Speakers ....

[ragnar]

So, what is everyone using for speakers?

I am starting with some old 2.1 computer speakers that I have.  But I might upgrade eventually.

So, if I were to upgrade, what to?  The cheap path seems to be car speakers + car amp.  I already took a look and a 40 watt car amp at Wal-Mart is about $40.  Some 6x9 Speakers (Sony xPlode model) are also $40.  So that is not bad.  But would I also need a high output x-former (120 Vac to 12 Vdc) for the car amp?

What are my options, especially if I want a sub?  I also notices that a 10" sub for a car runs for as little as $40.

Oh course, I'm talking about this in terms of not spending to much while getting a 2.1 (2 speakers and a sub) system out of it.  Of course, those 6x9 speaker can sometimes challenge the output from a subwoofer.

[bkenobi]

If all you are playing is arcade games, then you don't really need anything more than a simple 2.1 setup.  Many classic games only had a single small speaker, so that 2.1 would even be overkill.  If, on the other hand, you are planning on playing modern PC games or using the speakers for music, you might want to step up a little in quality.  I don't know that you will ever see an advantage to anything more than 2.1 though.

[ragnar]

If all you are playing is arcade games, then you don't really need anything more than a simple 2.1 setup.  Many classic games only had a single small speaker, so that 2.1 would even be overkill.  If, on the other hand, you are planning on playing modern PC games or using the speakers for music, you might want to step up a little in quality.  I don't know that you will ever see an advantage to anything more than 2.1 though.

Ya, I just want 2.1.  I found these for $50:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2252743&filterName=Type&filterValue=Speakers
They have an 8" sub.

For the most part I will be doing old games but I will have som newer ones on there.  There are a handful of N64 games that have music with reasonable amounts of bass.  Truth is, anything better than TV speakers shoudl make me happy.

The problem with my current setup.  It is 2.1 whh is fine but it is probably the smallest subwoofer that you will ever see.  Once I put it in the cab, I think it will not be sufficient.  I am going to try them out first and decide to upgrade/not upgrade later.  But i want to know what some options are up front since they may be more complicated upgrades, such as car speakers.

[bkenobi]

I currently use TV speakers + sub in my main cabinet and a 2.1 setup in my driver.  They both sound adequate.

[ragnar]

I currently use TV speakers + sub in my main cabinet and a 2.1 setup in my driver.  They both sound adequate.

How are the speakers being driven (amplified)?

[Smeghead]

You want authentic sounds? Use the amp from a cheap pair of speakers and connect them to the cabinet speakers or cheap car speakers. (see my MAME build link)

Dont care? Buy a 7.1 surround sound system to blast out those beeps and blips across the neighborhood
or a Marshall stack system

[matsadona]

In my MAME cabinet I have a medium cheap 2.1 system as a base, but I replaced the satelites with a pair of high-end car speakers.
There are several reasons for this.
At first, I already had the car speakers from a previous car I used to have, so it didn't drive any additional cost.
Second, since the cabinet doubles as a jukebox, I wanted something better than an distored low budget speaker.
And when using the 2.1 subwoofer with internal amplifier it saves a lot of efforts. It is plug and play both regarding power, and the 3.5mm headphone plug directly to the PC soundcard.

I'm assuming you are talking about a MAME build, but that maybe isn't the case?

[releasedtruth]

I used an Altec lansing 2.1 setup, then replaced the speakers with some 2-way car pioneers since the amp on the Altec was already 4ohm. Strange hearing arcade games with serious boom, but it's nice

[Osirus23]

I have 2 4" speakers mounted beneath the marquee and powered by the amp from some butchered desktop speakers.

[mrtuesday42]

currently am using 2.0 pc speakers. may add a sub though since everyone is talkin about em i agree that if you want authentic i would use the in cab speaker/s. i have a neo geo so its stereo instead of mono like an older jamma would be. my plan is take an old 2.1 and drive those for authentic sound with a little kick when i use n64 or something, similar to your setup.

