Buying quality woofer in Bangkok?

[OneMoreFarang]

I think about building one or subwoofers for my home.

I found these 12" JBL woofers online. 

 

JBL GTO SERIES ชุดเครื่องเสียงรถยนต์ ลำโพงซับวูฟเฟอร์ 12นิ้ว โครงหล่อ วอยซ์คู่ แม่เหล็กชั้นเดียว 1ดอก GTO-1214D | Shopee Thailand

 

 

I still have to check some parameters, but likely I want something similar to above.

I only want the speaker chassis, not any enclosures.

 

Can anybody of you recommend a shop or area where they sell such speaker chassis?

 

 

[Crossy]

Take a trip to Zeer Rangsit. Ground floor towards the back.

 

[NativeBob]

I built my THX later 5.2 surround at China town. 

including amps

[KannikaP]

The JBLs in the OP are designated as car speakers..............12" woofers in your boot!

What's the difference between these and conventional hi-fi woofers.

I need some 5'" woofers for my Paradigm Stud 20s.

 

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

12 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

The JBLs in the OP are designated as car speakers..............12" woofers in your boot!

What's the difference between these and conventional hi-fi woofers.

I need some 5'" woofers for my Paradigm Stud 20s.

 

I think about subwoofers, additional to my speakers which include 8" woofers.

Until now this is an idea which maybe I will do, maybe not.

The best would be if I can borrow/rent one or two subwoofers and try them at home. And then make up my mind if they make enough of a difference that I want some. 

[jvs]

4 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

I think about subwoofers, additional to my speakers which include 8" woofers.

Until now this is an idea which maybe I will do, maybe not.

The best would be if I can borrow/rent one or two subwoofers and try them at home. And then make up my mind if they make enough of a difference that I want some. 

If you do not have sub woofers and you install them it will sure make a very big difference to your listening experience.

In the past i built sub woofers using an 8 inch plastic pipe and it really was noticeable in the back ground.

Now i just have big speakers that are doing the job very well without a sub.

[steven100]

OP ....    there's  a couple of good woofers near my place ....  but I don't know what breed they are.   

[Artisi]

Was that woofer or hooker? 

[OneMoreFarang]

41 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Was that woofer or hooker? 

I know already where to find hookers.

And I certainly don't want a 12" version of one of those! 

 

[KannikaP]

13 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

I think about subwoofers, additional to my speakers which include 8" woofers.

Until now this is an idea which maybe I will do, maybe not.

The best would be if I can borrow/rent one or two subwoofers and try them at home. And then make up my mind if they make enough of a difference that I want some. 

This speaker, in a suitable cabinet, will go down to 23 Hz, so it says.

Anything below about 40 Hz could be heard as just low rumble noise though.

You would only need one of them in addition to your 8 inchers. But you would have to be careful about them interfering with each other's output phasewise. Low pass filter in the box too.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

This speaker, in a suitable cabinet, will go down to 23 Hz, so it says.

Anything below about 40 Hz could be heard as just low rumble noise though.

You would only need one of them in addition to your 8 inchers. But you would have to be careful about them interfering with each other's output phasewise. Low pass filter in the box too.

Yes, I know there is more to it than just connecting them to a big amp. I spend a lot of time learning about many of those details.

And I have already the miniDSP SHD Studio which takes care of all those little things.

 

 

[impulse]

Before buying anything, have a traipse through the Ban Mo market just outside of Chinatown.  They have entire streets and alleys selling woofers, tweeters, enclosures, amps and anything else you may need.  I can spend an entire afternoon just wandering the nooks and crannies.  Make sure you go into the bowels of the market, with several floors of components.  It's an amazing place.

 

5 minute (brisk) walk from the Sam Yot MRT station.  10-15 minutes if you walk like a local... 

 

Edit:  I also recommend Ban Mo if you need anything electric or electronic repaired.  They have lines of guys outdoors repairing hifi stuff, lined up along some of the streets.

 

Here's a taste...  https://wholesaleflyer.com/bangkoks-hidden-gems-top-5-lesser-known-wholesale-markets/  (Though the website needs to be updated, since the MRT is much closer now than Hua Lamphong)

 

[gargamon]

Your neighbors are going to love you.

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

Before buying anything, have a traipse through the Ban Mo market just outside of Chinatown.  They have entire streets and alleys selling woofers, tweeters, enclosures, amps and anything else you may need.  I can spend an entire afternoon just wandering the nooks and crannies.  Make sure you go into the bowels of the market, with several floors of components.  It's an amazing place.

 

5 minute (brisk) walk from the Sam Yot MRT station.  10-15 minutes if you walk like a local... 

 

Edit:  I also recommend Ban Mo if you need anything electric or electronic repaired.  They have lines of guys outdoors repairing hifi stuff, lined up along some of the streets.

