(Topic ID: 307852)

Improving Sound Quality - The DIY Route

By davegauth

2 years ago


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    #1201 11 months ago
    Quoted from Kkoss24:

    I always get the Kenwood upgrade with speaker lights from Pinball Life .I like to keep it simple and like how the lights look . Now I am looking to upgrade the sub and was thinking of the Boom Booms .Nice to hear some feedback .I’ll be following this thread as I want to order a couple for GZ and IMDN to go along with the Kenwoods .I would like to be under $100 each so any advice would be appreciated and the Boom Booms are still in play I wouldn’t mind saving the $110 but if there’s a big difference I’d be fine spending the $200 for an upgrade ..

    I have also used the Boss CXX8 8 inch Woofer when on a budget. Sounds much better than stock, and it didn’t need an adapter. (Using some pressure to install the 4 nuts)

    #1202 11 months ago
    Quoted from GCS2000:

    I have a new to me GZ Premium and would like to change out the speakers (doubt I will go amp tbh) and would like to move from the 4" stock to one of the recommended 5.25" sets. I know speakerlightkits.com has the adapters to do this but they are $50 is there a cheaper option out there?
    Also I will be using the myth flaming speaker lights with city scape in my game and I understand clearance can be an issue on aftermarket speakers. Can anyone share which ones are good choice when using this light kit?
    TIA

    No adapter needed. I cut the studs off the original speaker plates and drilled 4 holes to mount new 5.25 kickers. I fastened the kickers with black pan head machine screws and nylon nuts. Works great with Flamin flames light kit, no clearance problems. Only cost $2 for hardware and was easy to do. Use the speakers as a template for hole locations.

    #1203 11 months ago

    https://www.amazon.com/GRS-8SW-4-Poly-Cone-Subwoofer/dp/B072YJZWMM

    I have used this on Deadpool and Rush. Big improvement over stock. 30 bucks right now. Easy install. I removed the mesh on both when installing.

    #1204 11 months ago
    Quoted from GCS2000:I have a new to me GZ Premium and would like to change out the speakers (doubt I will go amp tbh) and would like to move from the 4" stock to one of the recommended 5.25" sets. I know speakerlightkits.com has the adapters to do this but they are $50 is there a cheaper option out there?
    Also I will be using the myth flaming speaker lights with city scape in my game and I understand clearance can be an issue on aftermarket speakers. Can anyone share which ones are good choice when using this light kit?
    TIA

    I don't sell any speaker "adapters" I sell 5.25" speaker plates. I don't really understand someone paying for an upgrade from 4" to 5.25" speakers, just to cut corners to stick them behind 4" speaker holes with an adapter.

    I sell my 5.25" plate sets for $50 a pair. Others were selling them for $70 a pair before I made them available. I also include the hardware and the plates are improved over the original factory design (no needless visible notches cut in the front of them). I also sell mine for $25 a set if a person is buying a SPIKE 2 light kit with them.

    Doug (SpeakerLightKits.com)

    #1205 11 months ago

    Upgrading my GZ premium are the Kenwoods still the go to for this or is the Kickers now?

    And planning to do the JBL 8" sub as well unless there is a better option.

    TIA

    #1206 11 months ago
    Quoted from GCS2000:

    Upgrading my GZ premium are the Kenwoods still the go to for this or is the Kickers now?
    And planning to do the JBL 8" sub as well unless there is a better option.
    TIA

    I would give the nod to the Kickers over the Kenwoods. I even like the 4 inch infinity set over the 5.25 kenwoods. The kit that pinballlife sells with the lights, plates, kenwoods, and acrylic ring is a nice value package though. I have it in my Godzilla.

    #1207 11 months ago

    The price on the kickers has slowly crept up. My first pair was 59.99, now they are like 80-90 bucks!

    #1208 11 months ago
    Quoted from Pinash:

    The price on the kickers has slowly crept up. My first pair was 59.99, now they are like 80-90 bucks!

    Yep.

    I have 2 different kickers in my cart at the moment which should be used?

    DSC50 $63
    46CSC54 $80

    JBL Stage 810 is the sub I picked but wondering if its even needed since I am going to be using an external sub for sure

    #1209 11 months ago
    Quoted from GCS2000:

    Yep.
    I have 2 different kickers in my cart at the moment which should be used?
    DSC50 $63
    46CSC54 $80
    JBL Stage 810 is the sub I picked but wondering if its even needed since I am going to be using an external sub for sure

    DS is their low end offering, cs is the next higher model. Most people are upgrading to the cs (myself included).

    #1210 11 months ago
    Quoted from Pinash:

    DS is their low end offering, cs is the next higher model. Most people are upgrading to the cs (myself included).

