Any recommendations for small speakers for driver?
 

Any recommendations for small speakers for driver?

Started by belfert, November 27, 2010, 07:15:39 AM

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belfert

Right now, I have regular car speakers at ceiling height for the driver.  It is hard to hear these speakers without the volume way up because of the distance.  They are also in wierd spots to accomodate the overhead electrical panel in a Dina.

I would like to get some small speakers I can mount on or near the windshield pillars.  I'm thinking something like the little cube satellite speakers, but they need to have both woofer and tweeter.  Any recommendations?  I don't think most car speakers would work because they need something to mount in.  I have a really nice car stereo that is actually hooked to my house power for both mobile and stationary use.
Brian Elfert - 1995 Dina Viaggio 1000 Series 60/B500 - 75% done but usable - Minneapolis, MN

Ed Hackenbruch

The only music i listen to is the sweet sound of the Detroit as i go down the road. ;D  Several times i have picked up on small noises that could have turned into big problems if i had not heard them because i had music on. Each to his own though.
Used to own a 1968 MCI 5A and a 1977 5C.

Jeremy

If your bus is anything like mine, even the windshield pillars will be a long way from your ears.

Headrest speakers are available and might be worth considering - they're popular on convertibles in particular because of the wind noise.





Jeremy

A shameless plug for my business - visit www.magazineexchange.co.uk for back issue magazines - thousands of titles covering cars, motorbikes, aircraft, railways, boats, modelling etc. You'll find lots of interest, although not much covering American buses sadly.

thomasinnv

I'm with you Ed.  I considered installing a stereo for otr use, but my wife likes to listen to it loud and I like to be able to hear what is going on.  When we had the truck and 5ver i used to get annoyed because she would blast the music and i couldn't hear the truck.  I too have averted disaster by being able to hear something that was not quite right.
Some are called, some are sent, some just got up and went.

1998 MCI 102-DL3
Series 60 12.7/Alison B500
95% converted (they're never really done, are they?)

Ed Hackenbruch

We were going thru a town with stop signs and traffic lights, and with our windows open i started hearing a real faint click, click, click, sound.  At first could not tell what side of the bus it was coming from and above a certain speed we could not hear it. Finally realized it was my left front wheel and thought it might be the wheel bearing. When we got to where we were going i took a look at it and found out that i had 3 lug nuts that were getting loose. Tightened up with no damage but could have done a lot if i had not caught it in time. I had all of the studs on the front changed this year just as a piece of mind thing since i know that in the past they had also been over torqued enough to start cracks in both of the front wheels.
Used to own a 1968 MCI 5A and a 1977 5C.

TomC

Bose makes some nice small cube speakers.  You don't have to have the woofers included-you can remote mount the woofers separately since lows are non directional.  On my truck, I used 4-2 way Minimus 7 (2 for the driver, 2 for the passenger) surface mounted Radio Shack speakers (surprisingly good) powered through a 50 watt per channel amplifier (not a booster), and then 4-8" Cerwin-Vega twin driver (two 4ohm drivers that can be wired for 8ohm) woofers along the back of my sleeper powered through a 200 watt per channel amplifier.  Needless to say-I could hear the lows through the engine noise.
Practically the only time I would fire up the radio or tapes (yes cassette tapes) was when I was tired-like mid afternoon.  Good Luck, TomC
Tom & Donna Christman. 1985 Kenworth 40ft Super C with garage. '77 AMGeneral 10240B; 8V-71TATAIC V730.

luvrbus

On the Bose cube speakers don't those need the amplifier to work mine in the house does,Brian check a wrecking yard for the speakers from a Lexus those are nice and small with great sound


good luck
Life is short drink the good wine first

Jeremy

Quote from: luvrbus on November 27, 2010, 08:51:21 AM
Brian check a wrecking yard for the speakers from a Lexus those are nice and small with great sound


I have the complete stereo system from a Lexus LS400 waiting to go into my bus. When I was removing it out of the car I was impressed to find that every speaker is mounted into it's own moulded plastic isobaric chamber, which is then mounted to the door or whatever. The amplifers and speakers have Pioneer labels on the back.

Jeremy
A shameless plug for my business - visit www.magazineexchange.co.uk for back issue magazines - thousands of titles covering cars, motorbikes, aircraft, railways, boats, modelling etc. You'll find lots of interest, although not much covering American buses sadly.

luvrbus

Jeremy our Lexus has the Pioneer system also they had a upgrade but I didn't think a 2500 dollar upgrade would really help Willie Nelson lol



good luck
Life is short drink the good wine first

chuckd

Just put a bid in on some Honda 2000 speakers, will see what happens.  My problem is I have Marine Corps Hearing - way to much time along side of a 106mm recoiless rifle :(  These would help for my type of ears, and my chance of hearing a hiccup in the engine is pretty remote.

Chuckd

belfert

I guess another option would be to put the right speaker at the center windshield piller.  I don't have a passenger seat like a normal motorhome.  The passengers have four speakers all connected to the rear channel of the car stereo.  We use the fader to balance the volume between driver and passengers.
Brian Elfert - 1995 Dina Viaggio 1000 Series 60/B500 - 75% done but usable - Minneapolis, MN

boxcarOkie

Quote from: belfert on November 27, 2010, 07:15:39 AM
Right now, I have regular car speakers at ceiling height for the driver.  It is hard to hear these speakers without the volume way up because of the distance.  They are also in wierd spots to accomodate the overhead electrical panel in a Dina.

I would like to get some small speakers I can mount on or near the windshield pillars.  I'm thinking something like the little cube satellite speakers, but they need to have both woofer and tweeter.  Any recommendations?  I don't think most car speakers would work because they need something to mount in.  I have a really nice car stereo that is actually hooked to my house power for both mobile and stationary use.



I found mine at Best Buy, they are Sony, cost is under $50.  Be advised that they sell a lot of them without the covers, don't ask me why, I had to build a box for my setup and rigged up some speaker covers out of truck chrome.

Works for me.

BCO

RichardEntrekin

I used some 4 inch Focal speakers mounted in the kick panels in front of me to supplement the sound coming from the normal overhead 6 1/2 jobs. I also mounted a small 8 inch powered sub by Bluapunkt right behind the driver seat. It really sounds clean right in the cockpit without blasting the rest of the coach.

I have no interest in the brand, but go listen to the Focal brand at your local car stereo joint.
Richard Entrekin
2007 Marathon XL II
Ford Maverick Hybrid Toad
Inverness, Fl

Often wrong, but seldom in doubt

Oregonconversion

1977 MC8
8V92 HT740

belfert

I was thinking about maybe rigging up some new speakers before I head off to Arcadia, but the current speakers work good enough for now.  I would rather do things right than try to slap something together.  I'm having trouble coming up with a good location for speakers right now without blocking any of the drivers' vision.  The driver's windshield pillar can't have anything attached to it with screws because there is a fiberglass tunnel with dozens of wires in it.

I'm not that concerned about hearing the engine.  With the design of my bus I can barely even hear the Jake brake come on with no radio.  One of the drivers this past fall was able to hear the noise when our trailer axle came loose just fine and the radio was probably on.
Brian Elfert - 1995 Dina Viaggio 1000 Series 60/B500 - 75% done but usable - Minneapolis, MN