single mono ceiling speaker in bathroom?

[markdadude]

Hi guys, in the process of renovating my place I fed a speaker cable into the joist space above the bathroom down to the area under the stairs that will house amps/ sky box/ bluray etc.. I'm finally getting round to having the upstairs carpeted so I have to fix speaker now.

I didnt want anything complicated at the time and with space for just one speaker I fed only one speaker cable which I now regret - I think I should have put two cables in and got one of those single stereo speakers. Still one mono speaker should be ok as its just a small bathroom and I just want decent volume and sound quality to listen to something whilst showering.

If you would be so kind, what speaker would you guys recommend (£60 or less), and how do I drive this single speaker from a stereo source whilst being able to select a variety of inputs and change volume. In an Ideal world I would use my phone wirelessly to control output to this speaker and speakers in the lounge (5.1 wired). The area for control boxes is connected to the home network.

I Would be very grateful for any pointers so I can research this more efficiently. cheers.

 

[Sam Gangee]

You'll need a mixer pre-amplifier to combine L + R, followed by an amplifier (5 Watts RMS should be adequate) to drive the speaker.

Most cardboard-cone speakers won't survive in a bathroom environment so Look for one with a mylar cone and, for added protection, wrap it in a plastic bag or use "stretch & seal" to keep moisture out.

I can't comment on remote control. I don't understand what your input source is. But be sure to seal any remote inside a polythene bag.

 

[Sam Gangee]

There's a circuit for a simple L+R mixer here:
http://english.cxem.net/amplifier/amplifier24.php

Ignore the 3rd input. It's not needed.

You connect the L + R line outputs from your audio source to the mixer circuit. Connect the output to a small 5W amplifier to drive your loudspeaker. Any kid interested in soldering could make this for you in an hour.

It will need a regulated 9 volt DC power supply.

 

[OwainDIYer]

There's a circuit for a simple L+R mixer here:
http://english.cxem.net/amplifier/amplifier24.php

Ignore the 3rd input. It's not needed.

You connect the L + R line outputs from your audio source to the mixer circuit. Connect the output to a small 5W amplifier to drive your loudspeaker. Any kid interested in soldering could make this for you in an hour.

It will need a regulated 9 volt DC power supply.

Or you could just use 3 resistors and make a passive combiner, the relative levels of the channels will not need adjusting, and the power amplifier will overcome the losses in the passive combiner, so no need for the BC109C and the power supply.

 

[markdadude]

Hi guys, thanks alot for the help. I was speaking with an audio visual sales person who said that I'd probably have to make one of these combiners for each input if I wanted to control them remotely. I figured out a way I could run another cable in the end, so I can go with one of those single stereo speakers.

 

[ChrisFrost]

Sam Gangee mentioned about putting plastic bags or cling film over the speaker to keep out moisture. Well, with some speakers you don't need to do that. They'll live very happily in a bathroom.

I've been using Kinetic (previously called Flatline) speakers for 7 years. I also use B&W, Kef, Monitor Audio, Russound as well as some specialist brand stuff. But I like Kinetic because I can give someone the performance and warranty of Hi-Fi brand in-ceiling at just 60% of the price.

I've installed their single-point and stereo-pair speakers in to bathrooms and they have performed flawlessly. Here's some images from a recent install (Nov 2011). We ended up installing 16 speakers in this client's house. That was 4 single points & 6 stereo pairs.

There's a bit more of my stuff on Facebook if you're curious.

The one I'd recommend for your job is this This e-tailer is doing a good price. It's more than your budget I know, but compared to a smaller and more basic £60 speaker you'll get much fuller bass, sweeter treble, better sound, superior build, and probably better efficiency so you get more sound for less amplifier watts.

 

[Sam Gangee]

But it's really two speakers in one, plus the crossover components, so not an outrageous price.