    Thanks.

    Is that stupid yellow tweet cone going to show through some myth flaming speaker lights on my GZ or does the foam hide it well enough - anyone know?

    #1211 11 months ago

    I have the Kicker CS 4" on my Bond, and you can't see it through the foam. Not sure if the lighting might change that, but it seems unlikely?

    #1212 11 months ago

    Not sure why weird stuff and information has been showing up in this thread lately.

    Thank you Pinash for the good info.

    Kicker CS series are your best choice for back box speakers. The Kenwoods are horrible. (go back several pages to see the speaker fight reviews) If you are afraid of seing the yellow come through the foam(you most likely won't) then use a black sharpie to go over the yellow accent - poof all better. I do this with the chrome accent on the Alpines.

    The Boss subwoofers are NOT a favorite swap. I have no idea where this even comes from. The Boss has not even been discussed in this thread with the exception of a brief post I made a few pages back about it - AND I have not rated it as it's still sitting on my table waiting for an install to test. #2 whoever said they have used them, they didn't need a spacer and you only needed to push down a bit to get the screws to fit AND they sounded just "ok"... Well, problem #1 is they DO require a spacer(see my post a page back). The cabinet cut out is too small, and the Boss gasket is too small to mount properly. The front speaker suspension is literally being squished against the edge of the cabinet cutout and most likely the plastic mesh if you didnt remove it. Which brings to point #2 and most likely the cause of your just "ok" rating. Add a spacer and see if it improves. (Again, i have not reviewed the Boss, so they may very well be just "ok" if and when mounted properly)

    Using speaker "adapters" is just fine for converting from 4" to 5.25" speakers, you do not need new plates for this. I would only recomend new plates if you were buying speaker lights at the same time, because of the discount and ease when doing it all at once. BUT if you are not planning speaker lights, then the plates are not nescessary. Two points here: #1 yes there is a stock cutout for a 4" round, however; the cutout is plenty big enough to let all the sound out that is produced from a 5.25" speaker. Don't over think this until you see it yourself. #2 depending on what speakers you want to install you may need a spacer of some sort, even when using new plates, to provide room for the tweater. Soooo... The adapter alone would be the spacer and new plates would not be needed(just added expense)

    Pricing - it is sometimes hard to watch when decisions are being made based on pricing alone. Don't get me wrong, I started this as a DIY thread and absolutley encourage everyone who is tinkering with the rest of us to try out all kinds of things regardless of price. That's the point of tinkering.... But please don't let price be your motivating factor if you don't have the tinkering mindset and you are here to do a solid upgrade. Spend the couple dollars and get the proven good stuff and be done, these are $7k machines at the low end, an extra $20-$50 shouldn't be the decisive factor. Even using the best stuff listed in this thread you will still spend less money and get a significantly better result than more expensive plug and play options available.

    Whenever I have guests over, and they hear what some of these installs sound like in person they are blown away. It truly is amazing what can be done with just the info gathered by everyone in this thread.

    Lets keep the thread and its readers heading forward on solid ground - without diverting recent visitors off the side of the road and into the mudd.

    #1213 11 months ago
    Quoted from davegauth:

    Not sure why weird stuff and information has been showing up in this thread lately.
    Thank you Pinash for the good info.
    Kicker CS series are your best choice for back box speakers. The Kenwoods are horrible. (go back several pages to see the speaker fight reviews) If you are afraid of seing the yellow come through the foam(you most likely won't) then use a black sharpie to go over the yellow accent - poof all better. I do this with the chrome accent on the Alpines.
    The Boss subwoofers are NOT a favorite swap. I have no idea where this even comes from. The Boss has not even been discussed in this thread with the exception of a brief post I made a few pages back about it - AND I have not rated it as it's still sitting on my table waiting for an install to test. #2 whoever said they have used them, they didn't need a spacer and you only needed to push down a bit to get the screws to fit AND they sounded just "ok"... Well, problem #1 is they DO require a spacer(see my post a page back). The cabinet cut out is too small, and the Boss gasket is too small to mount properly. The front speaker suspension is literally being squished against the edge of the cabinet cutout and most likely the plastic mesh if you didnt remove it. Which brings to point #2 and most likely the cause of your just "ok" rating. Add a spacer and see if it improves. (Again, i have not reviewed the Boss, so they may very well be just "ok" if and when mounted properly)
    Using speaker "adapters" is just fine for converting from 4" to 5.25" speakers, you do not need new plates for this. I would only recomend new plates if you were buying speaker lights at the same time, because of the discount and ease when doing it all at once. BUT if you are not planning speaker lights, then the plates are not nescessary. Two points here: #1 yes there is a stock cutout for a 4" round, however; the cutout is plenty big enough to let all the sound out that is produced from a 5.25" speaker. Don't over think this until you see it yourself. #2 depending on what speakers you want to install you may need a spacer of some sort, even when using new plates, to provide room for the tweater. Soooo... The adapter alone would be the spacer and new plates would not be needed(just added expense)
    Pricing - it is sometimes hard to watch when decisions are being made based on pricing alone. Don't get me wrong, I started this as a DIY thread and absolutley encourage everyone who is tinkering with the rest of us to try out all kinds of things regardless of price. That's the point of tinkering.... But please don't let price be your motivating factor if you don't have the tinkering mindset and you are here to do a solid upgrade. Spend the couple dollars and get the proven good stuff and be done, these are $7k machines at the low end, an extra $20-$50 shouldn't be the decisive factor. Even using the best stuff listed in this thread you will still spend less money and get a significantly better result than more expensive plug and play options available.
    Whenever I have guests over, and they hear what some of these installs sound like in person they are blown away. It truly is amazing what can be done with just the info gathered by everyone in this thread.
    Lets keep the thread and its readers heading forward on solid ground - without diverting recent visitors off the side of the road and into the mudd.