[JustMichael]

I wish I was using a pair of these but I am using the amp and wiring from a cheap pair of computer speakers and the original cabinet speakers.

[bkenobi]

Main cab:  I send the output of the PC to the TV and use the variable line out to the sub.

Driver:  I send the output of the PC to a 2.1 speaker setup.  The amp from the satellite speakers was removed and used to drive 4" Atari cabinet speakers.  These are not impedance matched, but it's worked fine so far.

[DirtyDachshunds]

This is the set I plan on getting.  My cab with double as a jukebox as well.  Still only 2.1, but where are you going to put the other speakers anyway?

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Z-2300-THX-Certified-Speaker-Subwoofer/dp/B0002SQ2P2

[bkenobi]

I personally consider those overkill, but at least they don't cost that much.  Just make sure you consider how you will install them.  Those speakers look like they have a small speaker and a separate tweater in each satellite.  If you were planning on decasing the speakers and mounting them in the marquee area like many people do, then this pair might be a poor choice.

[ragnar]

This is the set I plan on getting.  My cab with double as a jukebox as well.  Still only 2.1, but where are you going to put the other speakers anyway?

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Z-2300-THX-Certified-Speaker-Subwoofer/dp/B0002SQ2P2

I want something like that but I think I will have to wait till X-mas time and ask for it.  To much cash to throw at it now. I'd love that for $50 though!

[DirtyDachshunds]

I personally consider those overkill, but at least they don't cost that much.  Just make sure you consider how you will install them.  Those speakers look like they have a small speaker and a separate tweater in each satellite.  If you were planning on decasing the speakers and mounting them in the marquee area like many people do, then this pair might be a poor choice.

Why do you think these are overkill?
I'm planning on mounting the entire speaker, not separately.  I also like the separated volume control which I am planning on dismantling and attaching to my cab.

[shan1784]

I'm using Logitech X-540 70 watts 5.1 Speakers... They are great..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121006&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Speakers-_-Logitech-_-36121006

[trevski]

In my MAME cabinet I have a medium cheap 2.1 system as a base, but I replaced the satelites with a pair of high-end car speakers.
There are several reasons for this.
At first, I already had the car speakers from a previous car I used to have, so it didn't drive any additional cost.
Second, since the cabinet doubles as a jukebox, I wanted something better than an distored low budget speaker.
And when using the 2.1 subwoofer with internal amplifier it saves a lot of efforts. It is plug and play both regarding power, and the 3.5mm headphone plug directly to the PC soundcard.

I'm assuming you are talking about a MAME build, but that maybe isn't the case?

Are the original 2.1 speakers 8 or 4 ohm? And if they were 8 ohm did you have any issues with using the 4 ohm car speakers?

[DCsegaDH]

I'm using these Logitech speakers, they are cheap and the bass is nice. The subwoofer sounds really great when I'm playing Street Fighter IV!

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-980-000382-Z313-Speaker-System/dp/B002HWRZ2K/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1284660168&sr=8-16

[bkenobi]

If you put the speaker inside the cabinet, you get little benefit from the fancy features and audio quality.  If you mount the speaker itself to the cabinet (remove speaker from plastic case, install in marquee area for example), you lose any benefit from the enclosure the manufacturer designed.  If you mount the speaker to the side of the cabinet, it generally looks ugly.  If I were going to spend money on speakers, I'd get a pair of bare speakers and a cheap amp to drive them.  I'd probably still use a PC subwoofer since they are fairly cheap.

Most arcade games have crap sound that a PC speaker (you know, the 1.5" one inside the case on your XT system) could reproduce acceptably.  Having a set of cheap amplified PC speakers (~$20 range) gets you a huge benefit in more recent games (they didn't have a subwoofer and PC speakers are probably better quality).  The most modern stuff can't be run anyway.

