Has anyone tried adding internal speakers to their Amiga?

Ulysses13 · 31 May 2021, 18:36

With space at a premium, and the Amiga being a really compact machine, has anyone tried adding some internal speakers under the grille, to remove the need for another thing on the desktop, needing to be plugged in?

ajk · 31 May 2021, 19:52

No reason why you couldn't, but surely it's much more straightforward to just use a monitor with speakers. The audio quality isn't the greatest, sure, but you can't exactly fit a HiFi set inside the case either

Lord Aga · 31 May 2021, 19:59

It's a gimmick, sure, but I can see it being useful in a portable Amiga. The one you move around for meetings and parties.

In a home setup, I guess it would save some desk space. On the other hand, every Amiga deserves a HiFi noise maker

Galahad/FLT · 31 May 2021, 20:21

Not a good idea, speakers too close to the floppy drive could cause magnetic flux problems where the disk cant be read and actually corrupted, same if you have a CF card or hard drive inside.

Mathesar · 31 May 2021, 20:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

Not a good idea, speakers too close to the floppy drive could cause magnetic flux problems where the disk cant be read and actually corrupted, same if you have a CF card or hard drive inside.

There are magnetically shielded speakers for that, or speakers with a second cancelation magnet.

eXeler0 · 31 May 2021, 21:38

Didn't all CRT TVs have magnetically shielded speakers?

Galahad/FLT · 31 May 2021, 21:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mathesar

There are magnetically shielded speakers for that, or speakers with a second cancelation magnet.

Just how much room do you think is between the RF shielding and the outer case lol

PDrill · 01 June 2021, 14:05

Wouldn't it also require an amplifier since Amiga produces only 'line level' signal?

Ulysses13 · 01 June 2021, 19:06

Fair enough, perhaps not the most realistic suggestion. Imagination got the better of me. Might be a nice to have, if they could be turned on and off.

I'm running my A1200 on an HDTV via HDMI in our living room when I can - so having a set of speakers out too, and needing to be powered etc is a pain. I don't have the space for a permanent desktop setup sadly.

The Indivision AGA Mk3 doesn't have good sound support via HDMI, which has been a disappointment as the sound (when I get it) through the TV is great, and that really would have been the one-stop minimal solution.

Might have to get a soundbar or something which could sit under the TV then.

Mathesar · 01 June 2021, 21:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ulysses13

Fair enough, perhaps not the most realistic suggestion. Imagination got the better of me. Might be a nice to have, if they could be turned on and off.

It IS realistic! Yes, you would need an amplifier but these are cheap and readily available. Also, there are plenty of small and thin speakers available.

Look here: https://www.soundimports.eu/nl/dayto...o-dma45-8.html

and here: https://www.tinytronics.nl/shop/nl/a...ume-control-v2

The speaker is a bit deep but magnetically shielded. There are also thinner examples but not shielded. So, these must be mounted further away from the floppy. Don't worry about compactflash or ssd devices, these are not sensitive for magnetic fields. The amplifier I linked runs straight from 5V and has a volume knob. This particular amplifier chip is also known to sound well.

Put some 3D printed volume behind the speaker... Some dampening stuff... Maybe a bass reflex port... Plenty of fun to be had...

kriz · 01 June 2021, 21:20

An hdmi audio inserter would solve your issues: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3298...35b61cdcHpPxnm (HDMI 4K2K AUDIO INSERTER).. I need one myself for easy recording and handy to have at hand anyway

Daedalus · 01 June 2021, 22:48

Back i the day, I had an A600 motherboard built into a drawer in my desk for some room automation stuff. Part of that was to use it as an alarm clock, and I added a speaker to it. It would indeed need a small amplifier, but I built a simple one from an op-amp that was powered from the floppy port, and I'm sure you can buy similar ones for pennies. I did have a little more space, but you can always get smaller speakers - after all, laptops have speakers in them too...

Predseda · 01 June 2021, 23:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Aga

The one you move around for meetings and parties.

I do not think this make sense. At parties you usually need powerful speakers.

aeberbach · 02 June 2021, 00:37

I could see it being useful but any speakers small enough to mount internally would be pretty tinny and horrible.

Ulysses13 · 02 June 2021, 09:06

The HDMI Audio Inserter looks interesting. By the time I have another box plugged into the Amiga and powered separately though, I may as well have speakers.

I think I'll get a soundbar that will be subtle under the TV, and cross my fingers for the audio compatibility on the Indivision to improve with updates...

grond · 02 June 2021, 11:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

Not a good idea, speakers too close to the floppy drive could cause magnetic flux problems where the disk cant be read and actually corrupted, same if you have a CF card or hard drive inside.

CF cards are not susceptible to magnetic fields for all I know. I agree that there could be problems with floppies or harddisks but I could imagine that the fields of small speakers won't be strong enough to do real damage.

eXeler0 · 02 June 2021, 19:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeberbach

I could see it being useful but any speakers small enough to mount internally would be pretty tinny and horrible.

I think a realistic target would be "can you get it to sound on par with built in speakers in 108x / 8833 monitors" not compare to proper external speakers.

DanC · 03 June 2021, 11:23

I think its a great idea!
Stereo sound when i play Pinnball Dreams!