    Thank you for this and all makes sense.

    If I am running an external sub on my games does it make much difference upgrading the internal sub?

    #1214 11 months ago
    Quoted from GCS2000:

    Thank you for this and all makes sense.
    If I am running an external sub on my games does it make much difference upgrading the internal sub?

    Yes and no - kinda depends.

    Some people have been doing this exact thing and like it. I understand the thought for sure, and it works for some situations and preferences.

    For me, and my liking - I would always do the cabinet replacement, and add an amplifier to the pin. This way everything is self contained, and ready to sell as a finished unit. If it's not enough for you then add a sub.

    I have not found a decent powered sub that I have truly liked in the $175 and lower range. But different strokes type thing. Most of what I have played with thus far have been underpowered, not tuned well, boooooomy, port chuffing etc. There is also a problem with the onboard amps and how they handle line level inputs - you will need the pinnovators adapter to get enough line level to drive many of these subs for decent performance. The pinsound adapter will not give you enough gain from the board to do it. But - when you step up to better subs in the $400-$600 subs this is less of an issue and now you are getting somewhere.

    Since I know what I can do with a sound system I just avoid the hassle and cost of trying to find and add a worthy sub. But again - I have different requirements and standards. I have a friend who has a nice arcade setup, he has very low ceilings and hardwood floors and very small rooms. He runs powered subwoofers and it sounds ok in this enviroment.

    Soooooo...... yeah, kinds depends....

    If you want to tinker - try each way and see which one you like - then you have an idea of what you will do for your other pins.

    Note: You could also try the Skar midbass speaker. Which is inexpensive and a bolt in(I believe) and add a seperate powered sub. awesome1 has been doing this with his pins and likes it. At some point I'd like to try the Skar myself and check it out.

    #1215 11 months ago
    Quoted from GCS2000:

    Thanks.
    Is that stupid yellow tweet cone going to show through some myth flaming speaker lights on my GZ or does the foam hide it well enough - anyone know?

    Kicker csc5 hiding behind there… yellow is not noticeable at all.

    46507586-78A5-4F35-ACC7-F0598CDB6B6B (resized).jpeg46507586-78A5-4F35-ACC7-F0598CDB6B6B (resized).jpeg
    #1216 11 months ago

    Just thought I would share about the speaker upgrades I did for my Godzilla Premium. This has been a very helpful thread - thanks to all of you who have shared your experiences here!

    Backbox speakers - a pair of Focal ACX 130 5 1/4" speakers. I also replaced the stock speaker plates with 5.25" speaker plates (ordered from Speakerlightkits.com) and ordered a set of red acrylic speaker surrounds. The acrylic surrounds provide a smidge of spacing needed for the approx 1/8" of tweeter protrusion on the Focal speakers. I also like the look of the Godzilla LE speaker panel with the red outline around the speakers.

    Soundwise, the primary difference I notice with the Focals vs stock speakers is in the clarity of the backbox speakers. The speakers just 'breathe' easier. Vocals and music are just smoother all around. The strings in the Godzilla theme music sound buttery, yet Godzilla's screech is more in your face. To me, the backbox speakers have been a noticeable and worthwhile upgrade..

