Frankenstein Partybox speaker
Hi everyone!
In this post, I’m going to show you the build process and the final result of my Frankenstein "PartyBox" speaker.
It all started when the power supply on my JBL PartyBox 310 failed, making it impossible to charge (after only six months of use). I filed a warranty claim, and it was sent to the factory for a month. After that month, they told me it couldn't be fixed and that the JBL 310 was no longer in production. They offered me the option to pay an extra €100 out of pocket, combining that with the value of the 310 to buy a JBL PartyBox 120 instead (which is an inferior model and more expensive 🤡). I asked for a refund instead, and they gave me my money back.
I decided I wouldn't buy a JBL PartyBox again. I had a Kenwood KFC-W3002 subwoofer (200W RMS, 4 ohms; a 1997 model) and a pair of Pioneer TS-1320F 5-inch speakers sitting unused at home.
My uncle upgraded his computer, and since I built the new rig for him, he gave me the parts he didn't need including a 600W ATX power supply.
I decided to use that power supply for the speaker cabinet I was building to replace my JBL 310. I designed the enclosure with a 40-liter net internal volume tuned to 36Hz for the Kenwood KFC-W3002. On top, I built separate sealed enclosures (approx. 3 liters internal volume each) for the Pioneer TS-1320F speakers, with the head unit, a Pioneer MVH-S310BT mounted in the middle. This unit powers the Pioneers 5". When I need a bit more sound, I add Sony SS-A290 speakers (rear chanels from headunit) and my JBL Xtreme 2 (connected to the head unit's front RCA outputs via an RCA-to-3.5mm cable). To power the subwoofer, I’m using a Pioneer GM-X552 amplifier bridged to 4 ohms, delivering 150W RMS (though it likely isn't hitting that full output due to voltage drops from the power supply during heavy bass hits; I need to upgrade the power supply soon).
The cabinet is made of 16mm plywood my dad got for free, and it's upholstered with carpet he also sourced at no cost.
We cut, assembled, and upholstered the box right there in our apartment 🤣 (just like I did with my car subwoofer enclosure).
Since the wood was free, it had some odd cuts, and we only had a jigsaw to work with, so the box ended up slightly out of square. It was the first slot-ported enclosure I’ve ever designed and built; it was much harder than I expected, but now I have the experience to do a better job on the next one. I hope you like the project. There’s still room for improvement, but I’m really happy with the result.