I think i will try these little speakers:
https://www.electrokit.com/en/produc...jst-connector/

They seem to be a good match to the little 3w amp mentioned earlier:
https://www.electrokit.com/en/produc...digital-3w-5v/

eXeler0 · 03 June 2021, 20:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanC

I think its a great idea!
Stereo sound when i play Pinnball Dreams!

I think i will try these little speakers:
https://www.electrokit.com/en/produc...jst-connector/

They seem to be a good match to the little 3w amp mentioned earlier:
https://www.electrokit.com/en/produc...digital-3w-5v/

Youtube demo when you're done?

Ulysses13 · 12 June 2021, 22:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanC

I think its a great idea!
Stereo sound when i play Pinnball Dreams!

I think i will try these little speakers:
https://www.electrokit.com/en/produc...jst-connector/

They seem to be a good match to the little 3w amp mentioned earlier:
https://www.electrokit.com/en/produc...digital-3w-5v/

Let us know how you get on...

31 May 2021, 18:36	#1
Ulysses13 Registered User Join Date: May 2020 Location: Surrey / UK Posts: 111	Has anyone tried adding internal speakers to their Amiga? With space at a premium, and the Amiga being a really compact machine, has anyone tried adding some internal speakers under the grille, to remove the need for another thing on the desktop, needing to be plugged in?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Adding 2nd A2000 internal floppy drive	Chuckles	support.Hardware	16	09 June 2018 20:53
Adding an internal CD/DVD drive to an A1200	Ox.	Amiga scene	8	15 September 2015 12:36
Computer speakers from Amiga era...	Paul_s	Nostalgia & memories	10	18 November 2009 09:02
pc speakers for Amiga?	Angus	support.Hardware	12	24 September 2009 20:05
Adding a second internal floppy to an A2000	mfletcher	support.Hardware	1	18 July 2008 00:15

31 May 2021, 19:52	#2
ajk Registered User Join Date: May 2010 Location: Helsinki, Finland Posts: 1,341	No reason why you couldn't, but surely it's much more straightforward to just use a monitor with speakers. The audio quality isn't the greatest, sure, but you can't exactly fit a HiFi set inside the case either

31 May 2021, 19:59	#3
Lord Aga MI clan prevails Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Belgrade, Serbia Posts: 1,443	It's a gimmick, sure, but I can see it being useful in a portable Amiga. The one you move around for meetings and parties. In a home setup, I guess it would save some desk space. On the other hand, every Amiga deserves a HiFi noise maker

31 May 2021, 20:21	#4
Galahad/FLT Going nowhere Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: United Kingdom Age: 50 Posts: 8,986	Not a good idea, speakers too close to the floppy drive could cause magnetic flux problems where the disk cant be read and actually corrupted, same if you have a CF card or hard drive inside.

31 May 2021, 21:38	#6
eXeler0 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Sweden Age: 50 Posts: 2,946	Didn't all CRT TVs have magnetically shielded speakers?

01 June 2021, 14:05	#8
PDrill Registered User Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Finland Posts: 129	Wouldn't it also require an amplifier since Amiga produces only 'line level' signal?

01 June 2021, 19:06	#9
Ulysses13 Registered User Join Date: May 2020 Location: Surrey / UK Posts: 111	Fair enough, perhaps not the most realistic suggestion. Imagination got the better of me. Might be a nice to have, if they could be turned on and off. I'm running my A1200 on an HDTV via HDMI in our living room when I can - so having a set of speakers out too, and needing to be powered etc is a pain. I don't have the space for a permanent desktop setup sadly. The Indivision AGA Mk3 doesn't have good sound support via HDMI, which has been a disappointment as the sound (when I get it) through the TV is great, and that really would have been the one-stop minimal solution. Might have to get a soundbar or something which could sit under the TV then.

01 June 2021, 21:20	#11
kriz Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: No(R)Way Age: 41 Posts: 3,185	An hdmi audio inserter would solve your issues: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3298...35b61cdcHpPxnm (HDMI 4K2K AUDIO INSERTER).. I need one myself for easy recording and handy to have at hand anyway

01 June 2021, 22:48	#12
Daedalus Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dublin, then Glasgow Posts: 6,334	Back i the day, I had an A600 motherboard built into a drawer in my desk for some room automation stuff. Part of that was to use it as an alarm clock, and I added a speaker to it. It would indeed need a small amplifier, but I built a simple one from an op-amp that was powered from the floppy port, and I'm sure you can buy similar ones for pennies. I did have a little more space, but you can always get smaller speakers - after all, laptops have speakers in them too...

02 June 2021, 00:37	#14
aeberbach Registered User Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 420	I could see it being useful but any speakers small enough to mount internally would be pretty tinny and horrible.

02 June 2021, 09:06	#15
Ulysses13 Registered User Join Date: May 2020 Location: Surrey / UK Posts: 111	The HDMI Audio Inserter looks interesting. By the time I have another box plugged into the Amiga and powered separately though, I may as well have speakers. I think I'll get a soundbar that will be subtle under the TV, and cross my fingers for the audio compatibility on the Indivision to improve with updates...

03 June 2021, 11:23	#18
DanC Registered User Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: Växjö / Sweden Posts: 58	I think its a great idea! Stereo sound when i play Pinnball Dreams! I think i will try these little speakers: https://www.electrokit.com/en/produc...jst-connector/ They seem to be a good match to the little 3w amp mentioned earlier: https://www.electrokit.com/en/produc...digital-3w-5v/

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)