 

Here's a taste...  https://wholesaleflyer.com/bangkoks-hidden-gems-top-5-lesser-known-wholesale-markets/  (Though the website needs to be updated, since the MRT is much closer now than Hua Lamphong)

 

I used to go there a lot for many years to buy electronic parts. I know they also have speaker and speaker parts over there. Most of the time cheap or midrange and some fake products.

 

Now, in this case, I look for high quality subwoofers, i.e. from JBL. My speakers are very good and cost a fortune. I don't intend to combine them with some low-quality subwoofers.

Maybe there are also high-quality speakers in the Ban Moh area. I will look one of these days.

NPE might be an option:

https://www.mynpe.com/th/shop/audio-productสนคาเครองเสยง/speakerดอกลำโพง

 

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, gargamon said:

Your neighbors are going to love you.

 

 

[Ben Zioner]

2 hours ago, gargamon said:

Your neighbors are going to love you.

Yes and he lives in a condo. Took me two years to beat these things out of the neighbourhood. And I am still paying my monthly 500 Baht stipend to the local police.

[OneMoreFarang]

5 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Yes and he lives in a condo. Took me two years to beat these things out of the neighbourhood. And I am still paying my monthly 500 Baht stipend to the local police.

 

My neighbor won't complain when I play music, even with a little higher volume at daytime or early evening.

I don't intend to play disco at 3am.

And it doesn't have to be very loud.

A good sound system can sound fantastic even with moderate volume. And "normal" speakers just can't produce low frequencies below 40Hz. Only real big volume speakers and subwoofers can do that.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I used to go there a lot for many years to buy electronic parts. I know they also have speaker and speaker parts over there. Most of the time cheap or midrange and some fake products.

 

Now, in this case, I look for high quality subwoofers, i.e. from JBL.

 

I freely admit I have become an anti-connoisseur after a few years of visiting factories in China who use the same parts and the same assembly line to make (for example)  a JBL product in the morning and then an off brand in the afternoon, changing only the paint and the box.  Add that to all the YouTubes where they review products and point out 3 or 4 different brands selling the exact same product at very different price points... Gotta love the interwebs.

 

For woofers, I've only ever lost a set to the foam surround degrading over time.  On a $100 woofer, meh.  On a $500 woofer, ouch.  Not to mention, I speak to the guys in the shops at Ban Mo and they have great recommendations to which brands hold up and which brands to avoid.  As long as I don't tip them that I'm looking for XYZ.  Because they're sales guys and they'll sell me what I'm willing to buy.

 

That said, I haven't bought a woofer in years and years.  Mostly, I buy home grade (spelled c-h-e-a-p) test equipment, like multi-meters and power supplies, for which BanMo is amazing.  Let us know what you decide and how you make out.  If I settle in one place in Thailand, I'd like to get a nice sound system.  And I agree with you above.  I don't need to play at high volumes to appreciate a huge displacement woofer.

 

 

[jvs]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

I used to go there a lot for many years to buy electronic parts. I know they also have speaker and speaker parts over there. Most of the time cheap or midrange and some fake products.

 

Now, in this case, I look for high quality subwoofers, i.e. from JBL. My speakers are very good and cost a fortune. I don't intend to combine them with some low-quality subwoofers.

Maybe there are also high-quality speakers in the Ban Moh area. I will look one of these days.

NPE might be an option:

https://www.mynpe.com/th/shop/audio-productสนคาเครองเสยง/speakerดอกลำโพง

 

 

 

As mentioned before a sub woofer does not do much beside adding a low rumble to your sound.

I have used both high end and cheap sub woofers and you really can not hear the difference.

Even the home made pipe subwoofers add a whole dimension to the sound but just the part you "feel' instead of hear but it does make a big difference in the sound experience.

Now i have an old pair of JBL TI5000 and i don't feel i have to add anything to them but then again music equipment is like wine.

Getting too old to hear the fine nuances now anyway so i am satisfied with what i have .

[OneMoreFarang]

I have to admit I don't really know how much difference a subwoofer would make.

My speakers have the -3dB point at 41Hz. So, they are not so bad. Would some music sound better with base down to 25Hz? Maybe. Maybe I should visit one of those HiFi shops and find out.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, jvs said:

old pair of JBL TI5000

They are not bad at all.

[jvs]

16 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I have to admit I don't really know how much difference a subwoofer would make.

My speakers have the -3dB point at 41Hz. So, they are not so bad. Would some music sound better with base down to 25Hz? Maybe. Maybe I should visit one of those HiFi shops and find out.

A friend of mine years back used some kind of magnet attached to his listening chair.

It did not make sound but when really low music it vibrated the chair just a little bit,a very strange experience but it did add to the sound somehow.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, jvs said:

A friend of mine years back used some kind of magnet attached to his listening chair.

It did not make sound but when really low music it vibrated the chair just a little bit,a very strange experience but it did add to the sound somehow.

 

I'm also curious about distributed mode speakers, which use the walls or other flat panels instead of actual cone drivers and enclosures.  I meant to experiment while I was in Bangkok, but had no confidence that they'd work on concrete walls.