do my speakers sound crappy, or is it just my imagination.

[SeanFu]

Let me start by saying that I know very little about speaker acoustics.

I pulled apart some old 2-way Jenson computer speakers I had and installed the speakers in my cabinet.  I'm using the orginal amp that was in one of the speaker cabinets.  the speakers seem to sound much more "tinny" to me now.  Was there something special about their cheesy plastic enclosure?  Or am I just hearing things?

[Gideon]

That's quite possible.  If you want to find out more, check the speaker covers; in OEM computer speakers, this is probably the largest factor in faking good sound quality.  If you notice any sort of muffling scheme in the computer speakers that is not present in the arcade cab, then you've found the key difference in treble increase/bass decrease.

Also something to consider:  Low frequencies like the floor.  Depending on the old setup of your speakers, this could matter (I'm assuming your arcade cab situates the speakers above the marquee).

[SeanFu]

quality.  If you notice any sort of muffling scheme in the computer speakers that is not present in the

Hmmm..  Perhaps you're on to something: There was some weird fluffy stuff in the back of the original speaker cabinet.  I didn't even give it a thought and I pitched it.  It was nasty and sticky - I think it had decomposed over the years.

[Xiaou2]

 A lot of pc speakers use the enclosure as a means of generating deeper bass sounds - simular to how a guitar uses its insides to amplify its sounds.

 The amount of air in the enclosure is important... as they usually use a bass port.  The port is a hole that is 'tuned' to produce a low bass note sound when air blast through it.

  If theres too much space in the enclosure - or no enclosure at all... the bass port wont function correctly.  If there isnt enough space... the depth of the sounds will be minimal and possibly distorted.

  The sides of the enclosure also act as a voicebox... and reverberate when the sounds blast against the walls... simularly to the bass port  - same rules apply.

  Anyway... just keep the rear enclosure to keep the bass... or, make a custom enclosure by mocking it up with oversized wood - and making more or less room in it by moving the wood pieces closer or further appart.. and once you find the correct volume of air... then mark the cutlines off and build the thing.
 
  Im not a speaker expert... and may have described some of the things incorrectly.. but i have made a nice elclosure recently using the above method and it worked out fantastically.

 Ohh.. and i think the padding stuff used on some spearkers is just to keep the thing from rattling.   If it were for enhancing thud.. the speakers would have to really crank some major power to compress that stuff enough to do that - so its highly unlikly it would be usefull for small pc type speakers.

 Also, if you want some rocking bass... I HIGHLY suggest grabbing some 'bass shakers'.  They are like subwoofers... but do not move air arround and do not require a lot of power... yet produce incredible bass 'vibrations' up to 30 pounds per foot!  (imagine someone slamming 30lbs into your back.  They really can hit hard : )

 I can hardly describe how much cooler these are than typical subwoofers.  Youll get more vibration, with tons less volume... whereas you would usually have to kill the neighbors to get the kind of vibrations and impact made with the sub as youd get with these little things.

 www.partsexpress.com  has them on sale as a closeout.  I had gotten a set of the 25 watters on ebay once... and they are strong.  Though p.express also sells the pro ones that handle 50watts... which must be sick powerfull : )

 

[ashardin]

Xiaou2 is right.  By losing the enclosure, you are losing your bass.  The "tinny" sound you are experiencing is the same lelvel of highs with reduced lows coming from the speaker.

Bass shakers do work well in a tacticle situation.  I'm using them in my sit down cab.  I think you will be hard pressed in a stand up cab though to utilize them.  It is best to be seated to experience what they can do.

So what is your solution?  You have got get some sort of enclosure around those speakers.  You are not dealing with a great deal of sound pressure there, so it doesn't need to be a real elaborate, completely sealed job.  Or, you could start over and get new speakers and mount them.  3rd, you could get a powered multimedia sub (something around $20 online) and hook it up to take care of the low end.

Good Luck.  Andy