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Bike Sound

Dingy bells, squealing brakes, air hissing out of tires . . . no wait, this group is about mobile sound systems.

Members: 44
Latest Activity: Jun 11, 2019

Discussion Forum

Wanted to buy - sound system that fits in milk crate 3 Replies

Started by willow naeco. Last reply by Dean Bekken Apr 7, 2015.

Boom Bike 4.0 Shopping List 31 Replies

Started by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer!. Last reply by Jimmy Miller Oct 16, 2013.

Shorai Batteries 1 Reply

Started by Matt. Last reply by h' Zerocats Jul 5, 2013.

Boom Cases 4 Replies

Started by Matt. Last reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep May 18, 2012.

Syncing mobile sound systems-- best solution yet 17 Replies

Started by h' Zerocats. Last reply by h' Zerocats Jun 28, 2011.

Bike sound component givaway

Started by Brendan May 30, 2011.

Power Is Out? 11 Replies

Started by Matt. Last reply by Matt May 23, 2011.

Speakers? 12 Replies

Started by Matt. Last reply by Matt May 10, 2011.

Any reasonably affordable way to get into lithium batteries? 7 Replies

Started by h' Zerocats. Last reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! May 5, 2011.

building a bike sound system.... 4 Replies

Started by Josh. Last reply by Fat Tire Frank Apr 7, 2011.

Comment Wall

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Comment by Todd Allen on April 14, 2010 at 9:01pm
I'd be able to use any where between 3 and 6. When/where would we go to pick them up?
Comment by h' Zerocats on April 14, 2010 at 6:27pm
Oh yeah-- free to anyone likely to use and take proper care of them (i.e. no deep discharge).
Comment by h' Zerocats on April 14, 2010 at 6:26pm
Looks like I'm going to get them. I think there are 8 or 9 -- let me know exactly what you want. I probably want to keep only 2 or 3.
I think I read correctly that they are 20 aH (it was a bit dark) but they strike me as a hair larger-- hard to tell though since they were bundled together.
Comment by Todd Allen on April 13, 2010 at 11:35pm
Rik, I missed your follow up on the mixer til just now.

The mx153 looks like a great little mixer. Not the cheapest option, but it packs a lot into a small package. For bike use it looks a lot more convenient than units with a full panel of equalizer knobs that one rarely needs. And taking 12 volts is great.

Have you been out using it yet? Just curious to hear a report on how it is working out.
Comment by Todd Allen on April 13, 2010 at 11:19pm
If the batteries are cheap/free I'd definitely take whatever is left over. I don't need them for myself, but if they are good enough I could use a few to make an electric trike for my mother-in-law.

Also, check in with Chopper Carl if the batteries become available as I think his old one was getting weak.
Comment by h' Zerocats on April 13, 2010 at 10:09pm
There's a big stack of 20 aH 12v SLA's at work that they're getting rid of- I'm trying to snag them. They all test over 12v (~12.6) indicating they're still good-- they change them out every two years regardless.
Anyone have a need?
Comment by rik on January 4, 2010 at 2:33pm
I decided on the Rolls mx153.
It is a nice little mixer with mic preamp and phantom voltage.
I cut off the AC wall transformer and saved it for something else.
Then I just wired the remaining 12vdc plug to the 12volt battery.
It has a very low draw on the battery; so I can easily run it all day.
Comment by rik on December 25, 2009 at 4:37pm
Todd Allen
Thanks for the quality response! It took me a while to digest all the info. I looked up that Rolls GLC cl151 and it looks like it is the best portable mic pre amp with compression. It is also great because it runs on 12volts dc which matches my battery. The only problem with it is that it is not a mixer, so I still need to add a mixer box to blend the mic with the mp3 player. While looking up your Rolls box I found different ones, the Rolls mx153 and Rolls MX122. These are mixer and mic-pre-amp in one little box that runs on 12v dc. These will let you add a wireless mic as well.
There is new breed of wireless mics for camcorders. They use batteries for the transmitter and receiver. These are perfect for connecting directly to an amp with out the need for a pre-amp.
Has any one tried one?
Comment by Todd Allen on December 13, 2009 at 12:06am
Mics output very weak signals unless you find one with an integrated preamp. Otherwise you need a separate preamp. And some mics also need an external power source, ie "phantom" power.

Mixers have mic preamps and most offer phantom power. They are a good choice, especially if you want to use the mic and music or other sound source together. But you can also get just single channel mic preamps or units like the Rolls GLC which incorprorate additional features like a noise gate and a compressor to help avoid problems with clipping.

One thing that can be awkward is that most preamps run on odd power sources such as + and - 9 volts DC supplied by a 120 volt AC transformer - phantom power I believe is 18 volts... There are models set up to take a pair of 9 volt batteries but the run time is short and the batteries are somewhat costly.

I run a mixer using the stock wall wart adapter plugged into an inverter. It works, but it isn't very elegant. The added bulk, weight, connections to fail and power wastage are annoying for portable use.

One nice thing about using a mixer is that most also function as a preamp to boost headphone level signals. I'm currently running a very sweet, inexpensive, ultra light and efficient amp. But it doesn't have much gain. Run straight off my mp3 player it only puts out about 5 watts per channel into 8 ohms. But with the mixer I can boost the input and unleash the full 400 watts.
Comment by rik on December 12, 2009 at 2:39am
Hi all
I am setting up my ride with sound
I just got a Fusion Reactor 450 watt amp and 12 in sub in a box.
This kit was on sale at Best Buy for $59
I do not have a trailer for the sub yet, so I am using the amp just on some old tv speakers mounted in rear milk crate basket.
Right now it runs a mp3 player ok.
Do I need a mixer to add a mic?
 

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