Help with playing videos in work van.

[Luzer 10+ year member]

WARNING: Noobie alert!!!

This is my first post to this forum, so I'll make it real long and stupid.

'bout 30 years ago when I was younger, car audio was a bit easier than it is now. Since the advent of mp3's and Napster, I have wanted a mp3 player for my car. Since then I have graduated to wanting a video player for my car. Since I never drive my car (My wife does) I have set about using my laptop to play mp3's and video's in my work van.

Because I am married with children, I have no money for a true audio/video system. (My wife prefers to spend money on food and stuff, which really tics me off, but what the heck)

I was using powered PC speakers (I have 500w inverters (2) hooked to the battery with a 4 way Cobra splitter and inline fuse) to listen to the music and watch the videos, but this is way to soft of a sound for me. (I also use the inverters to power the laptop and power tools)

I found some indoor/outdoor speakers with no specs for cheap at BigLots, and hooked up my old 250w home receiver/amp to them inside the van. The ac isn't a problem due to the inverters, and the sound was good cranked, but no base to speak of.

This worked well for me for a very short while, but the wife wanted the speakers back on the sun deck where they belong. Oh well.

Then in Biglots I find a pair of 6"woofers with tweeters incased in a (fake) leather box rated a 300w. It even has a red neon ring you can light up by plugging it into you lighter! WooHoo! (j/k about the neon, to old for that) It cost $19.99. So I bought 2 of them.

And blew them both, well, one speaker on each dual box. Both the left speaker.

I tried to find more immediately after I blew them, and before I read about overpowering them, and there were none to be found in the area of the state that I travel on a regular basis. So I resigned myself to returning them to Biglots as my wife insisted. (If you are not married, one day you will be) So being the type of person that would rather throw away $40 on an experiment than face down a manager that knew I blew the speakers, I asked if I could exchange them, knowing full well that every store, including that one, did have anymore in stock. Dam*ed if she didn't find 2 more.

So here I am, with the same set up.

I'm using a laptop, headphone jack to a Y RCA adapter to the RCA jacks in the back of the 250w home amp/receiver, using the A/B speaker setting to work both sets of the Roadmaster (there, I said it) 300w boxes. (A) for the front of the van and (B) for the rear of the van. Each box contains 2 woofers and 2 tweeters.

Should I give up?

Does 250w on channel A = 125w per speaker?

When both are on (A+B), would it be 250w/4?

Do I need to breakdown and buy a 1200W amp? (Yeah, like I could afford that)

I have been told (and have read) that I needed to overpower the speakers, because of the distortion from the 250w amp would blow 300w speakers everytime. But then again, I have been told (and read) that the gain needs to be adjusted, and that overpowering the peek watts is stupid as well.

Thanks for any replies, even if only to laugh.

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[Luzer 10+ year member]

Bump

not even a view?

 

[THUNDERBIRD 10+ year member]

dude just spend the money and buy a stereo ur wife will ***** but owell its ur work van which u need to make money so just use some bs about how u have to be happy if u want me to do good work and good work gets us more money

 

[mikescanlon 10+ year member]

like 350 bucks you could be good to go.

cheap single 10 in box, use that reciever and get a regular headunit, and aux-input from the laptop into that headunit, run some speakers off the headunit.

easy good to go.

 

[Luzer 10+ year member]

Thanks for the replies.

Heres what I ended up doing:

No head unit at all, I use the computer to control the sound.

4x100w amp with 4 Sony ( 3-way 6X9 XS-V6930A) 280x peak, 80w rms speakers,

a/c powered 150w subwoofer (JBL) with rear rca inputs and outputs.

So now I have 400 watts of power, and a 150 watt sub. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

I was having trouble trying to configure the amp without the remote wire, went to CircuitCity, and a few indies in my area, and was told without a doubt that I would have to have a head unit in order for it to work. I even called the manufacturer of the amp to get advice, with no luck. (Yeah, I should have asked here first)

I ended up just getting a 12v switch and installed it in the dash so the amp is 'fooled' into thinking the head unit is on.

Using a combination of stuff lying around the house, the amp, speakers, and cables. I spent a grand total of just under $180.00

It actually sounds great, and I have gotten several youngsters with high end systems to listen to it, and they agreed.

heh. my ears are still ringing.....

 

[SAG3 5,000+ posts]

interesting

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

The biggest problem I see is an issue of safety, not sound quality...ultimately, the primary concern is on the road, and all the times I've used a computer while driving, it's very distracting. You could just leave it on random, but you lose control over your system...

 

[Luzer 10+ year member]

The biggest problem I see is an issue of safety, not sound quality...ultimately, the primary concern is on the road, and all the times I've used a computer while driving, it's very distracting. You could just leave it on random, but you lose control over your system...

Thank you for your reply. I should of make it clear that I don't watch videos while driving, I listen to them. I have playlists set up to reflect my different moods. I also have mp3's lined up as playlists.

I spend a lot of time in the van doing paperwork, emailing pictures of the jobs that I have completed, routing the GPS for the next job, searching the web for supplies, etc. The screen on the laptop usually has the GPS routing directions full screen so I know where to go, and different chat programs for my office and customers.

*****UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANYONE ATTEMPT TO WATCH VIDEOS WHILE DRIVING A VEHICLE*****

It's not just unsafe, it's STUPID!