    Cabinet speaker - JBL Stage 82AM 8" subwoofer. It seems to be a relative to the JBL Stage 810 that is referenced here often. With the stock amp, it takes some tuning to get right. I fiddled quite a bit with the 10-band EQ settings, and I can get it to sound great for a given volume level. One challenge is that I often play at different volume levels - moderate most of the time, but lower volume levels later in the evening. When I lower the volume say from moderate volume, the bass falls off the most. I normally just adjust the fader between the cabinet and backbox to address this. The cabinet sub probably needs more power than it's getting with the stock amp, but it's still a nice improvement over the stock cabinet speaker.

    #1217 11 months ago
    Quoted from KSP1138:

    A downside to be aware of with the TPA3116D2 based amps is the unsecured bluetooth which takes priority over the line input. Anybody with a phone within range can connect to it, and I've had the sound drop a couple times mid game because of that. And if you want to stream music over your pinball speakers it can be confusing when you have several of these amps because they all have the same name.

    I tried one of the non-bluetooth TPA3116D2 amps, but it did not meet my needs. This one only has a treble adjustment for the L/R channels. The amp is driving a pair of Sony SSCS5 bookshelf speakers and they need some bass boost to sound good. If the audio has an EQ upstream it might be OK but I did not try to find the EQ in Windows.

    81-yL5Lx0TL._SL1500_ (resized).jpg81-yL5Lx0TL._SL1500_ (resized).jpg
    #1218 11 months ago
    Quoted from SlapDrain:

    Kicker csc5 hiding behind there… yellow is not noticeable at all. [quoted image]

    Thank you Slap!

    BTW can someone tell me if I need an adapter plate for the JBL 810 sub as well? If so does anyone make one?

    Greg

    #1219 11 months ago
    Quoted from GCS2000:

    Thank you Slap!
    BTW can someone tell me if I need an adapter plate for the JBL 810 sub as well? If so does anyone make one?
    Greg

    JBL 810 bolts on with existing holes. But either remove the mesh insert, or (what I did) move it to the underside of the cabinet (that way you get some protection)

    #1220 11 months ago

    Could use some advice on how to economically upgrade my fleet.

    Current/Soon to be game room set up:

    Godzilla - added Kicker CS4 + JBL 810 (thanks to this thread)
    LOTR - added Pinsound + Kicker CS4
    MMr - came with "pinballpro.com" branded 5" speaker upgrades in backbox. stock cab speaker. Sounds decent.
    *Deadpool
    *Foo Fighters

    I'm not an audiophile and its rare I can (or want to) crank the sound up in the game room with the family around. so I don't need too much power. I probably would not add amps to these pins even though I understand it would improve sound quality a bit
    if I steal the JBL180 out of GZ(see below), Then I have 5 pins that could use some bass. Thinking just upgrading backbox speakers on each pin (CS5 for DP and FF) , leaving cabinet speaker, and adding a PSW10 sub with a Pinnovators PinsmxII which can connect 5 games to 1 sub. If I did that I guess I could connect to CN5 output on the spike 2's, and buy the Pinnovators $35 sub kit for the other two games to tap the cabinet speaker and convert to line level. That seems pretty economical, and should work pretty well, right?

    Garage set up:
    *Iron Maiden - Kicker DS50 5", JBL 810(steal from gz) , BT30d amp.
    For a few reasons I'm gonna have Iron Maiden in garage for a while, and I want to really make it sound great when cranked up, so I am going beyond what I did for GZ and adding the amp, and speakers to 5". JBL 810 should give decent bass without needing an external sub??

    Is there a more optimal way to spend a similar amount of money upgrading sound on my games? I have kind of gleamed from this thread that the priority is backbox speaker > cabinet sub or external sub > amp but I know that's an oversimplification.

    Thanks for reading any any advice.

    (* is incoming game. Yeah I'm gonna be poor for a while)

    1 week later
    #1221 10 months ago

    I put the recommend 5.25” Kickers and the 8” JBL 810 into my Godzilla can anyone share some recommended settings?

    I think I read that the kickers should be set to 4 ohm and the sub to 8 ohm is that right?

    EQ settings?

    Thanks

    #1222 10 months ago
    Quoted from GCS2000:

    I put the recommend 5.25” Kickers and the 8” JBL 810 into my Godzilla can anyone share some recommended settings?
    I think I read that the kickers should be set to 4 ohm and the sub to 8 ohm is that right?
    EQ settings?
    Thanks

    See post #737

    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/improving-sound-quality-the-diy-route/page/15#post-6942037

    1 week later
    #1223 10 months ago
    Quoted from davegauth:

    There is also a problem with the onboard amps and how they handle line level inputs - you will need the pinnovators adapter to get enough line level to drive many of these subs for decent performance. The pinsound adapter will not give you enough gain from the board to do it.

    I haven't tried the Pinnovators adapter (looks like it uses the backbox outputs, so I had concerns with EQ settings), but I do have the Pinsound adapter on a few Stern machines.

