Garage 2.1 Set-up

I was originally post this in general discussion as my Pre-Build log but then I noticed the Home A/V sub forum so here goes

We recently got rid of one of our extra cars and I have a garage to work in for the first time in 20 years.

I've been setting up the garage with new tools and organizing it to get ready for my new build when I finally had it with the cheap bluetooth Monoprice speaker I have for business travel.

I decided to invest in an inexpensive system that would provide alot more satisfaction then the POS I had. At first I thought about putting my Grundig bookshelf in the garage but even it took up too much room (its a once car garage separated from the main garage with a wall) so space is limited. Its also the reason I installed a workbench that folds down which turned out perfect and is where I will work on a lot of my car audio stuff.

So I am using the little class D from Dayton Audio, a 2.1 Bluettoth amp that has a crossover as well. 50x2 and 100x1 for the Sub (Peak). For the sub driver, I picked up a 10" HSU VTF-2 driver for $40, I believe it was the driver they used in the discontinued MkII sub. I hemmed and hawed too long about the refurb AF 12" G series but that would have set me back $100 delivered so the HSU was a good alternative.

Since I needed a sub to hold up in a garage environment and needed to keep cost down, I decided to get a premade car box from Crutchfield, between reward points, outlet pricing, and the slow boat delivery I managed to get a 1.47 CI ported and tuned to 35 Hz box, cheesy logo aside, it worked for $29.99

I actually get real bass in the garage now, not high end by any means but really good for the investment made and much better then a sound bar or other cheap solutions. I'm actually impressed by the little HSU sub and even the 2.1 amp. I'm still waiting for my Dayton Audio bookshelves to arrive so I am using my old Alpine 6560 component, just the 5-1/4" woofer with no tweeter hooked up. Now I am wondering if I should had found a cabinet to mount my Alpines in, would have been great for a garage set-up to use some of my old vintage car audio stuff, especially if they were also carpeted.

You can see my new fold down work table in the picture, elevation is set right around 45", rated for 400 lbs or so, I'm not sure I buy that but I will never get close to that, can't lift anywhere near that by myself these days...

Nice, I was curious about that subwoofer. Be wary, depending on model you purchased, that the Dayton bookshelf speaker may not actually have a crossover in it. The ones I’ve seen will have a cap for the tweeter and no crossover for the woofer. Some simple modifications to make your own crossover though and the sound can be noticeably improved.

Thanks JCs,
I picked up the DA MK's for my 2.1 which has a passive crossover - "The built-in crossover creates a non-fatiguing, enjoyable listening experience. It features a 3.3 kHz, 3rd order high-pass, 2nd order low-pass filter. The 7-component crossover uses asymmetrical slopes to help blend the two drivers in a more musical way. The crossover now has a flatter treble response that delivers a smoother high-end. Terminals feature 5-way gold plated posts for simple and secured connectivity."

So I'm hoping with the MK's and the sub crossover on the amp that it should work out but you bring up a good point, for my daughter's college studio I thought I would try out the DA B652-Air and the powered DA 8" sub but that bookshelf doesn't have a crossover. Here the amp is going to be the Topping MX3 so she can have a remote and head phone jack but it does not have a crossover like the DA 2.1 that I'm using in the garage. I am concerned how these Airs may blend in an attempt to save money while also getting something in stock (the MK's are out of stock for another month). If I have to add crossovers to the Air, I would have been better off with something else, even spending more on the well regarded Pioneer SP-BS22-LR. At least the Air didn't cost much or I can send them back after I get my MK's. The key for my daughter's system is to see if I can crossover the sub with its built in crossover at the right spot to blend well with the Air's natural roll off at 70 Hz and hope the Air's can produce the 70 Hz range decently at normal listening levels. Being in a college studio she will likely have to keep it below 80 dbs

Quick Update, I got tired of waiting for the Dayton MK's and its delivery date kept getting pushed so back in March summer I bought the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR before I learned about the Neumi BS5.

What I would have preferred about the Neumis is that they are front ported which works out better for a garage benchtop so you can place them right against the wall. The Pioneers are rear ported and I keep them a foot from the wall, in realty, since I have a sub, I can probably get away with plugging the Pioneer ports and sticking them right against the wall. I also have them on isolation pads (linked below) that angle the tweeter slightly up towards my head rather then having them fire right into my chest. The two angled/leveling pieces are stacked together to give me a flat surface to test my drivers on when using the DATS

https://amazon.com/gp/product/B0757LTZJJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1