Main > Audio/Jukebox/MP3 Forum
Wall Mounted MP3 jukebox
CitznFish:
--- Quote from: tmasman on August 20, 2003, 04:53:33 pm ---If you're planning on running the wires behind the wall (behind the jukebox), then couldn't you just put your amplifier in the ceiling? Maybe even next to one of the speakers.
To power a car audio amp, you'll need a seperate power supply (either PC PS or AC-12V DC converter [not a power brick!]). You could just use a power strip inside the Jukebox (1 power cable going to the JB) and run an extension cord along with the audio cables to the amp. (You'll need shielded audio cables for that run though).
That way the JB will just put out normal digital output, but your speakers in the room would all be amplified.
How are you planning on controlling the JB? (what kind of buttons etc...).
Will this JB be permanently attached to the house, or possibly move with you in the future?
I don't know why I'm so inquisitive... I just thought this was a cool idea & hadn't thought of doing it. Just lots of thoughts and ideas flowing through the head right now.
--- End quote ---
I wanted easy access to the amp in case it ever needed to be replaced. i absolutely hate going into the attic.
The Jukebox will be perm. mounted to the wall with wiring to the ceiling speakers inside the wall.I do not plan on moving for at least 10 years. I'm imagining something ~2' x 3' . Maybe a touch screen, but I originally planned on a keypad and arrow buttons for song selection and page selection with an LCD screen for display. Maybe a credit button in case I later want to add coin mechs. I was going to light it up from the inside with cold cathode ray tubes.
The amp is what's making this difficult. I've heard I can and i can't do it with a car amp. The speakers are 75W and i only need 2 channels. I originally thought I'd run my TV sound through the amp/speakers as well, but might just use the TV's own speakers since the original plan would require a digital switch of some sort. I guess I could add thatswitch later since the wiring will be in place anyway (better safe than sorry)
Still looking for ideas and opinions from anyone interested in offering theirs. :)
AlanS17:
Hmmm... big fire hazard in the attic... :-\
*Disclaimer* I've got ADD so my mind travels and this post is all over the place...
Even my old 200MHz machine played MP3's like a charm back in the day. Just about anything that still powers up will probably be enough. Otherwise, those mini-itx mobos look like a small, quiet solution. You can get the cheaper models with built-in audio, video, processor, tv-out, usb for probably under $100. Just add a basic power supply, some memory, and a hard drive and you're off to the races. You don't need a fancy machine for MP3's. Did I mention they require so little power that they are fanless (silent)?
Here's a prime example.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3427142366&category=1244
As for the amp, (quality) car audio very often seems to be more expensive than home audio of the same specs and it doesn't even offer the same features half the time. I think a cheap home audio amp would do the job nicely. Putting it somewhere, however, is a little more difficult...
You also may wanna consider a really great set of PC speakers with mounting hardware. It will be less than half the price and I can guarante great results.
I had brought in my $200 Logitech speakers for a party one time at the frat house when our $2000 speakers were busted and everybody kept telling me they liked mine more. The set I own have been dubbed "Klipsh-killers" by reviews cuz they offer the same quality and power for half the price. They wire up like home audio speakers so extending the leads is a snap. However, they come with ALOT of cabling straight out of the box so you may not need any, anyways. The brackets on the satellites allow for wall-mounting and the sub seriously booms.
Here they are:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm?page=products/details&CRID=2&CONTENTID=5044&countryid=2&languageid=1
tmasman:
--- Quote from: AlanS17 on August 21, 2003, 01:04:35 pm ---Hmmm... big fire hazard in the attic... :-\
--- End quote ---
? ? ? ? What?
What do you have in your attic?
I can understand not wanting to go up there much, but fire hazard?
No more of a fire hazard than half of the car instalations I've seen... Under a seat touching flamable carpet all around, in the trunk against wood panels, or again, against very flamable carpet.? ? ?
Eh...
It was just a thought anyhow. I just wouldn't want it sitting next to my MoBo or hard drive with all that heat, so I was trying to think of alternate placement. Maybe if your box is big enough & the Mobo is small enough, you could get some good seperation. Eh...
CitznFish:
--- Quote from: AlanS17 on August 21, 2003, 01:04:35 pm ---Hmmm... big fire hazard in the attic... :-\
*Disclaimer* I've got ADD so my mind travels and this post is all over the place...
Even my old 200MHz machine played MP3's like a charm back in the day. Just about anything that still powers up will probably be enough. Otherwise, those mini-itx mobos look like a small, quiet solution. You can get the cheaper models with built-in audio, video, processor, tv-out, usb for probably under $100. Just add a basic power supply, some memory, and a hard drive and you're off to the races. You don't need a fancy machine for MP3's. Did I mention they require so little power that they are fanless (silent)?
Here's a prime example.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3427142366&category=1244
As for the amp, (quality) car audio very often seems to be more expensive than home audio of the same specs and it doesn't even offer the same features half the time. I think a cheap home audio amp would do the job nicely. Putting it somewhere, however, is a little more difficult...
You also may wanna consider a really great set of PC speakers with mounting hardware. It will be less than half the price and I can guarante great results.
I had brought in my $200 Logitech speakers for a party one time at the frat house when our $2000 speakers were busted and everybody kept telling me they liked mine more. The set I own have been dubbed "Klipsh-killers" by reviews cuz they offer the same quality and power for half the price. They wire up like home audio speakers so extending the leads is a snap. However, they come with ALOT of cabling straight out of the box so you may not need any, anyways. The brackets on the satellites allow for wall-mounting and the sub seriously booms.
Here they are:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm?page=products/details&CRID=2&CONTENTID=5044&countryid=2&languageid=1
--- End quote ---
I really wanted the sound to come from the ceiling..these JBL 26c's and 19cs I bought will sound great. Also the 'cool factor' comes into play. :) i thought about seperatign the amp from teh mobo with a block of wood in the cabinet and using 2 PC fans to push air in and out over the amp. I think a jukebox 2'x3' should be big anough to accomplish this. I def. want the amp to stay hidden and accessed easily. That is very important to me.
Keep throwing out the ideas please! The more input I get the better this project will turn out.
AlanS17:
Those speakers can still be mounted from the ceiling. They wouldn't be flushed mounted, but you could put one in every corner of the room bolted up into the ceiling. You can't see it from the picture online, but the speaker can be reversed by swiveling it from the back. So it wouldn't look like you had upside-down speakers hanging from the ceiling.
Makes wiring, mounting, and positioning easier. I must admit, though, that professional audio would certainly look a tad bit cleaner. Plus if you already have the stuff then go for it. However, I would stop by Best Buy to take a look at those speakers before I started cutting holes in my ceiling if I were you.
P.S. I realize it's probably not much more of a fire hazard in a home than in a car, but it would just worry me to have it up in the attic where nobody ever goes to check on it. Just one of those "what if" things. You're right - it would probably be fine. However, attics do get a bit hot (read "scorching") and that plus all the insulation can add to an amp that easily overheats. I used to over heat my amp just by filling the trunk with luggage and removing all that extra air-space.
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