    I needed to crank up the cabinet bass EQ settings in the game and max the external sub output to even start to get some bass.

    I recently tried a cheap little line level preamp to feed the external sub and WOW, this is a game changer!

    I'm still dialing this setup in on a couple games, but have turned all of the bass settings down quite a bit and still can get what I thought I never would... too much bass!

    #1224 10 months ago

    Hi....

    I hooked up a older external Yamaha sub I had, using alligator clips, to my Jurassic Park. Sounds fine enough when the machine is one, but once I power off the pinball machine, the hub emits a really loud hum. If I turn the sub WAY down, the sound will go away. Any ideas?

    2 weeks later
    #1225 9 months ago

    Team, just a head's up I see that today, the Kicker 5.25" CSC54 speakers are on sale for $71.96 (that's $9 off.)
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NSCZ27W/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00

    #1226 9 months ago
    Quoted from mrbillishere:

    Team, just a head's up I see that today, the Kicker 5.25" CSC54 speakers are on sale for $71.96 (that's $9 off.)
    amazon.com link »

    That is a good price. Thank you for sharing.

    Screenshot 2023-05-28 12.12.24 PM (resized).pngScreenshot 2023-05-28 12.12.24 PM (resized).png
    #1227 9 months ago

    Here's my report regarding the swap-out of audio components I recently completed on FF LE. Total cost came out to under $240 and that includes an old unused sub that I must have bought years ago and found in storage so I suppose technically it was a sunk cost meaning I really just had an out of pocket cost of about $200. Regardless, it sounds a lot better than stock and I have a bluetooth capable pinball jukebox now too. (I find that last bit hilariously ironic given there is a 5.1 channel, proper sound system 5' away but where's the fun in that?)

    Sound upgrade BOM looks like this:
    ------------------------------------------
    Kicker 5.25" CSC54 Speakers in the head: 80.96
    AIYIMA A03 2.1 Channel Amplifier (50W+50W+100W) TPA3116: 71.24
    UGREEN 10' cable, RCA L+R to 2-channel 3.5mm aux-style jack: 12.13
    Pinsound CN5 adapter cable: 31.40
    An old, NIB Pyramid Super Pro PW865US-X 8" subwoofer I had in storage: 40.00 (just guessing, no idea what I paid for it.)
    20' of 16 AWG Speaker wire left over from another car audio project: 0.00
    10' of 1" braided cable sleeve left over from a home theatre project: 0.00
    2 banana plugs left over from a home theatre project: 0.00

    Total cost: $235.73

    If you'd like more pictures, here's an album demonstrating the final results:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/hWZxpUJwjgGvHRDq6

    All I have left to do is relocate and secure the amp to the right side, behind the coinbox divider. I'm waiting as I want to try another sub or two as I have no idea if the one in there right now is any good (they are long since discontinued.) I'd also like to enclose the sub so I don't want to commit to the amp's final location just yet.

    This was an afternoon project with the ballgame on in the background. Totally plug-n-play and fully reversible. I can't imagine I spent more than 3-4 hours doing this, and part of that was installing a type 13 speaker light kit, which I might add really looks great.

    PXL_20230527_221054087 (resized).jpgPXL_20230527_221054087 (resized).jpg
    #1228 9 months ago
    Quoted from mrbillishere:

    Here's my report regarding the swap-out of audio components I recently completed on FF LE. Total cost came out to under $240 and that includes an old unused sub that I must have bought years ago and found in storage so I suppose technically it was a sunk cost meaning I really just had an out of pocket cost of about $200. Regardless, it sounds a lot better than stock and I have a bluetooth capable pinball jukebox now too. (I find that last bit hilariously ironic given there is a 5.1 channel, proper sound system 5' away but where's the fun in that?)
    Sound upgrade BOM looks like this:
    ------------------------------------------
    Kicker 5.25" CSC54 Speakers in the head: 80.96
    AIYIMA A03 2.1 Channel Amplifier (50W+50W+100W) TPA3116: 71.24
    UGREEN 10' cable, RCA L+R to 2-channel 3.5mm aux-style jack: 12.13
    Pinsound CN5 adapter cable: 31.40
    An old, NIB Pyramid Super Pro PW865US-X 8" subwoofer I had in storage: 40.00 (just guessing, no idea what I paid for it.)
    20' of 16 AWG Speaker wire left over from another car audio project: 0.00
    10' of 1" braided cable sleeve left over from a home theatre project: 0.00
    2 banana plugs left over from a home theatre project: 0.00
    Total cost: $235.73
    If you'd like more pictures, here's an album demonstrating the final results:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/hWZxpUJwjgGvHRDq6
    All I have left to do is relocate and secure the amp to the right side, behind the coinbox divider. I'm waiting as I want to try another sub or two as I have no idea if the one in there right now is any good (they are long since discontinued.) I'd also like to enclose the sub so I don't want to commit to the amp's final location just yet.
    This was an afternoon project with the ballgame on in the background. Totally plug-n-play and fully reversible. I can't imagine I spent more than 3-4 hours doing this, and part of that was installing a type 13 speaker light kit, which I might add really looks great. [quoted image]

