Adafruit 2220 Audio FX Sound Board + Speakers?

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Tolderian
 
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Adafruit 2220 Audio FX Sound Board + Speakers?

Post by Tolderian »

I acquired this board with built in 2X2W amp. Didn't realize it had the amp already when I also got the 2.1W Class D Audio Amp...

Anyway, I have these 3W 8Ohm Speakers and they're just not very loud. I watched the videos and they say it "can get very loud" and in spite of trying to manually increase volume by rigging a button to it, I just don't think they'll be audible in a crowded and outdoor environment.

The video says that I could go up to a 3W speaker "if I don't mind a little distortion" and the sound I have (in my office) is quite crisp and clear but I need some oomph (bass would be nice, too)

If I don't care about the wiring/aesthetic aspect, can I buy some kind of beefy bluetooth speaker that can really blast the sound? Would I need to get the FX board with the sound jack and no amp?

Is there a way I can maybe provide a larger power supply to some beefier speakers without worrying about burning out the board?

I'm new to all this and I did make an earnest attempt by reviewing a couple dozen out of the 120 something forums entries with the word "speaker" in it.

I just need this to be super loud and not want to damage the board or catch anything on fire and without needing to program an arduino.

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adafruit_support_carter
 
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Re: Adafruit 2220 Audio FX Sound Board + Speakers?

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

I think you are simply running into the limits of what 2W can deliver. That's an OK power for general use, but probably not enough for a "crowded and outdoor environment".

You'll want a bigger amp. You don't need a different sound board. The "line level" audio outputs are available on the R/L/Gnd pins:
https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-aud ... ts-1386548
You'd route those to a separate / more powerful audio amp. And then attach a more powerful speaker to that amp.

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Tolderian
 
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Re: Adafruit 2220 Audio FX Sound Board + Speakers?

Post by Tolderian »

Awesome. What would you recommend insofar as amp and speaker combo? I get paralysis by analysis and after consuming all this info about speakers and amps I’m worried about over/under doing it.

Powering it will come with its own challenges but I might can manage that.

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Re: Adafruit 2220 Audio FX Sound Board + Speakers?

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

That's the tough question to answer. Don't really have any specific recommendation other than "need more power". Maybe something in the 20W range would work? It all depends on what you're trying to achieve in your target environment. If possible, could test with other hardware, of known power, to get a sense of what power range(s) will work. Maybe 20W is still not loud enough?

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Tolderian
 
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Re: Adafruit 2220 Audio FX Sound Board + Speakers?

Post by Tolderian »

I appreciate the info. Just wanted to avoid the expense of trial and error if someone knew off the top of their head lol. Why reinvent the wheel if someone’s already built one kinda thing. I reckon the digging shall continue!

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