Library Science Portable DJ

Library Science DJ


Ok - to get a break from marking we created the Library Science DJ kit (LSD) for impromptu dance parties in the library or lab - all done from stuff lying around the house...

The kit consists of:

• 1 portable mixer board (runs on a 9v battery) with 2 source inputs, mic input, and headphone jack
• 1 set of speakers (6" woofer) for large areas
• 1 set of speakers (4" woofer) for small spaces like cubicles
• 1 set of headphones
• 1 microphone
  
• 1 mirror ball
• 1 equipment bag

And of course all the wires and connectors. You just need to supply your own iPods or music device, preferably two if you want to do some mixing, fading etc. You could even use a pre-amp ed turntable if you like gouging petroleum disks with a needle.

The small speakers are Synthedata B-55's which are active computer audio monitors but not bad. I use them with my iPod to provide patio music. Made of metal and quite heavy but there is only one amp which powers both speakers so they cannot play too loud. However, they are small enough so i can put them in my back pack and bike them anywhere.
The larger speakers are KRK Rockit 6's which are really nice active studio monitors. They weight over 20lbs each and can really, really, really play loud without distortion. Each speaker has two amplifiers, one for the woofer and one for the tweeter. They have more base than my sub/sat spherex system i'm currently using on the mac. They also have nice controls and inputs but they are too large for the backpack. However, they do fit in the Wike (pronounced wiki) bike trailer so i can still bike them anywhere.

So how does the system sound? - with the small speakers it's ok but only useful in a near-field setup like a cubicle or small office. With the Rockit 6's, you could fill a small club or large lab. The sound field is much wider thanks to the waveform guide around the tweeter and the usable bass seems to get down to about 40-45hz which is very good. Playing high resolution FLAC's from SACD, DTS or HDCD disc's is incredible.

Anyway here are the pictures .....and back to work.