    Nice work man. If you've got an LE though, you NEED the expression speaker lights from ninja camp. Have them in my Zep and it's badass. Doug's stuff is great but duping the Expression lights is next level. If the game is not in a lineup the Undercab kit is totally worth it too - I have it and it's awesome, but you don't really appreciate it unless the game is sitting on its own.

    #1229 9 months ago

    Do you have to manually power the amp on when you start the machine?

    #1230 9 months ago
    Quoted from 67cutlass:

    Hi....
    I hooked up a older external Yamaha sub I had, using alligator clips, to my Jurassic Park. Sounds fine enough when the machine is one, but once I power off the pinball machine, the hub emits a really loud hum. If I turn the sub WAY down, the sound will go away. Any ideas?

    I've had that issue too. It still comes and goes. I've moved my sub a little more away from the internal sub and it seemed to help

    #1231 9 months ago
    Quoted from Sorokyl:

    I'm not an audiophile and its rare I can (or want to) crank the sound up in the game room with the family around. so I don't need too much power. I probably would not add amps to these pins even though I understand it would improve sound quality a bit

    Adding an amp does more than allow you to turn it up louder. It improves quality substantially at all volumes. Basically the Stern setup is the worst setup possible that makes sound. These machines are designed to be put into a bar or arcade where nobody is going to hear them anyway. They are not designed for the home user in mind. Hearing the awful sound quality on any LE machine with upgraded speakers should be a great example of this. Something like the Pinwoofer DIY amp will make a tremendous difference and you can easily take it back out if you decide to sell the machine.

    #1232 9 months ago
    Quoted from Tommy_Pins:

    Do you have to manually power the amp on when you start the machine?

    Good qsn.

    For now the AIYIMA A03 amp gets its power from the service outlet so it's always on. My intent is to either hook its power cord into the lugs on the Stern transformer's inputs or to connect them to the switched side of the power switch. I have suitable terminals to crimp the leads onto either spot, I just have to decide which one I prefer.

    This is the power brick I am using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BJZXFZ2H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00

    619KrdYV5JL._AC_SX679_ (resized).jpg619KrdYV5JL._AC_SX679_ (resized).jpg

    The nice thing about that power brick is that the half of its cord that goes to the power outlet in the wall uses the same type of cord as a lot of other old IT gear in my parts bin so if I want to, I can dig out one that's a couple of feet longer and pretty up how the cord runs inside the cabinet and ensure I have plenty of slack.

    I'd also like to find the white circular cable clips on pinballife.com so I can use them along the inside edges of the cabinet to attach that braided cable sleeve to a couple of spots inside the cabinet along the right side.
    PXL_20230527_214208514 (resized).jpgPXL_20230527_214208514 (resized).jpg

    #1233 9 months ago
    Quoted from mrbillishere:

    Good qsn.
    For now the AIYIMA A03 amp gets its power from the service outlet so it's always on. My intent is to either hook its power cord into the lugs on the Stern transformer's inputs or to connect them to the switched side of the power switch. I have suitable terminals to crimp the leads onto either spot, I just have to decide which one I prefer.
    This is the power brick I am using: amazon.com link »
    [quoted image]
    The nice thing about that power brick is that the half of its cord that goes to the power outlet in the wall uses the same type of cord as a lot of other old IT gear in my parts bin so if I want to, I can dig out one that's a couple of feet longer and pretty up how the cord runs inside the cabinet and ensure I have plenty of slack.
    I'd also like to find the white circular cable clips on pinballife.com so I can use them along the inside edges of the cabinet to attach that braided cable sleeve to a couple of spots inside the cabinet along the right side.
    [quoted image]

    An easy fix is to plug your machine(s) into a wifi plug and turn it on and off with your phone. Then everything powers off, even the service plug. Another bonus is that you no longer have to use Stern's stupidly located blackbox power switches. Win win!

    #1234 9 months ago
    Quoted from Duster72:

    Adding an amp does more than allow you to turn it up louder. It improves quality substantially at all volumes. Basically the Stern setup is the worst setup possible that makes sound. These machines are designed to be put into a bar or arcade where nobody is going to hear them anyway. They are not designed for the home user in mind. Hearing the awful sound quality on any LE machine with upgraded speakers should be a great example of this. Something like the Pinwoofer DIY amp will make a tremendous difference and you can easily take it back out if you decide to sell the machine.

