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Music

  • Thread starter Deleted member 21878
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Deleted member 21878

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i have been looking at different ways to get music in the car without spending a lot or changing the look.

i have decided to try using a bluetooth speaker that i can sit on the shelf and connect to my phone. no holes to drill and it is pretty much out of sight. the down side to this was that you have to charge the speakers and that is something i could see me forgetting.

so i ordered a hard wire USB charger for about 7 bucks off Amazon. i will mount it to the bulkhead at the back of the shelf. it has two USB dongles that hand from it. this will give me power whenever the car is on to power the speaker and also charge my phone if i want. (i am installing an alternator and have changed my car to negative ground) Well as long as i have a speaker that uses a USB charging cord, not just an AC converter.

i happen to have a waterproof bluetooth speaker to try for this. the question i have is how powerful a speaker i need. So i will start with the one i have and see how it goes. This one says it is 2x15W output. worst that happens is i have a USB charging station for the phone. best that happens is the speaker works well.

the other positive here is that i can go to a car show and play music while there without having to use the car battery since these speakers have their own. And i can just take the speaker with me if i am stopped some place.
 
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RAC68

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Re: music

My original radio in my 64BJ8 had a single 4"diameter speaker placed in the center of the vertical dash (standard BMG radio). The issue was that, at speed with the top down, air would rush over the windshield and be drawn forward by the vacuum produced causing the sound from the speaker to be muffled. As a result of this situation, the only time I listened to the radio was with the top raised.

Since you are going to place your speaker on the shelf under the dash on the passenger side, I would expect quite a bit of the sound produced will also be muffled and lost by the same forward moving air flow. However, to be sure, I would test the speaker in place to make sure there is nothing diverting that muffling breeze. I would also try placing the speaker behind (on the back seat or shelf) to take some advantage of the air stream carrying the sound direct toward you.

Hope this helps,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 

Michael Oritt

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Re: music

Laws allowing earbuds vary from state to state: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/10/31/is-it-legal-to-wear-headphones-while-driving/
That said, the LG Tone Pro is a great Bluetooth headset and I can hear music or blogs from my cellphone at speed.

For those of you who wear hearing aids they are of course legal in all states and I don't see anything saying you cannot use them to listen to music as opposed to ambient sounds. I wear a set all the time--probably because I have spent too much time in the engine room of a diesel boat and the cockpit of a Healey on long trips.

The brand I wear--Inex--has a small wireless base station transmitter that accepts wired input from an audio source and broadcasts wirelessly to a small rechargeable receiver that hangs around my neck (soprta like the "Help, I'm Falling and I Can't Get Up!" device) which, in turn, transmits to the hearing aids. The transmitter for my TV is powered by a 110 cord but there is probably an AC to DC transformer in the line and perhaps 12VDC could be made to work it or else a small inverter could be used. The audio input source could be anything from a deck to a cell phone.
 
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Re: music

Laws allowing earbuds vary from state to state: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/10/31/is-it-legal-to-wear-headphones-while-driving/
That said, the LG Tone Pro is a great Bluetooth headset and I can hear music or blogs from my cellphone at speed.

For those of you who wear hearing aids they are of course legal in all states and I don't see anything saying you cannot use them to listen to music as opposed to ambient sounds. I wear a set all the time--probably because I have spent too much time in the engine room of a diesel boat and the cockpit of a Healey on long trips.

The brand I wear--Inex--has a small wireless transmitter that accepts input from audio sources and broadcasts wirelessly to the hearing aids. The transmitter for my TV is powered by a 110 cord but there is probably an AC to DC transformer in the line and perhaps 12VDC could be made to work it or else a small inverter could be used. The audio input source could be anything from a deck to a cell phone.
Widex? My wife's former career was an Audiologist (I've heard a lot of shoptalk__as has she ;) ).
 
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Re: music

Ray,
Thanks. i am hoping the dash and the firewall will keep the sound from being "blown away" as it were. On my TR6 i built a speaker box on the back shelf. at highway speeds it is still hard to hear anything, although those 8 track players are not quite the equipment we have today. engine noise, orther cars, you name it, seems to drown it out. plus my hearing is not what it used to be either. in reality, at highway speed, it is not likely i will hear much of anything no matter the place. but that is ok. i like the sound of an engine and i get to hear all the music from the kids cars going by.... baboom baboom baboom Good thing is these speakers dont have to be wired anywhere so i can try them in a number of spots before deciding the best place.
Michael
i always worry using ear buds when i drive. just afarid i will miss something i guess. but i do have a set of wireless ones and that is probably the only real way to hear anything clearly.
 

Michael Oritt

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Randy--

Sorry and yes you are correcto--Widex.

The transmitter runs on 3VDC and it should not be difficult to reduce 12VDC to that in order to easily power it up.

DD--

Perhaps it is an outgrowth of racing where I wear hearing protection and am constantly scanning mirrors for cars around or passing me, but I have come to rely on visual cues much more than audible ones, though perhaps that is simply my justification for making this idea okay.
 
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Re: music

the transformer i bought, and all i looked are 12v to 5v and anywhere from 1-3 amp. i think all the phones use 5v.
 

GregW

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USB for phones is 5v.
 

