AlexM posted Nov 26 '16, 05:16:
Hey guys
Can anyone suggest a small speaker / amp that I could integrate into my SamplerBox? Inspiration being Teenage Engineering's OP-1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPCxE6Gy4Cs
Part of Joseph's original idea was to have something that you just play without waiting for a computer to load up, applications to open, speakers to power on etc (http://www.samplerbox.org/blog?start=20). So to further this dream I'd love to implement small and/or loud and/or quality speakers (in a perfect world all 3!) for those times that I just want to plug and play. It may be that inspiration strikes at home and I want be making noise straight away without having to look for speaker cables or power if I'm using a battery. Or maybe I'm on tour with a band and I want to muck around with a band mate who's just picked up a guitar. Of course there'd still the option to plug into a better amplified speaker system, but this would be for those more casual times.
Sparky Lectric posted Dec 25 '16, 00:54:
Several options - you could use a cheap Ipod dock, alot of them have an AUX input that you can plug the pi output into. I see these every day at the thrift store for between 3$ and 10$ various brands Ihome,JVC,Philips etc.already has a speaker and an amp and some have a remote control and 5volts for charging Ipod and some have USB port for charging. A bit of hacking and you've got a powered speaker and you can use the usb port to run an LED light.
A bit more expensive is the Akai RPM3 - powered recording monitors - around99$, or the Alesis branded version for 75$ (amazon prices - you might find them lower on ebay or craigslist) - these have a USB interface that will allow you to record through them. The master speaker has all the ins/outs on the back, the usb interface and the power jack, volume control on the front, and so can be used alone, or for stereo, you can plug in the secondary speaker.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=akai+rmp3
the pi could be velcroed to the top or side of the speaker cabinet, and a handle added to make it easy to tote. They sound pretty good for the money. I use a pair of the rpm3 to monitor recordings made with a Zoom R8 - sd recorder. Very portable studio.