    I get that the amp improves the sound, but bang for buck, replacing the speakers and probably adding a sub is a bigger priority, right? The $185 amp your recommending is just not something I'm going to do to every pin. But I will add an amp to some.

    #1236 9 months ago
    Quoted from Sorokyl:

    I get that the amp improves the sound, but bang for buck, replacing the speakers and probably adding a sub is a bigger priority, right? The $185 amp your recommending is just not something I'm going to do to every pin. But I will add an amp to some.

    I hear you about the cost of the Pinwoofer amp which has already been proven to be a cheap commodity amp board that is marked up 5X its normal cost.

    I think that's sorta exactly the point of THIS thread... here, we explore the art of the possible without hyping any particular product that panders to the pinball community, and yes, that includes the pinwoofer DIY amp.

    Check out the pinned posts. Think you'll find that we are using amps that are less than $100. Many are less than $75.

    Also, please don't get me wrong. I believe in supporting the community of vendors that keep this hobby alive, so this is the first and last time I will bring up that vendor specifically. My point really was just to say, we aren't necessarily looking at those types of products in this thread.

    #1237 9 months ago

    Thats what i did for the Fosi amp i used to upgrade Godzilla. But, when i use the smartplug, it seems the amp power cycles maybe 8 times, causing feedback on the speakers each power cycle. Fine if I just use the switch on the amp to turn on. Any ideas?

    Quoted from Tranquilize:

    An easy fix is to plug your machine(s) into a wifi plug and turn it on and off with your phone. Then everything powers off, even the service plug. Another bonus is that you no longer have to use Stern's stupidly located blackbox power switches. Win win!

    #1238 9 months ago

    what impact do you guys think this magnetic speaker panel cover would have on the sound quality of IDMN? I am planning to upgrade the amp and speakers, and don't want to undo some improvement by covering it up. the holes are quite small and the magnet is a couple mm thick. I am thinking of cutting out the circles.
    pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png

    #1239 9 months ago
    Quoted from Sorokyl:

    what impact do you guys think this magnetic speaker panel cover would have on the sound quality of IDMN? I am planning to upgrade the amp and speakers, and don't want to undo some improvement by covering it up. the holes are quite small and the magnet is a couple mm thick. I am thinking of cutting out the circles.
    [quoted image]

    It will definitely affect sound quality. I had one that came with my Rush and it muffled the higher frequencies, so much so that I just got rid of it altogether. If you’re upgrading the sound components, go for the version with the speaker cutouts.

    #1240 9 months ago

    Maybe a dumb question, if you wire an amp in with piggy back connectors onto the switch, do you need to add a fuse?

    Also, if you want to add an amp to an older stern, can you just pull the signal from the speaker outputs on the board? I assume that signal is amplified slightly already.

    #1241 9 months ago

    I’ve read through this thread and appreciate all of the advice and work from everyone. Wanted to share my DIY experience in case it helps anyone.
    I upgraded my Rush pin’s cabinet speaker with the recommended JBL 810 and the back box with Kicker KSC504. I tried Polk DB522 and they were terrible. I also tried the recommended Alpine S-S50 which were good, but I thought the Kickers were a bit better and play lower Hz and are more efficient plus they looked better and were flush mountable. Kickers and Alpines both have silk dome tweeters which I prefer. Kickers were $104 and Alpines $69 both at Amazon.

    One thing I did notice is that when I set the pin’s equalizer to scoop the mids (V shaped EQ setting typical for hard rock/metal) the factory 4” speakers sounded A LOT better. Much clearer and more revealing. So much so that I wasn’t sure I really gained much by upgrading but did so anyway since I had the speakers and had already installed the JBL in the cabinet awhile back.

    #1242 9 months ago

    Anyone found a mini-amp with either bluetooth OUT, or a headphone jack (where you could plug in a bluetooth transmitter)? I've done speakers on most of mine, but have been thinking about adding some amps; would be really nice when the wife is sleeping to be able to just link up to my earbuds without fooling with adding headphone jacks externally.

    #1243 9 months ago

    I just want to give a huge thank you for everyone in this forum sharing great information, especially davegauth. I just upgraded my iron maiden pro with 4 inch kickers and a JBL sub. It sounds night and day better that the stock speakers and all done at a fraction of the cost that companies charge for kits. I am probably not going to add an amp as this already sounds amazing to me.

