Upcycle old speakers, part 1
I got that set from a family-member. These would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. It's a JBL subwoofer and two speakers. The sub model is "Sub 175" and it says "Made in Denmark" on the back panel. I was pleasantly surprised. I found some RCA cables to test if everything was working. I connected the speakers to the sub and the sub to a radio and realized that only the sub was working. It was then when I imagined - this was going to be a project. In seconds I had visioned what this dignified speaker system would become.
My plan
Fix the speakers. Only the subwoofer worked and I felt as if I was in a toilet of a nightclub, feeling the low bass beats of a familiar tune.
Add streaming functionality. I mean this is essential today.
Freshen up. Those speaker screens were faded and tired. It was time to hook them up with a new look.
I was so thrilled by this that I forgot I had never done anything like this in my life. I had no idea how a speaker works. I mean, I knew the membrane movement causes air to move which is what sound waves are but that was it. Then again, I had nothing to lose. If I would succeed, it would be a new experience, a needed confidence boost and I'd have a pretty good sound system.
It was time to get to work. I removed the dust and opened the sub and the speakers. I took pictures of the components so it would be convenient to start the online research. I was pleasantly surprised to find anything on the web. Most of all, a pretty decent user manual with an electronic schematic for the sub.
However, it was a different story with the speakers. I concluded that the contents were a DIY-job from the soviet era. Both speakers were filled with a cotton wool "pillow" for insulation. I remember that cotton wool was very difficult to obtain in soviet times. The soldering job was below par. One of the tweeters' solder connection had come loose. Perhaps the original owner was not experienced, maybe they had no proper tools or materials?
I searched the web and visited several DIY audio forums. I learned that Bluetooth connection was of lower quality than wi-fi. I posted my mission on Reddit with photos and asked for advice. I learned that my subwoofer already had an amplifier built on its PCB (I told You I was a complete beginner). By that time, I knew I wanted to stream via wi-fi, instead of Bluetooth. I also remembered that I had a Samsung tablet which was collecting dust. Among other solutions, I was advised to just get a 3.5mm to RCA adapter. This way I could connect my tablet to the system and voila! - a permanent streaming solution with ca 1 EUR additional investment. At least in theory!
I needed to do some shopping.
To be continued!