MP3Car.com - View Single Post - FAQ: Why not Home PC speakers for the car?

RedGTiVR6 · 07-16-2006, 07:59 AM

Why can’t I use PC speakers in my car?

Thanks to checksum for the topic for this thread…hehehe

I think this would best be answered with a list:

Quote: Originally Posted by checksum

Those of you who have a CARPC, why not use decent computer speakers? Most of them are 5:1.
Their sound is great, very clear and most of them come with a sub. They are also very cheap nowadays.
Their sound is great in the house, a car is a different environment. You have to deal with things like road noise, in the house, you don’t.

Quote: Originally Posted by checksum

But you save a lot of money, you don't have to worry about buying any amps.
How are you going to power these home speakers in the car? With an inverter? Inverters are known for being both noisy and for inducing a lot of noise into audio systems in cars.

Quote: Originally Posted by checksum

If you can build a carpc, i am sure you can take apart your computer speakers and make them fit somehow in there, and nowadays they are small. I know I can.
Precisely, they are small speakers, designed to work well in a relatively quiet environment. The car is not a relatively quiet environment.

Quote: Originally Posted by checksum

Just 2 amps 1 sub and 4 decent speakers can easily run you for around 500.00 or more, with 200.00 you can have a nice set of 5:1.
Am I missing something here???
Yes, again, everything. 5.1 in the house is one thing, in a car, it’s completely different. If you’re not willing to spend the money on a true car audio set-up, then chances are, you’re not going to be willing to spend the money to fabricate the mounting methods for these home PC speakers nor are you going to want to hack up your dash to mount that center channel.

Quote: Originally Posted by checksum

well, that is more of a space issue there, house stereo are too big. But computer speakers are as small as car speakers, just take them out of their enclosure and you have a set of nice speakers.
The enclosure is the speaker in essence. These home speakers are designed with an enclosure that matches the Thiele-small parameters of the speakers they house. Taking them out of the enclosures they were designed to go in will essentially cancel their abilities.
Mounting – how would you mount these speakers in your car?
Computer speakers are made to be mounted in a situation where they will be stationary for the vast majority of their lives. Car speakers are made to where the mounting points are beefed up and are made to handle the jarring and elements of in car use better.
The acoustics of your house are completely different from the car. The car is one of the worst possible places that you can put a system and expect to get good sound out of it. The various surfaces and small ‘room’ size of a car present hell for audiophiles.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mandos

Most speakers made for cars are of much higher quality than a computer speaker in an enclosure. And if you're looking at things equally priced, the car speaker properly installed in a car should blow the computer speaker out of the water.

Quote: Originally Posted by checksum

That is not true
Yes it is. Even the $15.00 Wal-Mart speakers are of higher quality than the $200 home PC speakers mentioned earlier. Things like being able to handle the elements, surrounds, motor structures, etc.

Quote: Originally Posted by ”checksum”

You show me any car speakers, and I will show you a competing PC speaker that matches its sound quality with even more power.
Focal Beryllium

I’ll see if anyone else cares to add to this as I’m sure it will come up again in the future.

07-16-2006, 07:59 AM	#1
RedGTiVR6 _ RedGTiVR6's CarPC Specs Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Little Elm, Texas Vehicle: VW GTi VR6 / Ducati 900 SS & S4R / Dakota R/T Supercharged Posts: 13,221 My Photos: ()	FAQ: Why not Home PC speakers for the car? *Why can’t I use PC speakers in my car?* Thanks to checksum for the topic for this thread…hehehe I think this would best be answered with a list: Quote: Originally Posted by checksum Those of you who have a CARPC, why not use decent computer speakers? Most of them are 5:1. Their sound is great, very clear and most of them come with a sub. They are also very cheap nowadays. Their sound is great in the house, a car is a different environment. You have to deal with things like road noise, in the house, you don’t. Quote: Originally Posted by checksum But you save a lot of money, you don't have to worry about buying any amps. How are you going to power these home speakers in the car? With an inverter? Inverters are known for being both noisy and for inducing a lot of noise into audio systems in cars. Quote: Originally Posted by checksum If you can build a carpc, i am sure you can take apart your computer speakers and make them fit somehow in there, and nowadays they are small. I know I can. Precisely, they are small speakers, designed to work well in a relatively quiet environment. The car is not a relatively quiet environment. Quote: Originally Posted by checksum Just 2 amps 1 sub and 4 decent speakers can easily run you for around 500.00 or more, with 200.00 you can have a nice set of 5:1. Am I missing something here??? Yes, again, everything. 5.1 in the house is one thing, in a car, it’s completely different. If you’re not willing to spend the money on a true car audio set-up, then chances are, you’re not going to be willing to spend the money to fabricate the mounting methods for these home PC speakers nor are you going to want to hack up your dash to mount that center channel. Quote: Originally Posted by checksum well, that is more of a space issue there, house stereo are too big. But computer speakers are as small as car speakers, just take them out of their enclosure and you have a set of nice speakers. The enclosure is the speaker in essence. These home speakers are designed with an enclosure that matches the Thiele-small parameters of the speakers they house. Taking them out of the enclosures they were designed to go in will essentially cancel their abilities. Mounting – how would you mount these speakers in your car? Computer speakers are made to be mounted in a situation where they will be stationary for the vast majority of their lives. Car speakers are made to where the mounting points are beefed up and are made to handle the jarring and elements of in car use better. The acoustics of your house are completely different from the car. The car is one of the worst possible places that you can put a system and expect to get good sound out of it. The various surfaces and small ‘room’ size of a car present hell for audiophiles. Quote: Originally Posted by Mandos Most speakers made for cars are of much higher quality than a computer speaker in an enclosure. And if you're looking at things equally priced, the car speaker properly installed in a car should blow the computer speaker out of the water. Quote: Originally Posted by checksum That is not true Yes it is. Even the $15.00 Wal-Mart speakers are of higher quality than the $200 home PC speakers mentioned earlier. Things like being able to handle the elements, surrounds, motor structures, etc. Quote: Originally Posted by ”checksum” You show me any car speakers, and I will show you a competing PC speaker that matches its sound quality with even more power. Focal Beryllium I’ll see if anyone else cares to add to this as I’m sure it will come up again in the future. __________________ Jan Bennett FS: VW MKIV Bezel for 8" Lilliput - 95% Finished If you're needing someone to tell you what to buy, how to install it, or how to make it sound good, I charge a consulting fee.

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