents, good luck if you decide to do it though.
//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/peace.gif.2db28b618ed8d1964ebbe2f5021d2c39.gif
bean
10+ year member
DIP
I have a 30 amp and a 50 amp DC power inverter to do this "right" anyone interested? PM me.
bean
10+ year member
DIP
agreed
JimJ
5,000+ posts
Tangled Up in Blue
Don't agree completely //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
The Shiva driver is an excellent example of something in common usage for both environments. It's all how you use it. 12VDC amplifiers in the home? OK, I agree there.
The Shiva driver is an excellent example of something in common usage for both environments. It's all how you use it. 12VDC amplifiers in the home? OK, I agree there.
Yes and no.
car audio is going to be of less quality for home audio.
the reason why a home audio system that is only maybe 500-1000 watts sounds soo good is that it doesnt have to cover up any other sounds.
in car audio you are automatically starting in a 60 db hole.
so you are trying to cover up the sound of your engine, the sound your tires make on the road, and other cars. which is about 60 db. if you are in a quiet room and then you hear 60 db it will be loud. so that is why you have to use so much more power in car audio.
with home audio you dont have to really worry about that your house is insulated and drowns out alot of normal noises. all home audio speakers are going to be 8 ohms some might be lower but you really dont see it.
with alot of high end speaker companys they only reguire about 100-200 of CLEAN power to make them sound awesome. that is also true with home audio subs. and you are working with something in a house and you dont have to really worry about things like resenant (sp?) freq of your car.
if you want you can do it you can use your car audio equipment in your house. but the main thing about home audio is the type of enclosure for what you are doing. it also depends on the type of setup you are doing either 5.1 6.1 or 7.1......
the best thing to do is have all of the same speakers to get the best sound out of it. i had the best system with a 7.1 system of all polk audio tower speakers that had 3 drivers in them. so he had 6 of the same tower speakers and a center channel that had the same divers in it but was not a tower.
then he had the top of the line polk audio sub that was a dual 12 rated at around 250 watts and he had neighbors complaing about the noise from over 100 feet away.
you will have alot cleaner sound from home audio designed speakers then you will car audio anyday of the week.
if you have ever been to ces you will notice that the home audio section is about 4 times as big as the car audio secting. home audio is alot more important than car audio.
alot of companys spend alot of money getting home audio speakers to sound there best. that is also why you can spend anywhere from 100-100,000 on speakers.
but if it works for you and your budget then go for it. your electrical bill might go up a bit though
the reason why a home audio system that is only maybe 500-1000 watts sounds soo good is that it doesnt have to cover up any other sounds.
in car audio you are automatically starting in a 60 db hole.
so you are trying to cover up the sound of your engine, the sound your tires make on the road, and other cars. which is about 60 db. if you are in a quiet room and then you hear 60 db it will be loud. so that is why you have to use so much more power in car audio.
with home audio you dont have to really worry about that your house is insulated and drowns out alot of normal noises. all home audio speakers are going to be 8 ohms some might be lower but you really dont see it.
with alot of high end speaker companys they only reguire about 100-200 of CLEAN power to make them sound awesome. that is also true with home audio subs. and you are working with something in a house and you dont have to really worry about things like resenant (sp?) freq of your car.
if you want you can do it you can use your car audio equipment in your house. but the main thing about home audio is the type of enclosure for what you are doing. it also depends on the type of setup you are doing either 5.1 6.1 or 7.1......
the best thing to do is have all of the same speakers to get the best sound out of it. i had the best system with a 7.1 system of all polk audio tower speakers that had 3 drivers in them. so he had 6 of the same tower speakers and a center channel that had the same divers in it but was not a tower.
then he had the top of the line polk audio sub that was a dual 12 rated at around 250 watts and he had neighbors complaing about the noise from over 100 feet away.
you will have alot cleaner sound from home audio designed speakers then you will car audio anyday of the week.
if you have ever been to ces you will notice that the home audio section is about 4 times as big as the car audio secting. home audio is alot more important than car audio.
alot of companys spend alot of money getting home audio speakers to sound there best. that is also why you can spend anywhere from 100-100,000 on speakers.
but if it works for you and your budget then go for it. your electrical bill might go up a bit though
Move your home theater to the garage or park your car in the living room. Just make sure you vent the exhaust outside so you don't die.
See, those are (excluding the W7) home audio drivers that happen to do well in car environments...much harder to make it work the other way around though...though it can be done and made to sound good.
JimJ
5,000+ posts
Tangled Up in Blue
Still trying to figure out what this means...
Again, not always. Although you're right in saying that much more power is required, there's nothing that says car audio intrinsically has a "dirtier sound".
Wattage and quality are a different thing, yet you seem to equate one with the other.
Worlddre
5,000+ posts
Big Darkie
Well if anyone does try and do this i have a pair of ported boxes for 6.75 inch speakers that i built for my self but never used. PM me if interested
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