Speakers for my wood shop

Hi. This is my first post in quite a while. I am starting to spend a bit of time in my wood shop. It is really a brick shed with just a few glass brick windows about 13x15.

I was thinking to put some powered speakers in there (LSXs on a budget ) I would like to be able to use WiFi once I get some decent coverage in there. [Chromecast -> optical should work ok] In the meantime: Bluetooth (I know ugh). I like to listen fairly loud, but I don't expect the speakers to compete with my saws or routers.

Speaking of saws and routers, there will be a bit of sawdust flying around the room, so cloth grills are probably a must.

Budget is $300 - $500

Placement: I think I might hang them from the ceiling. That should give them some space and allow me to aim them where I work.

Some options I have been considering:

Audio Pro C10 / C3
Klipsch RP51M
Audio Engine A5 ($$ a bit of a stretch)

 

Why not just get something like a JBL Xtreme or UE Megaboom? No fiddling with wires, and you can just rinse them off when they get dirty. I'm pretty sure the UE can also be paired into a stereo mode if you have two of them, if you want that sort of thing. They're not the last word in fidelity, but for reasonably tough stuff you can toss around they're alright.

Or just shop around on craiglist for old PA speakers, and get an old QSC or Crest or Peavey amp that's doesn't have fans. Those could compete with the saws for volume!

 

Thanks, Armaegis. I started with the Portable Speaker Route and thought about getting something with a little better fidelity --> C3/C10. I think your suggestion to go back to that route might be my best option. I wear earplugs when using the saws/routers so trying to compete with them would defeat the purpose of the ear protections

 

Well they do sell earmuffs with bluetooth at homedepot... but they cost the same as a set of bluetooth speakers off craigslist.

 

I have decided to give the JBL Extreme 2 a try. At $200-$230 on Amazon it seems too good a deal to pass up.

 

Just make sure it's a legit seller on amazon. There's lots of counterfeits of this speaker (if it has an SD card slot, it's fake).

You can probably pull a nylon stocking over it if you really want to keep out a ton of the dust.

 

These fit your budget http://www.philharmonicaudio.com/aa.html. I don't know if they go LOUD loud. Pair with a cheap Crown power amp and it should sound just fine. But maybe a bit of a waste to have perfectly decent speakers for home listening stuck in your wood shop. People are always getting rid of bulky old home speakers from Kenwood and the like on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Get some with big woofers for minimal $ and turn up.

But as Armaegis said, if it's loud anyway and you're worried about dust and connectivity, one of the tougher Bluetooth speakers like the JBL or Megaboom is wise. They beat the hell out of the battery-powered speakers aimed at construction crews.

 

Alternatively, you need to get something like this for a proper woodshop aesthetic...



Just find one that has an aux in so you can hook up a cheap little bluetooth receiver on it.

 

I built a couple of C-note speakers (~$100) and got a Crowne CDi1000 from the for sale forum here for my shop (20'x24'). I took the opposite approach and didn't want grilles.. I assumed the cloth would hold the dust. With these, I just shoot a little compressed air at them to get the dust off.

Are they the last word in audio fidelity? of course not. Do they get the job done for where I'm using them, absolutely.

 

I pulled the

I love it!!

Actually, Armaegis, I took your original advice and pulled the trigger on a JBL Extreme 2 from BHPhoto ($200 if you don't insist on black). I didn't think color or the 3 was worth the extra $150. Especially since some reviewers have noted that the Extreme 3 is a little too emphasized in the bass region. (I'm only a part-time bass-head)

Thanks everybody for your inputs. I will post my impressions of the JBL once I have listened to it for a while, but I think it will suffice. Though not a requirement for my purposes, the portability of this speaker may prove to be a bonus.

 

Speaking as a guy who has many abandoned projects, let's just say I'm glad I didn't install permanent speakers in my workshop

 

The JBL arrived. It sounds pretty good. Volume is more than adequate for my purposes: Room filling (though not house filling). It actually wins the contest with my table saw. My only complaint is that vocals seem a little thin to me. Bass is pretty good but just a wee bit boomy for my taste.

