I work in the oilfield and have a 6x12 enclosed trailer that I spend my days in. I just got through finishing it out. It has both 110 and 12 volt power.
I am wanting to install a stereo in it to listen to while at work. The majority of the time I am the only one in there so I like to turn up the music a bit.
I have been using an Ipod with a speaker base but I really want better sound and the ability to pick up FM stations. We travel a lot and I like listening to the local radio stations to find out more about the local areas.
Anyway to my question. I am not sure if it would be better to go with a 12 volt set up, basically a car head unit and some speakers or a 110 set up like a home receiver. I would think the car stereo would be more durable?
For the speakers I would like to have four and I want them in prebuilt boxes so that I can bolt them to the wall. I was thinking something along the lines of 6x9's. I have also seen quite a few home theater speakers that look and sound good and would be easy to mount. Will these work ok running off a car stereo or are they different ohms? I have not messed with stereos since about 10 years ago and I seem to remember that car speakers were 4 ohms and home speakers were 8 ohms?
Any suggestions or ideas on this little project would greatly be appreciated. I have been out of the loop on this stereo stuff for quite some time and do not know what all is out there now and what would be the best solution.
If you have 110V available, go with home gear. It will use far less electrical power and is easier to sit on a shelf, and it's every bit as durable.
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Support the12volt.comThanks for the reply.
As far a sitting on a shelf whatever goes in there is going to be permanently mounted. This trailer moves from location to location. A home unit I could bolt down on top of the desk or a car stereo under the desk.
Since you are in such a small space, a car system seems to be a more logical choice to me. As far as the unanswered question about the 8 ohm / 4 ohm thing. An 8 ohm speaker is typically less efficient than a 4 ohm. And the radio will put out less power into an 8 ohm load vs. a 4 ohm load. But having 4 speakers in that small of an area, I really do not see there being a problem achieving a decent listeneing level.
as far as being limited with your space, a car head unit will be the better choice. get ya a decent head unit, and 4 6x9's with boxes... mount in each corner firing to the center of the trailer and call it a day!!
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if at first u dont succeed........ lower ur standards
I would say go with the home stuff, less electrical, cheaper, and less wires to run. What kind of 12 volt system do you have in your trailer?
The trailer has 8, 110 volt outlets and an Optima battery wired up to a comercial charger. The whole trailer is connected to a 8000 watt generator.
I have 110 for things such as lights, AC, heater, computers. I have the 12 volt for my two way radios, and some of my other equipment. Both power sources are readily available at my desk.
I went and looked at some stereo stuff yesterday at best buy and I did not see any car speakers in boxes except for the subs. I looked at teh home stuff and the speakers looked at lot easier to mount, but the receivers were huge.
I am thinking I want to go with a car stereo head unit, and home theater speakers.
bdog1234 wrote:
I am thinking I want to go with a car stereo head unit, and home theater speakers.
Not a bad idea. Be sure you have about a 10 amp 12V power supply for the HU, assuming you are not running any external amps.
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Support the12volt.combdog1234 wrote:
I work in the oilfield and have a 6x12 enclosed trailer that I spend my days in. I just got through finishing it out. It has both 110 and 12 volt power.
I would have to assume that he has a travel trailer of some sort and it has a built in 12 volt power supply.