If you run music through it, be realistic about what kind of quality you will get out of your system depending on how you mount things.  I get really nice sound with my driving cab with a cheap pair of PC speakers with 4" Atari arcade speakers hacked in.  I doubt paying another $500 would get me significantly better sound.

If you like the sound, good for you.  That's all that matters anyway.

[drventure]

bkenobi's about right on all his points.

I decased a pair of altec lansing 2.1 speakers (left the sub intact) and mounted them.... well... a bit strangely

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=88515.msg997111#msg997111

but they sound +great+ no complaints at all, even playing music. Would it please an audiophile? No. But for arcade games, oh yeah!

So, the sound quality of decased speakers likely depends pretty heavily on the original speakers. not something to necessarily be afraid of doing.

[emerica]

I have a set of those logitech z2300. I put them in my cabinet for awhile. They sounded really nice but I think my cabinet started to fall apart a little because the bass response is intense. I now have a basic altec lansing 2.1 setup with bose car speakers that I ripped out of some infinite at the junkyard. Cost me 10 dollars for the speakers and 30 for the altec lansings. This setup sounds more balanced than the z2300s which were great but a but too powerful for my tastes.

[DirtyDachshunds]

I have a set of those logitech z2300. I put them in my cabinet for awhile. They sounded really nice but I think my cabinet started to fall apart a little because the bass response is intense. I now have a basic altec lansing 2.1 setup with bose car speakers that I ripped out of some infinite at the junkyard. Cost me 10 dollars for the speakers and 30 for the altec lansings. This setup sounds more balanced than the z2300s which were great but a but too powerful for my tastes.

Isn't there a bass intensity knob that can be adjusted to prevent that?

[emerica]

I have a set of those logitech z2300. I put them in my cabinet for awhile. They sounded really nice but I think my cabinet started to fall apart a little because the bass response is intense. I now have a basic altec lansing 2.1 setup with bose car speakers that I ripped out of some infinite at the junkyard. Cost me 10 dollars for the speakers and 30 for the altec lansings. This setup sounds more balanced than the z2300s which were great but a but too powerful for my tastes.

Isn't there a bass intensity knob that can be adjusted to prevent that?

yes there is but it seems as if its too much bass or not enough bass. Its just personal preference. I prefer to use those z2300's with my ps3. Shooters sound great with them.

[mrtuesday42]

hey everybody. quick question. i took my existing cabinet speakers and wired the directly onto a 3.5mm jack and used it with my pc. they are powered from the cabinets own little psu (converted arcade, not scratch built). and they work fine. but they arent loud enough. im sure that previous board had a volume control but i have windows turned up all the way and can barely hear anything...what am i missing?

[bmb]

If your running from your sound card straight to a speaker your missing an amplifier.   Most sounds cards output line level audio (pre-amp), you will need a small amplifier to increase the volume for decent speaker level output.   Unless you have a sound card with an on-board amp (rare)...

[mrtuesday42]

sounds about right lol. can i steal one from some pc speakers? was going to decase them but thought id rather have the original speakers to go with my arcade monitor

[bkenobi]

Yes, check out the wiki for details.  Basically you'll remove the amplifier from a pair of PC speakers and connect the arcade speakers to it.  Be aware that technically this is a bad idea since your arcade speakers are 4 ohm and PC speakers are 8 ohm.  However, in practice this doesn't seem to cause significant problems.  I've been using this setup for a couple years without difficulty.

[mrtuesday42]

thanks for the info. will be nice to actually accomplish something. spent like 3 hours tonite and all i did was adjust the hsize and get a coin mech to accept quarters

[bmb]

You can hack a set of PC speakers for the amp or pickup a cheap mini amp like the Pyle PCA1.   Or even a cheap low wattage car stereo type amp (12v).     Hacking a set of old computer speakers may be the cheapest though since you don't need much amplification and might already have a pair...   

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PCA1-15-Watt-Stereo-Amplifier/dp/B0012KZNP4