So I ordered an Audio Pro Drumfire D1 (top portion of the $700 Drumfire monster) for $349 on Amazon. Bass on the Audio Pro is more convincing. You can tell it reaches lower than the JBL. Mid bass is better, so vocals are more convincing. Max volume is about the same for the two units. This surprised me a little given the amplifier power advantage that the Audio Pro enjoys. I am definitely keeping the Audio Pro.

Another advantage of the Audio Pro unit: Although it does not advertise itself as Roon Ready or Roon Tested, Roon sees it. Perhaps it is seeing the Airplay interface, though Roon does not identify it as such. If that is the case, it means resolution is limited to 16 bit/ 44khz (CD Quality). That is ok with me for this unit's purpose.

Though it is not an important consideration for me, I prefer the visual presentation of the Audio Pro. It looks like a serious speaker as opposed to the toy-like appearance of the JBL. That is not an indictment of the JBL. I like toys. I am, after all, a Toys R us kid, despite my 65 years on the planet.

As an aside, I have verified with Audio Pro that the upcoming Addon C10 MkII is this speaker with Chromecast and a removable grill.

I am on the fence about keeping the JBL Extreme 2. I am tempted to keep it as a portable / outdoor speaker. As a $200 portable speaker, it is (IMHO) a good value.

 

The JBL is absolutely a "pool" speaker. I think it even floats lol. You could take a shop vac to it or rinse it off and not be too fussed about it. I doubt you could do that with the D1. I'd also be wary of anything ported in a dusty woodshop.

Nicer in the looks department, I personally have a Vifa Helsinki and Vifa Copenhagen (of the five size categories of speakers they have, they would be 2 and 4 respectively). There's a price on the aesthetics though, but they do sound very good. at $350 there's the middle child Oslo on ebay right now: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/15442315270...customid=134668da-a585-11eb-a9fd-366436396438

Did you try the app for the JBL? I believe it has some settings to tune the sound.

 

Good point about the port. Still the port is in the back and the nature of them is to blow air in outward direction. I am currently listening to the D1 in my office at low volume (wifey does not share my musical tastes), and at low volume the D1 sounds WAY better than the JBL. The JBL software does not seem to have any controls except volume. No matter. I have never been a fan of equalizers.

I am a fan of Roon, and like the fact that the D1 pairs with it. Also, of interest, I tried the JBL as BlueTooth and connected directly to my BLUEOS Node2i via the headphone jack and could not detect a difference. This could be because my phone (an LG V60) has a pretty good internal DAC. Still, usually I can detect a difference. Note: I have not tried this comparison with the D1 as I may never use BlueTooth with the D1.

I am going to risk dust through the portal. Worst case I will have to remove the case (secured by 12! screws) occasionally and either vacuum or blow out the dust. (Might not be a bad idea anyway)

 

re dust... I would hope that you have some sort of dust collection/air scrubbing going on. If so, then dust in the port shouldn't be a huge issue.

 

I don't have a full on dust collection system, but I do have a port under the saw that I connect to my shop vac. To be honest, I generally don't bother with it if I just have a couple of cuts to make. I have to vacuum after sawing or routing regardless.

 

I don't have full on dust collection either, but I purchased a dedicated shop vac for the table saw (it turns on when I turn the saw on) and a cheap rikon air scrubber that I hang from the ceiling. Best woodworking purchases I've made (I'm saving for a full-on dust-collection system now).

It's amazing how much of a difference its made... it's gotten to the point that dust/chip collection is one of the first things I think about when I'm about to do something (sanding, drilling, routing, etc). It's also nice to almost never have to go thru and sweep up, or vacuum all the fine dust that settles out of the air (that I used to be breathing in).

 

Random point of note, air absolutely goes both ways in a port. The driver moves both ways, hence so does the air.