Noob needs design equitment help

[daddywoofdawg]

I'm basically a noob when it comes to design of a decent system,I listen to old school rock,zep,sabbath,beatles,metellica to give you an idea what sounds I'll be listening to.I am installint a system in my camper/motorhome listening to it in the evenings when parked.I want something that sounds good but it doesn't have to be super ear bleeding loud.the space it will be in is 8'x10x8'High.I have decent wiring skills,and cabinet making skills.I would like to locate a ported?sub under the bed and speakers where the best location would be.I have a 100W head unit I would like to use and have 3-4 sheets of 3/4"cdx ply or I can get MDF if that would be better.I need design, equitment help.

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[T.I.K. 10+ year member]

You're gonna need to buy some amps, 100w HU isn't going to power anything like what you're wanting. I can't comment as the the best placement of the speakers, but I will tell you you'll probably want a couple 10" subwoofers on a smaller class D amp.

i'm assuming you'd have a camper hook up for power and you don't need to be really conscious about power consumption, or are you running off of battery power solely?

 

[bugflipper 10+ year member]

Just a few things to think about. If you are in a location that has ac hookup. I would recommend a home audio surround sound system. Amplifiers generally have a big amperage draw. In most cases the engine needs to run so the alt can keep the battery up. If you are forced to use 12v. You may want to look into a high sensitivity, low power subwoofer. Maybe you could get by with a 150-300 watt amplifier in that case. Likewise you can search for the same in component speakers. Some list sensitivity as spl in the specs. You could go with maybe a 50x2 amp for them. You really should comment on what your expectations are. Just something to listen to? Sound quality oriented? Tight accurate bass? Droaning bass?

Rock generally does not have a lot of bass. So displacement would be your friend in a low power setup. You also need to give dimensions of what size enclosure you are able to fit in the space. A budget will also be helpful.

 

[duanebro 10+ year member]

I'd look at home speakers in your case. Please give some more info about what you'd like to do. A sub might not even be needed.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

i have done a few motor home systems and electrical upgrades. it's a different animal and some of the general rules are no longer valid. a more in-depth discussion is required to determine the best solution for your application. at the very least, we need make/model/year and some pictures. there are too many variations to give a recommendation without more info.

1. where will you be listening? inside or outside or both?

2. will you always have AC connections or do you want off-the-grid playback capabilities?

3. do you want the system to work while driving as well?

4. what equipment do you currently own (make/model)?

the home audio solution can work, but is limited to only when you are parked and only when you have AC connections - unless you want to run a large inverter as well. I have done installations where I had outlets that were shore power and outlets that were inverter powered. then the owner could choose between the two (also used for the fridge). this could be automated with relays, but he preferred the manual approach for simplicity.

you don't necessarily need an amp if you don't need high output. typical listening levels can be achieved with a head unit (though head units are about 10W RMS per channel). the need for a sub depends on your expected bass output - sub placement plays a huge role here (corner loaded preferred) .

 

[duanebro 10+ year member]

When I suggested the home audio angle, I was thinking of speakers. If you have room for them. I don't know about the electric part of it. The op will have to give some more info to get a better answer. Although I do have a amp that is run off 12 volt supply. That would be easy as it would work both ways.