Speakers

[sleong]

What kind of speakers is everyone using in their cabinets? 

I'm trying to decide whether to just get cheap computer speakers and crack open the shell and mount the speaker or look for better speakers like car speakers to mount above the screen!

[drventure]

You can get a  good 2.1 set of computer speakers for pretty cheap and they'll sound great in a cab. I've used Altec Lansing 2.1 sets, but many people have used Logitech sets too.  I'd strongly recommend a powered 2.1 system though. The woofer adds a lot.

However, you can get even better sound if you go with a good set of car speakers, an amp, and a separate sub. If you really intend on cranking it, that might be your better choice, but it's a bit overkill for an arcade cabinet in my opinion.

[BadMouth]

Normally, I'd go with a 2.1 set of computer speakers in the $25-30 price range.
I put better speakers in my current build because I wanted to enjoy the music on newer PC, NAOMI and Taito Type X games.
If it weren't running those, I wouldn't have bothered.

It really depends on what games you plan to play.  The original speakers in the games up through the 90's weren't all that great to begin with, so it doesn't take much to replicate them.  They were usually full-range speakers with limited range.  Most didn't even have whizzer cones, let alone separate tweeters.
In games like Mortal Kombat, it is nice to have the extra bottom end that a 2.1 setup has though.
 
These used to go on sale for $25 every other month, but I quit looking after I bought two sets.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=313-8488

It's nice to have something with a wired remote that can be mounted on the cab.
The one I linked to has a nice one with separate bass control, but it isn't that easy to integrate because it has the volume on top, bass on the side, headphone jacks on a different side.  It could easily be surface mounted on the side of the cab or underside of the CP if you didn't mind it not looking integrated.

[brad808]

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[ABACABB]

Normally, I'd go with a 2.1 set of computer speakers in the $25-30 price range.
I put better speakers in my current build because I wanted to enjoy the music on newer PC, NAOMI and Taito Type X games.
If it weren't running those, I wouldn't have bothered.

I had the luxury of seeing AND hearing BadMouth's latest project and it rocks!! Literally you can feel the bass pounding in your chest while standing at the cab. 

I have a 2.1 set of Boston Acoustics in my cab and I am very happy with the sound, or was very happy with the sound until I heard BadMout's system.  I guess it depends on what you are wanting out of your sound system.  One other thing to consider is if you go with a high power system with lots of bass, you might want to think about a way to shield your PC (mainly the hard drive) from the vibrations of the bass.  This can be deadly to a hard drive.

[Fursphere]

Cheap Logitech 2.1 or 5.1 PC speakers.  Anything more is a waste. 

I've been down the car audio amp / speakers route.  While it looks cool, it doesn't sound as good as those cheapy Logitechs. 

[BadMouth]

I had the luxury of seeing AND hearing BadMouth's latest project and it rocks!! Literally you can feel the bass pounding in your chest while standing at the cab. 

You need to experience it again.  An updated video card driver was causing slowdown, so the games with the really impressive music were running slow and skipping, as was NFL Blitz.  I was a bit embarrassed.  All is fixed now and it's a much better experience.

[shponglefan]

I'm going to partially disagree with some of the opinions here.  When it comes to speakers, quality does matter.  Yes, even for arcade gaming.

Now if we are talking 70's/80's era arcade games (i.e. 8 bit and earlier sound) with the typical bleeps and bloops of that era, speaker quality is less important.  Cheap speakers are going to sound the same as expensive ones.  But when you get into the 16-bit era, speaker quality can make a difference and this is where a 2.1 system comes in.

FWIW, I use Promedia's on my main PC and I've used various other cheaper 2.1's for arcades.  Currently I have a cheap pair of Logitech's on my arcade test unit.  And I will tell you there is a significant difference in sound between the two, even for arcade games.   The Promedia's have clean, punchy bass and the satellites properly reproduce the mid-high range sounds.  OTOH, the Logitech subwoofer sounds muddy and boomy,  and does double duty with the lower mid-range frequencies.  The resulting sound is pretty crap, imho.

Now if sound isn't that important (and I've found for most people it isn't), then a cheap 2.1 system will suffice.  But if you want better sound, then it's worth it to spend a little more and get a set that is half-decent.  And especially so if your arcade is used for modern PC/console games as well.

[Fursphere]

FWIW, I use Promedia's on my main PC and I've used various other cheaper 2.1's for arcades.  Currently I have a cheap pair of Logitech's on my arcade test unit.  And I will tell you there is a significant difference in sound between the two, even for arcade games.  The Promedia's have clean, punchy bass and the satellites properly reproduce the mid-high range sounds.  OTOH, the Logitech subwoofer sounds muddy and boomy,  and does double duty with some of the mid-range frequencies.  The resulting sound is pretty crap, imho.

Where do you place the subwoofer to get the "clean, punchy" bass sound?   Outside the cabinet?   I would think if its inside the cabinet (like most cabinet designs call for)?

[michelevit]

For these classic arcade video games sounds of beeps and blurps,
all you need is some cheap used computer speakers. My local electronic surplus store has some
for 5 bucks. They work great.

If your planning on running modern games or streaming hulu, pandora, yourtube
through your cab then maybe something nicer.

[shponglefan]

Where do you place the subwoofer to get the "clean, punchy" bass sound?   Outside the cabinet?   I would think if its inside the cabinet (like most cabinet designs call for)?

Ideally a subwoofer should be outside the cabinet to allow for optimum placement (walls/corners).  And it also avoids the vibration issues as has been mentioned.

However, placement alone isn't going to overcome a poor subwoofer design, particular one that is putting out midrange freq's in addition to bass.

[Hockeyboy]

All that has been said thus far is great advice. For me, it came down to a mix of personal preference and inspiration from other designs and cabinets. I went with some JVC 4" rounds (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EO8UKG/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) connected to a small 2x4W amplifier (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TUSXEY/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I've connected up an iPod to the system and it sounds fine to me. No, there's not a ton of bass, but I'm planning on playing only arcade games from mid 90's and earlier.

[paigeoliver]

Here is the funny thing, most of the arcade games that actually had impressive sound (quadraphonic speakers, 12" woofers, etc) came out during the 1979-1983 era. After that you pretty much just got one tiny low watt speaker, two if you had a stereo Capcom or SNK title.

[kahlid74]

I typically go with this mini-amplifier:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049P6OTI/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And these speakers:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RNNX8K/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1