RAC68

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Although the shelf is a protected location, as you will agree the design of the TR6 is much different from the Healey and I can attest that my BJ8 gets quite a substantial rear-to-front air flow at speed. My only contention is that, if this forward air flow is also experienced in your Healey, it may be benificial to take advantageous of this flow by setting your speakers behind (on the rear shelf or back seat) rather then fighting it by placing the speakers under the dash. If you don't have this air flow or if it is not as substantial in your car, you will find your best location by testing. The beauty of your approach is that you can be flexible in determining where the best location for your speaker is with very few, if any, restrictions.

Good luck and enjoy,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
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Michael Oritt

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My bad--the Widex device runs on 5VDC, not 3.
 

twas_brillig

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I bought myself a Festool Sysrock "jobsite" FM radio for Christmas that also the usual suite of magic modern (bluetooth; MP3) options, with the intention of having it available for the 3000, BE, and dune buggy. It will mount to a 1/4x20 bolt or I might try to rig up some other system to keep it stable. I also intend (hope?) to pick up some proper power plug-ins and hardwire them into each car so as to just run it off the engine/battery. Got a couple of months yet to get to that stage as all the aforementioned vehicles are in storage. Doug
 

simco

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Already tried bluetooth with lousy results. With an mp3 your constantly adjusting volume with wind noise. More power,Scotty.
 

Michael Oritt

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In open cars such as ours the music really needs to be in or over your ear. I don't believe that OTE headphones can legally be worn anywhere, though who knows. Earbuds apparently can in a number of states and post #3 contains a link to a list of state laws showing if earbuds are and are not legal.

Earbuds are NOT legal here in MD but wearing hearing aids is and I have an appointment next week with my audiologist to check out the WIDEX device that will allow me to wirelessly receive audio in my hearing aids from my cell phone or another Bluetooth device. Not that it matters but I enjoy listening to podcasts/news and accurate reproduction/transmission of the human voice probably requires less across-the-spectrum response than does music.

BTW whether or not earbuds are permitted, is it legal to wear hearing protection such as earplugs to reduce the sheer volume of exhaust/engine/wind buffeting noise? Even with a hardtop and side curtains fit this is considerable and currently when I am driving alone I generally take my hearing aids out or turn them off which still allows me to hear other vehicles' horns and emergency vehicles' sirens very well.
 

Rob Glasgow

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Speaking of hearing aids, I find that I need to shut them off when I'm driving with the top down because the wind causes my ears to flap and create a racket with the hearing aids. Anyone have a suggestion short of a Van Gogh procedure??
 

Michael Oritt

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Rob--

Go the Capital Area Austin-Healey Club regalia page at:

https://www.capitalhealeys.org/regalia.html

You'll see a photo of the "Lid Latch" which is nothing more than a piece of elastic foam with clips on each end, designed to go between your cap and your collar and prevent loss of the former in a breeze. You could also use it to clip onto each of your ears and apply sufficient tension to keep them from flapping about.
 

Healey Nut

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Music in a sports car ?????
One of the questions I was asked when I bought the Aston Martin was “ bet it has an awesome stereo”
My answer ...... Dont know I hardly listen to it . And why would I want to listen to techno hip hop be bop til ya drop when I have the V8 philharmonic orchestra playing continually out the rear end . No boy band or rock band can compete with the sound of that .
As for the Healey theres just too much wind noise and I prefer listening to the poppop overrun than the Spice girls
 

Rob Glasgow

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Michael, thanks for the suggestion about the strap to pin my ears back. I'm afraid those alligator clips may be to aggressive for me. Maybe I will test out a loop of duct tape around my head and ears. May lose style points.....
 
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Speaking of hearing aids, I find that I need to shut them off when I'm driving with the top down because the wind causes my ears to flap and create a racket with the hearing aids. Anyone have a suggestion short of a Van Gogh procedure??
That really (REALLY) made me laugh!

Perhaps better still, would be the Picasso style, putting both ears on the inboard side...



Rob--

Go the Capital Area Austin-Healey Club regalia page at:

https://www.capitalhealeys.org/regalia.html

You'll see a photo of the "Lid Latch" which is nothing more than a piece of elastic foam with clips on each end, designed to go between your cap and your collar and prevent loss of the former in a breeze. You could also use it to clip onto each of your ears and apply sufficient tension to keep them from flapping about.
A friend of mine used to offer special caricature-type Z3/M hatz, and he carried lose lid-latch things too (I still have one clipped to a pencil holder__okay, tin can__in the shop) and he claims that the one (1) time it did its job, the hat flailing around like'd to beat him to death. He'd have been much happier if he'd just lost the cap!

At least with it clipped to one's ears, there'd be no sudden onslaught of pain, as it would remain relatively constant.
 

GregW

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Music in a sports car ?????
One of the questions I was asked when I bought the Aston Martin was “ bet it has an awesome stereo”
My answer ...... Dont know I hardly listen to it . And why would I want to listen to techno hip hop be bop til ya drop when I have the V8 philharmonic orchestra playing continually out the rear end . No boy band or rock band can compete with the sound of that .
As for the Healey theres just too much wind noise and I prefer listening to the poppop overrun than the Spice girls

You know there is a dial on the radio that allows you to listen to different music?
 

Healey Nut

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You know there is a dial on the radio that allows you to listen to different music?

Who knew ??????
 

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