    Does this process only apply to modern machines or could I do the same thing with Bram Stoker's Dracula?(removing the old speakers and soldering in new ones) or would I just be best off just adding an external subwoofer to it? thanks again!

    #1244 9 months ago
    Quoted from Mro-Tek:

    I just want to give a huge thank you for everyone in this forum sharing great information, especially davegauth. I just upgraded my iron maiden pro with 4 inch kickers and a JBL sub. It sounds night and day better that the stock speakers and all done at a fraction of the cost that companies charge for kits. I am probably not going to add an amp as this already sounds amazing to me.
    Does this process only apply to modern machines or could I do the same thing with Bram Stoker's Dracula?(removing the old speakers and soldering in new ones) or would I just be best off just adding an external subwoofer to it? thanks again!

    Concept applies to any game, implementation may vary. I did my DE Star Wars a while back to rather impressive effect; just used some cheap pyles in the backbox, goldwood sub with a crossover wired in. It thumps now. A crossover is going to be necessary on the old ones to use an actual sub (those are just midrange speakers usually), as that filters out the high frequencies so the sub does its job. Actually, I've done a crossover on most of the new ones as they're like $10 and simpler than fusing with sterns crappy digital eq.

    #1245 9 months ago
    Quoted from Mro-Tek:

    I just want to give a huge thank you for everyone in this forum sharing great information, especially davegauth. I just upgraded my iron maiden pro with 4 inch kickers and a JBL sub. It sounds night and day better that the stock speakers and all done at a fraction of the cost that companies charge for kits. I am probably not going to add an amp as this already sounds amazing to me.
    Does this process only apply to modern machines or could I do the same thing with Bram Stoker's Dracula?(removing the old speakers and soldering in new ones) or would I just be best off just adding an external subwoofer to it? thanks again!

    I upgraded speakers in a whirlwind and because of the quality of the audio recordings it made very little difference.

    #1246 9 months ago
    Quoted from Mro-Tek:

    I just want to give a huge thank you for everyone in this forum sharing great information, especially davegauth. I just upgraded my iron maiden pro with 4 inch kickers and a JBL sub. It sounds night and day better that the stock speakers and all done at a fraction of the cost that companies charge for kits. I am probably not going to add an amp as this already sounds amazing to me.
    Does this process only apply to modern machines or could I do the same thing with Bram Stoker's Dracula?(removing the old speakers and soldering in new ones) or would I just be best off just adding an external subwoofer to it? thanks again!

    Quoted from Puffdanny:

    I upgraded speakers in a whirlwind and because of the quality of the audio recordings it made very little difference.

    This is what pinsound is for. New sound processor, source audio files, and amp. If you.dont get that, new speakers not worth it. True even up to say, lord of the rings..

    #1247 9 months ago
    Quoted from Sorokyl:

    This is what pinsound is for. New sound processor, source audio files, and amp. If you.dont get that, new speakers not worth it. True even up to say, lord of the rings..

    Yes, Pinsound plus in my Twilight Zone (and hours of my time spent "tweaking" the sound files) sounds fantastic!

    Now on my modern Sterns, just speaker upgrades and also on my Sega Independence Day, just Speaker upgrades made a huge improvement!

    Heck, even upgrading the speaker in my Robotron cab made a big difference!

    #1248 9 months ago
    Quoted from awesome1:

    Yes, Pinsound plus in my Twilight Zone (and hours of my time spent "tweaking" the sound files) sounds fantastic!
    Now on my modern Sterns, just speaker upgrades and also on my Sega Independence Day, just Speaker upgrades made a huge improvement!
    Heck, even upgrading the speaker in my Robotron cab made a big difference!

    If only you could add the original TZ sounds to Pinsound. IIRC, the original (higher quality) sound bytes are MIA?

    #1249 9 months ago
    Quoted from PinJim:

    If only you could add the original TZ sounds to Pinsound. IIRC, the original (higher quality) sound bytes are MIA?

    Yes, the Rod Serling voice callouts are especially bad unfortunately. I don't believe the original recordings are available and the ones used in the game were highly compressed and poor quality, so what's left is difficult to do much with. They sound worse the better the audio quality of the game gets...

    #1250 9 months ago
    Quoted from jedi42:

    Thats what i did for the Fosi amp i used to upgrade Godzilla. But, when i use the smartplug, it seems the amp power cycles maybe 8 times, causing feedback on the speakers each power cycle. Fine if I just use the switch on the amp to turn on. Any ideas?

    If I understand you correctly, it sounds like the cheap PSU is cycling the service plug when it powers on. Test this with a different electrical device with a power light. To fix, you'd need to wire it direct to the PSU, which defeats the fix of the smart plug.

    There are 1,808 posts in this topic. You are on page 25 of 37.

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